Chapter 24 Sterilization "How can such a filthy body and blood be matched with...
But the girl finally compromised.
He practiced the postures on the silk painting completely.
It’s just that the spring tides in the tent are so strong that it’s not something that can be told to outsiders.
The next day, Yan Shu slept for most of the day before waking up in a daze. She drew aside the curtains and saw that the sun was already shining brightly outside.
Yan Shu lowered her head and tidied her hair, only to see that she had already changed into a clean pair of pajamas.
The mattress and quilt on the couch were also replaced with new ones.
The girl was still exhausted from the orgasm last night. She really didn't know how Xiao Yu could be so energetic.
Yan Shu rubbed her aching waist, raised her hand, and the loose sleeves slid to her elbows, revealing her snow-white arms with a few red marks.
Looking at those suspicious red marks, Yan Shu's cheeks turned red, and she cursed Xiao Yu a few more times in her heart.
Qingtao had been guarding the outer hall. When she heard the noise in the inner room, she immediately came in to help Yan Shu wash and dress.
Yan Shu sat in front of the dressing table, with Qingtao holding her hair while she chatted idly.
"Qingtao, when did the king leave today?" Yan Shu covered her face and yawned softly, feeling a little tired.
"He left around the hour of Mao. When he left, the king specifically instructed the servants not to wake the princess." Qingtao said crisply.
Yan Shu was slightly surprised when she heard this: "It's so early."
I just thought that people like Xiao Yu really don't need to rest. His energy is too strong.
But she couldn't do that. Today she just wanted to rest in the hall and didn't want to move at all.
Blame it all on her, but it was all her carelessness last night that allowed Xiao Yu to discover the silk painting. Fortunately, she had covered it up casually, preventing Xiao Yu from pursuing the matter. She would have to be even more cautious in her future actions.
After finishing her makeup, Yan Shu quietly hid the wrinkled silk painting in a wooden box in the wardrobe, and locked it tightly with a small copper lock, leaving no chance for others to find it.
Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Zhaojing had been back in the palace for more than ten days, but Xiao Yu was busy with government affairs and had not gone to pay his respects.
Zhou Tong did urge him several times, both openly and secretly, but he didn't dare to go too far.
After all, Queen Mother Zhao Jing was now the king's nominal mother, so she had to maintain some dignity. However, Zhou Tong knew his master's true character very well, and there were some things he couldn't or didn't dare to ask about.
At this moment, the palace maid brought the decocted medicine. The dark and thick medicine juice smelled particularly bitter. Zhou Tong took the mahogany tray and winked at the palace maid.
"You go down, I'll take care of you here."
The palace maid responded and left according to the rules.
Zhou Tong bowed and walked into the inner hall holding the bowl of medicine.
Xiao Yu was holding his forehead and looking at a map on the table. When he saw Zhou Tong coming in with medicine, he half raised his eyelids and looked over.
"Your Majesty, the medicine is ready."
Zhou Tong held the tray before the king.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu raised one hand and picked up the medicine bowl, then drank it all in one gulp, his calm expression remaining unchanged.
Zhou Tong frowned upon seeing this, but couldn't help but whisper, "Your Majesty, why are you doing this? You're only hurting yourself."
Zhou Tong really didn't understand. Since the king was in a high position now, it was only natural for his concubines to have children.
Besides, the king clearly dotes on Concubine Yan so much, wouldn't everyone be happy if Concubine Yan became pregnant?
But the king actually drinks this bitter sterilization medicine every day, which is really incomprehensible.
If it weren't for such an inhumane eunuch like him, which man in the world would allow himself to be childless?
Moreover, if the king really did not want Concubine Yan's child, he could have given Concubine Yan a bowl of contraceptive medicine after each night with her. Why would he let Concubine Yan suffer like this every time?
Xiao Yu put the medicine bowl back on the tray and glanced casually at Zhou Tong who was standing beside him.
This one glance frightened Zhou Tong, who immediately bowed his head and said respectfully, "Your humble servant is too talkative."
"You are curious why I don't want any offspring."
Hearing this tone of voice that was neither happy nor angry, Zhou Tong didn't dare to nod or shake his head. He just lowered his head silently and said no more.
Xiao Yu just chuckled, his narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and a dark shadow was cast under his eyes.
"How can such a filthy body and blood be worthy of her child?"
How could his Shushu be contaminated by such dirty blood and give birth to a monster?
Of course not.
A dense bitterness churned in his stomach, and a creepy smile appeared in the young king's eyes.
Although Zhou Tong lowered his head and said nothing, his heart was filled with shock at the king's words.
He knew that the king doted on Concubine Yan, but he never imagined that he would value such a humble person to such an extent.
Looking at the king whose eyes were filled with infatuation, Zhou Tong silently accepted the tray. Just as he was about to quietly leave, he suddenly heard the voice of a eunuch outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, it's Marquis Mingyi who has arrived." Zhou Tong said immediately after hearing the message.
Xiao Yu raised his eyes and his expression returned to calm.
"Xuan."
Zhou Tong nodded immediately after receiving the order, and then led the people waiting outside into the hall.
A handsome man in his forties entered the hall. When he saw Xiao Yu, he immediately knelt down and saluted.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May the king be well and healthy." Wei Ziqi, Marquis of Mingyi, bowed his head and greeted you.
"What's the matter, Prime Minister?" Xiao Yu raised his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Wei Ziqi replied, "It's been very dry lately. I heard that Your Majesty has been reviewing memorials day and night. I hope Your Majesty will take care of your health and not overwork yourself."
Xiao Yu paused his fingertips on the map and said "hmm" lightly, as a response to his greeting.
Wei Ziqi looked up and saw that Xiao Yu looked calm, so he changed the subject, his tone somewhat earnest: "Your Majesty, I came here today not only to pay my respects, but also to report something."
"It has been over ten days since Empress Dowager Zhao Jing returned to the palace. I heard she often thinks of His Majesty, but I dare not bother her rashly."
Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows, his expression indifferent: "It's only been a little over ten days. Is the Prime Minister here on behalf of the Queen Mother?"
Wei Ziqi kowtowed without changing his posture, his voice steady, "Your Majesty, although Queen Dowager Zhaojing is not your biological mother, she adopted you as her legitimate son. Now, as Queen Dowager, she resides in Suning Palace. Your Majesty has not received your greetings in over ten days, and the royal family has begun to complain. I know Your Majesty is busy with government affairs, but filial piety is the foundation of the world. It is time to pay the Queen Dowager a visit."
After a pause, he continued, "Your Majesty is doing this for the world to see, so he should go."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu chuckled softly, his laughter carrying a hint of inexplicable coldness. "Does Lord Mingyi know what I admire most about you?"
Wei Ziqi's body stiffened slightly, and he hesitated, "I... don't know."
Xiao Yu's eyelids slightly lowered, his eyes dark, "Assessing the situation, isn't this what Marquis Mingyi taught me personally back then?"
Wei Ziqi was stunned when he heard this, and then he kowtowed respectfully, "This is all for the king's sake. If the queen mother complains about this to the royal family, it might shake the king's foundation. After all, the royal family already holds grudges against the king's succession to the throne. Wouldn't this action give him more grounds for criticism?"
Xiao Yu seemed to have heard a joke, his narrow eyes curved and his expression was unusually happy.
"Prime Minister, do you think I care about that?"
After saying this, the smile in his eyes grew thicker, but his tone was somewhat cold: "If you don't agree, just kill it. There's no need to say more."
"Your Majesty..." Wei Ziqi looked shocked, as if he didn't expect Xiao Yu to say that.
"It's just a joke, Prime Minister, there's no need to panic." Xiao Yu's eyelids lifted slightly, as if with an unknown smile, "As for the Queen Mother, I will naturally return and fulfill my filial duties. Prime Minister, just rest assured."
Although he said this, Wei Ziqi was still worried, as he always felt that this king was different from the former Prince Yu.
As for what the difference is, Wei Ziqi couldn't really tell.
Although the king still looked as gentle and cold as he used to be as a young master, he inexplicably made others feel cold and a little scared.
However, since his goal had been achieved, Wei Ziqi naturally said no more. After bowing his head and saluting, he slowly left the inner hall.
…
The Suning Palace was quiet. Empress Dowager Zhaojing was leaning on the soft couch. After receiving the good news, her phoenix eyes finally showed a bit of satisfaction.
"This Wei Ziqi is really useful."
Chu Yuan, who was standing by, was also quite puzzled when she heard this. She only asked, "Aunt, why does the king trust Marquis Mingyi so much? He only needs him to give a few words of advice and he will respond."
Although Chu Yuan was the niece of Queen Dowager Zhao Jing, she had only come to the Kingdom of Xiao half a year ago. Within a few days, she had gone to stay at the Baidi Temple in the far suburbs of Yongcheng with the Queen Dowager, who was then Madam Zhao Jing. Therefore, she was not very clear about the affairs between Queen Dowager Zhao Jing and the King.
All I knew was that my aunt had been back at the palace for over ten days, yet the king had yet to come to pay his respects. Rumors were circulating in the palace that adopted mothers were naturally inferior to biological mothers, which made my aunt feel somewhat resentful. She secretly sent a message to Marquis Mingyi, but she had no idea that after Marquis Mingyi left, the king would actually come to Suning Palace to pay his respects to my aunt today.
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing raised her eyebrows slightly, a glint flashing in her eyes: "The king's safe return from Yan State was due to the contribution of this Marquis Mingyi."
Six years ago, Xiao Yu, also known as Xiao Xun at that time, was chosen to be a hostage in the State of Yan, but within half a year, news of his death came.
At that time, Prince Ningguo had many sons, and he was extremely fond of his legitimate son, Prince Jin, born to Lady Zhaojing. Therefore, he naturally didn't care about an unappreciated illegitimate son, and just let him die.
But unexpectedly, half a year later, Master Jin slipped and fell into a lake and drowned while out for fun.
Lady Zhaojing lost her beloved son and cried all day long.
After a few days of grief, Ning Guojun began to focus on training his other illegitimate sons.
At that time, Meng Ji was the most favored by Ning Guojun, and her son Gongzi Fei also caught Ning Guojun's eye at this time.
As the saying goes, once the legitimate son is lost, the heir naturally has to choose someone else.
And Gongzi Fei was the first to bear the brunt at this time.
Seeing Meng Ji and her son gain power, Mrs. Zhao Jing gradually recovered from her grief.
At this time, Wei Zhiqi, a famous wealthy businessman in Xiao State, returned to Xiao State with his son Xun.
Lady Zhao Jing had no children at the time, so under Wei Zhiqi's persuasion, she recognized Prince Xun as her legitimate son and changed his name to Yu.
Ning Guojun already doted on Madam Zhao Jing, so he naturally had no objection to her action. Xiao Yuzhi's character and ability were much higher than those of other illegitimate sons. As time went by, he naturally became the heir.
King Xiao Wei had no children, and Lady Zhao Jing knew that the throne of the Xiao Kingdom would eventually fall to Lord Ning. However, she never expected that Lord Ning would die before King Xiao Wei, and that Xiao Yu would sit on the throne of the crown prince, kill King Xiao Wei, and force his way to the throne.
But fortunately, the ending is good.
Her position as queen mother remains secure.
Wei Ziqixu was kind to Xiao Yu. After Xiao Yu succeeded to the throne, he conferred the title of Marquis of Mingyi on him. At the same time, he also served as the prime minister of the Xiao Kingdom.
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing knew that Xiao Yu was fond of Wei Ziqi, so when Xiao Yu did not come to Suning Palace for a long time, she conveyed a message to Wei Ziqi.
They were naturally able to form an alliance in the past, so today Xiao Yu should also respect her as his biological mother.
After hearing what Empress Dowager Zhao Jing said, Chu Yuan finally understood.
It is because of this benefactor relationship that the king trusts Marquis Mingyi so much.
While the aunt and niece were talking quietly, Xiao Yu was heard coming over to deliver a message.
After the guests entered the hall, Madam Zhao Jing put on a kind smile.
"Yu'er is here, sit down quickly."
Xiao Yu had an indifferent expression. After greeting everyone politely, he sat on the other side of the small table.
"I've been very busy with government affairs recently, so I haven't been able to spare the time to come and pay my respects. I hope your Majesty will not blame me."
Empress Dowager Zhaojing naturally knew that this was an excuse, but she still acted reasonable.
"Yu'er, that's not right. How could your mother blame you? I know you've worked so hard, and I'm heartbroken for you."
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing glanced at Chu Yuan beside her, then smiled at Xiao Yu and said, "Yuan'er knows you've been busy with government affairs lately and must be tired and exhausted. Today, she specially cooked a nourishing soup for you. Yu'er, you should try her kindness."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yuan stepped forward shyly, then took the bowl of soup from the tray in the hands of a palace servant beside her and handed it to Xiao Yu.
"Your Majesty, this ginseng soup uses Liaodong mountain ginseng, simmered for three hours. It is extremely nourishing and relieving. Please taste it, Your Majesty."
Xiao Yu glanced at it, his expression calm.
"I don't like soup, so there's no need for this."
Chu Yuan's hand that was handing over the soup paused slightly, and the warmth on her fingertips seemed to cool down instantly. The shyness she had just felt had not yet faded, but a layer of subtle embarrassment had already covered her face.
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zhao Jing's smile froze, and she continued, "Since it's Yuan'er's gift, it's okay for you to have a taste."
Xiao Yu chuckled upon hearing this: "With such a kind heart, we should put our mother first. If you appreciate it, I will have nothing to worry about."
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing's smile gradually faded. She raised her hand to signal Chu Yuan to put down the ginseng soup and then left.
When they were the only two left in the hall, the Queen Mother slowly spoke.
"Without stability in the harem, the court will be in turmoil. Yu'er has been on the throne for over a month, and the position of queen remains vacant. You should know more than I do how many memorials the court officials have submitted, both openly and covertly."
Xiao Yu twisted the teacup with his fingertips, feeling the cool touch through his fingertips. He raised his eyes to look at the Queen Mother, with a smile in his eyes: "Whatever you want to say, mother, you may as well speak frankly.
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing looked at Xiao Yu sternly and said in a deep voice, "I know you've been quite fond of Concubine Yan lately. Whether it's the cold jade couch before or the Luo Palace in the future, I have only one thing to say today: this woman must never be the queen."
After saying this, she slowly picked up the bowl of ginseng soup, her voice unquestionably calm.
"Chu Yuan is my niece, and the legitimate daughter of Lord Pingyang of Chu. With her status, she's naturally capable of maintaining her composure. With the nations now at war, your foundation as a new king is still relatively shallow. If you establish her as your queen, Chu will undoubtedly offer its full assistance. With this strong support, Xiao will be able to maintain its foothold in these turbulent times."
After hearing this, Xiao Yu's narrow eyes narrowed.
"Are you speaking to me, your Majesty, to secure the throne for me, or to pave the way for your mother clan, the State of Chu?"
Empress Dowager Zhaojing was stunned. She never expected Xiao Yu to point it out directly. Her face turned pale in an instant.
"I have just ascended the throne, and the court still needs to be sorted out. If I hastily appoint a woman from Chu as empress, it will easily arouse suspicions of interference from relatives of the emperor. The position of Empress is not urgent for the time being."
After saying that, Xiao Yu looked up at Empress Dowager Zhao Jing again. The smile in his dark eyes had faded, leaving only a chill.
"Just rest assured, mother, and take care of yourself. I will take care of these matters myself, so you don't need to worry about them in the future."
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