Chapter 49 If You Take It Seriously, You Will Lose
“…No way?”
Guyu was slightly stunned: "But I feel that the Queen Mother is as kind to you as ever, there is nothing wrong with it."
"I've only been in the palace for three months, so it's certainly not now, but maybe later on."
Su Ci twitched her lips slightly. "The Queen's confinement is a secret. It concerns the reputation of the royal family. Grand occasions like the Palace Offering to Heaven cannot be without the Queen Mother's presence. So even if she is under house arrest, she has to come out to meet people. The Queen Mother is afraid that because of General Shen's victory, the Shen family and the Queen will rise again."
Guyu frowned slightly, still not understanding.
"I understand this, but pregnancy and childbirth are not something that can be done in a day or two. The Queen is the mother of the country after all. Even if the eldest prince is punished with house arrest for poor upbringing, he will be released in the future. Isn't the Queen Mother a little too impatient?"
"Think long-term."
Su Ci put down her brush and rubbed her aching wrist. "The Shen family is a military family. Although some of their sons and daughters make mistakes, their reputation for loyalty and bravery is there and cannot be ignored. Moreover, the Queen has many brothers, including meritorious officials like General Shen, who also have a high reputation in the army."
"It's not without reason that kings have always been wary of military officers. Your Majesty is still young, but he has only one prince after ascending the throne for several years. In addition, the Shen family has fallen out with the royal family because of the corruption case. If they really harbor resentment or evil intentions, then the eldest prince born to the queen will be their best chess piece."
"Master said that the Shen family would build..."
Guyu took a deep breath, covered her mouth with her hands in shock, "I see, no wonder the Queen Mother is so anxious."
"Yes, the art of being an emperor requires checks and balances, but how can we achieve checks and balances when there is only one prince?"
Su Ci stood up, stretched her arms and legs, and breathed a sigh of relief. "To say that imperial power is supreme is a bloody undertaking. The princes were destined to fight from the moment they were born, willing to become pawns in the king's quest for balance of power."
Gu Yu's expression tightened: "Master, you can't say such things carelessly."
"Just complaining."
Su Ci smiled and shook her head: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Is there any news from the Su Mansion?"
In fact, Su Yin was executed just like that, which made her feel a little dazed.
After all, in the original novel, Su Yin was an important character in promoting the plot. She lived until the male and female protagonists returned to Beijing before being executed by Xuan Yi.
She even asked Fulu to oversee the removal of the corpse from the palace, so there shouldn't be any possibility of her faking her death...
"It's still the same. Ever since Zhao was sent away a few years ago, the mansion has been temporarily managed by the eldest young lady's wife. The old lady also asked our concubine to assist, so everything is peaceful."
Gu Yu lowered her voice slightly as she spoke, "But the eldest girl's situation has become quite serious. I heard that the second son of the Earl has brought his two concubines into the mansion, and the two illegitimate sons are also registered in the family tree. The eldest girl has no children at all, and now it has become the talk of the town."
"Tsk, actually Su Rong is quite unlucky."
Su Ci shook her head. "That day, I really intended to help her speak to the Countess, but I never thought that her careless mother would bring her careless sister in. Although she was not implicated in the end, she is completely disconnected from me, the victim, and the entire Su family."
"But I don't feel sorry for her."
Guyu curled her lips and said, "She even threatened you with our concubine that day. It's just karma. This is better. It will save the master from having to deal with more troubles in the future. When our concubine becomes the lady of the mansion and the master is pregnant with the heir, you can rest easy."
"I'm naturally happy that my mother and father have finally achieved their goal, but my situation isn't that simple."
Su Ci squinted her eyes at the sunset glow in the sky, thinking, "I heard that the one who came back with General Shen was also the son of Runan Marquis Yan Zhenfei, right?"
Guyu nodded silently.
"Yes, Concubine Yan Xian's brother, I heard he also made considerable military achievements."
"well."
Su Ci raised her eyebrows, shook her head and sighed, "Our Majesty is the most pitiful person."
Guyu tilted his head suspiciously: "What is the master talking about?"
"Nothing, I just need to get used to sharing a toothbrush with someone else."
…
at night.
In the warm room, Xuan Yi, dressed in his pajamas, leaned lazily on a soft pillow, his brows relaxed as he watched the two little tigers gradually taking shape on the drawing paper.
She likes to draw small animals, but her style is different. The majestic tigers and lions in her paintings have a bit of naivety, smart and cuteness.
A painting reflects its creator.
"Why don't you draw eyes?"
Su Ci blinked and recalled: "There is no real object for comparison, I need to think about it."
"Real thing?"
Xuan Yi raised his eyebrows slightly: "Could it be that my beloved concubine has seen a tiger with her own eyes?"
Of course, she has never seen it here, but in her free time these days, she likes to carry her drawing board to the zoo to sketch.
"You've seen other people's portraits."
Su Ci dropped her pen and tilted her head to look at the man. "Your Majesty, I heard that the Queen has a cat in her palace, right?"
“…It seems so, but I haven’t seen it.”
Xuan Yiwei paused and said, "You want to raise one too?"
"Huh?"
Su Ci leaned closer to him and winked slyly: "Your Majesty doesn't like cats?"
“…Yeah, my nose gets itchy when I get close.”
"oh…"
No wonder she had never seen the Queen hold a cat.
Su Ci nodded her chin and thought for a moment: "What about the birds? Can I raise two birds?"
Xuan Yi's lips curled up slightly. "We do have some of these. I'll have the Imperial Household Department send a few over for you to pick out."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Could you please take me with you when you leave the palace on the 15th? I'd like to capture some of the scenery and people along the way for my paintings."
"Um."
"Um?"
Su Ci blinked in surprise. "You agreed so soon? Didn't you always go with the Queen before? I heard that the Queen Mother advised you to bring one or two concubines, but you never agreed."
Xuan Yi raised his hand to wipe the charcoal dust off her chin.
"You said it was in the past."
“…”
Su Ci was a little dazed, and a trace of emotion arose in her heart, but was immediately suppressed by reason.
Don't take it seriously.
If you take it seriously, you lose.
"Then I have to finish drawing these two little brain axes quickly. Hmm, should I look straight ahead or to the left..."
Xuan Yi frowned unconsciously, staring at the person who turned around to paint.
During this period, Su Ci had returned to her former mischievous and unruly self in front of him, but for some reason, she would occasionally give him some incomprehensible looks.
It seems neither happy nor sad, sometimes clear and lucid, sometimes deep in thought and speculation.
What puzzled him most was the subtle hint of sadness that would appear occasionally.
…
Zhaohua Palace.
Nanny Li waved away the palace maids and returned to the palace, looking at her master with some trepidation.
"…Your Majesty, it's not unusual for a king to travel with a concubine. Don't get yourself sick from anger. The Shen family still depends on you..."
"Oh."
The Queen sneered and raised her eyes: "This palace and the prince have been confined because of Su Ci. Now it's a rare trip for His Majesty to go out alone, but she lets her accompany me. Her Majesty the Queen Mother has completely disrespected me."
It was no longer easy to repeat Nanny Li's repeated advice.
At first, she also believed that His Majesty favored Consort Shu in order to suppress the Empress, but now it seems that the Emperor's heart has truly fallen on Yufu Palace...
"Will my fifth brother be able to return to the capital in March?"
"Well, according to the pace, it should be."
The Queen's eyes darkened slightly. "Tell Wu Chongyuan a message. I will allow her father and brother to accompany me out of the palace, but she must do a small favor for me. After the favor is accomplished, I will ensure that her Wu family has a prosperous career."
Nanny Li was stunned and looked worried.
"My Lady, wouldn't it be too hasty to act now? We don't know what's going on with the eldest young master yet..."
"I can't wait!"
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
