Chapter 249 A Belated Seduction
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I, having received the favor of Heaven and inherited the great foundation laid by previous emperors, have diligently served day and night, always mindful of the well-being of my relatives and the virtuous. You, my third son Hongshi, are renowned for your filial piety and brotherly love within the palace, and your talent and virtue are respected both inside and outside the court. In the past, you assisted in the administration of state affairs with utmost loyalty; now, in assisting with the governance of the court, your sincerity is even more evident. Considering the deep bond between brothers and the weighty ties of the imperial clan, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Prince Qing, with the name 'Qing,' a special honor bestowed upon you to demonstrate this exceptional honor. This is my decree."
There were three such imperial edicts proclaiming this to the world.
One was the one we just heard about: the Third Prince Hongshi was conferred the title of Prince Qing; another was the Fourteenth Prince Xun being conferred the title of Prince; and the third was an imperial edict posthumously conferring titles.
The late emperor's eldest son was posthumously granted the title of Prince Hui.
It was only after his third sister-in-law's incident that Hongzhao was brought back to the surface of his memory. He knew what his maternal grandmother had promised when she personally went to the small Buddhist hall in Jingren Palace to send off Ulanara. Although she was utterly wicked and had attacked him several times, her maternal love was undeniable.
Now that history is history, the victors and the vanquished are like smoke in the wind. Granting him the title of Prince is a way of giving an account of the past.
His imperial edicts not only bestowed favors upon his brothers and uncles but also granted posthumous honors to the deceased, naturally eliciting praise from all levels of the court.
They have all been trained by the late emperor to leave traces of their work. When praising the crown prince, they must do so in a way that is visible to others. The simplest and most direct way is to submit a memorial.
Hongzhao tossed the folded document aside expressionlessly, mechanically opened the next one, read only a couple of lines, and tossed it away again. His face showed no joy at being praised, only an unconcealable numbness.
These people always write the same things in their memorials, with the same central idea. Why was Father Emperor able to read them without getting tired of them?
Seeing him pinch his temples in annoyance, Xiao Dezi tactfully stepped forward and used his own hand to do it for him. His cool fingertips gently massaged his temples, and Hongzhao relaxed and leaned back, letting his body relax.
"Are there any interesting things happening outside these days? Tell me about them." Xiao Dezi had been a talkative child, and Hongzhao was happy to listen to him.
He thought for a moment, then chuckled and said, "There is indeed an interesting thing that happened in the Imperial Clan Court."
Hongzhao raised an eyebrow slightly—"What about Hongli?"
Xiao Dezi nodded and said, "His concubine, Princess Qingying, is pregnant. It was only found out a few days ago."
"Huh? With Father Emperor punishing her by making her copy books and slap her every day without stopping, how did she find time to get pregnant?"
Hongzhao couldn't help but tilt his head. This was truly a novel thing. As expected of the female lead, her physical abilities were beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Xiao Dezi's hand followed the Emperor's movements. Seeing that the Emperor was in a good mood, he also spoke with a smile in his voice: "The late Emperor did punish Princess Qingying, but it was the Fourth Prince who was free."
He could only say these words when no one was around. Hongzhao closed his eyes and his smile grew wider and wider. Finally, he couldn't help but reach out and point at him—"You, you only dare to say anything because I don't punish you."
"Alright, since she's pregnant, let's stop the torture for now. Doubling the copying of books will make up for it." Hongzhao actually wanted to see if there would be an even more interesting show after the child was born.
Xiao Dezi said he understood, and when he looked up, he saw that the shadows reflected in the window looked like a lot of people outside. After thinking for a moment, he lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, the courtesans from the Southern Palace who you said you would find to comfort the Empress Dowager have arrived. Your Majesty should listen to them first, relax your mind before reading the memorials, and also see their level of skill."
"Call him in." Hongzhao propped his head up with his hand, seemingly unconcerned. Now he understood why his father often needed menthol; no emperor was immune to headaches.
Xiao Dezi waved to the outside and said, "Your Majesty just summoned Consort Gao for lunch, she will be here soon."
"Just let her come in. I'm not looking at state affairs anyway. She loves playing the pipa, so she might enjoy listening to her. We can appreciate it together."
The programs in the palace are always the same few kinds, whether it's singing or dancing, it's all the same old thing, I've been listening to them for over ten years since I was a child, and I'm already tired of them. There are too many rules for performances in the palace, so naturally there won't be any new tricks under the constraints.
He now listens to it only as white noise to help him sleep, using every spare moment to get some rest.
But this still melodious music didn't last long before a few discordant strings broke free from the melody, standing out sharply and catching the ear amidst the otherwise orderly sounds.
Hongzhao frowned, opened his eyes, and looked in the direction of the sound. Before he could speak, a sweet voice came from the doorway.
"Is there really no one in the Southern Prefecture who can play the pipa? Choosing these few for the Emperor and Empress Dowager to enjoy is hardly an insult to the Emperor's ears."
Gao Xiyue was led inside by Xiao Dezi. Her gaze swept over the woman in the lead, and she gave her a disdainful look. Don't think she didn't know what these people were up to. A mere courtesan like her had quite the mind.
"Your Highness, please forgive us." Upon hearing the voice, the courtesans stopped playing and knelt down, clutching their pipa, to beg for forgiveness.
Seeing this scene resemble a battlefield, Hongzhao instantly recalled a plot he was not very familiar with.
So that person just now played the wrong note to deliberately seduce me? And this master pipa player just happened to hear it.
Gao Xiyue walked to the Emperor's side and bowed. Seeing her pouting, Hongzhao found it inexplicably funny and patted her hand reassuringly, "Alright, if you don't like it, just don't listen. Why get angry?"
After saying that, Xiao Dezi stepped forward and gestured to the courtesans outside, saying, "Please come out."
The woman who had just misplayed the pipa was named Bai Ruiji. Seeing the increasingly hostile gazes from the courtesans around her, she calmly knelt down to beg for forgiveness—"Even if the music is wrong, Zhou Lang will notice. Your Majesty has the demeanor of Zhou Lang, and your magnanimity is far superior to Zhou Lang's. You will surely forgive this servant for misplaying the pipa."
As she spoke, her eyes, brimming with autumn water, casually glanced at the Emperor, causing Hongzhao to furrow his brows and not relax them.
Throwing a flirtatious glance at him is like throwing it at a blind man... The words may be crude, but the principle is sound.
"You lackey..."
Hongzhao remained silent, but Gao Xiyue was not one to tolerate such behavior. If she could tolerate a mere courtesan seducing the emperor right in front of her, she would be a different person.
Seeing that she was about to explode, Hongzhao reached out and grabbed her to stop her. He then turned to the slender and graceful courtesan and raised his chin, saying, "You're educated and can play music. It's a waste for you to stay in the Southern Palace. Why don't you..."
Gao Xiyue's breath hitched, waiting for the Emperor to continue.
"I will grant her this favor. Xiao Dezi, go and get her the reward money and indenture, and send her out of the palace properly."
"If the music is wrong, Zhou Lang will notice." This saying was uttered by Zhen Huan and Bai Ruiji at the beginning. In the end, it turned out to be a mistake from the very beginning.
He didn't want to cause any more trouble for his already peaceful harem.
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