Professional Ethics of a Concubine

A few days later, two days before the empress's birthday, an unexpected, yet not-so-unexpected event occurred.

Those conservatives who had previously wanted to rebel began to surrender to the empress.

This surrender is not just talk.

They voluntarily gave up their military power, mineral resources, and even a large amount of land, and surrendered obediently.

Their conditions were simple. They only asked the empress to show mercy and retain their positions, titles, etc., and to forgive past events.

Never, ever punish them with divine punishment.

Although wealth is good, one must have a life to enjoy it. Look at the Bai family, which is a tragic example. They definitely don't want to follow in the Bai family's footsteps.

Since they were willing to make such a big concession, the empress did not want to kill them all, so she agreed, took over their property, and pardoned their "crimes."

Everyone is very comfortable with each other.

Ye Qingzhi was relieved to learn from the prince that the possible war had been resolved.

It is amazing that a story about a charlatan can achieve such an unexpected and surprising effect.

After knowing that there was no danger, Ye Qingzhi was more willing to take the children out to play and go shopping.

Not only did she have a great time, but her three children also had a great time and felt that the Western Regions were much more fun than the Great Zhao.

They go out happily every day, come back happily, and buy a bunch of miscellaneous small items.

But when he came back today, Mingyu looked wilted, with his head drooping, as if he had suffered a huge blow.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" The Crown Princess looked at him and asked worriedly.

"Mother, I'm not sick, I just feel very sad and upset." Mingyu sighed.

"...Why are you sad?" The Crown Princess paused and asked him again.

"Brother Kang told me today that after I become the emperor, I can no longer leave the palace. All I have to do is attend the morning court, read memorials, and discuss state affairs with ministers.

At night, I have to sleep with many unfamiliar women, and I can’t go out to play like this anymore. He told me to seize the time and enjoy this short time well…”

The sadness on Mingyu's face was about to overflow, and she asked in confusion,

"Why is it so miserable to be an emperor? Yet, everyone still wants to be an emperor."

Princess,...

What’s in my son’s little head? How could it be so crooked?

The Crown Princess calmed down and corrected him seriously.

“Mingyu, when you become the emperor, you will hold great power, and the people of the world will submit to you. You can get others to do things just by moving your mouth.

You don't have to be controlled by others, nor do you have to worry about being held accountable by those in higher positions, because you are in the highest position and are the most powerful.

Moreover, you can have whatever you want. You only need to give an order and the people below will give it to you. Isn’t that good? "

"If I am the most powerful, then why can't I leave the palace at any time? Why do I have to hold court so early in the morning, read so many memorials, and discuss things with ministers all the time?"

Mingyu also frowned and refuted seriously,

“I feel that my grandfather and father are the ones who work the hardest and are the ones who must abide by the rules the most.

Uncle Duan Wang lived a very comfortable life. He could travel all the time and see different things. There were no ministers watching him and no one to control him.

Brother Kang said that his father wanted him to take on the position of Prince Duan's uncle in the future, traveling around, recruiting talents, and inspecting on behalf of the royal family. Just thinking about it makes me happy."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess frowned even more and her voice became deeper.

"Mingyu, the emperor also has his own responsibilities. If you want to be a wise ruler in the future, you must not act arbitrarily and must shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country. You cannot just think about pleasure!

You should emulate your grandfather and father. Maybe you cannot surpass them, but you cannot be a hedonistic and incompetent ruler. If you think this way, your mother will be very disappointed!"

"Mother, I'm sorry. I know I was wrong." Mingyu was depressed but spoke sensibly.

"The master in Wenhua Palace has taught me these things. I also know that I am my father's legitimate son. If nothing unexpected happens, after my father ascends the throne, I will be the next crown prince. This is my blessing, but also my responsibility.

Well, I'm still young and my determination isn't strong enough, and maybe I've been having too much fun these days and I can't help but want to keep playing like this.

I will not say this or think this way anymore, mother, please don't be sad or disappointed in me."

When the Crown Princess heard him say this, she suddenly felt very distressed and guilty for the words she had just said to express her disappointment in him.

She squatted down and held Mingyu in her arms, all kinds of thoughts flashing through her mind, some good and some bad.

To say I'm not disappointed would be a lie.

From the very beginning, she was very nervous about her position as the legal wife, and she was determined to protect her son's status.

When Xie Jin was a marquis, she was thinking about keeping her son's title of marquis. When Xie Jin was a prince, she was thinking about keeping her son's position as crown prince.

Now that Xie Jin is the crown prince, she naturally wants her son to become emperor in the future, because she thinks this is what her son deserves.

If Xie Jin did not pass the throne to his son, she would probably feel resentful.

However, what his son said today might be because he is too immature and just wants to have fun, not knowing the importance of the throne. However, this also indirectly shows that he obviously does not have that ambition!

He even felt that being an emperor was miserable... If word of this got out, people would laugh their heads off.

However, the Crown Princess thought of the former Crown Prince and the deceased Queen, and of what Qingzhi often said about not forcing one's will on the child.

As a mother, you actually need to force yourself to give in and understand your children, even if you really cannot understand them sometimes.

So, the Crown Princess took a deep breath, suppressed all her complicated emotions, and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Mingyu, what mother said just now was a bit harsh. Mother is not disappointed in you. Instead, I think you are great and I am always proud of you.

You are right, you are still young, you may know a lot of principles, but because you are still young, you may still not understand what responsibility and accountability are.

It doesn't matter. In a few years, you will understand more and more. For these few days, just play happily and don't think about what will happen when you grow up.

Besides, your father is in good health and ambitious, so it will be a long time before you become the emperor. Maybe it will take more than 30 years. Do you know how long 30 years is?"

Mingyu shook his head. He was only six years old, so how could he understand how long thirty years was?

"It will be a very long time. By then, mother will be old, with white hair and wrinkles on her face, and she will become like your grandfather."

As the Crown Princess spoke, she began to feel a little melancholy, but she couldn't tell where this melancholy came from.

When Mingyu heard that there was still such a long time, she immediately became happy, and changed from a listless look to a full of energy.

Moreover, in the next two days, every time he saw his father, he would give him his special care and blessings.

"Father, are you feeling unwell? If you are, please see the doctor immediately. Father, I hope you will live a long life."

Xie Jin, ...

My son’s concern and blessings sound heartwarming, but if he suddenly says this every day, there must be something fishy going on.

Xie Jin then asked the Crown Princess what was wrong with Mingyu in the past two days. The Crown Princess hesitated for a long time before recounting the conversation between her and Mingyu that day.

The Crown Princess said that she was worried before.

She was worried that the prince would be disappointed in Mingyu because of this. After all, the prince was not only a father, but also the future monarch.

It would be terrible if he was disappointed with Mingyu and changed his mind and no longer considered Mingyu as the crown prince.

However, the Crown Princess changed her mind and realized that if nothing unexpected happened, the Crown Prince would have to stay on the throne for at least twenty to thirty years. There were too many variables in the future, so many that she didn't dare to think too deeply about them.

The only thing she could do was to not hide the truth from the prince and not let herself lose his trust because of that little selfishness.

She also hoped that the prince would teach Mingyu from the perspective of a father rather than judging him from the perspective of a king.

Mingyu is still so young.

After Xie Jin heard this, he didn't say much, but comforted the Crown Princess.

"Mingyu is still young, it's normal for him to be playful, and there's nothing wrong with what he said. Being an emperor does have many things that are beyond one's control.

Although the emperor has great power, he also has heavy responsibilities. It is even more difficult to be a wise ruler. Take your time. "

"As a woman, I really don't know how to teach him how to behave in society. Your Highness, please take more care of him." The Crown Princess breathed a sigh of relief and said.

"I will take it to heart." Xie Jin agreed, and then said to her, "What you said to Mingyu before is not a big problem."

"That's good. Your Highness has always asked me to take the incident between Empress Chen and the former Crown Prince as a warning. I was afraid that I might have said too much, but I was also afraid that I might have said too little."

The Crown Princess said, sighing sadly.

"I'll ask Qingzhi for advice later. She's not even a mother yet, so she should be more objective and rational about how to educate children, and her suggestions will be more acceptable."

After hearing what she said, Xie Jin couldn't help but ask, "From what you said, once she becomes a mother, will she lose her rationality?"

"Mothers love their children, but often they cannot be rational." The Crown Princess nodded and said,

“At least it’s very difficult for me. Sometimes I don’t even know what to do to be good for him, and I often fall into anxiety because of this.

Even if his illness is normal and he will recover soon, I will still blame myself deeply, blaming myself for not taking good care of him and letting him catch a cold."

"Don't be too nervous. There are so many servants helping you take care of him and watching him." Xie Jin frowned and said.

"Your Highness, I understand the truth, but it would be better if I could control it." The Crown Princess smiled and shook her head.

She could let go of her love for the prince, not caring whether he stayed or left, or what he thought, but she could not let go of her concern for her children.

Xie Jin frowned and said nothing more.