Chapter 133 Your son is not a Guanyin who grants children
Upon entering the hall, the two knelt respectfully and paid their respects to the emperor.
Whether out of anger or something else, the emperor stared at the two for a long time before saying expressionlessly, "Rise."
Prince Chen and Shen Jingbai stood up and turned to bow to Yan Cang in unison: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yan."
Emperor Zhaode's face darkened: "..."
Yan Cang remained expressionless, his voice calm and composed: "Elder brother, there's no need for such formalities. Young Master Shen, please excuse the formalities."
The eunuchs and palace maids inside the hall lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.
Prince Chen... To be precise, His Highness the Prince of the County did not perform the greeting incorrectly. After all, a princess is indeed of lower rank than a prince, and according to the rules, she should perform the greeting.
However, the Prince of the County was once of such noble status that the title "Chen" reserved him for the position of Crown Prince. Before the age of nineteen, his life was entirely cultivated according to the standards for becoming the Crown Prince, placing him above all his brothers.
Later, because of his relationship with Young Master Shen, he was angered by the emperor and demoted to a county prince—a county prince without a title.
Given his temperament, even if he didn't bow, no one would say anything to him.
but……
Xu Baozhong always felt that he was doing it on purpose.
Emperor Zhaode stared at the two outstanding men before him.
In terms of appearance, one is dignified, composed, and noble, a typical member of the imperial family; the other is gentle, refined, and exceptionally intelligent, a young nobleman raised by a prestigious family.
Standing together, the two men were both exceptionally handsome and pleasing to the eye.
If they didn't have that relationship.
Without that kind of relationship, they could be the best ruler and his subject, or even the best friends in the world.
Yan Chen will become a wise ruler, and Shen Jingbai will become a renowned minister.
But...
These two exceptional individuals, however, insisted on doing something unconventional.
Emperor Zhaode withdrew his gaze, feeling irritated even by looking at them again. Even though four years had passed, he still couldn't suppress the anger rising from the bottom of his heart every time he saw these two people.
"Starting tomorrow, the two of you will begin your duties at court." Emperor Zhaode picked up a memorial, his voice filled with only official authority, devoid of any fatherly affection. "From now on, whatever positions you hold in court will be arranged by Yan Cang."
Everyone present, whether it was Yan Chen, Shen Jingbai, or even just the palace maids and eunuchs standing by, could understand the implied meaning of those words.
After all, there aren't many fools among those who can serve in the emperor's court.
The Emperor has decided on the future emperor.
Upon hearing this, a normal person would inevitably show trepidation and gratitude for the emperor's pardon, and then intentionally or unintentionally express loyalty to the King of Yan.
However, Yan Chen, who had been imprisoned for four years, did not seem to have lost much of his rebellious nature. Upon hearing this, his first reaction was not to thank the emperor and accept the decree, but to negotiate with his father in the same businesslike manner: "If you want me to enter the court, you must first agree to my marriage with Shen Jingbai."
As soon as he finished speaking, a memorial flew towards him and hit him hard on the head.
Yan Chen did not dodge.
The memorial struck Yan Chen directly when it was thrown, but it did not cause much injury. However, the point was not the injury, but the emperor's venting of his anger.
The eunuchs and palace maids inside the palace were so frightened that they all knelt down on the ground.
Yan Chen stared at the memorial on the ground.
Standing quietly beside him, Shen Jingbai stood tall and elegant, exuding the air of a refined gentleman, showing no reaction to the emperor's anger.
Even if a memorial were to fall on Yan Chen's head, he would remain as indifferent as a bystander, showing no fear whatsoever.
After a moment of silence, Yan Chen slowly bent down to pick up the memorial, took a few steps forward, placed it back on the table, and knelt down, saying, "I am sorry for your teachings, Father. Your son is unfilial."
Shen Jingbai lowered his eyebrows slightly and knelt down.
Emperor Zhaode took a deep breath, picked up the teacup, but before he could bring it to his lips, he put it back down heavily.
The air inside the hall was thick and oppressive, creating a chilling atmosphere.
"Father, please calm down." Yan Cang lowered his eyes and spoke calmly, "My eldest brother and Young Master Shen have remained steadfast in their four years of imprisonment, which shows that they have treated each other with sincerity. They can withstand wealth and glory and also endure hardships together. Father, why not grant my eldest brother's wish? If you really cannot accept it, then just consider it as having another son."
"Another son?" Emperor Zhaode sneered. "If Shen Jingbai were my son, they would have been a pair of star-crossed lovers four years ago!"
He couldn't accept that the son wasn't his biological son.
If it were his own son, that would be terrible.
If royalty becomes a laughingstock in the eyes of the world, they will have no face to meet their ancestors after death.
Yan Cang: "..."
Emperor Zhaode spoke coldly: "Xu Baozhong!"
Xu Baozhong stepped forward tremblingly: "This servant is here."
"I have a headache."
Xu Baozhong quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down." Then he went over and carefully massaged the emperor's temples, saying, "Your Majesty, this homosexuality wasn't intentional. The eldest prince might just be naturally averse to women—"
“Eunuch Xu is mistaken,” Yan Cang said calmly. “It can only be said that the person my eldest brother has fallen for happens to be a man, not that he is inherently averse to women.”
Xu Baozhong paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Your Highness Prince Yan is right."
Emperor Zhaode's face darkened: "So, it seems that no woman in the world can catch his eye? His preferred type has to be a man?"
Shen Jingbai knelt on the ground, still not uttering a word, his posture upright and his back smooth.
Emperor Zhaode once admired his composure, which remained calm even when the sky was falling; he was the epitome of a noble young man in his eyes.
When Grand Tutor Shen was still in court, Emperor Zhaode would always speak of this grandson with a tone of envy and joy, wishing he could treat him like his own son.
But seeing him in this dead state, Emperor Zhaode couldn't help but feel furious.
Because he firmly believed that Shen Jingbai used this calm and composed demeanor to bewitch Yan Chen, making him abandon the country and the imperial harem, and become obsessed with staying with him forever. This not only ruined the crown prince he had carefully cultivated, but also destroyed the Shen family's century-old reputation for nobility.
Emperor Zhaode was so angry at the thought of all this that he felt like vomiting blood.
He forced himself to look away and said coldly, "I will no longer interfere in your affairs. You can marry or not, but if you can have a child, then I will truly respect you!"
Yan Chen's voice was steady: "Your subject is not a Guanyin who grants children."
Xu Baozhong almost lost his composure.
Fortunately, he had strong self-control and managed to stop laughing in time. He was afraid that if he couldn't help but laugh out loud, the emperor would lose his temper and drag him out to be beaten to death.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to find a hole to crawl into.
Demoted from a prince to a duke and imprisoned for four years, the duke still dared to make outrageous statements, showing no trace of the caution and trepidation that comes with the passage of time.
He's definitely got a stubborn temper.
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