EBE Chapter 392 Shooting yourself in the foot
Chapter 392 Shooting yourself in the foot
"Xiao Wu, how about I bestow Prime Minister Yan's daughter upon you as a concubine?"
The emperor raised his eyes and glanced at his son.
There's no other way but to ask.
This boy inherited the Empress's temperament; he's incredibly stubborn and will disobey imperial edicts even if he doesn't want to do something.
We cannot execute his entire family.
However, things seem to have changed after they got married.
They've learned to back down.
But it was all for her precious princess.
He had no interest in politics, only in his queen. He spent his days at home guarding her, protecting her like a chick protecting its chicks, fearing that someone might harm her.
Without an imperial decree granting them entry to the palace, this couple would absolutely not voluntarily step into the palace gates.
It's as if there's a man-eating tiger in this palace.
He was always absent-minded during the morning court session, his soul seemed to have flown away, and he would slip away as soon as the session ended.
It's getting worse and worse.
Prince Jing knelt down before Emperor Xuan with a thud. "Father, I do not wish to take a concubine. One princess is enough."
Emperor Xuan rolled his eyes at his good-for-nothing son.
I initially thought he intended to compete with the fourth brother, but after getting married, all his fighting spirit disappeared.
"What a good-for-nothing, all he knows is how to fawn over women."
King Jing was furious when he heard this.
This is a classic case of "the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are forbidden to even light lamps."
"Your son is just like your father. Your father also spends all day with Consort Zhen, and your son is just following suit."
"How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to speak to me like that?" Emperor Xuan slammed his hand on the table, slightly annoyed.
Of all his sons, this was the only one who dared to talk back to him.
If it weren't for Yuqing's sake, I really would have dragged him out and given him a beating.
This boy grew up with Yuqing since he was a child. Although he was the legitimate son, neither he nor the Empress paid much attention to him.
The Empress only had eyes for the second son, the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country; he is not only his son but also the future of the Great Liang.
As the emperor, he naturally paid more attention to the crown prince.
As for his other children, he had so many that he couldn't possibly take care of them all; some were born, and some died young.
Life and death, coming and going.
He couldn't remember who left and who stayed.
He didn't even know how many children he had.
Apart from his third son, who had died in a rebellion, and his eldest daughter, he hadn't invested much affection in his other children.
The main problem is that I don't have that much energy.
The reason I'm now actively paying attention to them is not to try to ease the tension between father and son.
Instead, they kept an eye on them to prevent them from having any ill intentions.
That's how it is when sons grow up; they gradually develop ambitions.
Ordinary families fight over family property and the position of head of household.
The royal family members were vying for the throne and the world, and some even hoped for his early death.
Seeing her father's bad expression, Princess Yuqing rolled her eyes at her younger brother and quickly spoke up to ease the atmosphere, "Father, please calm down. Fifth brother didn't mean that. He was saying that you, Father, are just as loyal and devoted as he is, and you only love one person. Even Fourth brother is the same way. It can be said that you are of the same lineage."
Father Emperor needs to be coaxed; once he's happy, everything will be fine.
If this angers them, a decree of marriage will be issued without warning, leaving no room for negotiation.
King Jing: ...
My elder sister is the best at coaxing people.
Loyal and devoted? A family tradition?
He couldn't bring himself to say it.
He had finally managed to marry Xue'er, but his father was in a hurry to force other women upon her, not caring about the life or death of Xue'er and the child in her womb.
Fortunately, Mu Yunji was still guarding Daliang on the border for him, protecting the people of Daliang, and working tirelessly until his death.
Just thinking about it makes me feel that my father is cold-hearted and ruthless, which chills my heart.
If Xue'er knew these things.
The heart that was finally warmed up is probably going to turn cold again.
Although Prince Jing was angry, his attitude softened. "Your subject knows he was wrong. The main problem is that I took a concubine less than a year after my marriage. My grandmother will be unhappy. And General Mu, who is fighting a bloody battle on the frontier, didn't even have time to attend his own sister's wedding. He'll be heartbroken to have to eat at his brother-in-law's concubine banquet as soon as he returns."
Emperor Xuan:......
This kid actually threatened him.
They even brought up the Empress Dowager and Mu Yunji.
It's time for a break!
Fearing that her father would lose face, Princess Yuqing quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Father, my fifth brother is newly married, and his wife is pregnant. If we take a concubine now, what if the new bride causes the couple to drift apart? It might affect the imperial heir in his wife's womb."
Upon hearing this, the emperor thought it made sense; imperial heirs were indeed more important.
He looked at Prince Jing and said, "Alright, we can talk about taking a concubine later. Get up and let's talk."
Father Emperor, please. But Princess Yuqing has no intention of giving up.
She poured her father a cup of tea and continued, "Father, I actually think that it is not my fifth brother who should take concubines, but my fourth brother who should take more concubines."
"What do you mean?" Emperor Xuan asked.
Before his fourth son volunteered to go to war, he really paid very little attention to this son.
Even the princess was chosen by the empress; although her family background was not high, she was still a well-bred lady from a scholarly family.
It did not disgrace him.
After all, his mother's background is undeniable.
The Empress handled this matter perfectly, leaving him with no fault to point out.
Seeing that her father was intrigued, Princess Yuqing immediately launched into a conversation, "Father, my fourth brother has been married for four years, and my fifth brother already has children, but he still has no children of his own. Does Father know why?"
"why?"
"That's because my fourth brother dislikes the princess consort that Mother chose for him. He thinks she comes from a low social class and is dull and lacks charm. I've met her; she's quite a gentle and virtuous woman, but in my fourth brother's eyes, she's worthless. Even the concubine who was a dancer can bully her. She won't even be allowed into the prince's villa and has been driven away repeatedly. It seems my fourth brother really hates his wife. If he despises her so much, when will she be able to give birth to a little prince? What if that dancer beats him to it..."
After Princess Yuqing finished speaking, she let out a long sigh.
Prince Jing, sitting next to his sister, silently ate his melon without saying a word.
This is a unique understanding that the siblings have had since childhood.
Listen quietly as my elder sister boasts.
Emperor Xuan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, "What dancer?"
He only heard that when the fourth brother was in Yucheng, he was assassinated and saved by an orphan girl who disfigured herself while saving him.
Originally, this orphan girl was not supposed to become Prince Chen's concubine.
No matter how picky a prince's concubine is, she must be a young lady from an official family with a respectable background.
This woman's origins are unknown, and her status is humble.
Even if she was the fourth prince's savior, she could only be kept as a concubine, and she was not allowed to have any children.
They should have sent some money to send them away.
Ironically, this fourth brother used his military merits to secure her a formal title.
So be it, she's a concubine, after all, she took a knife for the fourth prince.
It's a good thing to be grateful, so he agreed.
But the fourth brother didn't say that the woman was a dancer and not a respectable woman at all.
When the fourth brother triumphed, he brought his wife to meet him. At that time, the couple seemed very much in love.
This is how things got so messed up?
Or was it because of an ugly girl who was disfigured that the rift developed?