Chapter 907 Secret (6)
…
In the Daliang Palace, Empress Xian De listened to her maids reporting on what happened at the Caixia Banquet today. When she heard Shen Miao say, "I will not accept myself as a concubine. I will not take concubines for my husband and expand his family. When Prince Rui came to my Shen residence to propose marriage, he also said that the Prince's backyard would not accept other women. If it were not for this, I would not have traveled thousands of miles to marry in Longye." Empress Xian De couldn't help but laugh. She was naturally gentle and dignified, usually calm, but when she smiled like this, she actually had a bit of the charming girlish charm.
"Why is the Queen laughing so happily?" The voice of Emperor Yongle came from outside. His expression was a little cold. He stepped into the Weiyang Palace and looked at Empress Xian De. There was a strange flash in his eyes.
Empress Xian De smiled heartily and said, "Cailian, tell His Majesty what the princess said again."
The maid named Cai Lian quickly lowered her head and repeated exactly what she had just said, imitating Shen Miao. After hearing this, Emperor Yongle flung his sleeves and angrily said, "Nonsense! You have no manners! You are so outrageous!"
Cai Lian was startled and her body trembled a little. The emperor's anger was not something a little palace maid like her could bear.
Empress Xian De glanced at Emperor Yong Le with a look of reproach and said to Cai Lian, "You go down first."
Cai Lian heaved a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew. Empress Xian De then smiled and said, "Jing Xing, this daughter-in-law, has a personality that is perfectly matched with his. She is also so straightforward and is truly a person of temperament."
“It’s fine if Xie Yuan is just messing around, but you’re also joining him in this?” Emperor Yongle looked at Empress Xian De with dissatisfaction: “The Empress seems to be very fond of Shen Miao?”
"It's been a long time since Longye has seen such an interesting person." Empress Xiande smiled and watched Emperor Yongle sit down beside her. Her tone was still gentle, but her voice was filled with uncontrollable admiration: "He looks like a smart man, but he also maintains a sincere heart, which is rare."
"I don't see any cleverness in her, nor do I see any sincerity in her." Emperor Yongle said coldly, "She is just a woman who is scheming and scheming."
"If that's the case, with Jingxing's shrewd personality, how could he not see it? Why would he fall so deeply in love with her?"
Emperor Yongle disagreed: "Xie Yuan is young now and cannot distinguish right from wrong, so he was bewitched by women."
Empress Xiande sighed. Knowing that Emperor Yongle was stubborn, she didn't want to argue with him, so she said, "In short, I think Jingxing's wife is a very good person."
"If she were truly good, she wouldn't have spoken so shamelessly in front of so many people, saying things like she was jealous." Emperor Yongle was very dissatisfied: "Does the Empress also think that it is right not to have more children for her husband and take in more concubines?"
Empress Xian De smiled faintly: "That is of course very good, but very few women can do it. It is a blessing for Princess Rui to be able to do it."
"Empress!" Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongle frowned and looked at Empress Xian De with a stern look.
"My words were spoken out of turn." Empress Xian De said this, but she didn't look particularly frightened. She simply said, "Your Majesty, please encourage reconciliation rather than separation. It would be best if you didn't worry too much about Prince Rui's palace. Jingxing is a man of his own ideas. If you interfere too much, you will only incur his resentment."
"I have my own ideas." Emperor Yongle said in a deep voice.
After a moment's silence, the Virtuous Queen said, "Your Majesty, are you ready for the Imperial Hunt next month?"
"I'm just preparing a life." Emperor Yongle's expression showed no emotion. "I've already made all the arrangements."
"Can I go with you?" Empress Xian De asked, "I want to stay with Your Majesty."
"I will take Concubine Jing with me." Emperor Yongle said, "If anything happens to me, you will have to take care of the harem."
Empress Xian De lowered her head and said nothing. After a moment, she raised her head again, smiled gently, and said, "I understand."
"The person I worry about most is Xie Yuan. When he was young and lurked in Ming Qi, I felt guilty towards him. But now that the empire has been settled, I still can't fulfill my original promise. Whether he hates me or understands my painstaking efforts, there's only so much I can do." Emperor Yongle looked outside and said sadly, "It's a pity that my mother didn't get to see him before she died."
"If your mother knew in the afterlife how outstanding Jingxing is now, she would be pleased." Empress Xian De advised.
"Empress," Emperor Yongle said suddenly.
Empress Xian De looked at him, and Emperor Yongle said, "Thank you for your hard work over the years."
"It is my great honor to share your majesty's worries." Empress Xian De smiled, her expression remarkably calm, as if no hardship could shatter her grace in the slightest. She said, "I have been with your majesty for decades. Your majesty treats me well, and I am content."
Emperor Yongle looked at Empress Xian De and wanted to say something. He moved his lips but said nothing. He just gave Empress Xian De a complicated look, then looked away at the green smoke curling out of the bronze crane's beak in the hall.
Empress Xian De also quietly looked at her sleeves, as if the words she had just said were just ordinary family matters. However, her eyes were a little moist.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
