Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5183 Queen Su
There was plenty of rain in Guanzhong this summer, and the flowers and trees in the East Palace were particularly lush. The garden outside the window was full of flowers and shady trees. The leaves cut into pieces of sunlight that shone through the open windows onto the coffee table in the study. The cicadas chirped, and the place was elegant and quiet.

Fang Jun was wearing purple court robes and a Liang crown on his head, sitting upright beside the coffee table. The short moustache on his lips made him look much more mature, adding a bit of majesty and heaviness. His back was straight, his face was serious, and he exuded an aura as strong as a mountain.

Opposite him, Queen Su drooped her eyelids slightly, held the teacup with her slender jade-like fingers, put it to her red lips and took a sip of tea, looking a little nervous.

The side sunlight made one side of her beautiful face glow with a halo, revealing every detail, while the other side seemed to be hidden in the shadows, making her look even more beautiful.

Crown Prince Li Xiang sat aside, looking at the Grand Commandant for a while, then at his mother. Feeling the serious atmosphere, his face tensed up, and he dared not speak...

Fang Jun sat upright with a serious expression, looking at the queen's beautiful eyes, and asked, "As the master of the six palaces and the mother of the country, why don't you stay in the palace to manage the palace affairs and share the worries of Your Majesty, but hide in the East Palace and ignore the palace affairs? What on earth is the queen planning to do?"

The emperor and the empress are one and the same, at least in name they are the two most honorable people in the empire. For the East Palace, it certainly needs the loyalty from both the civil and military camps, but it also needs the support of the empress!

For the sake of justice, even if the emperor is stubborn and willful, he cannot ignore the wishes of the queen.

Historically, if Empress Wende had not died, Emperor Taizong would never have been able to depose Li Chengqian!
The palace maid standing by lowered her head deeply, trying to cover her ears and eyes so that she could hear nothing and see nothing.

No matter how powerful he was, no matter how great his achievements were, he was still a subject after all. How could he speak to the empress in a tone that was almost like a scolding? Did he forget the moral principles of hierarchy?

The most outrageous thing was the Queen's reaction. She drooped her eyelids, blinked her eyelashes, and pursed her lips tightly. She looked like a little girl who was wronged, sad, depressed, and a little stubborn...

Crown Prince Li Xiang looked at his mother and said weakly, "Master, it's because I'm sick that my mother stayed in the East Palace to take care of me."

"Oh?"

Fang Jun smiled and said, "Your Highness is able to stand up to defend your mother at such a young age. Your filial piety is commendable and I am very pleased. But lying to defend your mother is not something the crown prince of the empire should do. Your Highness, please tell me, have you recovered from your illness?"

Li Xiang felt a little guilty. He looked at his mother and said, "I'm well now..."

Empress Su was dissatisfied: "I will just listen to what Erlang said to me. Why do you have to force the Crown Prince?"

Fang Jun laughed: "What do you mean by that, Queen? Are you going to accuse me of disrespecting the crown prince and coercing the emperor?"

"I have absolutely no such intention!"

Empress Su suddenly became anxious, raised her head, and explained: "It's just a joke, Erlang, don't take it seriously!"

But after I said it, I felt something was wrong.

As the queen of a country and the mother of the nation, even if she does not speak on behalf of the heavenly law or have her words carried weight, she should still be dignified and behave properly. How could she joke with her subjects?
Is it "joking words" or "teasing words"?
She was also scolded by Fang Jun, and she was both angry and guilty, and a little absent-minded, so she said something wrong...

Fang Jun saw her beautiful face blushing as if it was covered with rouge. He coughed dryly and changed the subject: "It's not that I spoke too harshly. It's really that the Queen shouldn't be out of the palace for a long time. Although I firmly stand on the side of Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Queen, Your Majesty is the monarch of the Tang Dynasty after all. If Your Majesty insists on changing the crown prince, as a minister, can I do anything other than persuade him? So whether to change the crown prince depends on Your Majesty's determination."

After a pause, he said earnestly, "I know that the Queen is unhappy, but how can everything go as planned in this world? Every family has its own problems. Some things cannot be taken seriously. We should be patient and put the overall situation first."

He naturally understood the reason why the Queen had not been to Taiji Palace for a long time. Wasn't it because she felt uncomfortable seeing His Majesty and Concubine Shen being so affectionate and inseparable?
Plus, there was a little prince who was born not long ago and might threaten the crown prince's position...

The queen snorted, staring at Fang Jun with her beautiful eyes: "Erlang, do you want to say that I am 'jealous'?"

"Jealousy" is a woman's nature. Is there any woman in the world who is not jealous?

However, the current social atmosphere absolutely does not allow women to show their jealous side. No matter how good the reasons are, it is an extremely bad behavior.

It should be noted that "jealousy" is one of the "seven grounds for divorce".

Fortunately, the current government and the public have a very good opinion of the Queen, and Concubine Shen is far from being established, and there are not many "political speculators" who are optimistic about her. Otherwise, once this caused a trend, and Li Chengqian was determined, it would not be impossible to "depose the Queen"...

Fang Jun felt that the queen's mood was a little strange. In front of him, she was not like a queen, but more like a close friend. Her tone and expression were extremely relaxed, more like a young wife complaining about her unhappy life...

Fang Jun was helpless and said, "It's not what I say, but what others say, and more importantly, what Your Majesty thinks."

The queen had a stern face and said in a very hard tone: "Whoever wants to see it can see it however they want. I don't care."

Fang Jun had a headache: "But the Queen has to consider the Crown Prince."

Women are all emotional animals, and this is true.

The queen stared at Fang Jun with a resentful look in her eyes: "But Erlang promised to support the prince."

Fang Jun was about to ask when he had agreed to it, but he suddenly remembered the condition that the Queen had offered in the side hall of Wanchun Palace that night, and his heart skipped a beat...

He wanted to say that it was just a joke and not to be taken seriously, but when he thought about how the most noble woman in the world could say such "shameless" words for her son, he felt that he could not refuse too abruptly.

He could only say tactfully, "I did promise, but nothing in the world is absolute. What if I break my promise to the Queen? Besides, this is definitely not something I can do alone. The Queen will also need to spend a lot of effort."

Empress Su was not satisfied and blurted out: "You got a great deal after the success, but you still want me to spend so much time and effort? Doesn't it mean that I have to spend manpower and effort and you still have to..."

"Queen, be careful with your words!"

Fang Jun's forehead was covered with sweat and he quickly spoke out to stop him.

The queen then remembered that the prince was still beside her. She turned her head and saw that the prince was staring left and right with his big eyes, full of confusion...

Then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I heard from the palace that His Majesty invited you to meet the little prince yesterday, but you declined?"

Fang Jun frowned. When Li Chengqian mentioned this matter, no one else was present. The Queen could only have received this news from Wang De who was outside the door...

What's wrong with this old dog?

Which side are you on?
"Your Majesty's invitation is too obvious. How can I obey? After all, I stand on the side of the Queen and the Crown Prince, and my position will never waver."

Hearing Fang Jun's firm tone expressing his feelings, Queen Su didn't know what she was thinking. Her beautiful face blushed slightly. She stretched out her jade-white little finger to touch her temples, her eyes wandering, and her beautiful nose made a "hmm" sound.

She said softly, "I understand your intentions and will never break my promise. There is no need to remind me all the time."

Fang Jun: "..."

When did I remind you not to forget your promise?

I wanted to explain, but because the prince was present, I couldn't say it out loud.

I could only ask: "Then the Queen, your return to the palace..."

Queen Su: "Do you really want me to return to the palace?"

Fang Jun was puzzled: "It would be best for the Queen to return to the palace."

Empress Su's eyes were dim: "If I return to the palace, even if His Majesty is unhappy, he must pretend to be a harmonious couple to the outside world, so..."

Fang Jun was stunned at first, then he understood and was speechless.

As far as he knew, the emperor and the empress had been at odds for a long time. The couple treated each other with respect and had not slept together for a long time. When the empress returned to the palace, His Majesty would definitely sleep with the empress even if he was unwilling in order to show others that they were "harmonious".

But what does this have to do with me?

Queen, are you planning to remain a virgin for me because of the promise you made to me?

Fang Jun scratched his head helplessly: "Ah? This... I mean..."

Queen Su's beautiful face blushed, her eyes were like water: "So, Erlang doesn't want me to return to the palace, right?"

Fang Jun: "..."

"Pfft!"

When Queen Su saw Fang Jun's embarrassed and helpless look, she couldn't help laughing out loud, with bright eyes, white teeth, and a graceful and elegant demeanor.

"I was just kidding you, do you take it seriously?"

The queen smiled and glanced at Fang Jun, snorting, "Everyone says Fang Er is a master of poetry and both civil and military skills, but I'll tell you, he's just a goose, thinking about this and that all day long, humph, he's not a good person."

Fang Jun: "..."

Is this teasing?
On the side, Li Xiang opened his big, confused eyes and looked very depressed: "Mother, Master, what are you talking about? I don't understand!"

Fang Jun touched his head and said earnestly: "The Queen is teaching Your Majesty not to listen to women in the future, otherwise you will only suffer losses!"

Li Xiang asked, "Can't you listen to what the Queen Mother says?"

Fang Jun gritted his teeth: "Your mother is even worse!"

"Ha ha!"

Queen Su smiled happily, hugged Li Xiang in her arms, and said softly: "Don't listen to your master's nonsense. How could your mother let you suffer? For you, your mother is willing to sacrifice everything!"

As he said this, he glanced at Fang Jun with a smile, suggesting something meaningful.

Fang Jun sighed and glared at the queen.

Don't you need to remind me again and again?
He was also annoyed, and looked at the queen and said, "Don't worry, Queen. Since you are a trustworthy person, how dare I not do my best to fulfill your wish?"

The queen blushed and said, "This palace keeps its promise!"

……

When Fang Jun came out of the East Palace, he saw the eunuch chief Wang De waiting outside the Jiafu Gate with a carriage. When he saw Fang Jun, he hurried forward to greet him.

"Your Majesty summons the Grand Marshal."