in2ebook Chapter 296: Raging words
Chapter 296: Raging words
After Concubine Wen entered the hall, she knelt down in front of Emperor Shenwu. Her eyes were red and her expression showed a reckless stubbornness.
Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu just looked at Concubine Wen, who was almost paranoid, in silence.
The eldest princess quietly raised her eyes to look at the emperor and empress at the top, and then looked at Concubine Wen who was kneeling on the ground.
Without waiting for the Emperor or Empress to speak, Concubine Wen cried out, "Your Majesty, you must make the decision for the Third Princess. You cannot marry her to the second son of the Lu family! He's not the head of the household, nor does he inherit a title. He has no achievements to his name. How can he be worthy of my Heshun? Your Majesty, you cannot be so partial!"
The Emperor Shenwu's efforts and plans were so completely discarded by Concubine Wen that his face was naturally very ugly. He said in a deep voice, "The Lu family's son is not worthy of Heshun, so who is he worthy of? The daughter of the Shi family?"
Concubine Wen was stunned and shook her head hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I am not saying that he is bad, it's just that his status is a little low... Even if Heshun is re-engaged to the Shi family, it would be a good idea, I..."
Before Concubine Wen could finish, Emperor Shenwu's rage rose again. With a loud bang, he slammed his palm on the table, causing it to tremble. "What? Is it just your master's family that's noble? Do you want to have all the ten most talented young nobles of Dasheng stand before you so you can personally choose one?"
Concubine Wen didn't dare to admit it, but she thought in her heart that the third princess deserved this treatment.
But he only heard the Emperor Shenwu say again: "It is still your master's family who is preparing to unite the civil and military forces and dominate the court!"
Concubine Wen's chest, brimming with anger, stagnated for a moment before she finally regained some sanity. "I dare not! That's not what I meant! It's just that the Lu family's second son is truly unfit, and Heshun is unhappy. For the sake of the child's future happiness, I beg Your Majesty to let me do it for you!"
The Emperor Shenwu laughed in anger, "Great! My princess can't make the decision anymore! Concubine Wen, why don't you let Heshun change her surname to 'Shi'? I'll put you in charge of Heshun's marriage! If you agree, I'll immediately decree the stripping of Heshun's princess title and remove her name from the imperial family tree! What do you think?"
Emperor Shenwu's words were too harsh, and Concubine Wen was really panicked this time: "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no such intention!"
"I absolutely do not mean that! Have you forgotten that you are just a concubine? For a harmonious marriage, even without me, there is still the Queen, and even without the Queen, there is still the Queen Mother! When will it be your turn as a concubine to speak so arrogantly here?"
Concubine Wen looked up at Emperor Shenwu in disbelief, her head was buzzing. After all, Emperor Shenwu had never spoken such harsh words to her!
Concubine Wen turned her stubborn eyes slightly towards Lan Qingwu beside the emperor, and suddenly shrilly said: "Is it the Empress? Is it the Empress's idea! Your Majesty..."
Emperor Shenwu roared angrily, "Shut up! Is it because of the confidence given to you by your Master family that you can't distinguish between superiors and inferiors, and between high and low? You barged into the Empress's palace, disregarding all palace rules, and spoke wildly and rudely to me and the Empress. Go back to your own palace and do not leave without my permission!"
The taut string in Concubine Wen's heart suddenly snapped, and she cried out, "No! I won't leave! Your Majesty, you can't do this..."
The years of grievance and indignation she felt at being ignored by the emperor erupted in this moment. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't find her way into the Emperor's heart. Concubine Wen wanted to shout out her indignation, "Your Majesty, you can't do this! You can't favor the Empress like this! You can't treat me like nothing! You can't do this to me! You can't be so careless about the Third Princess's marriage!"
Two strong maids stepped forward and said, "Empress Wen, please come in!"
If we let these servants drag her out of Fengqi Palace, we would lose all our dignity. Concubine Wen paused.
The eldest princess lowered her head slightly and said softly, "Empress Wen, please return to the palace first!"
Concubine Wen suddenly looked up at the eldest princess for a while, finally got up from the ground, and left Fengqi Palace in a very embarrassed manner.
Emperor Shenwu still had a sullen expression on his face, and the cold light in his phoenix eyes was icy and deep.
The eldest princess did not dare to stay any longer and immediately took her leave from Fengqi Palace.
Lan Qingwu looked at the ashen face of Emperor Shenwu and sighed in her heart. She stood up and took the initiative to sit on his lap, hugging his strong waist with her arms and pressing her cheek tightly against his chest.
Emperor Shenwu subconsciously stretched out his arms and embraced her.
Lan Qingwu whispered softly, "Don't be angry, Brother Heng. Concubine Wen's requirements for choosing a consort are different from yours. Naturally, she thinks the son of the Lu family is not good."
The Shenwu Emperor finally softened his expression and said, "Do you know how I chose?"
"The eldest princess is graceful, noble, and well-mannered, so His Majesty chose the highly responsible Qingjiang Marquis's son. Furthermore, as far as I know, he is very pleased with the eldest princess. The second princess is quiet and docile, so His Majesty chose the eldest son of the Zheng family, a family of military commanders. Although the eldest son of the Zheng family is a bit eccentric, he is a man of integrity and character. As for the third princess... the third princess is bright and flamboyant, so His Majesty chose the gentle and refined second son of the Lu family. Although the second son of the Lu family does not inherit the title and lead the family, he is also a legitimate son and will surely have a lot of property. With the third princess's own palace, the young couple will surely live in harmony."
Emperor Shenwu snorted coldly, "What do you mean by 'bright and flamboyant'? It's clearly arrogance and overbearing! The second son of the Lu family is truly gentle and tolerant. I was even worried that the Lu family would worry about their son being wronged and would refuse the third princess's marriage! But she is so good! Even a weakling understands things, but as her own mother, she doesn't consider them at all!"
He really thought that his daughter was being fought over by others! All the noble families and ministers at the top of the court knew that the Shi family was in a delicate position.
With the daughter of the Shi family serving as a concubine in the harem, the Shi family naturally harbored considerable ambitions. It was only because Concubine Wen had given birth to a daughter that the situation in the court would have been far from peaceful. Furthermore, the Empress now held a firm, unwavering power over the other concubines, and she also had two legitimate sons! This was the real crux of the matter! The Shi family could only find another, more circuitous, solution to Concubine Wen's childlessness.
Lan Qingwu thought that it was because Concubine Wen's purpose was not for her daughter's happiness, but to use the third princess's marriage to maximize the interests of the Shi family. It was also possible that Concubine Wen believed that only the most noble man could be worthy of the third princess.
The handsome face of the Emperor Shenwu became even more indifferent. He stroked Lan Qingwu's cloud-like black hair, his eyebrows sharp. "It's also fortunate that Concubine Wen has no children. It's hard for Master Taifu to have been quiet in the court for so many years! But even if the Master family has any plans, I can still suppress them."
As a strong-willed emperor and the head of the most prestigious civil officials in the court, Emperor Shenwu's brows became even colder when he thought of the possible actions of the Wen family.
Lan Qingwu had been Empress for several years, and as the princes grew older, she was no stranger to the court's dynamics. She blinked her watery eyes. If she were Concubine Wen, she would have surely addressed her weaknesses after the Third Princess married. What was Concubine Wen's weakness? Childlessness! However, concubines in the harem could adopt other princes and princesses under special circumstances, as Concubine Wan and Concubine Sun had done.
Lan Qingwu couldn't help but sigh softly again, but now the princes have grown up, especially the youngest prince who is already seven years old, so the issue of adoption is hanging in the balance. It is still possible for him to join forces with a certain prince to resist the legitimate son of the empress.
Lan Qingwu fell silent when she thought of this. No matter what, she could not let her sons take a step back. She was already the queen, and the sixth and seventh princes were already legitimate sons. Her sons could only succeed and not fail, otherwise, as legitimate sons, they would have no way to retreat or survive.
Lan Qingwu raised his eyes slightly and looked at the Shenwu Emperor. So the Shenwu Emperor back then had to go all out to get the throne of the crown prince! Otherwise, if their direct lineage failed, they would usher in a catastrophic disaster!