Princess Consort of Prince Rui preferred martial arts to makeup, and was quite skilled, on par with the guards in the Prince's mansion. After receiving advice from Tao Wanniang, Hongzhu simply started sparring with people in the Prince's mansion.
Watching Hongzhu playfully fighting with the guards, Princess Rui sighed with longing, wondering when she would be able to hold her grandson!
"Excellent, truly excellent!" Prince Rui exclaimed upon seeing this scene. "Look at that physique, that skill! Who will dare say that our Yi'er is cursed to bring misfortune to his wife? I believe that Hongzhu will definitely be able to live happily ever after with Yi'er!"
Princess Rui rolled her eyes at her own prince. How could anyone talk to a woman like that?
"Your Majesty is really something. It's not easy for Yi'er to get a wife, and he's already sent her out after only two days. If Lingyun Prefecture can't even handle the pirates in the East Sea, what can Yi'er do?" Princess Rui complained.
Seeing the displeased look on the princess's face, Prince Rui sighed inwardly. Perhaps His Majesty wanted to enhance the reputation of Prince Rui's mansion.
Tao Wanniang was constantly on guard against the Princess's retaliation. There was no reason for the somewhat insane Princess to let her off the hook after her provocation! Although she used the Emperor to intimidate the Princess and prevent her from going berserk on the spot, who knew if the Princess might stab her in the back?
After several days of vigilance, instead of the princess's revenge, the emperor himself arrived, which surprised and delighted Tao Wanniang!
Come on, let her hear the emperor's true feelings.
The ordinary-looking voice recorder, which looked just like a charcoal pencil, was turned on by Tao Wanniang when she was summoned by Zhao Zhe.
“The Princess Consort may have offended me a few days ago,” Zhao Zhe said gently, looking at Tao Wanniang. “To me, you are my savior, and you also have a deep relationship with my trusted ministers.”
“Your Majesty, I have already divorced Ling Yunzhou and we have no relationship whatsoever!” Tao Wanniang immediately clarified. “I truly believe that the Princess and Ling Yunzhou are a match made in heaven. There must be some misunderstanding between them. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, they can still rekindle their romance.”
Zhao Zhe chuckled softly, carefully examining Tao Wanniang. He couldn't understand why she was so resistant to Ling Yunzhou.
"Tao, before you knew my identity, I thought you were very bold and unrestrained. Why are you so reserved now?"
She was nervous; the recorder was still on!
"It was I who offended you in the past, Your Majesty. There is truly no future for me and Lingyunzhou. Your Majesty, why not grant us this beautiful ending and help us make it last? Besides, since Your Majesty values Lingyunzhou so much, wouldn't it be better to treat him as one of your own?"
"Why are you so eager to push Lingyunzhou out?" Zhao Zhe looked at Tao Wanniang with great curiosity.
Why are you so curious about the feelings of your subjects? Tao Wanniang retorted inwardly, but dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction on her face.
"Your Majesty, I have lived alone for seventeen years. I have no resentment or expectations towards Lingyun Prefecture. I have long since severed all ties," Tao Wanniang said. "On the contrary, Your Majesty, despite your busy official duties, still cares about the family affairs of your subject. You are truly a wise ruler!"
Zhao Zhe smiled faintly and didn't say anything for a moment. He felt that he was sick. He just liked to see these people troubled by love. However, Tao Wanniang's open-mindedness was something he couldn't understand. The more she didn't want to be with Ling Yunzhou, the more he wanted them to get back together. Ha, he was really sick!
"If I were to bestow a marriage upon you, would you disobey the imperial decree?" Zhao Zhe asked deliberately.
Tao Wanniang wanted to curse, but she looked up directly at Zhao Zhe's face, her expression somewhat nervous. Then, as if she had mustered up her courage, she said, "Your Majesty, didn't you say you owed me a life-saving favor?"
"You want to use it?" Zhao Zhe asked in return.
Tao Wanniang glanced at the guards and her father-in-law beside Zhao Zhe, knowing there were some questions she couldn't ask.
"Then let's see if His Majesty is forcing us to do something we don't want to do!" Tao Wanniang took a deep breath. It wasn't impossible to pull something out of a tiger's mouth.
Zhao Zhe laughed. This Tao Wan girl was indeed interesting. He wondered where such a wonderful person came from.
"You should think carefully about what kind of request would make you use up this promise of mine."
"Of course I will consider it carefully," Tao Wanniang said seriously. "Your Majesty, you came all the way to Zhaixing Tower to see me, you can't just be chatting, can you? Would you like to order some food?"
"You really don't forget to drum up business. Did you know that Ling Yunzhou fell into the water and went missing?" Zhao Zhe asked again.
Tao Wanniang nodded. Wasn't that why the Princess came to scold her?
"Are you really unmoved?" Zhao Zhe asked, unwilling to give up.
“If he had truly met with misfortune, it would be a lie to say that I felt nothing; however, eighteen years ago, when I thought he was dead, I had already exhausted all my emotions,” Tao Wanniang said quietly. “Now, if I were to hear more bad news, I would only lament that His Majesty has lost a great general.”
"You really are... frighteningly rational." Zhao Zhe couldn't help but sigh. "If the Tao family heard what you said, they would probably be heartbroken."
“I dare to say it to his face, it’s not like I haven’t said it before,” Tao Wanniang said directly. “People always think that they will reap what they sow, but they don’t know that things in this world are never perfect.”
"When it comes to matters of the heart, there are many instances of unrequited love," Tao Wanniang said deliberately, revealing a world-weary expression.
Unable to win his love, Zhao Zhe felt a pang of sadness. "Sister Tao seems to have been through a lot."
"At my age, I've naturally seen more than Your Majesty. There are countless kinds of emotions in the world, and not all of them can be fulfilled. Whether it's the joy of family, the affection between husband and wife, or the so-called love between father and son, mother and daughter, or brothers and sisters, not all of them can be perfect!" Tao Wanniang sighed. "Your Majesty only sees my unfulfilled love for Ling Yunzhou and feels sorry for him, but why doesn't Your Majesty see the Princess's deep affection for General Ling and feel sorry for her unrequited love?"
Zhao Zhe sneered inwardly, "So the Imperial Sister has male lovers!"
"Love that cannot be obtained? Does Sister Tao also have someone who loves but cannot be obtained?" Zhao Zhe looked at Tao Wanniang with amusement, trying to see something from her face.
"I love the wealth of this world but cannot have it!" Tao Wanniang sighed. "Those who have experienced famine are most afraid of running out of food, and most afraid that their children will have nothing to eat!"
"What, Your Majesty, the supreme ruler, still has worries?"
"How dare you!" Before Zhao Zhe could speak, his father-in-law had already reprimanded him.
Tao Wanniang immediately lowered her head in fear and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was I who was presumptuous."
"It's alright, Sister Tao is a sensible person," Zhao Zhe said. What merit did this peasant woman possess to be remembered by Ling Yunzhou and to have Xiao Yi and the Prince Rui's mansion owe her such favor? "I am the ruler of the world, yet I am but a mortal; how can everything go as I wish? Sister Tao, in your opinion, what should I do if there is someone I cannot have?"
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