Chapter 137 Defying the Imperial Decree and Refusing Marriage
After all, men and women should not touch each other.
Yan Cang arranged for Chu Yun Jin to be A Dai, who knew martial arts, but the palace was heavily guarded, so there was no reason to arrange a male guard for Yan Jin Yue, who lived in the palace.
In the palace where the princess lived, apart from the eunuchs, the guards could only stay outside the palace gates and were not allowed to approach her without permission.
Yan Cang couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
Yan Jinyue belatedly realized what was going on and frowned: "So what was the purpose of Your Majesty's arrangement?"
Chu Yunjin casually said, "It might be to send you a husband."
"Huh?" Yan Jinyue was stunned. "This... Ling Yumo, he..."
Chu Yunjin said, "Why don't you go back and ask Ling Yumo to find out what his background is?"
Yan Jinyue nodded.
She stayed at the Prince of Yan's residence for lunch, while in Chonghua Palace, the Emperor stared at Yan Cang expressionlessly for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Having reigned for so many years, he has asked himself more than once what sins he had committed to have given birth to such stubborn sons.
If these sons were born to the same mother, he could say it was because of their mother. But Yan Chen, Yan Yang, Yan Zheng, and Yan Cang are four sons, four mothers, and their temperaments are almost identical—no, except for Yan Zheng.
He's a complete scoundrel!
Emperor Zhaode gently closed his eyes, suppressing the anger in his heart.
It wasn't that he didn't want to lose his temper, but rather that he was thinking about his health.
He wanted to live two more years.
Emperor Zhaode calmly said, "You can decide on your own who your concubine will be. Once you've chosen someone, present her to me, and I will bestow a marriage upon you. It's that simple."
He didn't even bestow a marriage directly because he didn't want to give it to a woman he didn't like, which would create a resentful couple in the future. What more did he want?
Yan Cang's attitude was firm: "Your subject has no plans to choose a concubine for the time being."
Emperor Zhaode suppressed his temper: "Why?"
Yan Cang replied in a very manly way: "Yun Jin is pregnant and has severe morning sickness. She vomits everything she eats and is already in a bad mood. If I were to marry a concubine at this time, it would be like deliberately stabbing her in the heart."
Emperor Zhaode was speechless for a moment.
Although a pregnant wife is the best time for a powerful man to take a concubine, since he needs someone to serve him, it is indeed... well, not very considerate of a pregnant wife.
Emperor Zhaode couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
He had been thinking about marrying a concubine to Yan Cang for a long time, but Yan Cang had never been in the capital before, so there was no opportunity to bestow a marriage upon him. This time, taking advantage of the fact that the Princess of Yan was pregnant, he brought it up, which was a good opportunity to let Yan Cang prepare himself in advance.
I didn't expect Chu Yunjin to have such a strong reaction to pregnancy.
Emperor Zhaode immediately felt that bestowing a marriage upon someone was somewhat inhumane.
He thought for a moment and quickly said, "You can choose the person first, but don't let the Princess Consort of Yan know for the time being. I will choose a suitable time to discuss it."
Yan Cang remained silent, clearly unwilling.
"Even this won't work?" Emperor Zhaode frowned. "Yan Cang, I have been unwell for more than a year. You know in your heart who among the princes is most suitable to succeed to the throne. You can't only have Chu Yunjin as your sole candidate."
"Why is it impossible?" Yan Cang retorted. "The imperial harem is meant to win over ministers, but does Father Emperor think I need to win them over?"
Emperor Zhaode frowned.
Yan Cang certainly didn't need to win anyone over.
Although civil officials and military generals are different, those who hold military power hold absolute authority. Which minister would dare to act recklessly in court? Moreover, Yan Cang's style of doing things would not tolerate anyone who would hold him back.
Emperor Zhaode was silent for a moment, then said, "The royal family needs to continue its lineage."
"Father has many sons, but the eldest brother is homosexual, the second brother is still unwilling to get married, and the third brother is mediocre—Father thinks he is cowardly, but in my opinion, he just likes a simple and peaceful way of life."
Yan Cang said calmly, "My fifth brother is willing to betray the country and collude with the enemy in order to seize the throne. May I ask, Father, what are the benefits of having many children in the harem?"
Emperor Zhaode frowned: "Are you questioning me?"
Yan Cang lowered his eyes: "Your subject is seeking advice from Father Emperor."
Ask me for advice? What a load of rubbish.
Emperor Zhaode glared at him irritably, then thought about it seriously for a long time, but he couldn't figure out the benefits of having three palaces and six courtyards.
In order to win over court officials and balance the power of various factions?
Yan Cang really doesn't need it.
Moreover, with Yan Chen and Shen Jingbai in the court in the future, few ministers should dare to form cliques or engage in corrupt practices, and there will be no opportunity for any one to become too powerful.
To ensure the continuation of the imperial lineage?
Emperor Zhaode thought of his brothers, whose struggle for the throne had been extremely fierce, resulting in some dying, some being demoted, and some being imprisoned.
While Yan Chen's generation produced a few stubborn individuals and those with fearless personalities, in the struggle for the throne... only Prince Jin was a prince with genuine ambition, but he crossed the line.
The other adult princes had little interest in the throne and actually got along better with each other.
If it's to satisfy the emperor's personal desires... that's a fairly reasonable reason.
Emperors should indeed have three palaces and six courtyards.
But Yan Cang was not interested in women.
Emperor Zhaode privately asked several border generals, and they learned that no woman had ever gotten close to Yan Cang while he was fighting on the border.
The three palaces and six courtyards were of little significance to him.
"Your subject has his own ambitions." After a brief silence, Yan Cang took the initiative to explain, "It's not that I'm still infatuated with one person, but rather that a person's energy is limited. Your subject doesn't want to deal with the jealousy and rivalry among his wives and concubines, doesn't want his offspring to be harmed because of their mothers' infighting, doesn't want to spend his days dealing with trivial matters, and even less does he want to see his children kill each other when they grow up."
He said, "Your son's ambition lies in the world, in the vast land, and in all the people under heaven."
"Your subject is not the founding emperor, but I do not wish to be a mediocre ruler who maintains the status quo. Your subject wants to make Yong Kingdom stronger, so that the people can live in peace and happiness. Your subject wants to see people from all directions pay tribute and wants to create a prosperous era."
"Father should know that in a prosperous era, whether it is the monarch, the ministers, or even the common people, many things are more tolerant. Your son can accept that my brother is gay, and the ministers can accept that the emperor's harem has only one person."
"Your Majesty, I can ensure that women are not bound to one husband for life. If a woman is oppressed and humiliated by her husband and wants a divorce, she can receive the support of the court's laws and have fair officials adjudicate for her."
"Father, I have many, many things I want to do, and I really don't have the energy to waste on the infighting among my wives and concubines in the harem. Please, Father, do not force me any further."
Emperor Zhaode remained silent for a long time.
The palace servants inside the hall all lowered their heads, held their breath, and dared not utter a sound.
The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Emperor Zhaode looked intently at Yan Cang and finally nodded: "In that case, I respect your choice."
"Thank you, Father Emperor." Yan Cang bowed. "Your subject takes his leave."
Emperor Zhaode remained silent and simply watched him leave.
Only after the person had disappeared from sight did he let out a soft sigh: "Xu Baozhong."
Xu Baozhong quickly bowed and stepped forward: "This servant is here."
Emperor Zhaode twitched the corner of his mouth: "I don't know whether to be angry or happy."
Xu Baozhong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty should naturally be happy. It is a blessing for the people of Yong Kingdom that the Prince of Yan has such grand ambitions."
“In the past, I should have been angry,” Emperor Zhaode said, as if he hadn’t heard Xu Baozhong’s words. “I was angry that they were all so rebellious, and that my imperial edicts had no effect on them.”
He sneered, "They say serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, the emperor's heart is unpredictable... Look at these men, does any of them see me as a tiger?"
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