Emperor Hui looked at the opium that his eldest son handed to him. It was the first time he had ever seen this flower, but it was truly beautiful.
Her beautiful appearance is irresistible.
Looking at the opium, Xiao Jing's first thought wasn't how the Empress would grow such a thing, but rather the scent emanating from Zhao Yunwan and her fiery figure. He felt the Empress was like this opium—beautiful, with a fatal attraction that made people succumb. He was going to Zhao Yunwan's palace tonight.
"Father, look, these are beautiful flowers! I've never seen such beautiful flowers before. I'm giving them to you in the hopes of receiving a favor from you!" Xiao Sheng's voice was innocent yet pleading.
Xiao Jing then came to his senses.
"Tell me, where did you pick these flowers?" Xiao Jing straightened his posture, pushed Xiao Sheng away from his arms, and made Xiao Sheng stand aside.
"Your subject felt a tightness in his chest and his mind was out of control when he woke up this morning, so he wandered around the palace and ended up in the Empress Dowager's little garden. The flowers here are so beautiful."
"My mother taught me that beautiful things should be shared, but I always hoarded the good things in the palace and never shared them with my younger siblings. Today, when I saw these flowers, I suddenly wanted to share them with someone. I thought of my father. Father, do you like these flowers?"
Xiao Jing looked closely at this son whom he had never given a second glance before.
She's six years old, looks like Zhao Yunshu, and is quite sturdy, though she doesn't seem very clever. I heard she's a little tyrant in Kunning Palace, and countless palace servants and eunuchs have been beaten and scolded by her.
Xiao Jing recalled the time when he was still the crown prince. Back then, his mother protected him and planned everything for him, even choosing a wife for him.
But he wanted to prove to his mother and to the world that even without Zhao Yunshu, he, Xiao Jing, could still secure his throne.
Contrary to his wishes, it was Zhao Yunshu who secured the throne for him after becoming empress. When he first became emperor, the ministers seemed to prefer submitting memorials to his mother or Zhao Yunshu.
After Zhao Yunshu was made empress, every time he offered an opinion, his mother and Zhao Yunshu would refute it, deeming it inappropriate.
Therefore, they could only arrange state affairs according to Zhao Yunshu's political views.
It's really strange that everything Zhao Yunshu arranged went smoothly. But he refused to believe it and used his imperial power to suppress Zhao Yunshu, handling the floods that year alone. As a result, he misjudged the people he appointed, leading to a complete crop failure in the south of Nanchen Kingdom that year.
Several more officials were promoted, and without exception, those officials were either corrupt officials when they were in local areas, or had some unclear or ambiguous relationship with the Great Liang Kingdom.
In the end, he had to admit that he lacked the ability to govern the country, and he stopped making decisions on his own regarding all matters, big and small. Instead, he became a leisurely emperor.
But he was still unwilling to accept it. Fortunately, Zhao Yunwan understood him and comforted his wounded heart.
Zhao Yunshu was aloof and superior, while Zhao Yunwan was gentle and charming, possessing an alluring quality.
He had children many years after becoming emperor. He was overjoyed when Zhao Yunwan told him she was pregnant with his first child.
Fortunately, it wasn't Zhao Yunshu who gave birth to his eldest son, otherwise he would have lived in Zhao Yunshu's shadow for the rest of his life.
He excitedly named his and Zhao Yunwan's children: Xiao Ding for their son and Xiao Yuyan for their daughter.
However, Zhao Yunshu also became pregnant a few days later. When Zhao Yunwan learned of this, she threw a huge tantrum. She smashed all the rare treasures in Chengqian Palace.
The matter only subsided when Xiao Jing, in his daze, agreed to eliminate Zhao Yunshu and make Zhao Yunwan's son the eldest legitimate son to inherit the throne of Nanchen.
The ministers in the imperial study, who were stunned into silence, quickly came to their senses and knelt on the ground, begging the emperor to thoroughly investigate who had planted the opium.
The Kingdom of Nanchen will never allow anything like opium, which devours human lives and destroys the nation, to exist again.
Hearing the Prime Minister and the others' pleas, Xiao Jing felt a pang of panic.
He had never experienced anything like this before, but planting opium was a capital offense in Nan Chen Kingdom. It was obvious without even thinking that anyone could plant opium in the Empress's Kun Ning Palace without anyone noticing.
Even though he was an emperor with little ability to govern, he wasn't a fool.
He knew that Zhao Yunwan was capable of such a thing, but he couldn't bear to deal with her; she was his light.
Xiao Jing racked his brains but couldn't think of a reply.
They had no choice but to turn to Xiao Sheng.
"Sheng'er just said she wanted a favor. What kind of favor? Tell me!"
“Father, I have been studying with the Grand Tutor these past few days, and it has been too troublesome to leave the palace in the morning and return at night. I was thinking that if I could stay at Grand Tutor Li’s residence, I wouldn’t have to get up so early in the morning. I want to sleep a little longer.”
Xiao Sheng looked dazed and mumbled something incoherently.
"According to ancestral rules, it is already against the rules for the Crown Prince to leave the palace to study. Your Majesty, you must not grant the Crown Prince's request!" Liang Qianfan, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, knelt down and said these words with righteous indignation.
“Minister Liang, Grand Tutor Li was personally chosen by Empress Yuan, Zhao Yunshu, for Sheng’er. This was the only request she asked me to grant before she passed away.”
Upon hearing that it was Zhao Yunshu's decision, Liang Qianfan stopped trying to stop her.
That ruthless woman, who single-handedly secured Emperor Hui's throne and elevated the power of the Southern Chen Kingdom, had no right to obstruct her decisions. Even he, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was appointed by her.
He had assisted her, and at that time, every decision she made was for the sake of the Nan Chen Kingdom and for the Xiao family's dynasty to last longer.
It's such a pity that such a talented person had such a short life, his talent was short-lived.
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