In the harem, Zhao Huan and Empress Zhu Lian were dining. Unlike ordinary couples, the emperor's life was not like ordinary people where a couple would eat together; they generally ate separately. For the emperor to dine with the empress was considered a great favor to her.
Zhu Lian's brows lit up with delight. He could tell she had dressed up carefully, and her pretty face was even more charming. Zhao Huan was so tempted that he wanted to pounce on her and have sex with her. However, Zhao Huan had to pretend to be serious in front of everyone.
It was customary for the emperor to be served meals by palace maids, but Zhao Huan was not used to being fed. He pushed the maid aside and ate his meal himself with chopsticks.
The sumptuousness of the emperor's cuisine is beyond words. It includes white kidneys with wine and vinegar, stir-fried quail with bamboo shoots and three kinds of fresh vegetables, roasted pigeons, kingfish, spicy Tubu soup, pickled snakehead fish with sea salt, pan-fried three-color fresh vegetables, pan-fried lying bird, lake fish, stir-fried frogs in paste, roasted kidneys in a chicken-shaped pattern, braised catfish in paste, mantis shrimp skewers, deer antlers, floating river crabs, river crabs, spicy soup with fresh shrimp, swallowfish, dried mullet, pig's trotter's feet in wine and vinegar, crispy slices of raw tofu, Baiyi soup, dried glutinous rice, fried white kidneys, pan-fried lamb brain in wine and vinegar, mixed smelt fish in clear sauce, spicy tripe soup, and Huaihai whitefish cooked in wine.
Everything was incredibly delicious; that was Zhao Huan's initial impression. But after eating enough, it became just so-so. The only thing that didn't sit well with him was the lack of stir-fried vegetables. Even if there were, they were boiled in soup. Vegetables in the Northern Song Dynasty weren't stir-fried; they were always served hot.
"Queen, how is Chen'er doing with his studies recently?" Zhao Huan asked.
Zhu Lian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Chen'er has already thoroughly read Gongyang Zhuan and Spring and Autumn Annals, and has even begun to dabble in Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian from the time of the previous emperor."
Zhao Huan nodded and said, "Yes, the emperor's studies cannot be neglected. As the queen and Chen'er's mother, you should supervise him more."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, Chen'er is working very hard." Zhu Lian looked at Zhao Huan with a look of affection. Zhao Huan was already distracted and confused.
"Come, Queen, you work hard day and night, and in the future you will be in charge of the six palaces. Let me toast you first." Zhao Huan said, raising his glass.
What a waste of time! Zhao Huan ascended the throne in a hurry and hadn't even taken a concubine. He hadn't even held a coronation ceremony for himself and the queen. Zhao Huan said this to test the queen's reaction if he took a concubine.
Zhu Lian was very clever: "Your Majesty, you are very busy with government affairs right now. You should focus on your ancestors and the country. As for the harem, I am your concubine and I will be more than enough to serve you. I would not trust anyone else to take care of it. Could it be that Your Majesty dislikes my inadequate care?"
This is a signal, a signal of rejection. Wanting to take a concubine, no chance.
Zhao Huan then smiled awkwardly: "How could I dislike the Queen? She is gentle and virtuous, and looks like a fairy from heaven. How can those vulgar women compare to her?"
Zhu Lian pouted and said, "I will grow old and ugly one day. Your Majesty must not forget the old one when you have a new one."
Seeing the queen's playful expression, Zhao Huan couldn't control himself anymore: "Don't worry, I only want to marry the queen in this life, as for the others..."
"Indeed!" the Empress interrupted him delightedly, "Your Majesty is wise. I recently read in 'Sui Shu: Biographies of Empresses and Concubines' that Emperor Gaozu and the Empress were so well-matched that they vowed not to have children out of wedlock. I cannot help but admire Emperor Wen's loyalty and yearn deeply for the deep love he and his wife shared."
Routine, full of routine. Zhao Huan regretted it deeply. He hadn't noticed and fell into the empress's trap. The empress deliberately showed him too much attention, taking advantage of his infatuation and citing the oath that Emperor Wen of Sui and the empress had sworn to marry only her in their lifetime to pressure him.
If he didn't agree, the Queen would definitely be unhappy, and might even burst into tears. If he agreed, he would only be able to take care of the Queen from now on. What's the point of talking about three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines?
If the ministers were to suggest taking a concubine under the pretext of having children, he already had a son, Zhao Chen. If he were to force himself to take a concubine, the Queen would naturally make a big fuss about tonight's incident. What should he do?
A woman's heart is like a needle in the sea. Zhao Huan had seen this. Because if you're not careful, it's easy to fall into her trap. Women are as smart as Zhuge Liang in this regard.
There was no other way, he could only pretend to be ignorant. He tried to fool around first and then said: "What the Queen said is true, the Sui Emperor and his wife were indeed deeply in love. In ancient times, emperors had many wives and concubines, but the only empress was one. This, this Sui Emperor, I will try my best to emulate him."
The atmosphere was a bit awkward, so Zhu Lian fell silent. She was a smart woman, but she couldn't be too explicit. However, Zhao Huan was secretly alarmed. This queen was a jealous wretch, and he was afraid he would suffer enough in the future. For the time being, he could forget about taking a concubine.
Zhao Huan had drunk a few glasses of wine and was already feeling tipsy. To ease the awkwardness, Zhao Huan said, "Shuzhen, you are so beautiful."
Empress Zhu Lian's courtesy name was Shuzhen. Zhao Huan had praised the empress's beauty in public, a brazen act unprecedented in history. Seeing this, Zhao Huan's face flushed, his anger turning to joy. He drank the wine in one gulp and deliberately placed the empty cup heavily on the table.
Zhu Lian had no choice but to stand up and pour wine for him, which was the job of a palace maid. Zhu Lian was very happy and poured wine for him personally.
Zhao Huan's mind was already full of dirty thoughts, and at this moment, under the influence of alcohol, he touched Zhu Lian's little hand for some unknown reason.
Her hands were delicate and smooth, her fingers untouched by water. This empress had been raised in seclusion her entire life. Her father, Zhu Bocai, was the military governor of Wukang. Therefore, she had been pampered from childhood and had never suffered the slightest hardship.
Zhu Lian was mortified and tried desperately to pull back. Zhao Huan refused to let go and held on tightly. The emperor's shamelessness in front of everyone frightened the palace maids so much that they all ducked their heads and retreated, pretending not to see.
"Shuzhen, I miss you so much. Hehe, you are so beautiful."
In the Song Dynasty, where etiquette was highly respected, the palace maids blushed in shame at the emperor's shameless behavior. Even Cao Dongsheng, standing behind him, coughed awkwardly and waved his hand to let the maids leave.
Zhao Huan's eyes were hazy with drunkenness: "What are you doing, Cao Dongsheng? Who told them to leave? All of you stay here for me. I just like the queen and miss her. I will stay here tonight, hehe..."
Shameless emperor, how dare he say such words? Everyone was embarrassed, and Cao Dongsheng had no choice but to let the palace maids return to their original positions. The palace maids all blushed, and no one dared to look up.
Zhao Huan was very happy.
"Report!" A eunuch on duty outside rushed in hurriedly.
Zhao Huan frowned, thinking that the eunuch coming in the middle of the night must be up to no good, so he let go of Zhu Lian's hand, and Zhu Lian took the opportunity to hide aside.
"Your Majesty, an urgent memorial." The eunuch in charge handed over a memorial.
Zhao Huanwen glanced at the eunuch in anger. He opened the memorial and saw that it clearly stated, "The front line suffered a major defeat, and the Jin thieves marched south."
Zhao Huan's face changed drastically, and he seemed to be almost sober now. "Wende Hall, hurry!"
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