Chapter 97: Young Couple, Childhood Sweethearts
In the royal palace.
Inside the study room with the door tightly closed, there were only the father and son.
"Hahaha! God is really helping me!"
Prince Jin sat at his desk, looking at the information sent by his subordinates, and couldn't hide his laughter.
When Qi Shang first told him this, he thought it was absurd and ridiculous. Now, there is only one word to describe it: Absolute!
The emperor is actually infertile!
When the retired emperor was still alive, there were treacherous ministers in power outside and a witch concubine who brought disaster to the country inside.
The beloved Concubine Hua schemed to plunge the eight-year-old Yan Zhuo into the still-frozen but still freezing waters of a lake. Witnessing the incident, Yan Yu, determined to save his brother, plunged into the lake himself in the dead of winter. This accumulated cold and yin energy within him, hindering his yang energy and leading to his continued childlessness. Few people knew of this incident, and it took Prince Jin considerable effort to uncover the hidden truth.
It was as if God had given him a great gift after seeing how hard he had planned for so many years!
But speaking of it, if his son hadn't insisted, he wouldn't have bothered to investigate this matter. Thinking of this, Prince Jin looked up at Qi Shang beside him and praised him without reservation for the first time:
"You've done a great job in this matter. It seems you've made a lot of progress recently."
Qi Shang pretended to be modest and said, "My father is really good at this. He found it out in no time."
But he couldn't help but feel secretly happy in his heart. This was the first time in his life that his father, the emperor, praised him like this. It turned out that what the woman said was true!
Prince Jin nodded with satisfaction, and he began to like his son more.
He said, "Our current mission is to spread this news. I believe it will cause a huge uproar. Those old-fashioned people in the court will definitely question the emperor. When the emperor can no longer resist these questioning voices, we can take advantage of the chaos and take them down in one fell swoop! This mission is..."
Qi Shang understood what he meant and patted his chest excitedly: "Leave this matter to me!"
King Jin nodded and agreed.
The father and son smiled at each other, as if they had already seen success.
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In preparation for the upcoming Qianqiu Banquet, some palace maids were temporarily transferred to tidy up the imperial gardens. After a busy day, they finally completed the task assigned by their superiors.
It was already dusk, and the palace maids who had finished their work and were waiting for inspection had let go of their caution during the day and gathered in groups of three or four, whispering to each other.
One of the palace maids, Zhongju, looked around cautiously and said mysteriously in a low voice, "Hey! Don't you find something strange?"
"What's the matter?" The other palace maids looked puzzled.
"There are quite a few concubines in the harem, so why isn't there even a little prince or princess in the palace?"
"this......"
When the topic of offspring in the harem was suddenly brought up, the other palace maids looked at each other in bewilderment and no one responded. This was a dangerous topic, and if others knew about it, they might lose their heads!
Everyone was about to advise her to be careful with her words and actions, but their eyes caught a glimpse of bright yellow not far away.
The scene suddenly became quiet, only Zhongju, who had spoken at the beginning, was still chattering non-stop without knowing the consequences.
"If it's the Empress who's infertile, then it can't be that all the ladies in the harem are infertile, right? So in my opinion..."
"What do you think?"
A lukewarm voice came from behind her.
Zhong Ju, who was talking excitedly, suddenly stiffened his back. Even without turning around, he knew who the voice belonged to, as it was so intimidating without even being angry.
Looking at the palace maids around, they had already knelt down to pay their respects, with their heads buried like quails, fearing that they would be in trouble if they were a step slower.
Zhong Ju quickly knelt down with a pale face: "Your servant, pays homage to the emperor."
Yan Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his face calm and expressionless.
"I'm asking you a question. What do you think we should do?"
Zhongju's lips trembled and she couldn't utter a word for a long time.
She also heard this gossip from someone else, and couldn't help but share it with other palace maids. She was just chatting secretly behind their backs, but who would have thought that she would be caught by the emperor!
She was overwhelmed by the gossip and only then began to wake up little by little.
Anyone who criticizes the emperor shall be punished by death.
Recently, rumors have been spreading inside and outside the palace. Even ministers in the court have begun to hint at concerns about the royal bloodline. These things have already made Yan Yu very upset. When he passed by the imperial garden and heard this palace maid spreading rumors here, the anger in his heart was like the fuse of gunpowder, which was ignited in an instant.
Looking at the hesitant palace maid in front of him, Yan Yu exhausted his last bit of patience and was about to order people to execute her on the spot, but suddenly thought of something and stopped.
Those words just now didn't sound like they came from a palace maid at all. It was as if someone had deliberately taught her to say them. This matter needed to be thoroughly investigated; there must be someone else behind this.
Yan Yu ordered coldly, "Yan Fu, take her away and question her thoroughly."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Yan Fu, the chief eunuch beside Yan Yu, stepped forward, received the order, and said to the younger eunuch beside him in his shrill voice:
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry and take this audacious palace maid away. I will interrogate her personally!"
After receiving the order, two young eunuchs stepped forward and took her down.
Zhongju was already frightened out of her wits. Like a wilted cabbage, she gave up resistance and allowed the young eunuch to lift her up.
After taking the maid who had spoken away, someone asked, "Chief Steward Yan, what about the other maids?"
The palace maids who were named didn't dare to raise their heads, and they were still in a comatose state. They just felt that they were really unlucky today. Wasn't this a sudden disaster?
Yan Fu glanced at the palace maids, and each one of them trembled with fear when his gaze swept over them. One of the braver ones raised her head, trying to fight for her own life.
"Manager Yan, please spare us. This is none of our business. We didn't say anything, seriously!"
"Yes, I swear, I really didn't say those outrageous words."
"I swear too!"
With someone taking the lead, they all spoke up and bravely explained themselves.
Yan Fu had always been at the emperor's side, so he naturally knew that, with the exception of Zhong Ju, the other maids hadn't said anything disrespectful. But simply letting them off would only foster a negative atmosphere within the palace. Furthermore, with rumors spreading throughout the palace recently, it was time to crack down on them and set an example.
Yan Fu thought for a moment and said, "The others will receive twenty strokes of the cane. Go and receive your punishment."
Hearing this punishment, the palace maids all breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they only had to endure some physical pain. Compared to losing their heads, this was a blessing in disguise.
"Thank you, Chief Steward Yan, for showing mercy!"
Yan Fu snorted lightly, deliberately scolding them: "Don't blame me for not reminding you, watch your mouths and don't say anything you shouldn't, or you'll lose your head someday!"
The palace maids nodded in agreement.
On the other side, Yan Yu left the Imperial Garden and went straight to Weiyang Palace.
Queen Chen Fu had already gone to bed. When she heard that Yan Yu was coming, she quickly stood up to greet him.
Before she could get up from the bed, she was stopped by the man.
"No need to get up, I just came to see you."
Yan Yu dismissed the servants and sat down beside the bed, gently taking the woman in white lingerie into his arms.
The two are childhood sweethearts and young couples, and they can understand many things without words.
The moment she saw Yan Yu, Shen Fu realized that he was in a bad mood. She guessed that something must have happened, but she did not ask. Instead, she leaned obediently into the man's arms.
As they were ready to sleep, only a dim candlelight remained in the hall. Shen Fu rested her head in the strong arm, and she stretched out her slender fingers, tapping the man's brow in the dim, flickering candlelight. The gentle touch of her fingertips gradually soothed the fatigue between his brows.
The touch between the eyebrows brought Yan Yu back to his senses. He reached out and grabbed the soft hand, rubbing it gently in his palm.
He suddenly asked, "Afu, do you like children?"
Shen Fu's breath hitched.
She was one of the few people who knew about what happened back then, and she also knew that it would be difficult for Yan Yu to have children in this lifetime.
The young man, who was still a prince at that time, braved the night rain to sneak into her house and confessed everything to her through the window. If she was willing to marry him, he would protect her for the rest of her life. If she was not willing to marry him, he would ask the emperor to cancel the engagement.
Chen Fu opened the window and looked at the young man whose eyes and brows were wet but who was extremely serious, and she married him without hesitation.
She didn't know why Yan Yu suddenly asked this question today, but before she could figure out how to start, the man over there started talking to himself again.
"You must like him. I remember when Yan Zhuo was still a little kid, because he was too small, no one wanted to play with him. Only you were willing to play with him."
When Yan Yu recalled the past, a smile appeared on his face.
If that incident had not happened before, his and Afu's child would probably call father the emperor and mother the queen by now. As he thought of this, a gloomy look appeared between his brows.
He never regretted saving Yan Zhuo. What he hated were those people who looked prettier than flowers but had hearts more poisonous than snakes and scorpions.
Chen Fu did not answer him whether he liked children or not. Instead, she held his big hand and smiled softly: "It's good for us now."
Even she had heard the rumors inside and outside the palace. She didn't dare to think about how much pressure Yan Yu would be under in the court. She felt a little distressed when she saw the man's tired face.
"I don't know when Yan Zhuo will be able to get married and have children. Why don't I just wait until the Qianqiu Banquet to help him find a young lady from a good family." Chen Fu said jokingly.
Yan Yu had discussed with her before that if Yan Zhuo had a child in the future, he would leave the throne to the child, but Yan Zhuo had not made any move.
Yan Yu shook his head. Not only did those old and pedantic people in the court have no insights into state affairs, but they also always liked to keep an eye on his family affairs. Although he was indeed a little breathless, he did not want to sacrifice his brother's happiness because of this.
If I really just point him to someone he doesn't love, he's afraid he'll have to wear that cold face even on his wedding night. Thinking of this, Yan Yu couldn't help but laugh and said:
"Don't you understand his personality? If I arrange a marriage for him right away, wouldn't that be harming someone else's daughter? It's better to wait for him to find someone he likes."
"Yes, I was mistaken." Chen Fu rubbed against his arms and smiled widely.
Yan Yu lowered her head and was greeted with a hibiscus-like smile. He couldn't help but pinch her cheek, then frowned:
"Afu seems to have lost a lot of weight recently. Have you been eating well recently?"
Yan Yu knew that Afu had a problem with not wanting to eat when it was hot, but she was weak and there was no room for more ice. He had no choice but to accompany her to meals every day to make sure she ate more.
State affairs have been very busy lately, and Yan Yu has come to Weiyang Palace less often to dine with her.
The young emperor looked at her seriously, as if she was as important as state affairs.
“Have a good meal...”
Shen Fu's face flushed red as she was stared at, and her voice became smaller and smaller.
Yan Yu did not expose her, but called the palace maid at the door and ordered her to go to the imperial kitchen to get some stomach-soothing and easy-to-digest midnight snacks.
Shen Fu was anxious, her face flushed red.
“I really ate well.”
"Okay, okay, I didn't eat much at night, and now I'm hungry, so just think of it as accompanying me to eat something."
As Yan Yu spoke, he put a coat on her, reached out his long arms, and lifted her up from the bed.
Shen Fu let out a low cry of surprise, and her bare arms tightly wrapped around his neck.
Yan Yu chuckled and carried her towards the table.
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