Chapter 80
That night, the rumor that "the emperor had no self-awareness about his own poems" was indeed suppressed.
The emperor paced back and forth in his study, pacing angrily, "Are my poems really that bad?"
How dare a person whose poems are full of mechanicalness and lack any spirit to speak of others despise his poems!
He's the emperor! Will Ximen Jie see it? Does he have good taste?
Chen Jiu lowered his head and kept silent, wishing he could shrink into the shadows. Tong'er, you're almost killing me!
Lin You kept silent. As an excellent commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he would never make a sound unless the emperor called his name.
The emperor originally wanted to vent his anger, but when he saw these two people wanting to escape from the imperial study overnight, he was so angry that he laughed.
What? Did he think that if they heard his dark history, he would get angry and start killing people?
This isn't the first time.
How much information has the system revealed about him?
The emperor waved his hand to let Lin You leave. He was about to read the memorials for a while before going to sleep, but suddenly he got up and hurried to Kunning Palace, and started to act pitiful to the queen.
Things like "I wrote a poem with all my heart, but it was criticized as worthless", "It laughed at the poor poetry I wrote", "It made this matter known to everyone", "I have lost all my face"... He made himself look like a pitiful little thing.
The queen was a loyal listener. She listened quietly to the emperor's complaints and accepted his negative emotions.
The emperor watched while acting pitiful, and raised his big hand gently, tentatively placing it on the back of the queen's folded hands.
He hadn't had a good conversation with the Queen for many years, let alone stayed overnight in Kunning Palace. Today he saw the dawn of victory.
Before she could be happy for two seconds, the queen withdrew her hand and bowed respectfully: "It is late at night. I respectfully bid farewell to the emperor."
emperor:"……"
Are you still angry?
How many years has this been going on?
For many years, the emperor had been humbled because he had broken his promise to the empress. If the empress was unwilling to let him stay overnight, he would not stay. If the empress turned him away, he would leave obediently.
He thought that as the emperor, he had been humble enough to the queen, but she was never satisfied and never gave in.
He has been humiliated so many times that the emperor is dissatisfied. Doesn’t he have any shame?
"You are my queen, my first wife." He said in a calm voice, restraining himself from saying anything more unpleasant.
The queen didn't say anything, but just looked at him with eyes as calm as dead water, as if to say: So what?
The emperor was heartbroken. "We were once husband and wife. Do you have to live like this for the rest of your lives?"
The Queen asked in return, "Why not?"
emperor:"……"
The Queen's eyes were filled with an indescribable weariness. "We will live the same way as before. I thought I had reached a consensus with the Emperor over the years."
The emperor frowned and said, "I have never reached a consensus with you, nor have I ever agreed to anything. I just gave in to you because I was afraid you might be in a bad mood."
As soon as the words came out, the emperor knew that something bad was going to happen.
Over the years, he chose to keep backing down, not only because he had broken his promise on his own initiative, but also because he knew that some words were difficult to take back once they were said.
The words had been spoken and could not be taken back. The emperor wanted to apologize, but he felt that given his status he should not be too humble, otherwise the queen would only go further.
During his hesitation, the Empress spoke the words that had been in her heart for years: "I do not wish to speak of the past. I will be a good mother to the country and take good care of the harem. I only hope that from now on, the Emperor will allow me to live quietly in this Kunning Palace and never sleep with him."
emperor:! ! !
Since the birth of the second prince, the queen has indeed not slept with him in bed due to illness or other reasons, but she has never mentioned this openly for some reason.
Now that they say this, doesn’t it mean that they are going to break up?
The emperor knew that the queen was very dissatisfied with his taking a concubine, but he didn't know she cared so much. He almost said directly: I will do what I should do, and you don't have to come to Kunning Palace again.
He regretted having a showdown with the Queen today!
"I, I still have memorials to approve, so I'm leaving first." The emperor made up an excuse and left in a hurry.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure walking further and further away, the queen found that she was not sad at all, but actually felt a long-lost sense of relief.
In the past, she always worried that once she said something, there would be no room for retraction. In fact, the rift in the relationship was difficult to repair and would only grow bigger. She couldn't help but care, so she decided to break up completely.
As Chu Huan said, men are not everything in a woman's life, she can give up men and concentrate on her career.
Her son has started a family and has several granddaughters who no longer need her to take care of them. It is time for her to try to pursue the life she likes.
Men? Ha, they would just give her up to pursue their careers!
On the other side, the Nangong family.
Nangong Ling finished washing up early, changed into comfortable pajamas, and leaned on the bed to read a book.
After the unknown person exposed her disguise as a man, she never went out again, both to avoid the rumors outside and to avoid being looked at strangely by others and her friends.
It’s quiet to stay at home alone, but I still feel a little regretful.
She didn't associate with other girls, didn't attend parties, worked hard to hide her identity, and made some friends with her talent and knowledge. Now, I'm afraid they won't associate with her anymore.
She thought that before getting married, she could still be the unbridled Nangong Ling for a while, but she didn't expect that it was just a luxury.
After this matter was exposed, my fiancé also had some opinions.
Her parents didn't want to make her sad and refused to tell her, but the maid found out anyway and said that her fiancé didn't want her to show up in public and was hanging out with other men every day.
Hanging around? What a ridiculous word.
Men can go to places of entertainment openly, but women chatting with men about a few lines of poetry and making friends through literature are seen as idleness by others. She feels so much pressure to laugh at the discrimination.
Being born a boy, you are treated so well.
Being born a girl is so sad.
"Ling'er, Ling'er, open the door quickly!" Her father's anxious voice came from outside.
Nangong Ling rarely heard her father so panicked. She hurriedly put on her coat and went to greet him, "Dad, what happened?"
I thought something big had happened in the Nangong family, but I didn't expect Nangong Xiong to be so happy, and so was my mother.
"Ling'er, great news! You've become the Fifth Prince's study partner. Starting tomorrow, you must get up early and go to the Chu family to study with the Fifth Prince and Master Chu. You must not be late!"
"Do you know who your teachers are? They are the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor! They have served through two dynasties, are highly respected, and have many students. In the entire Dasheng, there are no more knowledgeable people than them!"
For Nangong Ling, this is indeed good news.
It was just because the news was so good that she felt a sense of unreality, disconnection, and absurdity.
"Father, Mother, with the Nangong family's background and my daughter's status, how could I possibly qualify for the position of the Fifth Prince's tutor?"
It's not that Nangong Ling belittles his own family, but his family knows his own affairs. One hundred and twenty-eight years ago, the ancestor of the Nangong family did follow the founding emperor of the Great Sheng to fight in the war, but he was just an ordinary soldier.
When the Dasheng Dynasty was founded, the national treasury was penniless and had to clean up the mess of the previous dynasty. It was so poor that it almost had to peel off the gold foil with dragon claws circling on the pillars of the imperial palace. How could the ordinary soldiers below get any good treatment?
It was not until Nangong Ling's father, Nangong Xiong, passed the imperial examination and entered the Ministry of Revenue, becoming a minor official there, that the Nangong family began to see some improvement.
Nangong Xiong had served in the imperial court and the Ministry of Revenue. He had personally witnessed the fall of the former Minister of Revenue Yuan Wei, and the confiscation of property of three-dynasty and century-old families. He understood very well the importance of Chu Huan to Dasheng.
He waved away the maid, asked someone to guard outside and not allow anyone to approach, and then told his wife and daughter the truth.
"The position of the Fifth Prince's tutor is coveted by many, and everyone wants it, but no one can reach it. This is because..." Nangong Xiong said something that shocked his wife and daughter. "The old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor are actually teaching Chu Huan. The Fifth Prince is the tutor."
Nangong Ling felt that she could recognize these characters separately, but it was very difficult to recognize them when they were combined together.
Her father had no reason to lie to her. Could it be that the Fifth Prince's identity as a prince was fake, and Chu Huan was the real prince, but was raised in the Chu family for some reason?
But with this name and order, Chu Huan should be the youngest daughter of the Chu family? Then the above possibility does not exist.
Nangong Ling quickly thought: "The Fifth Prince is from the royal family, but he has to be Chu Huan's partner. What is more important to Chu Huan than the prince?"
Nangong Xiong was very pleased with his daughter's sharpness and told the story from the beginning, including the emergence of the system and Chu Huan's various contributions to Dasheng, and... "It was Chu Huan who knew that you were talented but not appreciated, so she asked the Fifth Prince to take you in as a study companion."
"Ling'er, you must remember this favor!" Mrs. Nangong held her daughter's hand tightly.
Nangong Ling has recovered from her initial shock and confusion.
She had indeed heard that the Ministry of Revenue had a group of female relatives checking accounts and that they had helped during the house searches, but this was the first time she knew that it was Chu Huan who was the middleman.
"Dad, Mom, I will." She solemnly made a silent promise.
Because she was born a girl, she lost the chance to learn from the old tutor. Chu Huan gave her the chance back, buy one get one free for the old tutor, and also got the identity of the fifth prince's study companion.
Although it was Chu Huan and the system who exposed her disguise as a man, preventing her from using the identity of Nangong Ling, she no longer had to pretend to be someone else and could walk around in public as a woman and under the name of Nangong Ling.
Chu Huan gave her a way to success. This kindness is like a rebirth, and she will definitely repay it!
That night, Nangong Ling tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Studying with your child represents opportunity. There are risks, but there are also great opportunities.
If the fifth prince is crowned king in the future, she will be the prince's right-hand man. If the fifth prince ascends the throne as emperor, she will be the new emperor's close minister. So what if she is a woman?
Her past self was denied, but her future self will only be acknowledged.
Moreover, she is not alone. Female military officer Nie Shui is one of them, and so is Chu Huan.
She thought about it carefully, why did Chu Huan help her?
Judging from Chu Huan’s past actions, it is possible to sympathize with her and help her, but on a deeper level...is she also dissatisfied that women cannot take the imperial examinations?
Nangong Xiong only gave a general account of the incident, without going into detail about every aspect, but Nangong Ling could guess and imagine.
She felt that Chu Huan must have some ulterior motive for having paid so much, and she also had three teachers: the old Grand Tutor, the old Grand Preceptor, and General Xuanwei - with such natural advantages, it would be a waste not to enter the court.
In this case, of course the more companions the better.
Nangong Ling smiled. She knew what the first step was to repay Chu Huan's kindness.
Before dawn, Nangong Ling got up, packed the clothes she would wear for the day, took the books she might need, and checked repeatedly to make sure nothing was left out.
Everything was ready and we could set off immediately. It was only four in the morning and the old Grand Tutor was still in court. It was far from time for class.
At this time, Chu Huan was following General Xuanwei in horse stance and learning military tactics.
Nangong Ling stood in front of the window, watching the dark sky outside gradually brighten up just like her originally bleak future.
"Set off."
Less than half an hour later, the Nangong family's carriage stopped at the gate of the Chu family.
The maid handed over the invitation from the Nangong family, and the servant led them straight to the fifth prince's courtyard.
Here, the fifth prince's servant led them to the study.
Before entering the hospital, Nangong Ling looked back. The lights in Qianhuaju were bright and the owner had already gotten up.
Neither Chu Huan nor the Fifth Prince came. Nangong Ling carefully observed the study and noticed many small details.
The desks at the top are clearly divided on the left and right, just like the relationship between the old Grand Tutor and the old Preceptor.
There are three desks below. The empty desk on the right is hers. The desks on the left and the middle have the same arrangement of books, pens, ink, paper and inkstone.
This consistency is deliberate, but by whom remains to be seen.
Not long after, the Fifth Prince and Chu Huan came in one after another. The three of them smiled and nodded, briefly introduced themselves, and then went back to reading and reviewing.
System: [Sister Huan, Ling'er, the one you've been thinking about so much, is here. Why don't you say a few words?]
Nangong Ling: “…”
The Fifth Prince: “…”
Others: “…”
Chu Huan was so exhausted from the horse stance and military tactics that her back and waist ached and she felt dizzy. She couldn't concentrate on reading the book, so she just chatted with the system.
[What?] The reply was a bit lazy and a bit weak.
The system froze, stuttering: [Just say you're very optimistic about her, and believe that if women could pass the imperial examination and become officials, she would definitely become the first female champion in history!]
Nangong Ling was shocked. Chu Huan actually had such high hopes for her? She herself didn't even dare to say she could get the top spot.
It feels so good to be trusted!
Chu Huan herself quickly came to refute the rumor: [I am optimistic about her, but I won't paint such a rosy picture for someone.]
A woman taking the imperial examination would be a historic achievement. Dasheng currently doesn't have anyone with such courage. Furthermore, even if a woman were allowed to take the exam, it's impossible to give her the top spot. Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to men?
Nangong Ling, who was still not completely moved, said: "..."
System: [What if the woman is extremely outstanding? What if she is incredibly outstanding? What if she is overwhelmingly outstanding?]
Chu Hua: [That depends on whether the emperor and his officials prioritize literary talent or gender.]
System: [That's probably a long shot. They have a strong prejudice against women, and men tend to stick together.]
[You cheated on your wife and still say it was just a mistake that all men would make. What a scheming man! Ha, bah!]
Men: “…” They were ridiculed.
System: [In ancient times, having three wives and four concubines was common. I just don't understand why you made a promise of "one life, one couple" when you knew you would marry someone else?]
Chu Huan asked casually: [Who is it?]
System: [Emperor.]
Chu Hua: ???
Everyone: ???
This completely perked them up.
The old master who was still on the road quickened his pace. If he didn't eat the big melon while it was hot, he would be suppressed by the emperor when he returned. He couldn't miss it!
Chu Huan immediately became excited: [Come on, tell me more.]
Seeing that class was about to start, the system sped up its speech: [The Queen is still so beautiful now, which shows how stunning she was in her youth. She was recognized as the most beautiful woman in the capital, and her family's door was almost trampled down by matchmakers.]
The Queen had many choices back then, and choosing any one of them would easily offend people, so her family didn't require her to marry into a certain family, and she could always say it was her own choice.
The queen knew what trouble her face had caused her, and she also knew she had to marry a powerful man, otherwise her husband's family would not be able to protect her. Many people sold their wives for fame and fortune, so she didn't dare to take the risk.
[There are so many powerful people in the capital. The last thing she wants to marry is the royal family, because there are so many disputes in the royal family, and she doesn't want to compete with so many women for her husband. Her father has too many women in his backyard, and it's a mess. Her mother is exhausted and tired, and this beautiful woman has gray hair at an early age.]
[There was a precedent: the empress only wanted to marry the right person, but the emperor fell in love with her, concealed his identity, approached her, and flirted with her. Only after they had a mutual understanding did he reveal that he was the current emperor's prince.]
Chu Huan was completely numb from what she heard: [At this point, the Queen doesn't have much room for regret.]
Even in modern times, many girls will have a certain sense of luck when they find out that their boyfriends are cheating, and will not break up immediately. Some girls even run towards Aquaman with the idea that "I must be his last woman".
If the Queen had stopped the loss in time, she wouldn't have the worries she has now.
System: [Yes, the Queen regrets her decision and wants to change her partner. She really doesn't want to be involved in the royal family's disputes, but the Emperor made a promise to her, "To be together for life."]
[The queen was still a young girl immersed in a sweet love affair at the time. She had never experienced the harshness of society, nor had she been deceived by a scumbag. She easily believed the man's sweet words. As a result, within half a year of marrying him, he became her concubine.]
The Queen inquired, argued, and made a scene, until her tears dried up. Concubines and concubines continued to come one after another. Even after the eldest prince was born, she was desperate and had given up hope. She wanted to divorce, but unexpectedly discovered that she was pregnant.
How could the royal family allow a pregnant princess to divorce the prince? She hesitated for days, reluctant to part with her unborn child. She even drafted the divorce papers and burned them while crying.
It's like this again, Chu Huan sighed.
Whether in modern times or ancient times, women have weaknesses when they have children, and many mothers choose to endure for the sake of their children.
If the queen had been more ruthless and aborted the child before divorcing...it might not have worked.
That was a royal family that attached great importance to offspring. Accidental miscarriage would be blamed, and intentional abortion would likely be punished.
Chu Huan once again reaffirmed her determination to stay away from the royal family - it didn't matter if she offended anyone, as she had to become brothers with the princes and put an end to their thoughts of marrying her!
The system spoke rapidly: [After becoming pregnant, the Empress never let the Emperor get close to her again. She either said she was unwell or advised the Emperor to go to someone else. Sometimes she would also notify other concubines to come and get her.]
The queen is so generous, she never pushes people inward, but always pushes people outward. The concubines in the harem especially listen to her, and the atmosphere is surprisingly good.
Chu Hua: [Isn't that right? The concubines only compete for the emperor's favor; the empress doesn't need it. There's no conflict of interest between them.]
System: [Humans are really strange. If they don't cherish what they have, what's the point of regretting it after they lose it?]
Chu Hua: [This is called being a jerk.]
System: [Well, the emperor is a jerk!]
Everyone was so frightened that they couldn't even breathe.
How dare you say that? You're really taking advantage of the fact that no one else can hear you!
The old master regretted that he had not stopped Chu Huan and the system from saying such fatal words in time in order to get the emperor's favor.
To avoid any more terrible consequences, he hastily opened the study door and said, "Class."
The Fifth Prince and Nangong Ling breathed a sigh of relief. Although today's incident was huge, it was a bit dangerous. Fortunately, it was over.
They didn't notice that the corners of Chu Huan's mouth were raised.
She just couldn't believe that even though she had committed such a crime and could reveal big news anytime and anywhere, the emperor would still let her be his daughter-in-law!
Not long after, the content of the conversation between the two people was sent to the emperor's dragon desk.
The emperor looked at those shocking words and regretted more and more that he did not hold back last night and let the queen take the opportunity to reveal her cards. Otherwise, the two of them could at least maintain superficial calm.
He never knew that the Queen wanted to divorce him and even wrote a divorce letter. If it weren't for the fact that the Queen was pregnant with Xiao Ling at the time, if it weren't for her reluctance to part with the child... who knows what would have happened back then.
The emperor had a terrible headache.
He wasn't worried about Chu Huan and the system eating melons, which led to the knowledge of his and the Queen's affairs. It was simply because they didn't eat melons, and he didn't know there were these secrets in the past.
What worried him was that the queen had given up on him, so how could he win her back?
If he had known this would happen, he would have humbled himself last night, apologized, and appeased the Queen. Perhaps things wouldn't have gotten to this point.
What he didn't know was that the Queen calculated the time when Chu Huan would finish class, changed into casual clothes and came to the Chu family.
When Chu Huan received the news and rushed to Qianhuaju, she saw the queen who was in a very good mood and looked radiant.
The Queen was drinking milk tea and eating roasted chestnuts. When she saw her, she waved, "Huan'er, come quickly."
Chu Huan:?
The call of "Huan'er" made Chu Huan very nervous. She stepped forward and bowed, then was helped up by the Queen.
"Han'er, there's no need to be so polite," the Queen said straight to the point. "I've come here to ask for something."
Chu Huan: "Your Majesty, please speak."
Queen: "I heard you wrote storybooks before. Teach me."
The system gasped: [Hiss—The Queen actually knows you wrote stories like "The Young Emperor and the Queen Mother" and "The Regent's Forced Love," and she's even trying to learn from you!]
[Is it because she can't do it in the real world, so she plans to take revenge on the emperor and torture him severely in the storybook?]
At that moment, the queen's eyes lit up. This was a great idea!
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