Chapter 166 Asking to be a Commoner
[It’s good or bad, she’s very lucky, she won’t die even if I die! ]
Even if she is pregnant, she doesn't hesitate to say goodbye. The word death is mentioned during the New Year's Day.
Is she tough?
You live longer.
No one can die because of you.
The Queen looked at Concubine Duan as the Queen Mother asked. Concubine Duan coughed twice while pinching her handkerchief, and then said weakly:
"Thank you, Her Majesty, for your concern. I am feeling better now."
The emperor looked over in the direction of the voice and saw Concubine Duan looking sickly, and he felt sorry for her.
"I'm glad you're well. Sit down. Seeing you reminds me of the past."
The Queen Mother looked nostalgic, and she talked about the past a few words, and then she said very naturally: "I remember that when the Royal Concubine first entered the palace, she had the best relationship with Concubine Duan."
Nian Shilan's face immediately darkened.
"Only when the six palaces are in harmony can the emperor focus on government affairs. The past events have been investigated clearly. It was just a misunderstanding. The imperial concubine is pregnant now, so you should take good care of yourself."
On the surface, this statement was meant to make the two people shake hands and make peace, but in reality it was telling Concubine Duan:
The miscarriage of the Royal Concubine was clearly an accident, and you were innocently implicated. She has recovered now and can get pregnant again, but you will never be able to have a child again in your life.
People are like this, the more they can't get, the more they want.
Concubine Duan loved children very much. When the Queen Mother was speaking, she couldn't help but glance at Nian Shilan's big belly.
"Bamboo Breath."
"The servant is here."
"The palace banquet is over. Let Doctor Chen go to Yanqing Palace to take Concubine Duan's pulse."
Concubine Duan took Jixiang's hand, stood up and thanked him, "Thank you, Queen Mother."
"You don't have to thank me. The Imperial Concubine is too old to serve. You are all old people who have been with the Emperor since he came to the palace. It is most important for you to take care of yourselves and serve the Emperor."
The emperor understood: this is to avoid disappointing his old subordinates.
"I'll go see you when I have time."
This was indeed surprising, but there was no extra surprise in Concubine Duan's tone. She thanked him calmly:
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Nian Shilan turned her face slightly, afraid that she would see Concubine Duan. She really couldn't control her emotions and her teeth were about to break.
[I am such a grown-up kid, and you are done with it just because of a simple misunderstanding? 】
[Back then, she was made a concubine and was equal to me. This was already a great humiliation. All these years, the dog emperor has been secretly protecting her, but it is not enough. Now the public has given me the face and I have to treat her.]
[It’s a pity that in my previous life, I was thinking about you, an old woman who had been ill for a long time. In order to show my filial piety and please you, I spent a lot of money and took the trouble to prepare gifts even though I was short of money.]
[I threw a meat bun to a dog, and the dog still knew to wag its tail and beg for mercy! I gave you such a valuable gift, but you turned a blind eye to my kindness!]
Some of the people around Nian Shilan who could hear her thoughts noticed that she was becoming more and more agitated, and they all became a little worried.
[I am pregnant and so pregnant, but you don't consider my feelings at all. The people in the royal family are really cold-hearted.]
The queen wanted to find a way to remind her, but she heard her continue:
[The old woman is trying to deliberately anger me and make me lose my temper, right? ]
[Humph~ You want your Fourteenth Son to take the throne and make the Fourth Son childless, I don’t care. But if you want to take advantage of the child in my belly, forget it! ]
[I will never do such a stupid thing that will make my loved ones sad and my enemies happy! ]
Sun Zhuxi reminded that it was time for the Queen Mother to take medicine, and the imperial physician was still waiting in the palace, so he found an excuse for the Queen Mother to leave.
But before the Queen Mother had time to stand up, Prince Guo had already stood up.
"I have something I would like to ask the Empress Dowager and my brother to help me with."
The Queen Mother moved and looked over.
The emperor saw him clasping his fists and bowing, as if he had something important to say. Just because Nian Shilan was unhappy, he thought that if there was anything wrong, he might as well take action against him.
"If a family has anything to say, they can just say it directly. Why do they need to go through such a big ceremony?"
At the end of the year, Prince Guo returned from Jiangnan and had already entered the palace. Naturally, he also found a way to see Huanbi.
Zhen Huan carefully analyzed the news she heard from the Imperial Concubine, and cleverly transferred the Emperor's suspicion of herself and Prince Guo onto Prince Guo and Sun Miaoqing.
Then let Huanbi tell Prince Guo.
Coveting your brother's sister-in-law is just against human ethics, but coveting the emperor's concubines is a big problem.
Prince Guo knew his brother very well, and he was afraid that he had long suspected that he had ambitions against the country.
Sun Miaoqing had an affair with a guard, and the emperor saw it with his own eyes. She is now dead and has no evidence to prove her so-called "affair".
Even if he knew and was innocent, he couldn't explain even if he wanted to.
The saying "a clear conscience is innocent" doesn't work in this matter. If Prince Guo is alone, then let him be. The worst that can happen is death.
But he still has his mother, and he must find a way to prove his innocence.
Actions speak louder than words.
Prince Guo knew what the best way was now. He didn't care about Fu Jin's identity, he only cared whether the two of them were in love with each other.
Before this, he also understood Huanbi's feelings.
"My brother's family has always been in need of someone to take care of household affairs, so I would like to ask the Queen Mother and the Emperor to arrange a marriage for my brother and Huanbi."
"Huanbi?"
At this time, Zhen Huan was not yet a prominent figure in the harem, so the Queen Mother naturally forgot about Huanbi. "You have not married in these years, and I am worried about you. It's rare to find someone you like. I wonder whose daughter this is?"
The emperor said nothing. The Buddhist beads passed under his thumb one by one. He was thinking about the intention of Prince Guo's action.
"To the Queen Mother and the Emperor, Huanbi is the personal maidservant of the noble lady Wan."
Prince Guo raised his head after saying this, and looked across the hall at Huanbi who was standing behind Zhen Huan.
Everyone looked over and started talking:
"Why a maid?"
"How can a prince marry a maid?"
The emperor had heard Nian Shilan mention that before, so he was not surprised. On the contrary, he was very happy to see Prince Guo marry a woman without a family background.
However, no matter how suspicious he was of Prince Guo, and no matter how much he approved of this approach, he still had to consider the royal family's reputation. He did not directly agree or refute it, but only said:
"If you like, you can take her as a concubine."
Huanbi also knew Prince Xiaoguo's intentions, but she didn't expect the prince to propose to her in public.
She was stunned. When she heard the emperor's words, she quickly stepped out and knelt in the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am of low status and dare not marry you, Your Majesty. Please revoke your order."
Prince Guo then came out and knelt beside Huanbi.
"Please forgive me, my brother. Huanbi and I know each other well and we love each other. I know that this is not right, but I cannot bear to let her down. I beg you to help me and demote me to a commoner."
"My Lord..." Huanbi's eyes filled with tears, "I am not worthy of your kindness."
Prince Guo looked at Huanbi with deep affection, "I am a commoner, and you are my wife. How can you be a prince's servant? I am afraid that you will have to suffer with me in the future. I wonder if you are willing?"
How can Huanbi speak?
She nodded repeatedly to show her willingness.
If it weren't for the large crowd, the two of them would have stopped.
After receiving a positive answer, Prince Guo whispered, "I hope Madam Yunli will take good care of me for the rest of my life."
These words not only moved the person involved, Huanbi, but also the ladies of honor who were watching.
Prince Guo bowed deeply and said, "She is the only one I love in my life. Please grant my blessing, Queen Mother and Emperor."
Under such circumstances, how could the emperor demote his seventeenth brother to a commoner for such a small matter?
However, the emperor liked Prince Guo's attitude of asking to be granted the title of commoner.
The Emperor wanted to help Prince Guo and Huanbi get together, but the Empress Dowager was unwilling to agree.