Seeing this, Xiao Yu showed a trace of displeasure. He glanced at Xiao Ran, who was struggling, and said, "I also think that we should hold this year's talent show..."
Xiao Yu's heart sank when he heard this. It was indeed the Queen Mother's order that made his third brother do this...
You must know that although Empress Dowager Dugu was the empress dowager, she was also a member of the Dugu family. In order to consolidate the family's power, it was understandable that she asked Xiao Ran to persuade her in the court.
But what should he do
He was Emperor Lan Cang, and his heart was filled with memories of what An Xin said: "I wish to win the heart of one person and stay together until old age."
If there were other women, how could we stay together till old age...
Why is everyone forcing him? Thinking about all these things, Xiao Yu's face darkened, and he left with a wave of his sleeves, leaving behind a sentence: "We will discuss this matter later!"
As soon as Xiao Yu arrived at the Yangxin Palace, he was invited to the Chonghua Palace by the nanny serving the Empress Dowager Gudu.
As soon as he arrived at Chonghua Palace, Xiao Yu saw not only the Queen Mother Gudu, but also a beautiful woman. The woman was wearing a light pink shirt and a step-shaking crown on her head, and looked quite elegant.
When Xiao Yu saw this, a trace of disgust flashed through his heart.
"Your son pays homage to the Queen Mother." Xiao Yu bowed slightly to Empress Dowager Dugu.
When Empress Dowager Dugu saw Xiao Yu coming, she said kindly: "The Emperor is here? It just so happens that Yue'er is here to see me today..."
The woman in the light pink dress was the eldest daughter of the Dugu family, Dugu Yueer.
When Dugu Yue'er saw Xiao Yu, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes, and she bowed to Xiao Yu in a dignified manner: "Yue'er greets His Majesty."
Xiao Yu glanced at Dugu Yue'er indifferently, with a flash of disdain in his eyes, because Xiao Yu felt that the joy of this woman was not evident in her eyes. This kind of woman was very pretentious and was annoying to look at.
Seeing that there was some awkwardness between the two, and Xiao Yu's coldness towards Dugu Yue'er, Empress Dowager Dugu said, "How come you two have become so unfamiliar after not seeing each other for a few years? I still remember that you and Yue'er were quite harmonious in the past."
Seeing this, Xiao Yu sneered inwardly, and his disdain for Dugu Yue'er grew even deeper.
Xiao Yu was quite respectful to Empress Dowager Dugu and said, "I think mother must have remembered it wrongly. It was my third brother who was familiar with Dugu Yue'er, not me."
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Dugu's expression froze for a moment, then returned to normal and said, "Maybe I remembered it wrong."
Afterwards, Empress Dowager Dugu waved to Dugu Yue'er and said, "Yue'er, come here..."
Dugu Yue'er, who had been bowing her head, was finally able to stand up. She looked up at Xiao Yu, with a hint of anger hidden behind her rather well-behaved face.
Dugu Yue'er came to the side of Empress Dowager Dugu. Empress Dowager Dugu looked at Dugu Yue'er and nodded with satisfaction. Then she said to Xiao Yu: "Yue'er is the most noble and the most outstanding woman in the Dugu family. I will make the decision today and marry Yue'er to the emperor..."
Afterwards, Empress Dowager Gudu looked at Gudu Yue'er and asked, "Yue'er, are you willing to enter the palace as a concubine and serve the emperor?"
Dugu Yueer said quite obediently: "Yueer is willing..."
However, the hand under the sleeve involuntarily clenched, and the force was so strong that it broke the delicate hand...
Xiao Yu, who was standing by, felt a little absurd when he heard this. Sure enough, his mother was no longer the one who would always compromise for him and support him unconditionally. Now that she was the queen mother, she began to consider some things and started to plan for the Dugu family...
As Xiao Yu thought about this, he couldn't help but feel a little resentful towards Empress Dowager Dugu.
Xiao Yu immediately refused, not giving Queen Mother Dugu any face, and said: "Your son does not want to!"
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Dugu showed displeasure on her face and said, "Since ancient times, it is quite normal for emperors to have three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines. You have been on the throne for more than a year now, and there is only one Empress An in the harem. It's time to take in some new people..."
Xiao Yu was overwhelmed when he heard this, and said: "I don't want to think about these things now, I just want to deal with the court affairs..."
"The affairs of the harem are also a big deal. Doesn't the emperor know this? The harem is also related to the court!" Every word uttered by Empress Dowager Dugu hit Xiao Yu's heart.
When Xiao Yu heard this, he knew that it was Empress Dowager Dugu who was forcing him. Xiao Yu suppressed his displeasure and said, "Mother, you just need to enjoy your old age and don't have to worry about these trivial matters..."
Empress Dowager Dugu looked at Xiao Yu deeply and said: "Emperor..."
Xiao Yu was already full of anger in the court, and now seeing that Empress Dowager Dugu was a little aggressive, he said: "Mother has changed after all. In the past, Mother was not like this..."
Dugu Yueer heard this and felt that the next words were not hers to say, so she excused herself and said, "Your Majesty and the Queen Mother still have something to talk about, so Yueer will not disturb them..."
Empress Dowager Dugu looked at Dugu Yue'er, nodded and said: "You can go down..."
Then Empress Dowager Dugu signaled to the nanny behind her. After all, the nanny had followed Empress Dowager Dugu for decades, and she left Chonghua Palace with the other palace maids.
After everyone left, Empress Dowager Dugu showed a complicated expression. How could she not understand Xiao Yu's thoughts? She asked: "You are so fierce, is it because of Queen An..."
Xiao Yu said without hesitation: "Yes..."
When Empress Dowager Dugu saw Xiao Yu's straightforward response, she couldn't tell whether she was envious or helpless.
"It's obvious that bringing those women into the harem will have no effect on her. It's okay if you are useless... No one will care about you. This is just a small compromise. Why don't you understand?" Empress Dowager Dugu consoled her earnestly.
"What Yu'er wants is to find someone who loves him and will be with him until old age." Xiao Yu did not hide a single thing in front of his most trusted and respected mother.
Seeing Xiao Yu's infatuated look, Empress Dowager Dugu couldn't help but sigh heavily and said: "Emperor, although Empress An is a very good woman, she doesn't have you in her heart. Why did she suddenly come to Lan Cang? You should know the twists and turns better than anyone else..."
Xiao Yu was helpless after hearing what Empress Dowager Dugu said. He said bitterly, "I know, but I don't want to give up. In fact, as long as Yu'er is by my side, it will be fine..."
“Emperor, you have to believe that even if you took one thousand or ten thousand women as your wives, Empress An would not be bothered at all. This woman’s heart is already dead. If you take a concubine, she would feel much more relieved…” As a woman herself, Empress Dowager Dugu naturally understood An Xin’s thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu remained silent. He knew all of this, but now that Empress Dowager Dugu had explained it to him, he still felt very uncomfortable.
Then Empress Dowager Dugu said: "I have no problem supporting you. Your Majesty, you must believe that I will always be behind you and support you... But among the Dugu, He, and Lin families, you must choose one to enter the palace as your concubine. I think the daughter of the Dugu family is the best. At least, she will not cause you any trouble..."