"Tang Wan'er, who gave you your name?"
Tang Wan'er lay in Zhao Huan's arms and said shyly, "Yes, she is my aunt."
"aunt?"
Tang Wan'er tearfully said, "My parents died when I was young, and I was raised by my aunt. Because my family couldn't afford to support me, they sent me to the palace to do rough labor in the laundry."
Zhao Huan felt a little distressed as he held her hand. Her hands were not as delicate as those of a lady from a wealthy family, and were obviously the result of years of hard work.
Zhao Huan held her in his arms with a distressed look on his face: "If you follow me, you won't have to suffer like this anymore."
"It is my blessing to serve the emperor. In fact, I am very happy in my heart." The voice was very low, as thin as a mosquito's buzz.
Zhao Huan smiled and said: "Really? Then serve me again..." Then he pounced on her. This time, Tang Wan'er no longer refused and began to learn to cater to her.
…
In Ciyuan Palace, Concubine Mu Xin sat on the bed in Mengzhuxuan waiting for the emperor's visit.
As the sun set and the night deepened, there was still no movement outside the door; not even the eunuch in charge of clothing came over to greet them.
"Someone come here!" Mu Xin shouted.
A servant came out and bowed: "Your servant Xinyue greets the queen."
Mu Xin only then realized that her personal maid was called Xinyue. Every concubine who entered the palace was assigned a personal maid by the Imperial Guards to serve her.
"Xinyue, go outside and see why the emperor hasn't come yet."
Xinyue bowed and left. After a long while, Xinyue ran back in a panic: "My Queen..."
Mu Xin was anxious: "Tell me, what happened?"
"Your Majesty did not come to Ciyuan Palace. He, stayed, stayed in Funing Palace Lin, Lin..." Xinyue was so scared that she dared not say anything more.
"Hurry up and tell me!"
Xinyue lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty favored a palace maid in Funing Palace and did not come here."
"What!" Mu Xin was furious. Nothing could be more insulting to her than this. The emperor had originally intended to visit her, but he had gone to visit a palace maid. How lowly was she to allow the emperor to treat her so badly?
Thinking of this, tears flowed from Mu Xin's eyes. She grabbed the bed sheet tightly, her eyes full of viciousness.
…
Renming Hall.
Empress Zhu Lian wept bitterly. As an empress, she was supreme, the mother of the nation. But as a woman, she felt grief. Her beloved man was now infatuated with another woman. And she could only endure it all in silence.
Zhao Huan, still concerned about his wife, went to see the empress at Renming Hall. Zhu Lian was cold and indifferent to him. Zhao Huan, frustrated, disappeared in a flash of smoke.
It was not until the third day that Zhao Huan went to visit Concubine Mu.
The next day, Tang Wan'er was named a Talented Lady, Mu Xin was named a Zhaoyi, and the prince Zhao Chen was named Crown Prince. The ministers offered their congratulations but did not mention it.
…
Purple Palace.
The ministers attended the morning court, and Crown Prince Zhao Chen also attended the morning court meeting.
"In three days I will personally lead the army! The Crown Prince is young, so Li Gang, Bai Shizhong, He Jin, and Chen Guoting, the five of you will assist him in governing the country. All matters will be resolved by the five of you together. Crown Prince, you must learn a lot about governing the country from these ministers. While I am away, you must be even more diligent and not slack off."
"Your humble servant obeys your order!"
Zhao Huan cursed in his heart: "Everyone says that being an emperor is comfortable. Of course, those who have never been one think so. Hehe, in fact, being an emperor is indeed very comfortable."
It's comfortable, but you have endless things to deal with all day long. It would be fine if you were just a tyrant who turned a deaf ear to the world outside, pushing the government affairs onto those ministers, and retreating to the harem to be intimate with the concubines, living a happy life like a god.
But things were not peaceful right now, and I was now the emperor of the last days. If I didn't work harder, I would be kidnapped by the golden dog and taken to the bitter cold of the far north to eat snow.
After I conquer the Golden Dog, I won’t attend court for three months and will stay in the harem every day. Hehehe.
The Song emperors had always been weak, and the literati and officials had ruled the country with relative benevolence. However, Zhao Huan became a despised and tyrant ruler. Fortunately, the pro-war faction in the court unanimously supported him, and Zhao Huan gradually gained power.
"Chen'er, you are still young. You should learn to ask questions without hesitation and learn more from these ministers. Do you understand?"
Zhao Huan blushed a little when he said this. He himself was uneducated, yet he was still educating his own son.
Although Zhao Chen was only ten years old, he was well-educated and well-mannered. In addition, he was kind and benevolent, and was deeply loved by all the ministers. This was what pleased Zhao Huan the most.
Zhao Chen, though still young, possessed the air of an emperor. He spoke aloud, "I understand. Your Majesty is leading the army in person, so be careful. Your Majesty will be in the capital to welcome you back in triumph."
Zhao Huan asked Wu Ge to join the army, and Wu Ge was responsible for the preparations for the expedition.
"Wu Ge, are you ready?"
Wu Ge stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the dragon chariot and other supplies are all ready. We can set off at any time."
Zhao Huan nodded and said, "We will set off at noon three days from now and adjourn the court!"
Everyone walked out of the Purple Palace, and Cao Dongsheng came forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, Consort Mu requests an audience."
Zhao Huan was stunned. He had originally planned to go to the Queen after retiring. The Queen had been cold to him these past few days, and he wanted to go and spend some time with her. What did this Concubine Mu want from him? Did she want to sleep with him again?
At that moment, Zhao Huan brought Cao Dongsheng to Mengzhuxuan in Ciyuan Hall.
When they reached the door, bursts of laughter emanated from Mengzhuxuan. Cao Dongsheng was about to call out for the emperor to arrive, but was immediately stopped by Zhao Huan.
Mu Zhaoyi's voice was heard from inside: "Sister, you don't know. Although the emperor looks lustful, he is actually very shy."
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