Jinzhu was still staring at the palace ladies who had all knelt down.
His sharp gaze slid across everyone's face and neck, as if he was looking for traces of love affairs, or as if he was considering how to separate their heads and bodies.
Hearing the little emperor's steady breathing, Jinzhu stood up silently, ready to take the palace maid down for interrogation.
As soon as I moved, I felt a slight pulling force on my sleeve.
Jinzhu lowered her eyes and looked at him. The little emperor's slender white fingers were pinching his sleeves tightly.
No matter how tight it is, it's just a matter of waving your hand.
Jinzhu paused there, unable to take any action.
The little emperor must not have slept well last night, his face was full of fatigue. I couldn't bear to wake up the little emperor who had just fallen asleep.
But those palaces...
Jinzhu stared at the little emperor's tired face, emotions surging in his dark eyes.
After a moment, he took out a dagger from his body and cut off the sleeve.
The emperor was not allowed to carry weapons when entering the palace, but since the palace was full of regents, there were no rules or restrictions.
Jinzhu took away the palace maids who served the emperor and asked the imperial guards to guard the emperor for the time being.
Chi Ruanfan was unaware of these changes.
I slept well, and when I woke up, Jinzhu was sitting next to me listening to an opera. The palace maids were waiting by their side with their heads bowed, looking respectful but also terrified.
It's normal to be afraid, the Regent is here.
In short, everything was normal except that he was not holding a piece of the Regent's sleeve.
Chi Ruanfan looked at the cloth in his hand, somewhat surprised and confused.
The fabric was cut neatly, obviously by a sharp weapon, not torn off.
Then... it shouldn't be any of your business, right
Jinzhu noticed Chi Ruanfan waking up and turned her head to look. Her gaze paused on the sleeve for a moment and then quickly moved away.
He asked directly: "Why didn't you sleep well last night?"
Chi Ruanfan was not sure how to answer this question.
You can't say that all my dreams are memorials, right? The Regent must be suspicious of not trying to seize power.
Chi Ruanfan sat up, put his arms around Jinzhu's waist from behind, lay on her back, rested his chin on her shoulder, and said:
"I can't sleep at night without Uncle Wang by my side."
I don't know if the Regent will buy this.
The Prince Regent spent half his life in the military, and after returning to the capital and taking power he never married and still has no wife.
What I like most is the dependence and longing like a child.
Chi Ruanfan thought that the Regent touched his head, sighed and said that he was no longer childish.
But the other party did nothing. He just sat there quietly, so quiet that it made me frightened.
"Uncle Wang?" Chi Ruanfan called out tentatively.
Jinzhu finally reacted, and raised his hand to cover the back of her hand. He did not respond, but said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty has reached adulthood, and it is time to choose a concubine."
Chi Ruanfan was shocked.
Choosing a concubine
Which concubine to choose
You must never choose a concubine!
The selection of this concubine is not just a matter of having a few more concubines in the harem, but also how many families and forces stand behind her.
Even if not all of them stood up, at least some of the pressure was on them.
Chi Ruanfan would never allow such a thing to happen.
He does not want to compete for power with the regent, nor does he want to overthrow the regent. He does not need anyone's loyalty, but only hopes that the regent's regime will be stable.
Seeing the court officials pledging allegiance to the Regent made Chi Ruanfan happier than seeing them pledging allegiance to himself.
Besides, the Regent is not a fool, how could he really choose a concubine for me
It's just a test.
"I don't want a concubine," Chi Ruanfan said firmly, "I want to spend my whole life with Uncle Wang, I don't want a concubine."
Jinzhu turned around and looked directly into Chi Ruanfan's eyes.
He raised his hand, stroking Chi Ruanfan's face with his thumb, and the other four fingers fell on his jaw and neck.
"Really?" Jinzhu asked.
Chi Ruanfan: "Really."
—Your hand is on my neck, how can I not take it seriously
Jinzhu smiled softly and said, "As your majesty says."
Don't want concubines, and live with me for the rest of my life.
The presence of the little emperor yesterday made those people, who were already restless, even more restless.
At the morning court today, the Minister of Rites mentioned that the emperor had reached adulthood, but there was one empty harem, and that he should choose a concubine to be his queen.
That sentence has multiple meanings.
In theory, when the emperor reaches adulthood, the regent should return power to the emperor.
If he does not return power, he will choose a concubine for the emperor.
Jinzhu doesn't choose any of them.
It is impossible to return power.
Once power is gone, neither I nor those who follow me will survive.
It’s not possible to choose a concubine for the little emperor.
No matter whether they were concubines or princes, they could cause changes in the court, causing some officials to stand behind the little emperor, or causing some others to become fence-sitters.
After hearing what the Minister of Rites said, Jinzhu felt unhappy and also felt angry that someone was coveting her things.
At first, Jinzhu thought that he was angry because his power was coveted.
It was not until he saw the little emperor with a tired face that he mistakenly thought that a palace maid had climbed onto the dragon couch that he became even angrier.
Until I couldn't bear to wake up the little emperor and cut off my sleeves...
Jinzhu then realized that part of his anger came from the fact that the little emperor was coveted by others.
Fortunately, the little emperor was smart and well-behaved.
—No concubines, live with uncle Wang for the rest of your life, no concubines.
Jinzhu was very happy when he heard this.
Even though I knew the little emperor was forced to surrender under my power, I was still happy.