The Queen Mother was so angry that she was shaking all over. She raised her hand and wanted to slap her in the face.
She held back and said in extreme disappointment: "Do you remember when Ajie was born, you held him and told me that there was nothing more important than him in the world, and that this was the best gift God gave you."
The Imperial Concubine sneered. Yes, after giving birth to him, the Emperor made her an Imperial Concubine. Indeed, he was the best gift.
However, there was indeed some attachment in her eyes, an attachment to that man. He would never know in his entire life how much she loved him.
Seeing that her expression had warmed up, the Empress Dowager thought she could persuade her and continued, "Do you remember? Before Ajie was three years old, he didn't want anyone but you and Sizhu. I could hug him occasionally. At that time, you said he was a clinging thing and that he would probably be inseparable from you, his mother, for the rest of his life."
Some tears fell quietly, they were Aunt Sizhu's.
Thinking back to the past, the prince was really clingy, well-behaved and filial. When he was only three years old, he knew to give the delicious food to his mother and Aunt Sizhu.
The Empress Dowager continued, "Among all the children of the late emperor, his favorite was Ajie. If it weren't for the fact that our dynasty wanted to establish the eldest son as the heir, the throne would have been his. But this child never cared about these things. In order to protect his brother's kingdom, he spared no effort and even fought bloody battles several times to repel the hegemony of the great powers. As his mother, aren't you proud of him?"
The Zhou Dynasty established the eldest son or the legitimate heir as the heir, not the most capable one, and this was what she hated.
Back then, the late emperor favored Murong Jie. She thought that he would be willing to make an exception and appoint a capable person instead of the eldest son. However, she overestimated the late emperor's favor for him. The late emperor did not even consider making him the crown prince.
I still remember that year, when Ajie was six years old, the late emperor took them mother and son to hunt.
Ajie, who was only six years old, shot and killed a wild wolf. This was an unprecedented event. Not to mention the royal family, such a genius was rarely seen even in the martial arts world.
The late emperor was very happy at the time. He held him and turned around several times. Then he said to the ministers who were hunting with him: "My son will become a great man in the future."
She was present at the time, and seeing the emperor so happy, she was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes.
She felt that the emperor might make some decision.
So, when she went to serve the emperor that night, she mentioned the rules of appointing a crown prince in this dynasty intentionally or unintentionally.
The late emperor slapped her in the face and said to her fiercely, "I will not make Ajie the crown prince. The rule of this dynasty has always been to make the eldest son the crown prince. Even if there is no such rule, I will not make Ajie the crown prince, because his mother is too ambitious. I am in poor health. If I make Ajie the crown prince, the son will be young and the mother will be strong, which will be a disaster, unless you are willing to be buried with me."
She still remembers the slap and the vicious words.
She thought that the man she loved wholeheartedly had some true love for her besides the emperor's favor, but she didn't expect that in his heart, she was actually an ambitious person.
Yes, she admitted that she had ambitions, but why can men be ambitious but women can't? Didn't the Queen Mother Long have ambitions back then? If it weren't for the checks and balances of the court officials, she would have ascended the throne long ago.
"Proud, of course he should be proud. He can ascend to the position of regent today because of the promotion of his royal brother." said the noble concubine.
The Queen Mother listened to her, her voice respectful but every word was stinging.
She sighed softly, "Now you are a noble concubine, enjoying wealth and glory, what else are you dissatisfied with?"
The noble concubine laughed softly, "What the Empress Dowager said is really ironic. What is there to be dissatisfied about? How could there be any dissatisfaction? As you said, I am now enjoying wealth and prosperity, and my two sons are successful, one is the regent, and the other is the fief of the Southern Kingdom. What is there to be dissatisfied about?"
The Empress Dowager pressed her hand. "Come on, stop talking. I'm not mocking you, you're mocking me. Your two sons are successful, but you think you, the noble concubine, are useless, right? What does it take to be successful? Will you feel satisfied only when I hand over the position of Empress Dowager to you?"
The Queen Mother's words were already somewhat anxious and angry.
The noble concubine stood up, "The Empress Dowager is angry? What's there to be angry about? You are now high above, holding supreme power in your hands. Naturally, everything the people below do is ridiculous in your eyes. Before the Empress Dowager left the palace, weren't you also respectful in front of her? Didn't you have the ambition to replace her at that time? Don't say you didn't, I won't believe it even if you say so. Besides, you always say that women should not be ambitious. Didn't the Empress Dowager have no ambition back then?"
"Shut up!" the Empress Dowager said angrily, "What are you thinking about? The Grand Empress Dowager supported Emperor Hui to ascend the throne. How could she have any intention of replacing Emperor Hui? After Emperor Hui passed away, the late emperor ascended the throne. The late emperor's mother died early, and it was also with the help of the Grand Empress Dowager. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have the peaceful life you have today. Don't forget that it was she who personally conferred the title of Imperial Concubine on you."
The Imperial Concubine laughed sarcastically. The old witch had disliked her from the beginning and had suppressed her openly and secretly. She was named Imperial Concubine because of her contribution in giving birth to a son. It was the Emperor who proposed to confer her the title of Imperial Concubine, but he only asked her to make the decree clear to show his respect for her.
She was the one who chose the title. The word "Ling" means law, rule, and warning. The old witch used this word "Ling" to warn her to remember the law.
It was really ridiculous. She herself was a person who did not disregard the law, but he warned her like this.
"No need to say anything more. I will do whatever the Queen Mother asks me to do. Isn't it just agreeing to their marriage? I agree."
The Queen Mother knew that she was dissatisfied, but since she had agreed, she would slowly deal with the rest later. "Okay, when they enter the palace, you put away your sharp claws. If you are dissatisfied, just come to me."
As soon as Murong Jie and Zi'an entered the palace, the rain slowed down.
Nanny Yang went directly to the Queen's palace, while Zi'an and Murong Jie held an oil-paper umbrella and went to the Empress Dowager's palace.
After entering the palace and paying respects, the Queen Mother looked at Murong Jie and waved him over, "Come and sit next to me."
Murong Jie smiled and sat down. "This old woman, I haven't seen her for a while, and she looks younger than ever."
"You're such a jerk!" The Queen Mother said angrily, reaching out to hit him, "You even dare to make fun of my mother?"
Zi'an listened to the conversation between the two with some surprise. Although he knew that they had a good relationship before, he had never seen them talk like this. Their relationship was extraordinary.
She raised her eyes slightly and glanced at the noble concubine next to the empress dowager. She saw that she had a cold expression, holding a cup of tea in her hand, and tried hard to look indifferent.
Zi'an bowed, "Your humble servant Xia Zi'an, I pay my respects to the noble concubine."
The noble concubine turned her head slightly and said to Aunt Sizhu beside her: "The tea is cold, change it for another cup."
She had no intention of paying any attention to Zi'an. Aunt Sizhu went downstairs to serve tea in silence.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager said, "Zi'an, please sit down. You don't have to be polite here."
Zi'an straightened up and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother."
Zi'an found a seat and sat down, lowered his eyes, looked at his nose with his eyes, and his heart with his nose.
(End of this chapter)