Chapter 056 Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Yan Shiyu's eyes darkened a little, and he asked in a very calm tone without revealing any emotion, "What else did Mr. Meng say to Xin'er?"
Seeing this, Shen Chongyi's face flashed with panic. She wanted to stop him but was caught by Yan Shiyu's calm eyes and had to put down her raised hand.
Princess Xinsi was still young and didn't understand the intricacies of being a concubine. She counted on her fingers and said, "Mother Meng also said that it would be great if she had a child as lovely as Xin'er. She also said that if my brother could be raised in Mother Meng's palace, Xin'er would be able to see him often."
After hearing what the little princess said, Shen Chongyi knelt down in front of Yan Shiyu. The little princess hurriedly ran down from under her father, squatted down and hugged Shen Chongyi's neck, "Why are you kneeling, mother?"
Yan Shiyu said to the little princess gently, "Xin'er, please go to the back hall first. Your father has something to talk to your mother about."
Princess Xinsi kept shaking her head and refused to leave. Shen Chongyi hugged the little princess tightly and said, "Your Majesty...I cannot leave the little princess. Please have mercy on me..."
Yan Shiyu interrupted her coldly, "Do you want Xin'er to know what her mother did?"
Princess Xinsi was moved by her mother's emotions and tears rolled down her round eyes. Seeing her father's indifferent look, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
Shen Chongyi hurriedly wiped the tears from the little princess's face with her hands, "Don't cry, Xin'er, don't cry. Go to the back hall first. After you finish talking to your father, go find Xin'er, okay?"
The little princess said in a childish voice: "Mother, please don't lie to Xin'er."
Shen Chongyi looked at the little princess, and the words she wanted to agree to were stuck in her throat. Wei Maoyuan led the little princess to the back hall, and ordered people to bring some snacks and fruits and take good care of her.
Yan Shiyu was surrounded by a chilling aura, his eyes were filled with anger but his face remained calm.
Seeing this, Shen Chongyi asked tentatively, "Your Majesty..."
Yan Shiyu turned the ring on his finger, "Do you know why I asked you to raise the little princess yourself?"
Shen Chongyi nodded, tears silently falling from her eyes, "I know, I am guilty."
Yan Shiyu finally fixed his eyes on her, glaring at her and saying, "I thought you were a smart person, but I didn't expect you to be such a treacherous person that you let the little princess get involved. If you can't take good care of the little princess, there will be many concubines without children in the palace."
Shen Chongyi stood up instantly, her eyes unfocused for a moment, and soon she knelt at Yan Shiyu's feet, holding the dragon robe tightly with her hands, "I will never dare to do that again. The little princess is my life, how can I bear to let her go?"
Yan Shiyu only looked at her calmly, and remained indifferent when he heard her crying. "Take Xin'er back. I don't want to see what happened today again."
Shen Chongyi said repeatedly: "I will definitely keep it in mind."
The little princess was taken away from the back hall by Shen Chongyi. Wei Maoyuan had already sent people to find out the truth. Even if Concubine Meng had no children in her life, as long as she still had a relationship with the emperor, she would definitely have a place among the four concubines. Who knew that Concubine Meng was as foolish as her father, and now she dared to use the little princess to get what she wanted. How could the emperor not be annoyed?
In the past, the Emperor still had about 70% affection for Noble Lady Meng, but now it seems that there is only 23% left. Even if he was willing to give the Second Prince to Noble Lady Meng to raise, I am afraid he can't do that now. If a concubine only wants to use the royal heir, how can the Emperor ignore it?
"Yesterday, Shen Chongyi went to the Qingyi Palace alone. Half an hour later, Shen Chongyi asked the wet nurse to take the little princess there. Shen Chongyi did not return to Yuechun Palace until dinner."
Wei Maoyuan considered telling the emperor about the conversation between Meng Guiren and Shen Chongyi. Before he finished speaking, the emperor looked over coldly. Wei Maoyuan hurriedly shut up and did not dare to say more.
Yan Shiyu chuckled, closed his eyes and leaned back, "She does have some ideas."
Wei Maoyuan didn't say much, but changed the subject to ask what His Majesty meant, "The Empress sent someone to say that she wants to invite the Emperor to have dinner with her. What do you think..."
Yan Shiyu's finger bones were knocking on the table intermittently. Just when Wei Maoyuan felt more and more anxious, Yan Shiyu opened his eyes and said solemnly, "Go to Fengyi Palace."
…
The queen was not surprised to hear that the emperor was coming to Fengyi Palace. "As you ordered at noon, ask the small kitchen to prepare something light and refreshing."
Ran Xia took the order and went down. From the side hall, the sound of the Second Prince crying could be heard from time to time, but he was soon coaxed by the wet nurse and fell asleep obediently.
The Queen was concentrating on the account book in her hand. Qiyue told her what happened in Zichen Palace in the afternoon. "Shen Chongyi walked out of Zichen Palace crying, and the little princess didn't look very happy either."
The queen paused after hearing this, then turned a page in the account book as if nothing had happened and said, "The little princess was born in difficulty, and it was Lord Meng who saved Shen Chongyi and the little princess. It's not surprising that she is willing to help Lord Meng, but our emperor doesn't think so."
Qiyue bit her lower lip and couldn't help saying, "Mr. Meng has brought this upon himself."
The queen chuckled and closed the account book. "She has always been arrogant, and her father is highly regarded by the emperor. It is not unreasonable for her to want to raise the second prince. It all depends on how the emperor chooses."
Yan Shiyu didn't eat much at dinner and put down his chopsticks. The queen didn't persuade him much and told the nurse to bring the second prince over and said, "Although the second prince has a weak constitution, he is strong. He can eat and sleep well and never makes trouble. He is a lovely child."
Yan Shiyu touched the second prince's face with his finger bones and left, "Thank you, Queen, for your concern."
The Queen's expression remained unchanged and gentle. "This afternoon, I heard that the little princess was crying non-stop, so I sent someone to ask her and found out that it was because of Noble Meng. Although Noble Meng has no children, she has been serving the Emperor for so many years and has done her best. I am in charge of the affairs of the harem and I am afraid that I cannot devote so much energy to raising the second prince. I think Noble Meng is a good choice."
Yan Shiyu held the edge of the teacup and asked in a hoarse voice, "Does the Queen think so?"
The Queen took the teacup from the Emperor's hand and said, "Mrs. Meng has always wanted to have a prince. Her father was also favored by the Emperor in the previous dynasty. If Mrs. Meng can take good care of the Second Prince, it will be good for him."
Yan Shiyu frowned, "Mrs. Meng has never given birth to a child, so she is not suitable."
The Queen continued to smile without showing any emotion. She had not expected the Emperor to reject her so clearly. She changed the subject and said, "There are not many concubines in the palace who have children. There are even fewer concubines who are willing to take good care of the Second Prince without any selfish motives. De Fei already has an eldest prince. If De Fei were to raise the Second Prince, I'm afraid she would be unable to do so."
Yan Shiyu looked at the queen calmly and said in a deep voice, "What do you think?"
The Queen raised Ran Xia's hand slightly and helped her up to kneel beside Yan Shiyu. The Queen said in a calm voice: "Ming Zhaoyi has not returned to the palace since she accompanied the Queen Mother to Putuo Mountain to worship Buddha four years ago. It is really unfair for Ming Zhaoyi to stay at the foot of the mountain to practice asceticism at her age. I think Ming Zhaoyi has always been gentle and never jealous. When she was in Qian Mansion, there was nothing wrong with what she did. She is the best person to raise the second prince."
Yan Shiyu did not speak, his eyes lowered and his thoughts could not be seen. The empress was not impatient and did not stand up. She waited for a long time before she heard the emperor speak, "Appoint Ming Zhaoyi as the virtuous concubine and let her live in Chaoxi Palace. She will raise the second prince."
He stretched out his hand in front of the Queen, who put her hand on it with a smile on her lips. She stood up and took her hand back. "Your Majesty has been very tired of state affairs recently. Why don't you rest early?"
Yan Shiyu fixed his eyes on the empress, and said with his thin lips slightly parted, "The empress is virtuous and kind, and I am very pleased with her."
Hearing such praise, the queen did not say much and ordered people to prepare hot water to serve the emperor.
As the night deepened, the Queen woke up quietly. The weak cry of the Second Prince was heard in the side hall. She sighed for no reason in her heart. The Emperor had already fallen asleep beside her. She turned over silently, tears falling from the corners of her eyes.
…
When paying respects, the empress specifically instructed at the end, "The Chaoxi Palace will be under renovation in the near future. If you have nothing else, don't go there. Be careful or you might get hurt."
De Fei was slightly startled and asked first: "Who wants to move into Chaoxi Palace?"
Chaoxi Palace was the palace where the Empress Dowager and the previous emperor's concubines lived in the past. It is extremely luxurious. Anyone who can live in Chaoxi Palace will naturally have a high status.
Everyone would cast their eyes towards Ruan Yun from time to time. After all, in the palace now, only Concubine Ying was favored by the emperor. With her status, she was only one rank away from moving into the main hall. Everyone was so jealous and hateful that their handkerchiefs were about to be torn.
Ruan Jun couldn't help but frowning when she saw their eyes. If the emperor wanted to promote her now, there was only one possibility. Although the emperor was unlikely to let her raise the second prince, she was unwilling to do so. But everyone was looking at her, and Ruan Jun couldn't stop thinking about it.
Her brows were knitted together, her rosy cheeks showed an expression of disgust that could not be concealed, and her red lips were curled up, making her look very uncomfortable.
The Queen then spoke up, "The Emperor has already appointed Ming Zhaoyi as Consort Xian and has granted her the residence in Chaoxi Palace. The Second Prince will also be raised by Consort Xian."
"Bang"
The teacup on Mr. Meng's table was accidentally knocked to the ground by her. The queen looked in Mr. Meng's direction and said softly, "Sister, please don't hurt yourself, otherwise you may not be able to accompany me for a long time."
Lady Meng looked extremely unhappy. She really wanted to raise the second prince. If the emperor gave the second prince to her to raise, she would be the one to return to the position of concubine today. How could that bitch Ming Zhaoyi have a turn?
Ruan Jun breathed a sigh of relief but couldn't help feeling puzzled. She looked at Concubine De and saw that the smile on her face was gone. She couldn't help but become curious about who this Ming Zhaoyi was.
…
"Ming Zhaoyi... the current Consort Xian is the niece of the current Empress Dowager."
As soon as Ying Ning said this, Ruan Yun instantly understood why Mr. Meng had lost his composure like that.
Meng Guiren is the emperor's childhood sweetheart and has been with him since childhood, and the other is his cousin. The two are comparable in status, so it is no wonder that Meng Guiren left with red eyes.
"Since she was a concubine, how could she go to Mount Putuo with the Queen Mother?"
The Empress Dowager is a quiet person who fasts and worships Buddha. She was particularly favored by the late Emperor when he was still alive. However, the late Emperor later became obsessed with beauty, while the Empress Dowager had already secured the throne of the Imperial Concubine and had a son, the Emperor.
Tingxu also looked at Yingning curiously. Yingning said softly, "Back then, the Empress Dowager wanted to go to Putuo Mountain for meditation. The Emperor was reluctant at first. Ming Zhaoyi saw that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were at a stalemate, so he went with the Empress Dowager. He stayed in Putuo Mountain with the Empress Dowager for four years."
Ruan Yun's brows gradually relaxed. She was afraid that when Ming Zhaoyi returned to the palace, there would be something interesting to watch.
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