It's her!
The former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er is pregnant with the child of Chen Longxiang, the first prince of the Tang Dynasty and the younger brother of the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty!
In that instant, countless thoughts rushed into Chen Huai'an's mind, making his head feel like it was about to explode and causing him a splitting headache.
This woman dared to defy my decree and return to the capital without authorization, and in such a dramatic way, with an identity that Chen Huai'an could not accept.
If only I had known, I should have let this "demoness" and Wu Sanjia, who swore to defend the Daxin Dynasty to the death, perish together at the Daxin naval camp in Jiangyin.
Little did she know that her initial misplaced kindness would sow the seeds of such great trouble for her.
If things go wrong, this vixen might even cause his brothers to turn against each other and kill each other.
Thinking about this, Chen Huai'an felt extremely regretful.
"Your Majesty, this is Li Wan'er (an alias Chen Longxiang used to introduce her to his mother);"
At this moment, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, finally sensing the somewhat strange atmosphere, stepped forward and introduced her: "She is the concubine of your younger brother, Longxiang, a Goguryeo woman."
"I already know about this!"
As she spoke, Xu Ruoyun stood up, took Chen Huai'an's hand, and led him to sit down beside her. She continued with a smile, "Longxiang also told me that you've been so busy with court affairs lately that he hasn't had a chance to report to you privately."
"Don't just stand there, everyone! Shujun, Qiluo, Wan'er, please sit down!"
While explaining to Chen Huai'an, Xu Ruoyun also invited everyone to sit down.
Clearly, Xu Ruoyun thought that her eldest son Chen Huai'an was blaming his younger brother Chen Longxiang for his shock and anger when he saw "Li Wan'er"!
After all, it's not exactly a respectable thing for someone to be pregnant out of wedlock.
Moreover, Chen Longxiang was the first prince of the Tang Dynasty and the younger brother of the current emperor, Chen Huai'an.
In addition, the late emperor passed away early, and the eldest son, Chen Huai'an, still had the responsibility of being the elder brother and father. It was inevitable that he would be angry when he saw his younger brother, Chen Longxiang, causing such an absurd thing.
Therefore, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, "eager to protect her son," took the initiative to act as a peacemaker, saying, "Your Majesty, Li Wan'er is a member of the Goguryeo royal family, and their customs and etiquette differ from those of our Central Plains region."
"Longxiang also told me that they are in love and that the baby in her belly is a boy!"
Xu Ruoyun continued, "Our Prince Jin's lineage has been sparsely populated since your father's time. You two only have two brothers, and the next generation also only has two brothers. This won't do."
As the saying goes, "Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together," the vast empire of the Tang Dynasty still needed a thriving population to function.
"Now everything's great, Longxiang has children too, and our family finally has three boys in the third generation..."
Empress Xu Ruoyun was still rambling on and on, but Chen Huai'an, sitting next to her, let it go in one ear and out the other, not listening to a word she said.
He was preoccupied with wondering what Su Wan'er's purpose was in coming to the capital with such a large pregnant belly.
Have I not given them enough?
Not only did they spare the lives of the widow and her child, but they also adopted her son, the deposed emperor Zhao Lingwu, as their godson and bestowed upon him the title of a prince of the Tang Dynasty, granting him the Goguryeo Peninsula as his fiefdom, ensuring their future wealth and comfort.
Isn't that enough?
Chen Huai'an was upset and his mind was a mess.
However, he still tried his best to control his emotions and did not explode on this New Year's Eve when the family was reunited. He did not want to ruin this rare reunion.
During the meal, everyone chatted, ate, and drank happily.
However, the delicious dishes prepared by the imperial chefs at the banquet tasted bland to Chen Huai'an at this moment.
During this time, he glanced at Su Wan'er out of the corner of his eye, but she kept her head down and didn't dare to look Chen Huai'an in the eye.
To Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, Su Wan'er's anxious and apprehensive behavior seemed more like a young woman's modesty and shyness.
Only Chen Huai'an knew that Su Wan'er was feeling guilty.
Empress Liu Shujun, who was sitting on the other side of Chen Huai'an, originally intended to take advantage of the reunion tonight to have the Emperor bestow names upon the two young princes;
However, the understanding woman discovered that although the emperor seemed to be chatting and laughing, he was actually preoccupied and absent-minded.
Liu Shujun's intuition told her that the Korean woman her brother-in-law Chen Longxiang brought back was definitely not as simple as she seemed on the surface.
She could sense that the Emperor's change in mindset was inextricably linked to that Goryeo woman.
Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo was used to being carefree and didn't notice these details at the dining table, focusing instead on eating.
As the protagonist of the incident, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, who was already somewhat guilty, dared not look his elder brother in the eye. He drank one cup of wine after another, trying to distract himself and numb himself with alcohol.
Finally, the royal New Year's Eve dinner of the first year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty was completed without incident, despite everyone having their own thoughts.
After the meal, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, as usual, went for a walk in the Imperial Garden to aid digestion.
Empress Liu Shujun and Consort Yue Qiluo returned to their palaces ahead of time to take care of the two infant princes.
The pregnant Goguryeo royal member, "Li Wan'er," took the initiative to support Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun's arm and accompanied the elderly woman to the royal garden for a walk to aid digestion.
Inside the vast Cining Palace, only Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an and Prince Jin Chen Longxiang remained.
Chen Huai'an waved his hand and ordered, "Xiao Po, have everyone leave. No one is allowed to enter without my order!"
"My lord, I obey the order!"
Soon, Xiao Po, the commander of the Imperial Guard, dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs inside and outside the Cining Palace.
Now, only the Chen Huai'an brothers were truly left.
thump--
Before Chen Huai'an could even formulate a question, his younger brother, Chen Longxiang, immediately knelt down before him with a thud, his eyes bloodshot, and said:
"Brother, Wan'er and I are truly in love. Please, for the sake of Mother and Father, grant us your blessing!"
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