Chapter 23 The Queen's Domineering

"Oh, you two sisters are so generous today." The Queen smiled and walked to the eunuchs, slowly looking through the gifts.

"The top-grade donkey-hide gelatin from Jinyutang, the golden bird's nest from Nanyang, the deer placenta cream from Yupintang, the century-old ginseng from Changbai Mountain... Tsk tsk tsk, these things are more valuable than the same weight of gold."

"Did you two sisters make a fortune recently? These daily visit gifts in front of you are much more expensive than the gifts for the princess's full moon." The Queen said in a weird tone.

[Mommy, my mother opened my eyes again. Doesn't the book say that the Queen Mother is gentle and generous? She has suffered from the calculations of the Queen Mother and the treacherous concubines. She can actually be weird and sarcastic? ! 】

【Good job, mother. Even if you are the queen who rules the country, you can't be kind and tolerant all the time. 】

"Please forgive me, madam!" Lin Zhaoyi and Lipin knelt down with a trembling voice.

"Ah, what are you doing? I didn't scold you, I just said a few words casually. Why are you kneeling? What crime do you want me to forgive?" The queen glanced at the two with disdain. "

You kneel down to beg for mercy from time to time, so pitiful. If the emperor sees it, he will think that I am bullying you."

Lin Zhaoyi and Lipin's face turned from white to black, and then from black to yellow, and fine beads of sweat oozed from their foreheads. After the queen said this, they didn't know whether to stand up or continue kneeling, and they were in great torment.

"It's all because I'm greedy and ignorant. But I and my sister Lipin didn't mean to make things difficult for the queen. We were afraid of the power of Concubine Jiang... no, Jiang Cainu!" Lin Zhaoyi cried. "

Yes, yes, we are afraid of the power of the Jiang family. It's not easy for the concubines to survive in this palace. We are forced to join the Jiang family because of the situation." Lipin raised her eyes and peeked at the queen's face.

[Humph! These two are good at whitewashing themselves. They whitewashed themselves into innocent little white lotuses with a few words. Do they think others are fools? ]

[Queen mother, you can't be soft-hearted. How can they be so innocent? ]

[They flatter the treacherous concubine and cling to the thigh of the treacherous concubine, just to climb up by borrowing her power. If you just want to live a peaceful life in the palace, why do you have to plot to harm others? 】

【Look at Concubine Shu, she has never taken sides since she came to the Qian Mansion, and she has kept herself clean. Although she is not the favorite, she still lives a good life. 】

Xia Miaoyuan lay in the arms of the nanny, watching the show and complaining.

The queen glanced at the two of them and said in a deep voice, "I know everything you did in the past, so you don't have to say such empty words."

"I can let go of those past accounts. However, in exchange, you must show your sincerity. How I treat you in the future depends on your performance."

"If she does her best to work for me, I will ensure her safety in the palace. If she is two-faced and treacherous, don't blame me for being cold-blooded and ruthless." "

You should know that I am a brave woman from the northern border. I can ride a horse on the battlefield and wield a knife to kill the enemy! I am not a soft and bullied little girl."

[Wow! Mother is mighty and domineering! Miao'er is holding high the banner for her mother!

After hearing the queen's domineering speech, Xia Miaoyuan danced with excitement. The nanny was startled and almost couldn't hold her.

Ever since the commotion at the little princess's full-month banquet, both the harem and the front court have been quite quiet.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. The queen mother repeatedly told Xia Zhengqi that her body had fully recovered, and only then was she allowed to see guests.

That morning, the queen dowager summoned Xia Zhengqi, the queen, the concubine, and the fifth prince to Shoukang Palace.

The queen dowager sat upright in the middle, and the emperor, the queen, the concubine, and the fifth prince sat on both sides.

The queen was curious and wanted to eat melons, so she hugged Xia Miaoyuan as well.

[The old woman must have been holding back her fart! 】

Xia Miaoyuan was lying in the empress's arms, chewing her fingers and looking at the empress dowager with a squint.

"I called you here today for no other reason than to discuss the future arrangements for Chengshun," the empress dowager said in a serious tone.

【What's the future arrangement for the fifth prince? In my opinion, it would be most appropriate to let Concubine Shu raise him. Concubine Shu comes from a famous family, is well-educated and well-mannered, and has a noble character. 】

【What, do you have any opinions? I'm afraid you want to take him in to raise him? 】

The empress looked down at her daughter and thought, my daughter is really smart.

"Mother, just say what you want to say. We are all family, there's no need to beat around the bush." ​​Xia Zhengqi said indifferently.

"Okay, then I'll get straight to the point." The empress dowager paused.

"Chengshun is the flesh and blood of Qiqiu and Zhengqi, and Qiqiu is my niece. Speaking of which, among these grandchildren, he is the one who is closest to me."

"Now that Qiqiu has entered the cold palace and Chengshun has lost his mother, I am really worried about him."

"So I want to raise him myself." The Queen Mother raised her eyes and looked at Xia Zhengqi.

[Wow! I really got it right! Old woman, what are you worried about? He is not born by the treacherous concubine, and he has no blood relationship with you. You just don't want to give up this chess piece. ]

[The chess piece of the treacherous concubine is out, and if Xiaowu is raised by other concubines, he will basically be out. Only by bringing him to your knees to raise him, there will be hope of becoming the crown prince in the future. In order to hide his expression of being surprised, Xia Miaoyuan

pretended to play with his gold bracelet.

The fifth prince listened to Xia Miaoyuan's thoughts with bated breath. Just when he wanted to hear about his life experience, Xia Miaoyuan stopped talking. He was so anxious that he pinched his palm hard.

"Mother, I understand your feelings. But I still feel it is not appropriate for you to raise the fifth prince." Xia Zhengqi's tone was neither hurried nor slow.

"First, you are old and have the old problem of syncope from time to time. When the old problem occurs, you need to rest and recuperate. Chengshun is a 9-year-old boy, and he is already a troubled age. Living in Shoukang Palace not only restricts him, but also disturbs you. Both the old and the young are unhappy."

"Second, at the princess's full-month banquet that day, your son had already issued an imperial decree in public, explaining to everyone that Chengshun would be handed over to Concubine Shu to raise. If you change his name to yours today, wouldn't it make the world laugh at your son for changing his orders every day? How can you still have the dignity of a king?" Xia Zhengqi spoke in a stern voice.

[Wow! Daddy's words are well-reasoned, clear and logical. Emperor Daddy is awesome!]

Xia Miaoyuan cast an admiring gaze at Xia Zhengqi.

Xia Zhengqi was ecstatic, his precious daughter was praising him again!

"You disobeyed my wishes and severely punished Qiqiu and Zhichang, but I didn't care about you. Now I only ask you to hand Chengshun over to me for upbringing. You won't agree to such a small request?" The Queen Mother raised her cane and knocked it hard on the ground twice to emphasize her grief at the moment.

"Mother, how can you say that?" Xia Zhengqi frowned.

"Mother, Your Majesty, you were the ones who were talking just now. In my opinion, we should also ask the parties involved about their wishes." The Queen said with a smile.

"Chengshun is 9 years old this year and is sensible. He understands his own wishes."

"We might as well ask him what he thinks and then make a decision."

After listening, Xia Zhengqi cast a grateful look at the Queen.

[Mother's mind is so fast, it helped Dad out. 】

Xia Miaoyuan couldn't help but praise.

"Okay, I agree." The Queen Mother said solemnly.

"Okay, Chengshun, your father asks you, you must tell the truth, which one do you want to raise, the Queen Mother or the Concubine?" Xia Zhengqi said gently.

Everyone looked at the fifth prince.

Xia Chengshun, who was sitting in the armchair, was suddenly stared at by everyone and was stunned for a moment.