"The emperor likes people who are smart and motivated." In the Fangyin Pavilion, Empress Dowager Yuan was holding gold scissors in her hand, carefully pruning the flower branches in the vase. She lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, "If virtue is not matched, there will be disaster - this It was the words that the Ai family repeatedly instilled in him when he was young. At that time, he was just worried that the child would not have a definite idea. Today he would be ambitious, but tomorrow he would forget about it. Who knows, but the emperor actually listened to it. , and practice it personally.”
"Now that I think about it, it might have something to do with the old concubine."
"The old concubine doesn't like the family, and she doesn't even have much love for the emperor like a grandmother would for a grandchild... When the old concubine was here, she had the final say in the Fuyang Palace. Even if the emperor is the prince's only male heir, , Living in the mansion is actually not very peaceful."
The golden scissors stopped among the flower branches, and the Queen Mother's eyes were in a daze, "So I heard from the Ai family that as long as he studies hard with the teachers, even if he fails to succeed in the title and our mother is kicked out of the palace, she can still rely on his studies to survive. There is a place for him to stand up in this world, and he never slacks off for a day."
How can a child not be playful
In particular, Emperor Chunjia was not as frail and sickly as his biological father, King Fuyang Duanyang. He should have taken after his mother's appearance and physique. He was handsome and healthy, and he was a boy. At the age of four or five, he could control himself even though cats disliked dogs. , simply because of the pressure brought by his status as a concubine, he has followed him since he was a child.
At first, he was afraid that after King Fuyang Duan left, the country would be destroyed and his life would be unsustainable. Later, he finally made an exception and inherited the title, but he was also worried that if he did not perform well, he would be impeached as a "bastard" and lose everything again. After a few years, he came to the Imperial Capital. After ascending the throne, his status is higher, but he has more constraints...
Chunjia has never lived a free life from ignorance to now.
Empress Dowager Yuan knew it well and did not want him to develop a self-pity temperament, so when he was a child, he taught him to study hard and practice self-reliance to prepare for the worst consequences; when he grew up, he told him about Yasheng's "Heaven will send great responsibilities to this people." Encourage him to bear the burden and move forward with strength and cheer up; if he is older... if he is older, Chunjia himself has read a lot of books and has his own ideas.
Naturally, Empress Dowager Yuan's influence was imprinted on him. The emperor himself had always been conscientious in his work and did not dare to slack off at all. The people he admired and liked were also similar people.
"Mother Neem just doesn't understand this truth." The golden scissors gently cut off a cluster of flower branches, and the tiny petals fell all over the table. Empress Dowager Yuan's eyes were calm and calm, and she said calmly, "She first showed her unruliness and entanglement when she was a child. When the emperor didn't allow him to practice calligraphy and martial arts, but asked him to play with her, the emperor didn't show it on his face, but he was already bored in his heart."
"At that time, the Ai family never expected that one day the emperor would come to the Ninth Five-Year Plan. They thought that since the marriage was agreed upon according to your grandparents' wishes, there was no need for them to be a bitter couple from the beginning. Therefore, they coaxed the emperor privately and went with him. He said there is a difference between men and women, he is the backbone of the family, he should strive to be the best to support the family, Melia is a girl, it’s okay to be lazy."
But this reason failed to convince Chunjia from the beginning.
Because he was too young at that time, even if he was granted the title of Prince, he still did not have enough strength to bear his own life. Only hard study and practice day after day can give him a sense of security.
Under such circumstances, how could Chunjia have the time to appreciate his fiancée's "innocence and carefreeness"
He felt that Yuan Yuniang was a hindrance.
Interrupting his studies, interfering with his martial arts practice, interfering with his life... Of course, it was not all utilitarian when he was a child. In the final analysis, Yuan Niang's appearance was not particularly good, so Chunjia could not tolerate it when she saw her appearance.
He even told Queen Mother Yuan privately that he would rather have a maid as his wife. After all, the maid who served him was very capable and caring, and it was much easier to get along with him than dealing with Yuan Niang. What could Queen Mother Yuan do? This is not her biological child, and she cannot let him be separated from her; but the niece is her biological niece, and she has her mother's family behind her, so she cannot offend him.
"Your Majesty was still young at the time, and the Ai family could easily have talked to him. But children will grow up, especially Your Majesty, who is very talented. He will understand when he grows up." The Queen Mother sighed and stepped back a few steps. Bu looked at the bouquet in front of him, looking for whether there was anything that needed repairing. "In that case, even if he doesn't blame Aijia, I'm afraid he won't trust Aijia completely like he did when he was a child... So Aijia can only tell him the truth." Tell the truth."
The fact is that Princess Fuyangzhuang valued her concubine and did not care about the concubine Emperor Chunjia. As for the direct plan to appoint a crown prince for this concubine, what the concubine wanted to do more was to change her daughter-in-law once and for all and give birth to a legitimate daughter-in-law. Direct grandson.
It is natural to inherit the kingship in this way, and there is no need to look at the face of the court.
Empress Dowager Yuan had no choice but to seek help from her mother's family.
The Yuan family then proposed that after the matter was completed, the Yuan family must produce another vassal princess.
The Queen Mother made a counter-offer, and Chunjia could be engaged to the Yuan family's daughter, but if there was no legitimate son within five years of the marriage, the princess would have to give up the throne - because the court could not agree to the lineage of King Fuyang, it made two exceptions in a row.
In this way, other vassal kings in the world will also cause trouble.
Therefore, Yuan Yuniang grew up in the feudal prince's palace since she was a child. She said that the two children were childhood sweethearts. In fact, it was Yuan who acquiesced that if her daughter failed to give birth to a legitimate son, a second one would immediately take over, so she did not want to spend too much time on it.
My own flesh and blood, the more I think about it, the more reluctant I am to part with it.
Moreover, if you teach them well, if it comes time to replace someone... there is no guarantee that things will change.
"The Ai family herself is the daughter of the Yuan family. Although she considers her mother to be inferior to the emperor's son, she is still the same as the flesh and blood. At first, she did not want to teach her a bad lesson. It's just that this child is used to being praised by people around her. She won't listen to them when they are told nicely. The Ai family also I didn’t want to use harsh methods, and she became what she is now without realizing it... "
Empress Dowager Yuan handed the gold scissors to Zhanliu aside, licked her hands in the gold basin brought by the palace maid, wiped her fingertips carefully with a snow-white handkerchief, and said slowly, "It was originally agreed at home, Mother Neem." If that doesn’t work, then Gardenia and the others below, who are also direct descendants, will take over. But things are unpredictable. The emperor has ascended the throne, and the requirements of the vassal prince’s step concubine and the emperor’s beloved concubine are naturally different. Among the girls of this generation who have not yet left the palace, with your color, Gardenia, It's best. Before, the Ai family guessed that it was you who entered the palace..."
Not far away, Yuan Yunniang was dressed in a water-pink palace dress, with light green embroidered branches and precious flowers draped over her head. She had a gold hairpin inserted diagonally into her bun. Her entire body was prostrated, kneeling on the huts. Her expression was unclear from this posture. Looking at her face, she could only hear a soft voice with a slight tremor: "Aunt... Aunt... please forgive me..."
"What are you forgiving?" Queen Mother Yuan sat down on a wide chair covered with gold brocade felt and said kindly, "You are just following the orders of your family. After all, your aunt is still in the hands of your parents, right?"
She chuckled and said, "Ms. Yuan even thought that Mother Meem was dying, so she was anxious to let you enter the palace to consolidate her favor. Well, to consolidate Mrs. Yuan's favor. The emperor has been in Cuiyin Courtyard for the past two days, and now he Once you leave, you will naturally come over and ask for a recipe to please the Aijia... It's a pity that the Aijia told you this recipe, can you do it?"
Yuan Yuniang on the ground hesitated to answer. She was not Yuan Yuniang. She grew up in front of the Queen Mother and the Emperor. She had no respect for these two people and could say whatever she wanted.
Although she is also the niece of the Queen Mother, she has never met the Queen Mother a few times. This is the first time she speaks alone... She is not sure whether her thoughts will make the Queen Mother furious
While hesitating, Queen Mother Yuan already said: "You can't do it. You didn't answer immediately, which shows that you are not sure in your heart."
Yuan Yuniang bit her lip and was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Aunt, my niece is not very talented and has little knowledge, so she cannot directly please His Majesty! But my niece is not my sister, and she has no ambition to monopolize the king's heart. My niece only wants to have a place in this palace. , I am satisfied to be able to give birth to a mother and repay Yuan’s kindness in raising me!”
"There is no problem with this." Empress Dowager Yuan said casually, "Don't talk about you, just Mother Meem. As long as she doesn't cause any big trouble in the future, the emperor will always give this little face to the Ai family. Do you have anything else to do? ?”
If not, it's time to retire - Yuan Yuniang understood what she meant, but she didn't get up. Instead, she clenched her fists, mustered up her courage, and said, "Auntie, please allow my niece to serve you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Yuan Yuniang immediately maintained her kneeling posture more upright.
"..." Queen Mother Yuan was silent for a while, then she chuckled and called her attendant, "Dip Liu."
Zhanliu lowered his eyebrows and came out of the queue: "My maid is here."
"Go and send a message to Xingning's house." Empress Dowager Yuan supported her forehead with one hand, her mouth curved, but there was no smile in her eyes, "The Ai family's debt to Yuan has been settled long ago."
Dipping Liu Lianhe: "Yes."
Yuan Yuniang didn't dare to move.
For a long time, she almost fainted from her knees before she heard the sound of someone leaving.
After a while, she seemed to be the only one in the room. She climbed up and sat up tremblingly. She took a breath and suddenly found someone behind her looking at her, coldly and full of hostility.
Yuan Yunniang was startled and turned her head subconsciously, only to see a familiar figure. She quickly knelt down again: "Sister Mei Niang..."
Yuan Yuniang quickly turned her eyes away from her.
... The aunt and nephew have dispersed in the Fangyin Pavilion, but the conversation between mother and daughter is still continuing in Lanzhou Yeyu Pavilion: "... Don't listen to what is said inside and outside the palace. Your Majesty and Yue Jieyu's childhood sweethearts are definitely in love with each other more than Jin Jian. , Is it possible that Qi Jiulu and Chao Jingyou didn't grow up together? But do you think he treats Chao Jingyou well?"
"Your Majesty himself is a strong man, how could he like such an ignorant master?"
"The grievances between you, His Majesty and the Queen Mother are nothing more than Yuan Niang, so there is really no need to think that even if you admit your mistake, they mother and son will not let you go one day - Yuan Niang really doesn't hold that much weight in their hearts!"
Jiang frowned, "Your biggest mistake is that you shouldn't admit that you are in love with Qi Jiulu... But the matter has come to this, and it is useless to be upset. It is better for Your Majesty to take charge personally, and the Regent is still in his prime. Your Majesty will not be able to use our family for a while." , willing to treat you with kindness. Take advantage of this period of time to get along with him attentively. When you have feelings for him, the things that happened when you were a teenager will not be so important... Anyway, you really have nothing to do with Qi Jiulu! "
Yun Fenghuang reminded her lazily: "Mom, you have forgotten that Yuan Yuniang has been with him for more than ten years, ever since he was a child. His affection for Yuan Yuniang is terrible."
"Chen is still Qi Jiulu's biological mother!" Jiang sneered, "I, a cheap aunt, don't talk to Qi Jiulu more than her?! Isn't the bond between mother and son more difficult to separate than the bond between men and women? I Everything can be done, but your daughter, who claims to be better than her master, doesn’t even have the confidence to do so?"
She glanced at her daughter in disgust, "Or do you think you and that Yuan Niang are just the same person?"
"..." These words were too heartbreaking. Yun Fenghuang was silent for a while before saying quietly, "You are deliberately irritating me!"
Jiang's expression remained unchanged and said coldly: "If you think you are better than Yuan Niang, why do you think you can't do what Yuan Niang can't do?"
Yun Fenghuang looked at her for a long time, sighed, and slowly sat up straight: "Then what do you think I should do next?"
"I told you, except for Qi Jiulu, didn't you do everything else well? Otherwise, how could you do Zhaoyi now?" Jiang felt relieved, knowing that her daughter had finally agreed tactfully until now. She doesn't want to live or die if she can't live. She really plans to live for a long time, instead of just leaving her alone and continuing to go her own way - Yun Fenghuang feels that if her brother and sister-in-law stay in the imperial capital, there is nothing they can do to her.
Jiang herself thought so too. Apart from herself, no one in the Xie family could suppress her daughter.
You can't correct your daughter's thoughts before leaving. Even if she goes back to the North, she will only hear the bad news later.
There was a sudden sadness in Yun Fenghuang's eyes, but Yun Fenghuang acted as if nothing had happened. Jiang could only pretend to be indifferent and continued to say with a cold face, "And I heard that His Majesty has been with you almost these days. It shows that even if he is not very attracted to you, he is still. I like you. It’s not surprising. My daughter is so good. It’s strange that men in the world don’t like you. As long as you don’t… don’t take yourself so seriously!”