Chapter 419 Zhou Ruyuan brings Bai Qingling into the palace!
Who came up with such a unique gift? What a genius!
This marriage was bestowed by Emperor Renxiao. Even though many guests harbored a desire to watch the spectacle, they kept it to themselves. Once they returned home and closed their doors, they could freely express their thoughts.
To ensure the marriage was sealed, Emperor Renxiao specially sent a eunuch to bestow gifts on the wedding day. With the marriage granted by the imperial family, even if Bai Qingling were to be criticized for anything in the future, there would be no possibility of divorce, unless he died and was remarried.
Emperor Renxiao felt that the Third Prince was deeply in love with Bai Qingling, and that such a thing as death would never happen to them.
In a moment of joy, he flipped over the green plaque presented by Wang Bao.
After a night of passionate lovemaking, Emperor Renxiao felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, as if he had returned to his youth.
They completely forgot that they had a son who died at the foot of the capital while caring for his sick father.
Zhou Ruyuan was delayed in picking up the Fifth Prince's coffin because of his marriage.
After paying his respects at the palace on the second day after his marriage, he immediately submitted a petition to leave the capital, which Emperor Renxiao gladly granted.
"Qingling, after I have met with my mother, I will leave. After that, I will leave the affairs of the Prince's residence to you."
Bai Qingling, her face full of tender affection, responded in a soft, gentle voice.
"Your Highness, please be careful on your journey."
Although the marriage was unexpected, Zhou Ruyuan breathed a sigh of relief after the wedding took place.
Qingling has done so much for him, and even bore him children; she has truly done a great service. Let this marriage be a form of compensation for her.
"Your Highness, may we bring Mr. Caolu along this time?" Bai Qingling's eyes flickered, her gentle appearance masking a calculating mind.
The household affairs are currently managed by Shen Yuantang. Now that the prince has said these words, the power of managing the household affairs should be taken back as soon as possible after he leaves.
So what if Shen Lanxi is now in a high position and favored by the Emperor? Her own younger sister is still a concubine in the Prince's mansion.
A concubine is just a mistress; she can be manipulated at will.
Soon they arrived at Chaoyun Palace, where Zhou Ruyuan also saw his son whom he had not seen for a long time.
“Little Yu’er, don’t you recognize your father and mother? Come to your father and mother quickly.” Bai Qingling recognized the timid child at a glance.
Having not seen her son for so long, his image was firmly imprinted in her mind, and she couldn't help but tear up.
But the child only glanced at them, then, like a startled rabbit, quickly ran inside.
"Mother!" Zhou Ruyuan looked at the child hiding behind his mother, his eyes stinging with tears.
Bai Qingling was even more distressed; tears were already streaming down her face.
"Greetings to Mother!" She stared intently at her son, as if afraid he would disappear in the blink of an eye.
Consort Shu already hated Bai Qingling and wished she were dead.
Seeing her so heartbroken now fills me with a sense of satisfaction.
“Mother, Your Highness and I are now officially married. I have come today to take our child back to our residence for upbringing.”
Zhou Ruyuan frowned; he hadn't said that to Bai Qingling.
Consort Shu was immediately displeased.
“You ill-mannered brat, if it weren’t for my son’s presence, I would have had someone teach you a lesson about palace etiquette.”
A flash of hatred crossed Bai Qingling's eyes, but she quickly put on a pitiful expression.
"Mother, your daughter-in-law has done nothing wrong, why are you so angry?"
Consort Shu immediately pointed angrily: "His Majesty pitied me for losing my child, so he sent his grandson to me to fulfill my filial duty. And you, you fool, are simply unworthy to be my son's consort. You don't even understand the most basic filial piety. If it weren't in front of them, I would have already ordered someone to slap you."
Bai Qingling looked choked up; her son had been away from her for a long time, and now he clearly didn't recognize her anymore.
That was flesh of her own flesh; how could she not miss it?
She is now a princess and is raising her child herself; what's wrong with that?
Consort Shu clearly looked down on her background, which is why she used this incident to put her in a bad light.
"Mother, your son is leaving the capital tomorrow on business. Let's have a proper meal today!" Zhou Ruyuan mediated.
Consort Shu glanced at her son, not wanting to put him in a difficult position. She had finally seen him, and she had so much to say; she couldn't waste it on that vile woman.
"Go and oversee the lunch. Wang Mama, go and instruct her. When we leave the palace later, you go back with her and teach her the rules of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion properly."
With a stern face, Granny Wang said coldly, "I will obey Your Highness's orders."
Bai Qingling didn't want to go, but under the death stare of Granny Wang and the pressure from Consort Shu, she had no choice but to go out with her.
"Take the little prince out to play."
Zhou Ruyuan knew that his mother had sent everyone away because she wanted to speak with him alone, so he waited happily.
...
Zhou Yunhao's 200,000 troops have now retreated to outside Pingcheng.
They had originally come to the capital to plot a rebellion, but Zhou Yunhao suddenly died, leaving them leaderless. They had planned to escape back to Xihua Prefecture, but unexpectedly received an imperial edict from the court.
After discussing the matter, Zhou Yunhao's advisors decided to take a gamble.
Zhang Xinsui was Zhou Yunhao's chief strategist, and he summoned all the generals who were leading the army together for a meeting that very night.
"I had heard earlier that the successor of Guiguzi had been summoned to the capital by His Majesty, and I guessed that the imperial edict must have adopted the successor's opinion."
"Mr. Zhang, should we wait now, or return to Xihuazhou?" Zhou Yunhao asked General Wang Zhixiao, who was sitting down, with a frown.
Since Zhou Yunhao's sudden death, Zhang Xinsui has been overwhelmed with work and hasn't had time to groom himself for several days.
He resisted the urge to scratch his head and analyzed, "The imperial forces are all scattered outside, so the capital is currently vulnerable."
They instinctively went straight for the enemy's stronghold, but unexpectedly, the Fifth Prince, who was so healthy, fell seriously ill.
If it weren't for the fact that the army had six highly skilled physicians who were loyal to the Fifth Prince, he would never have believed that the Fifth Prince had fallen seriously ill.
"Before, with the Fifth Prince present, our entry into the capital was perfectly legitimate. Now, if we take even one step forward, it will be considered treason and rebellion, and everyone has the right to kill us!"
These military officers all knew this, but the key was that they didn't want to just stand there and wait to die!
"Sir, just tell us what to do, we'll do whatever you say."
If it weren't for him keeping watch, his 200,000-strong army would have deserted long ago.
Zhou Xinsui: "What we're doing now is waiting for the imperial court to send someone to take over." He only hopes that these former subordinates can die peacefully.
Although he didn't say anything discouraging, the generals still felt a sense of shared sorrow.
The soldiers below might escape unscathed, but the generals who led the troops, the Fifth Prince's personal guards, would definitely not survive.
They only hoped that the court would spare their families, considering that they had obeyed orders.
They were prepared to die, and amidst their agonizing torment, Shen Lanxi arrived with the Ministry of War.
All the existing military forces in the court were used to defend the capital, so they brought less than 500 men with them when they came to take over.
If the 200,000-strong army were to rebel, they would face certain death.
Knowing that this mission was fraught with danger and mixed fortune, the Ministry of War sent only young, newly promoted generals, most of whom had been promoted through the military examinations.
Shen Lanxi sat on her horse, exuding an imposing aura. The rest of the people were all behind her, the formation neat and well-trained.
Zhang Xinsui had long heard of Shen Lanxi and had also heard that Shen Lanxi had brought people to take over.
I finally met her today, and I was first stunned by her appearance. I had a preconceived notion that someone so beautiful would be trusted by her subordinates even if she were to lead an army.
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