Spring Drunk Chang'an

"Yu'er, that child, was raised by me since she was young. She is sensible and well-behaved, just like you when you were little. She couldn't be cuter. How could she be naughty?"

"Besides, little kids at that age are bound to be a little naughty. How could they cause trouble to me and your mother? As for us, at our age, we're all looking forward to having our children and grandchildren around us to play with us!"

Emperor Yingwu smiled and said, "Don't refuse. After the selection is over, bring the child to the palace. It's just right that your princess consort is also busy finding a concubine for you and has no time to take care of the child. Your mother and I will help you take care of the child."

He was full of loving kindness.

Prince Yan's eyes showed reluctance, but since he had said so, it was difficult to refute his father. He just smiled and said, "Then I will trouble you, father and mother!"

"Oh, my son is so disappointing. He's already an adult, but he still needs his father and mother to take care of his children..."

"Yu'er, that kid, must be obedient and be filial to you two on behalf of your son, otherwise, your son will not forgive him!"

"Yu'er is only three years old. He doesn't know anything. You are not allowed to ask too much of him..." Emperor Yingwu was busy protecting him.

Seeing this, the Prince of Yan acted jealous and said in a deliberately annoyed voice, "Oh, this is bad, this is bad! A three-year-old child is so favored by my father. Is he trying to steal my favor?"

"No, no, I can't tolerate him anymore!"

He stamped his foot and acted like he was terrified and extremely jealous.

That made Emperor Yingwu laugh so hard that he was out of breath. He clapped his hands and said, "You little kid, why are you competing with your son for favor?"

"No matter who he is, as long as he competes with my son for my father, even the gods and Buddhas in heaven and earth will not care about my son!"

The King of Yan pretended to be cruel.

In my heart, I feel the same way to some extent.

It's not that he is really jealous of his own son. Emperor Yingwu loves Xiao Yu, and he loves his son too. The root of the problem lies with him. He just... doesn't value and cherish Xiao Yu as much as he seems to.

First, Xiao Yu was born out of wedlock.

Because of his status as a bastard's son, he was naturally shorter than the crown prince. He suffered for half his life because of the "legitimate" and "eldest son of the legitimate wife" reasons. He never worked hard to improve himself, but instead developed the idea that he could not see the potential of being a bastard's son.

His heir, the child he favors, must be of high status.

A concubine's son is not allowed.

He wants a legitimate child!!

Unfortunately, his wife was not very good and had not laid eggs for three years, but he still did not give up hope.

Secondly, he belittled Xiao Yu's biological mother and judged others by his own standards. He felt that when Xiao Yu grew up and knew the truth, he would definitely blame him. Instead of growing up and loving his eldest son but being unfilial, it would be better to give up on him early!

What a pity, his princess is so unlucky. If she could have given birth to a legitimate son earlier, why would she have used that kid Xiao Yu to please his father?

Xiao Xun was secretly annoyed. He was afraid of three little kids, his own sons, and he was clearly afraid of them.

In this regard, he was far inferior to Emperor Yingwu. People knew clearly that Xiao Xun demoted the concubine to a concubine, but they did not think that Xiao Yu would hate him at all. The royal bloodline is the father but not the mother. Except for the eldest son, there is not much difference between the sons born by concubines or maids. As he was loved by him and Xun'er and had the title of the eldest son, the mother's status would not hinder Xiao Yu at all.

Moreover, Princess Yan has been married into the royal family for three years but has never been pregnant. It seems that she is not destined to have children. In the future, if Princess Yan has no children, Xiao Yu can be directly registered under her name.

That means the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Good sons and good grandsons, they are of the same bloodline.

They are all his favorites.

Emperor Yingwu was in a good mood, smiling. He was just about to talk to his son about his eldest grandson's progress in learning to read when a guard suddenly entered the hall and knelt down to report, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has brought Duke Cheng'en, Duke Zhenguo, Duke Ningguo, and..."

“It, it…”

The guard paused, as if thinking of how to describe it. After a while, he said, "His family members are here to see His Majesty!"

"Just, just..."

"There seems to be a conflict between the Duke of Zhenguo and the Duke of Ningguo. They are fighting!"

"Also, Duke Cheng'en and Duke Ningguo seem unhappy, and Duke Cheng'en is trying to take sides with Duke Zhenguo..."

"The three dukes are beating and cursing at each other!"

"Beat and scold?" Emperor Yingwu was stunned, his expression was cautious and surprised.

The Duke is the highest civil nobility. The fact that the three Dukes entered the palace together was something that even Emperor Yingwu had to emphasize. In particular, among the three Dukes, except for Duke Ning who was weak, the remaining two were the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather and the emperor's confidant.

Three people fighting in front of the palace gate?

Still scolding?

Because of what?

"Didn't the prince stop it?" Emperor Yingwu said in a deep voice.

The guard lowered his head, "No, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince comforted the wife of Duke Cheng'en and the former wife of Duke Ningguo!"

The former wife of Duke Ningguo was naturally referring to the Song family.

"The two of them had their hair disheveled and were crying non-stop."

"Oh, the wife of Duke Cheng'en is here too?" Emperor Yingwu frowned. "And Song, she's a divorced woman, what is she doing here in the palace?"

His eyes looked uncontrollably at Xiao Xun.

There was some doubt in his eyes.

Who exactly did the Duke of Ning belong to? When Song and Liu Xiu divorced, Emperor Yingwu had privately investigated and was well aware of the situation. He also knew about Liu Xiu's concubine, Qu, and even Liu Wenbai's identity.

The truth was not exposed simply because the mother and daughter were, after all, the imperial concubine's family and Xun'er's relatives.

Xun'er is pitiful, he didn't have a good maternal family. Unlike the Crown Prince, he doesn't have a powerful maternal grandfather like Duke Cheng'en. He suffers from everything. Now, he finally has someone who is "competent" and can get help from the Duke's Mansion for him!

Emperor Yingwu just turned a blind eye.

This was also the reason why when the Song and Liu families divorced, Song took the risk of being disapproved and took her husband's children with her, and he suppressed the censor's memorial and acquiesced.

After all, this help was obtained from the Crown Prince. Xun'er's cousin also did something wrong to the Song family by abusing their child...

Although Emperor Yingwu investigated, he was not clear and detailed. He always thought that it was Qu Qiutong, not Liu Xiu, who replaced Liu Wenbai and Liu Yu.

After all, he is also a man and a father. It is really hard for him to imagine that someone would replace the eldest son with an illegitimate child!

He loved Concubine Qu so much and favored Xun'er, but he never said that he wanted to shake the prince's position as the Eastern Palace.

"What is Liu Xiu doing in the palace?"

"And you brought the Duke of Zhenguo and the Duke of Cheng'en? Oh, that's not right. Isn't today the day Liu Wenbai and Xu Ruyi are getting married?"

According to Xu Ruyi's age and family background, she should have been selected as a concubine this year and was required to enter the palace for selection. It was because the Duke of Zhenguo personally went to the palace and asked for the grace of Emperor Yingwu that Xu Ruyi was exempted from the selection.

At first, Emperor Yingwu had thought of marrying her to Prince Yan as a concubine, but it failed.

He was quite impressed and even deliberately asked about Xu Ruyi's marriage. After knowing that she was with Liu Wenbo, he even wondered if his status as an adulterer was worthy of the woman he loved most...

Emperor Yingwu thought about stopping it!