Spring Drunk Chang'an

Emperor Yingwu's meaning was very clear. In the selection of concubines, he did not want to give the crown prince a concubine or a side concubine.

It is also normal. Even princes of royal family have to be picky when choosing a concubine, let alone the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace!

Concubines, concubines, and even the prince's concubines were all women of high rank in the inner court, and only women from high-ranking families could hold the title.

Emperor Yingwu didn't even want the Crown Prince to make a careful choice of his legitimate relative, the Crown Princess, let alone anyone else?

What she said in the past, that taking a concubine requires careful consideration, was all said by Empress Song while pointing at her children and jokingly. But now, Emperor Yingwu has brought it up and treated it as a serious remark.

However, this was exactly what Xiao Chuo wanted.

His little girl was so kind and gentle, she would never argue with anyone, and she was deeply in love with him, and sincerely wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.

How could he bear to let her down?

He had not originally intended to take a concubine, but Emperor Yingwu's suggestion saved him the trouble.

Xiao Chuo followed suit, "Don't worry, Father. I understand and will naturally be prepared."

"I will treat my cousin with respect, treat her as an equal, and be filial to my father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress."

Seeing that Emperor Yingwu was so understanding, he didn't mind saying something nice.

"Just think it through." Emperor Yingwu waved his hand, his mind still thinking about Liu Xiu and Prince Yan...

Whether to make a fuss about Xun'er's title as the last concubine, however, the remaining daughter of Liu Xiu should be the biological daughter of that concubine. She exchanged her status with Liu Chang'an, took over his identity, and enjoyed his blessings.

Liu Changan probably didn't have much sisterly affection for her, and they couldn't talk much...

Does Liu Xiu have a younger brother?

Emperor Yingwu's mind was in a mess, and he couldn't spare much energy to deal with Xiao Chuo. He simply waved his hand at him and said, "Alright, I agree to your request. I will grant you marriage after the selection is completed!"

"Go and talk to your mother. After all, she's your niece and daughter-in-law. Let her be happy."

He sent Xiao Chuo away.

Moreover, I don’t remember Xiao Chuo saying anything at all. I’m afraid she came here only after reporting to the Queen.

"Yes, Father, I will take my leave now."

Xiao Chuo didn't care at all. Her goal had been achieved anyway, and she was too impatient to look at Emperor Yingwu's old face, so she stood up, saluted, and respectfully took her leave.

He left the Qiankun Palace, went straight into the harem, and headed straight for Fengqi Pavilion.

Xiao Chuo told Queen Song about this.

Empress Song was of course delighted. Her serious face rarely relaxed. She smiled and nodded, then frowned slightly, her lips curled slightly in a sneer, "Chuo'er, your father was fortunate that the late emperor had few children. He taught him, supported him, and made him emperor."

"The court is peaceful and prosperous. In the many years since I ascended the throne, I have encountered neither major natural disasters nor man-made disasters. There are few treacherous officials or heroes among the civil and military officials. Even if they are mediocre in talent, they do not have many evil intentions."

"He's safe and sound, a moderate ruler. Otherwise, he'd be like this, unable to pick up and let go, making a move here and there, with his capricious and tangled temper, causing unrest everywhere..."

“Even the country was destroyed!”

Emperor Yingwu's repeated switching between his two sons was neither to find a suitable heir nor to balance the power of the crown prince and maintain the emperor's status.

It's just because of his own entanglement that he wants to give all the good things to his recognized "wife and children", but he is too cowardly to bear the consequences of favoritism, so he can only disgust people in small ways.

To be honest, if it were the end of a dynasty or when disasters were rampant, Emperor Yingwu would have destroyed his country long ago.

"Mother, it is precisely because of Father's character that I was able to marry Chang'an."

Xiao Chuo smiled faintly.

The emperor is not a good person and there are bad ways to use him. As long as you don't have a father-son relationship with him, his temper will be easy to take advantage of.

"Chuo'er, you are better than mother."

Queen Song sighed deeply.

Back then, she treated Emperor Yingwu as her husband and family member, and devoted herself to him wholeheartedly. That’s why she felt indignant, sad, and upset. So…

She fell heavily, causing her only daughter to die in the womb and almost costing the prince his life.

If the prince had not met the little noble lady in his destiny, perhaps both her son and daughter would have died by now.

"You're right."

Queen Song pursed her lips and said, "Chuo'er, now that you have found your beloved, I am really happy for you. Chang'an is a good child, and I will treat her well."

Xiao Chuo smiled, her eyes and brows showing a rare relaxed and gentle look.

The mother and son talked intimately for a while. It was already late, and it was not appropriate for Xiao Chuo to stay in the harem, so she naturally got up and said goodbye.

Queen Song watched him leave.

-

Xiao Chuo left the palace. Now, he no longer lived in the mansion of Duke Cheng'en, but in his own mansion in the capital. He rode his horse at full speed and returned to the mansion, where he had a good sleep.

The next morning, after attending the morning court, he had nothing to do, so he planned to go find Chang'an and tell her the good news. However, just as he arrived outside Cheng'en Mansion, he saw a figure standing stealthily behind a tree at the gate.

He was a man of extremely tall stature, with a serious face and stern eyes. He had a scimitar on his waist and was wearing a guard uniform that was so tight that the bulging muscles on his chest were fully exposed.

He looks like a mighty and strong man.

Xiao Chuo raised her eyebrows slightly, and looked the man up and down with her ink-like eyes.

It looks familiar.

It seems like...

"Xiong Zhen."

His little girl’s good friend, Shi Xiaoyue’s lover, the guard.

The little girl told him about it several times in private, sighing every time and feeling sorry for Shi Xiaoyue. It was a pity that her mother died early and her father was unkind, arranging such a disgusting marriage for a good girl.

Shi Xiaoyue and Xiong Zhen were childhood sweethearts and had a deep friendship with each other, but because of their status and family background, they didn't even dare to express their feelings to each other.

The little girl's eyes were red when she talked about it.

Princess Nanweng's biological father, Old Uncle Wang, was considered a member of the Prince of Yan's faction. Although the Shouning Earl's Mansion had fallen into extreme poverty, it also followed Old Uncle Wang's footsteps...

As for Duke Shi Lin of Qi, although he married Princess Nanweng and obeyed her orders in the inner palace, he was impartial in matters of state and never sided with the Prince of Yan...

Of course, he never sided with the princelings, nor was he an iron-clad royalist.

He is a neutral fence-sitter, swaying from side to side.

Now, is the marriage between Shi Xiaoyue and Zhao Shiyilang a means for the Prince of Yan's party to further win over Shi Lin?

should be!

But, to be honest, Xiao Chuo didn't care much at first. Shi Lin looked smiling and seemed like a henpecked and easy-going old man.

But actually?

He is an old fox, very slippery and can't get away with anything. He has been Uncle Wang's son-in-law for so many years, but he can still sit on the fence so firmly.

On the surface, Princess Nan Weng dominated the inner palace, and even her eldest daughter from her first wife was sent to a temple, unable to return for more than ten years...