Chapter 142 Who is the princess’ father?
"Oh, that's great news. When did you adopt your disciple? Who did you marry? Why didn't you ask me to take care of her?"
Xiao Yuluan raised her eyelids and pondered for a moment before saying, "I've been raising her for ten years, and she just got married not long ago. Let's not talk about this anymore, let's talk about you."
Even though she believed that Shen Yushan had no ill intentions towards her, she had to be on guard after all these years and had to ask first.
Shen Yushan also understood what Xiao Yuluan meant. He raised his hand nonchalantly, "What can I have? I've been the same all these years, single and alone. I only adopted a nephew from my old family ten years ago. He's only fourteen or fifteen now. I'm raising him to see me off to the grave. This is exactly the same as you."
Ignoring his previous words about not having a wife or concubine, she said, "Why don't you learn from me." She shook the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. She hadn't drunk much in recent years, and after just a few sips, she actually felt a little drunk.
"But my apprentice isn't raised to see me through my old age. I treat her like my own granddaughter. She's incredibly beautiful, not inferior to me when I was young. She's cheerful and generous, calm and composed, and quite gifted in medicine..."
In Xiao Yuluan's heart, her little disciple is the best in the world.
After listening to the entire sentence, Shen Yushan was most concerned about the sentence "I treat her like my own granddaughter" and couldn't help asking, "How old is your beloved disciple this year?"
Xiao Yuluan poured herself a glass of wine and said casually, "I'm eighteen this year, which is the prime of my life."
Hearing this, Shen Yushan paused and couldn't help but sigh: "When I first met Your Highness, I was also eighteen years old, and you were twenty-seven years old at that time. Now, thirty-six years have passed in the blink of an eye..."
Glancing at Xiao Yuluan's unnatural expression, Shen Yushan knew her attitude. He sighed softly and said, "I'd like to say that if the princess were still alive, she would be about the same age as your beloved disciple."
If the princess were still alive, she would be 35 years old now, and giving birth to an 18-year-old girl would be normal.
"Yes, it does make sense, but I didn't think too much about it back then..."
After saying these two sentences, the two gradually fell into silence, drinking the wine in their glasses one sip after another. After a long while, Xiao Yuluan started talking again.
"By the way, are you familiar with my nephew Xiao Ji?"
Shen Yushan's eyes flashed: "Deposed Crown Prince?" He carefully considered his words, "I'm not too familiar with you, but as a minister..."
Before he could finish his words, Xiao Yuluan interrupted him, "I'm outside, and I haven't returned to the palace yet, so don't address each other as monarch and subject."
"As the Minister of Chancellery, I was also in the court before, so I have had some contact with you." Shen Yushan immediately introduced himself.
"What do you think of Xiao Ji? Tell the truth."
Xiao Yuluan asked bluntly, causing Shen Yushan to glance sideways. "Sixth Young Master is pure and genuine, with outstanding virtues, and both civil and military talents..." Seeing her expression was off, he quickly changed the subject, "It was precisely for this reason that he was deposed by His Majesty. Since ancient times, those who have been able to secure the throne of heir must have a wicked heart."
This is true. Who can sit firmly on the throne of the crown prince and become the emperor without being cruel? Zhichunzhizhen is good at being a family member and a friend, but he can't sit firmly on the throne of the crown prince.
As Xiao Yuluan pondered this, Shen Yushan was also wondering why she suddenly mentioned the deposed Crown Prince. Could it be because the Empress Dowager was from the Yang family? Thinking about it, the Empress Dowager was her cousin. To her, the deposed Crown Prince was indeed the descendant with the strongest bloodline among all the princes.
But... it's not good to interfere in the fight for the throne as soon as you come back, right?
"Why did you mention the deposed crown prince?"
He asked this question carefully, and Xiao Yuluan gave him a big smile, and then told him the result he least wanted to hear in the most normal tone.
"I want him to be emperor."
The wine glass in Shen Yushan's hand slammed to the ground, and the amber wine splashed on the front of his moon-white brocade robe. He was completely unaware and just stared at Xiao Yuluan with his eyes open: "Are you...are you serious?"
Xiao Yuluan's face remained calm. She picked up the wine jar and poured him a glass of wine. The wine made a clear sound as it poured into the glass. "When have I ever joked with you?"
"But, but..." Shen Yushan's forehead veins throbbed with anxiety, and even his voice trembled. "Sixth Prince has been deposed as the crown prince. There are five young princes above him, none of whom are just sitting there doing nothing. His Majesty's suspicions are growing stronger day by day... Why are you getting involved in this mess?"
A cold smile appeared on Xiao Yuluan's lips. "That's why this world needs to be turned around. He should go down quickly when he gets old."
Shen Yushan took a deep breath and subconsciously lowered his voice: "Your Highness, you have been away from the capital for many years. You don't know the current situation in the court. If you rashly support Liu Langjun, I'm afraid it will not go smoothly."
"That's why I need your help." Xiao Yuluan interrupted him, her old eyes blazing with light, "Lord Shangshu Ling."
The words "Lord Shangshu Ling" struck Shen Yushan's heart like a heavy hammer. He gave a wry smile, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the jade belt buckle at his waist: "Your Highness is still like this... straight to the point."
"Why should we beat around the bush between you and me?" Xiao Yuluan held his stiff hand, brought the cup to his lips, and said firmly, "You can become the Minister of the Chancellery. There must be someone useful in the six ministries."
Even though many years had passed and he was old and frail, he still couldn't suppress his pounding heart when his white moonlight treated him like this. But because he still had feelings for her, he couldn't let her do anything stupid.
After finishing the glass of wine, he took back the glass forcefully and spilled the remaining wine.
"You are already sixty years old. Wouldn't it be better for you to return to the capital and live peacefully as the Grand Princess? You are still at the princess's tomb. How could you take such a risk? The princess's spirit in heaven would be heartbroken."
Seeing Xiao Yuluan still didn't say anything, Shen Yushan asked again: "Is it just because Liu Langjun's mother is from the Yang family? Is it more than that?"
But Xiao Yuluan said, "What if I say I want to be the emperor?"
As soon as these words came out, Shen Yushan froze.
Seeing him like this, Xiao Yuluan laughed and said, "Do you think it's impossible? But I really wanted to be the emperor back then."
Afraid that Shen Yushan still didn't believe her, she continued, "Haven't you noticed yet? Xiao Liulang's legs are broken. I supported him to become emperor, so that I could become regent and rule the world."
As soon as the word "this palace" came out, Shen Yushan seemed to be back to thirty years ago. At that time, the Grand Princess Zhenguo was so powerful that even Emperor Zhongzong had to avoid her. As a subordinate of Emperor Zhongzong at that time, he felt it too deeply.
But he still couldn't believe it. How could the princess be in her sixties?
"You think I'm old and shouldn't be so obsessed with power and profit? But you forget, my mother, the Queen Mother, was still handling government affairs at the age of sixty-three. That year, she even conquered a piece of fertile land for Dayu. If my mother did it, why can't I do it too?"
"Since Xiao Yuanchen is becoming increasingly incompetent, why not let me take his place? I can just wait a hundred years, then return the throne to Xiao Ji. It'll only take about ten years, so he can afford to wait."
These words were extremely treasonous, but Shen Yushan didn't feel anything was wrong. He stroked his chest and took a few deep breaths. Suddenly, he raised his eyes and asked, "Your Highness, just tell me one thing and I will help you."
Xiao Yuluan blinked and said, "Speak."
"Who is the princess's father?"
Speaking of this matter, we also need to talk about Xiao Yuluan's marital status. She remained unmarried throughout her life and had no prince consort. When the empress was alive, she had chosen a prince consort for her, but she refused.
At that time, Xiao Yuluan said, "My dear, you can have three wives and four concubines, so why can't I? I don't want a prince consort, I want three husbands and four maids."
This statement was truly shocking at the time. The empress paused but said nothing. After all, the late emperor had been gone for many years, and she had several favorite ministers by her side. She knew very well that kind of life was more comfortable.
The Queen only sighed: "Since it is your choice, don't regret it. The court and the public are talking about it..."
"What is there to regret? I don't care what they say."
As expected, when these remarks were spread, the court was in uproar, and the imperial censors filed memorials to impeach her for "violating moral principles and insulting the royal family."
But Xiao Yuluan just sneered: "It's considered elegant for a man to have three wives and four concubines, but it's considered immoral for a woman to have multiple husbands? This is too unfair."
No matter what the court and the public said, Xiao Yuluan didn't care. Her reputation in the capital became more and more unorthodox. Some people scolded her for being dissolute, while others secretly admired her courage.
But the charm of the daughter of the second emperor would not be obscured by this. Young talents who loved her could still circle around the capital three times. Every day, countless young talents offered themselves to her, hoping to become the lover of the princess.
But in reality, despite her outrageous claims, Xiao Yuluan never actually took in "three husbands and four maids." At the time, she was given the power to govern the country, and men came and went like a multitude of fish in the sea. In the end, no man was given any official status, not even the title of "concubine."
Decades passed like this until she had a real child.
No one knew the identity of Zhen'er's biological father. Xiao Yuluan had never mentioned it, and no one dared to ask. Some speculated it was a concubine she had briefly favored, while others suspected a talented young man in the court. Regardless, no one dared to be certain, after all, so many men had entered the princess's mansion.
Someone used this to criticize the child as a fatherless bastard, but the Empress was furious. The person was beheaded. The Empress said, "She has inherited my bloodline, how dare you call her a bastard? Is there any bloodline in this world more noble than mine and that of the Xiao family?"
The Empress didn't care who the father of the child was, as long as it was her daughter's child, her granddaughter. She also conferred the title of Princess, further confirming that Xiao Yuluan, the Princess Mingyi, held a higher rank than a prince.
The group of people who wanted to say something were frightened out of their wits. They suddenly realized what kind of bloodline flowed in the body of this newborn princess, and once again realized that they were now in the court ruled by the empress.
Men are not important and are no more noble than women, especially in the royal family.
After giving birth to Zhen'er, Xiao Yuluan also restrained some of her edge, but only a little. She was the eldest princess, and the power brought her much more pleasure than being a mother. She had many ideal policies that she wanted to implement, and she wanted to show her talents in the court.
Because Xiao Yuluan's heart was devoted to the court, she neglected the little princess. Of course, there were several young men who claimed to be the little princess's father and came to her house all day long to compete to be her father, so that the child did not lack companionship.
But these people still didn't know who the princess's father was. They tried to wait for the princess to grow up, and when she grew up they would be able to tell who the princess resembled. However, the princess and the princess looked exactly like each other, and now others were at a loss as to how to tell them apart.
Shen Yushan was not among them at that time, but that doesn't mean he didn't have doubts.
After all... the timing is right.
"Your Highness, why are you silent? Now standing in front of the princess's tomb, you can't tell lies."
Xiao Yuluan slowly raised her eyes and looked at Shen Yushan standing beside her. He was dressed in plain clothes, and his eyebrows and eyes were slightly weathered, but he still had the same charm as before.
She chuckled, but there was no smile in her eyes: "Master Shen, after so many years, you are still persistent."
Shen Yushan clenched the jade ring in his hand. It was the item Xiao Yuluan had given him as a gift. He had kept it ever since. After polishing it for many years, the color had become extremely warm and smooth.
"Your Highness," he said in a hoarse voice, "that year you summoned me to your residence to discuss matters. After that night..."
"So what?" Xiao Yuluan interrupted him, her tone indifferent, "That night, didn't you reject my offer and continue to work for the Emperor?"
Shen Yushan's face was slightly gloomy, but he couldn't say that he regretted his decision that day. After all, Zhongzong had been very kind to him and had never treated him badly.
"I……"
Before Shen Yushan finished speaking, Xiao Yuluan said, "Zhen'er is my daughter. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
Shen Yushan smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, why are you hiding this from me? I've seen the princess. She has a red mole on her ear, exactly the same as mine..."
Xiao Yuluan turned abruptly, her sleeves stirring up a gust of wind. She smiled faintly, "It's just a mole, just a coincidence."
"The princess has been dead for many years. I am already old, and I don't know when my soul will pass away. Your Highness, can't you solve the confusion that has plagued me for decades?"
Shen Yushan pleaded in a low voice, but this made Xiao Yuluan confused. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "When Zhen'er was alive, you didn't say a word. Now that Zhen'er is gone, what's the point of asking for clarification?"
Shen Yushan's expression froze at these words, and he slowly lowered his head. Just when Xiao Yuluan thought he would give up, this old man, now a powerful and prominent figure as the Minister of the Chancellery of Dayu, said, "Because back then, I...had low self-esteem."
He slowly raised his eyes and looked directly at Xiao Yuluan, and saw the unrivaled beauty of her past on her current face.
"What was your status then? What was my status? You were the apple of Emperor Yang's eye. You were incredibly intelligent. Even Crown Prince Mingde and Emperor Zhongzong were one shot away from you. What was I?"
"I was just a retainer of Emperor Zhongzong. At that time, I hadn't even taken the palace examination..."
He was just the son of a wealthy family. He had some talent in studying and ranked first in the local imperial examination at the age of seventeen. He happened to be noticed by Emperor Zhongzong who was away from home. He was brought to his side, saying that he would be his retainer, but in fact he was sent to the best academy in the capital. He only sent him out on business occasionally, which was how he got the chance to meet Princess Zhenguo.
Later, because of his superior appearance, he won the favor of the princess, but at that time he still valued the character of a scholar and was unwilling to change his family. It was probably more because of the inferiority and fear in his heart. If he changed his family and became the princess's favorite, it would be a great disadvantage for him in the imperial examination, and he would inevitably be criticized by others in his future career.
And was he any match for the others? The others who came and went from the princess's mansion were either young generals or the sons of prime ministers. Most of the young talents in the capital fell at the princess's feet, and he was just an insignificant member of the group.
He didn't want to be the princess's temporary pleasure, so when the princess tried to recruit him, he refused.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
