He Xue tried to get off Emperor Jingning's lap, but he held her even tighter. "Where do you want to go?"
"I'm not light at all now!" He Xue said with a slight smile.
"It's nothing to me, just sit still!"
What if it runs over you?
Emperor Jingning smiled, then whispered in He Xue's ear, "I wasn't afraid of you pressing down on me in bed, let alone now!"
Emperor Jingning saw that as soon as he finished speaking, Xue Lian's neck turned pink.
"You're so irresponsible!" He Xue glared at Emperor Jingning with a playful expression.
Emperor Jingning said, feeling very wronged, "How have I been improper? You often put your arms and legs on me at night!"
What are you thinking about?
Seeing Emperor Jingning's attempt to shift the blame, He Xue wondered if she had wronged him. [Could it be that I'm overthinking things?]
"Tell me quickly, what were you thinking just now?" Emperor Jingning asked deliberately.
"I wasn't thinking about anything!" He Xue said awkwardly. "Let's continue talking about An Lingrong!"
"I noticed you seemed a bit lonely all alone in the palace, so I thought I'd find some people to keep you company and help you pass the time!"
"Afraid I'll be lonely? So you found me a younger sister!" He Xue asked.
"Yeah! Someone can talk to you, but I can't be with you all the time!"
"I think it would be better to find me a few younger brothers! I prefer younger brothers with wasp waists, broad shoulders, and long legs!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingning felt a chill run down his spine. He recalled what Xue had said when they were children: "You can try it and see if I'll pickle all the men in the palace!"
He Xuejian, seeing Emperor Jingning's anger, immediately lost much of her imposing aura. "I was just saying it casually!"
"You can't just say it casually. If I hear it again, I'll make you pay after you give birth!" Emperor Jingning said domineeringly, holding Hexue in his arms.
"Isn't this too hasty?" He Xue immediately returned to the main topic, "There's no need to ruin someone else's life because of me!"
"When she reaches the appropriate age, she will naturally leave the palace, and I will not mistreat her father!"
"The palace isn't a place you can just leave whenever you want. And even if she leaves, what will she do then? Who would dare marry the emperor's woman? Is she supposed to live out her days alone?"
After careful consideration, Emperor Jingning realized that Xue's words made sense. He believed that he could not become a great emperor for all time, but he was not a foolish ruler either.
"How about we make her a female official?"
"There's no precedent for this in the palace!" He Xue said.
During the Shunzhi reign, the issue of female officials was indeed considered. The emperor wanted to continue the Ming dynasty's system of six departments and one bureau, but it felt that too many people were needed. In addition, there was the Imperial Household Department, so female officials were not really needed. Therefore, there were no female officials in the palace.
"At worst, we'll set a precedent!" Emperor Jingning said dismissively.
“Those old ministers will have even more reason to criticize me!” He Xue knew that most of the court officials had opinions about her. “Moreover, you just issued an imperial edict, and now you want to appoint An Lingrong as a female official. You change your orders every day. Aren’t you worried that the censors will keep digging into it?”
"It's alright. My father-in-law's tongue is quite sharp now, no less than those censors. Many people say that my father-in-law is not only good at fighting, but also at verbal sparring!" Emperor Jingning said with a smile. How come he hadn't discovered Su Hetai's talent before!
He Xue looked at Emperor Jingning with displeasure.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Jingning immediately shut his mouth. "What do you suggest we do?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
