vstars Chapter 418 Knowing everything
Chapter 418 Knowing everything
Lan Qingwu naturally couldn't accept all the credit. "Your Majesty cares for his brothers. I can't take all the credit! Besides, this is just common sense. Princess Ding, I will accept these gems from you. You can't help but let me borrow their flowers to offer to the several princesses, county ladies, and prince consorts in the palace!"
Several of the princess's concubines stood up to express their gratitude, their faces beaming with joy. They thought that the good things could be kept as dowry for the princess.
Emperor Shenwu asked Prince Ding to take a seat, then said, "I will add a few more, and consider it as a credit to the Empress and Princess Ding!"
The palace was filled with joy, and Princess Yuhua joined in the fun, saying, "Brother, I am also a princess, and I must not be left out."
Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu both laughed. Emperor Shenwu pointed at Princess Yuhua and said, "No matter who is missing, you will not be missing!"
For a moment, all the female members of the royal family were smiling and happy. No one noticed the reluctance and stiffness under the kind face of Empress Dowager Li. What did the Queen say? Emperor Shenwu felt sorry for his brothers? Why couldn’t he feel sorry for his brothers who were born of the same mother? Prince Shen had passed away and had become the deepest thorn in Empress Dowager Li’s heart. She couldn’t move or mention him! But Prince An was still there! Why didn’t Emperor Shenwu promote Prince An?
Princess Mingzhu and the Third Princess couldn't enter the palace during the New Year's holiday, and they couldn't even attend the Lantern Festival banquet because of Emperor Shenwu's order! And yet they still praised the Empress for her virtue and kindness!
After a moment, Emperor Shenwu straightened his face slightly, "I pray that the Dasheng royal family will prosper for generations to come. The Queen is gentle and virtuous, tolerant and generous to her subjects, and has shown great kindness. She has given birth to three princes and princesses for me, and has made great contributions to the Dasheng state. I am always grateful to be able to work hand in hand with the Queen, and it is also a blessing for Dasheng!"
Lan Qingwu was surprised that Emperor Shenwu said these words on such an occasion, but then he thought that the Sixth Prince was about to get engaged, and he was afraid that Emperor Shenwu was ready to establish the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace!
All the people in the palace stood up and said, "Long live His Majesty! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress Dowager! Long live the Empress Dowager!"
The Lantern Festival ended in a joyous atmosphere. No one mentioned the emperor's fourth son and two princesses, as if no one had noticed. Even the most important court officials and the Grand Tutor, a veteran of two dynasties, were willing to mention someone who disliked the emperor at such a joyous moment!
After the banquet, Emperor Shenwu took Lan Qingwu out of the palace as usual. Although it was a dark night, the long street was brightly lit, crowded with people, and very lively.
The two of them only brought the seventh princess out, but the sixth prince took it upon himself to take the seventh prince out of the palace for a trip.
Lan Qingwu also lamented to Emperor Shenwu: "The children have grown up and are no longer clinging to their parents!"
The Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu intertwined their fingers, preparing to take Lan Qingwu away from the Hundred Diseases Relief Cure. "You're getting married soon, it would be inappropriate for you to cling to us any longer! Don't worry, they have someone accompanying them!"
Lan Qingwu admitted that he was a little worried, but then he thought, this is the inevitable path for a prince who is the heir!
When Emperor Shenwu brought Lan Qingwu back to the palace, Lan Qingwu was extremely tired. She fell asleep as soon as she returned to the Qianzheng Hall. Since there were no morning court sessions these days, Emperor Shenwu hugged Lan Qingwu with peace of mind and prepared to have a good sleep.
Unfortunately, Emperor Shenwu was born to work hard. Early in the morning, Li Xiang called out softly at the door, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Someone from the Cining Palace said something is wrong with the Empress Dowager!"
Emperor Shenwu was awakened. He sat up, frowning and asked, "What's wrong? Has the imperial physician gone? What did he say?"
Li Xiang replied softly, "He said he felt uncomfortable in his chest, dizzy, and too weak to stand up."
Emperor Shenwu sighed secretly, which meant he was feeling uncomfortable. He had already informed the six palaces that they should skip paying respects to each other for the next few days. Empress Dowager Li's disturbance had alarmed the entire palace.
Lan Qingwu's eyelashes fluttered as she was about to wake up. She vaguely heard Empress Dowager Li say something wasn't going well. Emperor Shenwu was already getting up. He patted Lan Qingwu's shoulder and said, "Go back to sleep! I'll go to the Cining Palace and take a look!"
"Wei Ruo Ruo should go together!"
"No need! The Queen Mother may just be feeling uncomfortable and thinking of someone else today. If you go, she will only be more upset!" Emperor Shenwu's tone was slightly sarcastic.
Lan Qingwu hugged the Shenwu Emperor's arm and said hesitantly, "Brother Heng, don't be unhappy! If you feel that you are forcing yourself, then don't do it!"
The Shenwu Emperor was silent for several breaths before he said, "Shouldn't the Empress be advising me at this time to maintain harmony between mother and son? Filial piety is paramount in all things?"
Lan Qingwu's lips curled up into a smile: "Of course the Queen said so! But what I just said was what I wanted to say to Brother Heng!"
Emperor Shenwu reached out and pinched the tip of Lan Qingwu's nose: "You! I don't know how you can clearly distinguish between being the queen and being yourself!"
"Ruoruo wants to be the queen because Brother Heng is the emperor, but she can't forget how to be herself because of this!"
Emperor Shenwu smiled and gently kissed Lan Qingwu on the forehead: "Wait for me to come back!"
When Emperor Shenwu arrived at the Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Li was leaning against the head of the bed, and the imperial physician was busy running around, constantly instructing the palace servants of the Cining Palace on precautions.
When Emperor Shenwu arrived, Imperial Physician Fu knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty!"
Emperor Shenwu waved his hand and sat on a chair beside him: "No need to be so polite, tell me what's going on?"
Imperial Physician Fu was also a veteran of the Imperial Hospital, having been specially assigned by Emperor Shenwu to the Cining Palace to serve Empress Dowager Li. He wasted no time in his speech: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager must have been overworked yesterday, which led to her chest discomfort, loss of appetite, and dizziness. She should focus on resting and recuperating. It's best not to overwork herself!"
Emperor Shenwu understood what was going on: "Go down! Write out the prescription and explain how to boil the medicine!"
Doctor Fu said nothing more and quickly bowed and left. Several palace maids also took the opportunity to leave, leaving only Nanny Li in the bedroom.
After the bedroom was clear of outsiders, Emperor Shenwu asked Empress Dowager Li, who had remained silent and frowning, "Is there something bothering you, mother? You've been holding so many people and things in your heart that you haven't felt well in the past few years. Why bother?"
Empress Dowager Li seemed enraged. "Emperor! You have appointed a good empress. Over the years, I have rarely inquired about the affairs of the harem, but I also know that the empress has monopolized the emperor's favor, and the other concubines dare not express their anger or speak out! Now the empress has won the hearts of the royal family. What does she want to do? The national selection has been suspended for more than ten years. I suggest that the emperor should restart the selection! The empress cannot dominate the harem anymore!"
The Emperor Shenwu frowned, then relaxed. "Mother, why drag the issue onto the Empress? Everything she does is my decision. Are you blaming her for having a higher prestige among the harem and royal family than you, or is there some other reason you're feeling resentful? Mother and I both know the answer!"
"I advise you, Queen Mother, to think about this. You love the Queen very much. She is very understanding. She helps me fulfill my filial duty in many things that I overlook or cannot do. If your dissatisfaction with me implicates the Queen, then it will be my fault! Besides, the Sixth and Seventh Princes are already grown up, especially the Sixth Prince. As my first legitimate son, he will be married next year. Mother, do you want your grandchildren to see you deliberately making things difficult for them, Queen Mother?"
The Emperor Shenwu's words contained so much information that Empress Dowager Li was momentarily stunned. She suddenly understood that the Emperor was preparing to appoint a Crown Prince! Empress Dowager Li thought about the Li family's decline over the years. She had originally allowed the Li family's daughters to enter the palace, simply hoping to have another prince born by a Li family daughter in the next generation, at least to ensure the prosperity of the Li family for a hundred years. However, her emperor son had never given her, the queen mother, hope. Now, the prince born by the main concubine was to be appointed Crown Prince. Empress Dowager Li could not say anything wrong, and she did not want to involve Lan Qingwu again, so she could only remain silent once again.