novelhk Chapter 164: The Empress' Provocation
Chapter 164: The Empress' Provocation
Every move of Zhou Qinghe and Zhao Fangyu was being watched.
Because it was an annual banquet, the ladies should have dressed up according to their ranks, but the Queen sympathized with the hard work of winter and allowed everyone not to be so formal.
"The purpose is to share joy with the people. If it is too strict, it will lose its original meaning."
The empress wore the same robe as the emperor, mainly red and blue, and looked particularly dignified. She wore a nine-dragon and four-phoenix crown, and a face decorated with pearls and jade. She sat beside the emperor, talking and laughing.
It seemed as if she was really an extremely virtuous mother of the country.
But Zhao Fangyu and Zhou Qinghe had both experienced the methods of this "wise" queen, so they were not deceived, but just followed the crowd and knelt when necessary and stood up when necessary.
There was nothing tasty in the banquet. They were all cold. Only some of the soups were still hot. The rest of the chicken, duck, fish and meat were hot when they came out of the pot, but became cold dishes when they arrived.
"Eat a couple of hot bites. Your body is still recovering, so you shouldn't eat cold food."
Zhao Fangyu had no intention of touching the cold fish meat. Zhou Qinghe handed her a bowl of Tremella and Snow Pear Soup, and she ate it in small bites.
The Third Prince sat opposite them. This position was arranged according to the seniority of the princes. Below them was the childish Fourth Prince.
When the Fourth Prince saw Zhao Fangyu looking at her, he grinned at her and then concentrated on fighting the soup in front of him.
The princes were tired of seeing and eating these things, so it was not surprising. Zhou Qinghe even felt a little drowsy.
Suddenly, the emperor sitting on the golden throne lowered his eyes and asked Zhou Qinghe: "The third child already has a child, when do you plan to give me a grandson?"
Seeing that the emperor was concerned about Zhou Qinghe, the queen smiled and agreed: "Although it's just a newlywed, the third brother also has good news for a newlywed. You two are so loving, you should seize the opportunity."
Zhao Fangyu didn't know whether to answer or not. Zhou Qinghe put down the cup in his hand, stood up lazily, bowed and said, "Reporting to the emperor, I'm afraid I don't have the good fortune that my third brother has."
"The matter of offspring is all God's will. I am not in a hurry. I can only ask you, my third brother, to give me two more grandchildren to make me happy."
The third prince stood up immediately. Zhou Qinghe exchanged some polite words with the third prince and changed the subject. After that, everyone fell silent.
If it was something else, the Third Prince would probably stab Zhou Qinghe, but he didn't dare to do that to his offspring.
The emperor seems to be in good spirits, but it would be fatal if he gave birth to a crown prince.
What's more, if Zhou Qinghe gave birth to a lovable grandson, then the emperor would really change his opinion of him...
No matter from which perspective, the Third Prince was unwilling for Zhou Qinghe to have a child.
It just so happened that Zhou Qinghe had no plans to have children either, so the two of them had the same idea by coincidence.
It was probably that the emperor did not intend to let Zhou Qinghe have an easy time. At the end of the banquet, he pointed at the dancers who were still dancing and said, "These two are given to you. Zhao is young, so don't make yourself suffer."
Zhao Fangyu and Zhou Qinghe both sneered in their hearts.
Zhou Qinghe then stood up again and said, "Please forgive me for disobeying your order. I have admired the love between my father and the queen since I was young, so I have given my heart to Zhao. I don't want to delay the girl from a good family any longer."
The emperor sat on a high platform, with a heavy desk on top of him. His expression could not be seen clearly, but his tone suddenly became cold.
He looked at Zhou Qinghe who was sitting below him, and Zhao Fangyu who was sitting indifferently beside him, and suddenly smashed a cup down!
Zhou Qinghe remained unmoved, he had seen through the disgusting side of the emperor over the years, and he deliberately said that he admired him and the queen, fearing that the emperor would be disgusted.
The empress was also born into a noble family. When the emperor was still a prince, he relied on the empress's mother's family to win the battle for the throne. In the first few years, he could still endure his temper and show love to the empress, but later, after he sat firmly on the throne, he no longer concealed it.
The Empress's childlessness was a deliberate design of the Emperor. From the initial sweet marriage to the end when they grew tired of each other, it has all been superficial till today.
The emperor first mentioned the offspring and then gave the beauty, just to separate him from Zhao Fangyu and his wife, so as to prevent him from getting his hands on Zhao Fangyu's dowry.
But he is the emperor...
How can an emperor who focuses on how to plot against his son and ignores the suffering of the people become a famous ruler?
Zhou Qinghe was unwilling to accept the beauty. He had witnessed his mother's fate with his own eyes, so he wanted to be an outlier.
He doesn't want many, just one person with one heart.
But Zhou Qinghe's resistance was in vain, and the emperor still stuffed those beauties into the second prince's mansion.
Zhou Qinghe's reaction was also particularly obvious. He immediately ordered Xuanbi to return to the Prince He's Mansion and open up a small courtyard in the area farthest from the main courtyard of the Prince's Mansion for the few people to cram in.
Even if you have enough food and clothing, you shouldn't act like a master and you can't even go to the garden.
Zhao Fangyu watched the whole process without saying a word. Zhou Qinghe was angry and didn't want to talk either, so the two of them left the palace like this.
On the palace road, people around the queen came and stopped Zhao Fangyu.
"Princess, the Queen invites you!"
Zhou Qinghe and Zhao Fangyu looked at each other. Zhou Qinghe wanted to follow but was stopped by the eunuch: "Your Highness Prince He, the Queen has only summoned the Princess."
Zhou Qinghe looked at the eunuch and sneered, "I'm going to pay my respects to my mother, and you want to stop me?"
The eunuch was shouted away by Zhou Qinghe and led the way timidly.
Zhao Fangyu was wearing a lot of clothes but she didn't look bloated. On her head she wore the lapis lazuli headdress that Zhou Qinghe had given her, which had a unique charm under the light.
The two walked to Fengyi Palace, where the queen changed into casual clothes and sat in the hall.
It’s not surprising to see Zhou Qinghe following Zhao Fangyu.
After all, he was a reckless man, and no one could control him except the emperor.
The people around the Queen invited Zhao Fangyu to take a seat, and Zhou Qinghe found a seat next to Zhao Fangyu and sat down.
The words that the queen had prepared were difficult to say because of Zhou Qinghe's presence.
Zhao Fangyu and Zhou Qinghe drank tea calmly, both pretending to be stupid.
In the end, it was the Queen who gave in first: "Fang Yu also went out in front of the Emperor. Are you used to living in the palace now?"
Zhao Fangyu lowered his eyes and nodded: "Thank you for your consideration, mother. Your Highness is kind to others and I never felt unhappy."
The queen nodded and continued, "Husbands and wives should understand each other. He understands that you are young, and you should also understand that he is a prince and cannot be childless."
Zhou Qinghe raised his eyebrows and stared at the queen with a half-smile: "What are you talking about, mother? What do you mean I can't have no heirs?"
"What is the clan house for? I am the son of my father. If I lose my son, can I be left to lie dead in the wilderness without anyone to take care of me in my old age?"
This is heartbreaking, but it also makes sense.
Zhou Qinghe was a prince after all. No matter how poor he was, he would never fall to the point where no one would collect his body.
"It's me who doesn't want children. Mother, there's no need to persuade me. Let alone a few beauties, even if there are seventeen or eighteen more, the result will be the same."
"If you have time, mother, why not find a good consort for your two sisters?"
"The border is unstable, so it's better to settle the marriage as soon as possible."