NABC Chapter 373 Enjoyable
Chapter 373 Enjoyable
Princess Chen was startled when she saw the string of beads.
Chen Zhongyao's expression was solemn as he looked directly at Yuan Cuo. "You agreed?"
"What is this? It's just a string of jade beads, what's wrong with it?" Liu Musheng didn't recognize the object and even thought it looked a bit old and not very valuable.
Lin Mengyu and Huang Wanwan couldn't understand it either, after all, they were young.
I just felt that the Empress's special trip to the Liu family to bestow gifts must be extraordinary.
Granny Fang chimed in, "These are no ordinary beads. They were bestowed upon Her Majesty the Empress by the Empress Dowager when Her Majesty was still the Crown Princess." Granny Fang was a tutor in the palace at that time, so she naturally knew about this.
Everyone was shocked.
The Empress even left this item to Liu Yuechu, doesn't that mean she acknowledges Yuan Cuo's identity?
"Brother-in-law, from now on, when I see you, will I have to kneel down and kowtow twice?" Liu Musheng's knees were already a little weak.
How could it be that without saying a word, her brother-in-law was about to become the next emperor of the Great Qi, while her sister was about to become the empress?
"If you're willing, you can kowtow now." Liu Yuechu couldn't stand his spineless attitude. "So, you didn't agree to Her Majesty the Empress, because Her Majesty expected you to?"
If Yuan Cuo agrees to join the imperial family, the Empress will not need to leave her belongings behind now to save the Crown Prince's life.
Yuan Cuo nodded and recounted his conversation with the Empress, "...Actually, I really have no control over whether the Crown Prince can save his life."
Chen Zhongyao said, "You did the right thing."
He has always been optimistic about Yuan Cuo, and now even more so.
Liu Musheng was a little disappointed. After all that talk, his dream of becoming the emperor's brother-in-law had been shattered before it even took root.
"I don't care what this thing represents, I'll just return it. I only ask for one thing." Liu Yuechu was about to cry.
"What's wrong? You can't cry during your postpartum period, it'll hurt your eyes." Yuan Cuo quickly went over to comfort her.
"My child can't be called Tuanzi or Baozi, it has to be a nice-sounding name! Even the nickname can't be so casual!" she immediately shouted.
"???"
Everyone was surprised. What dumplings and steamed buns?
But just by looking at Yuan Cuo's expression, you could tell that he was the one who gave him the name.
You look like a dumpling!
You look like a steamed bun!
Princess Chen and Chen Zhongyao were immediately displeased, and even Liu Musheng couldn't help but curse.
"So what should it be called?" he asked.
The Liu family engaged in another heated debate that night, arguing endlessly over nicknames.
At this time, Emperor Qi Xiao had already met with the envoys from Yan and Meng. He returned to his tidy imperial study, wanting to have some peace and quiet.
After entering the palace, the Empress did not return to Fukang Palace. Upon learning that Emperor Qi Xiao was there, she came directly to request an audience.
Emperor Qi Xiao knew that she had gone to the Liu family in a grand manner, and when he learned that the Empress wanted to see her, he merely rebuked her lightly, "Did she use my position as Crown Prince to exchange for her son's life, and then come here to act first and ask for permission later? Humph!"
Cheng Hai looked outside; at this distance, the Empress could naturally hear him.
"It looks like it's time for dinner. Why doesn't Your Majesty dine with the Empress?" He was still trying to reconcile the two.
After all, these are the Emperor and Empress of the Great Qi Dynasty.
It is the best couple, whom millions of people yearn for, to have no conflicts.
Emperor Qi Xiao remained silent for a long time, still hesitant.
The Empress did not wait for her to be announced and entered directly from outside. "Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand. I am not here to show off to you. It is because Minister Yuan refused to join the royal family and rejected me."
"Your Majesty, I have only come to inform you."
……
Throughout the journey, she kept recalling Yuan Cuo's decisive and swift refusal.
This was something she had dreamed of doing countless times, but unexpectedly, Yuan Cuo did it first, completely tearing away the royal family's fig leaf. It felt incredibly satisfying.
After marrying Emperor Qi Xiao and entering the palace, she had to be submissive and yielding in everything. She carefully gave birth to the crown prince and was expected to be virtuous and tolerant, selecting one concubine after another for Emperor Qi Xiao to enter the palace, hypocritically calling them sisters.
What sisters?
It sounds nice.
She and Consort Yu fought over this man who didn't love them at all for their entire lives.
But what happens in the end?
The third prince was banished from the capital to observe mourning for a childless Prince Chun; while the crown prince, in a moment of folly, broke a taboo, and barely managed to save his own life.
But who is the culprit behind all of this?
That was the self-righteous Emperor Qi Xiao.
Therefore, Yuan Cuo's refusal to join the imperial family was an extremely wise choice.
The words that Emperor Qi Xiao had just clamored inside the house seemed to be bestowing a favor upon Yuan Cuo, as if this location were so alluring and dreamlike...
Unable to contain herself any longer, the Empress mustered up her courage for the first time, wanting to see Emperor Qi Xiao so embarrassed that he would want to crawl into a hole in the ground.
The Queen was not disappointed.
She did indeed see the shock on Emperor Qi Xiao's face. But the shock was brief, like a raindrop slipping into water, fleeting in an instant.
"His refusal was exactly what I expected, and I'm not surprised at all." Emperor Qi Xiao didn't blame the Empress for entering without his permission. Instead, he sighed twice, letting out the depression in his chest, and looked three or four years older.
The Empress was somewhat surprised, not expecting Emperor Qi Xiao to have this attitude.
Cheng Hai couldn't help but sigh.
However, Emperor Qi Xiao could not reveal the reason to the Empress, so Cheng Hai could only step forward to help, "Actually, over the years, Minister Yuan has been in private contact with His Majesty, and it was this servant who sent people to keep an eye on him. Minister Yuan has always wanted to know the identity of that person in Chu, but His Majesty cannot tell him. Therefore, Minister Yuan has refused His Majesty's help since he was a teenager, preferring to set up a stall on the street to earn a living."
It's because I'm serious about this, and I'm not willing to accept this.
He disowned Emperor Qi Xiao when he was a teenager, let alone now.
The empress was shocked and speechless.
She hadn't expected Yuan Cuo to be so assertive; she had been too swayed by appearances.
"Like mother, like son." The Empress was not praising Emperor Qi Xiao.
Emperor Qi Xiao said awkwardly, "Alright, if he doesn't want to, he doesn't want to. Do I need another son like him?"
lack.
Unfortunately, they don't want to acknowledge it.
His Majesty could only remain stubborn.
This was a consensus reached between Cheng Hai and the Empress, but no one dared to expose this shortcoming.
Emperor Qi Xiao knew that the Empress wanted a resolution, but seeing her listless appearance, he still hoped to leave her with a satisfactory and dignified ending.
"You don't need to worry. I've said it before: even tigers don't eat their cubs. I won't kill the Crown Prince with my own hands."
"I will have Cheng Hai tell him what happened and see what he thinks. If he is willing to change, I will imprison him for a year or two, and then decide what to do next." Emperor Qi Xiao gave him the greatest possible leniency.
The Empress immediately knelt down to express her gratitude.
Cheng Hai secretly ordered a meal, and for the first time, the couple ate a quiet meal together in the Imperial Study.
After seeing the Empress off, Cheng Hai went to the East Palace to see Qin Mushuo.
Qin Mushuo, disheveled and with his hair in disarray, saw Cheng Hai and staggered over, shouting, "I am the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince of Great Qi! Let me out! I'm going to kill that bastard!"