Professional Ethics of a Concubine

Xie Jin climbed up the last step and looked at his mother who was right in front of him. He suppressed his excitement and walked steadily to the platform. He first bowed to her as the crown prince of the Great Zhao:

"Greetings to the Holy One!"

"Stop being so polite." The empress took a step forward and held his arm tightly. She waited until he stood up straight before letting go and taking a step back.

There was a group of ministers standing behind the empress. They looked at the Crown Prince of Zhao, then at their empress, all of them looking somewhat dazed.

Some people even thought, isn't this really a reunion of a long-lost mother and child?

Oh my god, why does the Crown Prince of Zhao look so much like their empress!

Is this reasonable? Is this really reasonable?

But if it is irrational, then isn't the truth even more outrageous? !

I dare not think about it, I really dare not think too deeply about it.

The empress raised her head slightly, looking at her tall and strong son in front of her, with relief and pride in her eyes, but she smiled deliberately and said,

"Su Ting came back from his mission to Great Zhao and told me that the crown prince of Great Zhao resembled my mother's family, especially me, and that my aunt and I had a great affinity.

I didn't believe him when he said that, but now that I see you in person, I'm surprised. You really do look a lot like me, and I feel a sense of familiarity when I see you."

The ministers behind the empress couldn't help but nodded.

Yes, yes, yes, the empress is trying to make up for it. No, everything you said is right.

Apart from being a little too similar, there is nothing wrong with them.

The Crown Prince of Zhao looks very heroic and majestic. However, if you look closely at his face, he is too handsome.

You can’t look at it too much, you can’t look at it too much. It feels like an offense to God if you look at it too much.

"Junior pays respect to my aunt." Xie Jin knelt down directly this time, kowtowed three times to the empress, and said with a smile,

"I learned the truth too late, and I can no longer fulfill my filial piety. Fortunately, my aunt is like a mother to me. Today, I finally get to see her. I feel very close to her and am very happy. Please accept the grace of raising me on my behalf."

"...Good boy, get up quickly."

The empress forced back her tears, bent down and helped him up again, smiled with red eyes, and patted his shoulder again.

The ministers behind the empress began to daydream again. If one could read their minds, it would be like this:

[Oh my, the Crown Prince of Zhao actually knelt down. It seems that he still respects their emperor very much.]

[Look at this kneeling person, and then listen to the words of the Crown Prince of Great Zhao. Haha, the sense of déjà vu of the reunion of the separated mother and son is getting stronger and stronger! ]

[If the Crown Prince of Great Zhao is really the empress's son, then wouldn't that be a good reason to overthrow the empress?! ]

[Hehe, stop pretending. This king (minister) has seen through the truth! ]

……

After Xie Jin paid his respects to the empress, Ye Qingzhi, the Crown Princess and others who were waiting on the side also paid their respects to the empress.

After Ye Qingzhi finished her ceremony, she secretly glanced at the empress in front of her. She was very excited, like a little fan who got to meet her idol.

However, because this female idol looks a bit like her leader, her relationship with her is a bit like that of her mother-in-law.

This feeling became a little more complicated.

You said it looks friendly, and it definitely does look friendly, and it feels like the distance between us has been shortened.

However, this sense of intimacy destroys the mysterious excitement about the idol, which can only be described as wonderful.

The empress's gaze fell on Ye Qingzhi, the Crown Princess, Mingyu, Mingyan, Xie Niankang and others one by one, and she smiled and asked them to excuse themselves.

Because it was not appropriate to exchange too many pleasantries or greetings in an overly friendly manner in front of all the ministers, the empress just praised Mingyu and others in a very official manner, and that was considered a formality.

The ministers also felt that it was almost time to end the meeting. They had accumulated a lot of complaints and wanted to have a good chat with their old friends after the meeting.

But at this moment, a lingering sound that turned several corners sounded, like a thunderbolt.

"My Queen Mother, I am back! Wuuwuwu...I missed you so much! I am so happy to see you again!"

Empress,...

Where did this stupid son come from?

Ministers,...

Oh, it’s the third prince who’s back. He seems to have gained some weight.

Oh, you finally came back. I thought you were reluctant to leave.

Haha, why are you complaining so sadly? He's only been away for half a year. It's not like we haven't seen each other for thirty years.

"Xiao San, you did a good job." The empress pressed her forehead, looked at the third prince, and praised him.

When Ye Qingzhi heard the word "mistress", she almost laughed out loud, but she quickly held it back.

However, the Third Prince was so excited that his eyes were almost filled with tears. He wiped his tears, kowtowed to the Empress, and then withdrew.

After everyone had greeted each other, the empress dismissed the ministers and invited Xie Jin and others to live in the palace.

In preparation for their arrival, the empress gave orders early on and a large palace called Qionghua Palace was renovated and decorated since last year.

There is a main hall, two side halls, and plenty of living quarters for servants, which is enough for the prince and others to live in.

The prince thanked the empress and, following the palace servants who led the way, took everyone to the Qionghua Palace to settle down, wash up, and rest.

We will have lunch soon, and there will naturally be a lively palace banquet in the evening, so we really need to get enough rest.

However, I couldn't fall asleep.

Ye Qingzhi looked at the palace, which had a completely different style from that of the Great Zhao, and looked around curiously. She moved into the main hall and took a look at all the furnishings inside.

She turned her head to look at the prince again and found that he had changed his clothes and was lying on the bed.

"Isn't Your Highness excited?" Ye Qingzhi walked to the bed and sat down, asking him with a smile.

"Of course I'm excited." Xie Jin held her hand and said with a smile, "I'm afraid you guys aren't as emotionally turbulent as I am, so I'm tired and need to lie down."

Ye Qingzhi was amused by him, so she took off her shoes and let him go inside. She also lay down and said to him with a smile,

“I’m afraid the ministers of Gulan are also worried. When His Highness knelt down and kowtowed to the Empress, I saw several ministers’ eyes popped out in surprise.

Hahaha…many people were devastated and their eyes were about to break.”

"This is also to be expected." Seeing that she looked like she was enjoying the fun, Xie Jin tapped her on the forehead in annoyance.

"Your Highness, aren't you worried? I asked you to cover up, but you're not willing to do it." Ye Qingzhi couldn't understand.

Xie Jin smiled and shook his head, revealing the calculations behind this.

"If they use me to attack Mother, or even launch a mutiny, it would actually be what Mother wants.

So, whatever they think, the mother also has a plan to take this opportunity to eliminate the conservatives who oppose her. "

"In the face of the iron-blooded imperial power, the truth is not important." Upon hearing this, Ye Qingzhi couldn't help but sigh softly.

However, the necessary fig leaf will continue to be covered.

"Just eat well and have fun. Those turmoil have nothing to do with you." Xie Jin said to her again.

"Will there really be a mutiny or something like that? The children are here! Your Highness, if you knew in advance that there might be a big conflict, why did you bring them here?"

Ye Qingzhi suddenly reacted, then sat up abruptly with some excitement, frowning and complaining.

In case of a mutiny and the rebels attacking the palace, although this may be within the empress's plan and deployment has been made, the situation should be able to be controlled.

But I’m afraid of accidents and what if something happens, what if the children get hurt.

Mingyu, Mingyan, Xiaokang, no matter which child gets into trouble, it's not okay!

"It was only after I entered the Western Region that I learned about my mother's plan. I had originally intended to cover it up."

Xie Jinchong explained to her,

“Qingqing, I know you are worried about their safety, but you can’t keep them like rich caged birds and keep them away from any danger.

When the Chu-Zhao war comes, not only will I go to the battlefield, Mingyu will also go. Even if he doesn't go to the battlefield up close, he will have to see the blood shed by those soldiers, see their pain and death. This is a necessary process to sharpen one's mind."

Ye Qingzhi was speechless, feeling that she was really wrong.

But this also confirmed one thing for her: she seemed to be an overprotective mother.

Although she apparently agrees that for children to grow up well, they need to be trained in many aspects and their minds should be tempered.

But subconsciously, she might just want to spoil him, to the point of losing her principles when she sees him suffer or in danger.

This subconscious maternal love and the various values ​​that temper a child will pull her apart, causing her to feel divided, entangled, and in pain.

Perhaps she would follow her heart in raising her child, but when she looks back and finds that she has ruined the child, she would hate herself so much that she would want to slap herself twice, and the guilt would make her regret it so much.

Because of this incident, Ye Qingzhi thought about it carefully, and her desire not to have children became even stronger!

No matter how fancy the leader Xie Jin's words are, it will be in vain.

This will only work if she really changes her thoughts.

The empress could take her sons, grandsons and others into account, but she couldn't.

So the empress is the empress, she is just a salted fish who recognizes reality and lies down and does nothing.

"Your Highness is right. You still have the right to speak when it comes to educating the princes and training the heirs. I won't say much because I just want to pamper them."

Ye Qingzhi spread her hands, looked at the ceiling, and made a posture of posing, with a slightly empty look in her eyes.

"Your Highness, I can't be as powerful as the Empress. You were wrong before. I don't think I will be a good mother who lets go of her child."

Look at Princess Duan and the Crown Princess. Their children are going to travel far away with their father and start to learn to be independent and see the outside world, but none of them can take it calmly and choose not to follow him.

Along the way, every time the two children coughed twice, the Crown Princess would become three times more nervous than when she was in the palace, for she was afraid that they would get sick on the road and suffer more.

The Crown Princess's brows were often furrowed and her heart was always in tension.

She watched from the side and felt so tired for the Crown Princess, but she could also express her understanding.

She also had a desire to protect Xiaokang, but perhaps there was still a layer of distance between them. Or perhaps she knew that Xiaokang was used to traveling all over the country, and she knew that he could bear it, so she was fine.

However, after hearing that they might encounter war when coming here, she could no longer remain completely calm and her heart began to hang in the balance.

It is impossible to play with confidence and without any burden.

She said with certainty that if she told the Crown Princess about this in advance, she would immediately lose her appetite and sleep uneasily.

What I want even more is to tie a rope around the two children so that they can stay in a safe place instead of running around everywhere.

Look at the prince next to him, this may be the essential difference between father and mother.

After hearing what she said this time, Xie Jin held her in his arms and patted her. He didn't say anything more, but just said,

"I will protect them. If they get hurt, I will be heartbroken."

"I understand." Ye Qingzhi smiled and took the initiative to change the subject. "Your Highness, will the Empress summon us for lunch later?"

"I don't know either." Xie Jin shook his head, "Maybe... he should."

"I think so too. So, let's take a nap first. I didn't sleep well last night." Ye Qingzhi said, yawned and closed her eyes.

Xie Jin looked at her, thought for a moment, and then closed his eyes to rest.