Ping Zhao Lu

Cining Palace

Queen Mother Jiang's kind face was now filled with a meaningful smile.

She stood up slowly and gracefully from the phoenix chair, then shook her gorgeous sleeves slightly. Every subtle movement seemed so dignified and graceful, and then she walked forward steadily.

"You're crying so sadly, it seems like you're really gone." The voice of Queen Mother Jiang came slowly, as if with a barely perceptible sigh.

Matron Liu beside him quickly agreed, "Indeed, the Crown Prince has always been close to Concubine Shu. Now that she has passed away suddenly, it must be a big blow to the Crown Prince."

Queen Mother Jiang nodded gently, a cold look flashing in her eyes as she spoke slowly, "Actually, whether she lives or dies is of little concern to me. Even if the Crown Prince is able to successfully inherit the throne in the future, as long as I am alive, she will never be able to hold the high position I hold."

When she said this, her eyes were filled with great confidence, as if everything was under her control.

Matron Liu quickly agreed, "Yes, Your Majesty, you are wise and powerful. Who in the harem would dare to disobey you? As for the Crown Prince... since we can't get rid of him, why not keep him? He's still young and immature. As long as power remains in your hands, even if he becomes a puppet emperor in the future, what does it matter?"

Hearing this, Queen Mother Jiang couldn't help but smile slightly, and her originally slightly frowned brow gradually relaxed. However, at this moment, she suddenly changed the subject and asked, "How is Yang Cong now?"

Nanny Liu's face darkened and she replied in a low voice, "It's still the same. He's half dead all day long. I'm afraid he can't serve you anymore." After a pause, she seemed to be hesitant to speak, but finally she mustered up the courage to say, "Your Majesty, in this case, why not just let him..." After that, Nanny Liu made a cautious gesture towards Empress Dowager Jiang.

"No."

Queen Mother Jiang waved her hand. "If he died in the palace, wouldn't that prove I'm guilty? I think he's old enough, so let him go along with the eunuchs and palace maids who've reached the age of exile."

Aunt Liu immediately understood, "Yes."

"Oh right, that prince..." Nanny Liu cautiously reminded Queen Mother Jiang. She knew that this matter was extremely important to Queen Mother Jiang, so there was a hint of urgency in her tone.

Upon hearing this, Queen Mother Jiang's originally peaceful expression suddenly turned gloomy.

She was seen with a frown on her face, her eyes revealing dissatisfaction and helplessness: "The emperor is watching very closely, I have no chance to do anything." Her voice was low and suppressed, as if she was trying hard to restrain her inner anger.

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu's face immediately showed worry. She lowered her head slightly and said softly, "...This way, we've lost a perfect opportunity to alienate the emperor and his subjects." Her words were filled with regret and sorrow.

Queen Mother Jiang was silent for a moment, her expression still terrifyingly gloomy.

But then, she took a deep breath, slowly raised her head, and looked into the distance with a determined gaze: "Never mind, the emperor got lucky this time. However, there is still a long way to go, and I don't believe they can be so lucky every time!"

At the end of her words, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.

At the same time, the East Palace

Chu Heyuan lay on the couch with his arms and legs spread out in a completely disfigured manner. His originally handsome face was now a little swollen from crying, and his eyes were red from crying, like ripe peaches.

Shi'an respectfully and professionally fetched a basin of clean water, gently wrung out the towel, and carefully wiped Chu Heyuan's face, wiping away the remaining tear marks on his face.

After everything was tidied up, Shi'an walked slowly to a chair beside him and sat down with a helpless look on his face.

"Your Highness, you sang the play just now so realistically that I was almost scared to death!" Shi'an couldn't help but complain.

Hearing this, Chu Heyuan actually grinned, revealing a smug smile: "Hehe, this is all a skill I learned from Mother. I have to say, I admire myself a little. I learned 70% of it with just one glance! Hahahaha!"

Shi'an didn't know how to respond for a moment. After a moment's pause, he said hesitantly, "Actually, there's no need to cry so... uh, like a ghost howling..."

"How can that be possible? If we don't act more realistically, how can we make those people believe that my mother has really passed away?" Chu Heyuan retorted.

Shi'an couldn't help but sigh deeply, looking at Chu Heyuan worriedly and saying, "Alas, this is also a strenuous job. Look at you now, you must be exhausted, right? Moreover, your injuries haven't healed yet. If you lose your temper like this and accidentally hurt the wound, I really don't know whether to cry or laugh."

"No problem, no problem." Chu Heyuan looked calm, then seemed to remember something and sat up straight, "Send someone to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and tell her that I've fallen ill due to excessive grief and that it's inconvenient for me to pay my respects to her these few days."

Shian: “…”

I always feel that this is the young master's true intention.

Seeing his indescribable expression, Chu Heyuan shook his head and snorted coldly, "Hasn't this just happened to be punished by my father?"

Shi An corrected him, "Your Majesty doesn't seem to mean... house arrest, nor does he have a specific time limit."

Chu Heyuan: "...You are taking it seriously, right? I think I have been too indulgent towards you. You should go and reflect on your mistakes! Also! You are not allowed to sit down without my permission!" After saying that, he pointed at the chair where Shi'an was sitting with his finger in a serious manner.

Shi'an: "..." I shouldn't have said so much.

*

The next day, Xuanzheng Hall

Chu Yunxiao sat upright on the dragon throne. He had a tall and straight figure and a handsome face. Today, he looked radiant and energetic.

He was seen listening intently to the court officials below who were talking about state affairs.

Inside the court, all officials were keenly aware that the emperor seemed to be in a particularly good mood today.

Compared with the previous two days, he seemed more patient. He was able to listen quietly to them talking about trivial matters for a whole morning, and did not refute them mercilessly as usual.

This made the ministers secretly happy, and they all seized this rare opportunity to talk about all the tricky, difficult to handle, and embarrassing things that they usually talked about.

Faced with various questions and requests raised by the ministers, Chu Yunxiao always remained calm and composed, and after careful consideration, he gave reasonable responses and solutions one by one.

For a time, the atmosphere in the court was harmonious, the emperor and his ministers talked happily, and the scene was peaceful.

However, in this harmonious atmosphere, a slight sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

Immediately afterwards, a eunuch slowly walked into the hall.

He came to the front of the hall, knelt down and kowtowed respectfully, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, the King of Zhenbei requests an audience!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally bustling court suddenly became quiet, and everyone's expressions became different.

Some frowned slightly, revealing worry; some raised the corners of their mouths, with a bit of gloating; more people had a serious look on their faces, as if they had guessed the purpose of King Zhenbei's visit this time.

After hearing the report, Chu Yunxiao's expression did not change much. He just said in a calm tone, "Announce."

The eunuch who received the order quickly responded, then carefully bent his body and slowly retreated.

After the eunuchs left the hall, they heard a loud shout from outside the palace door: "Summon the King of Zhenbei to see you!"

Following the summons, the Prince of Zhenbei, who had been waiting outside the hall, immediately straightened his clothes, and then, under the gaze of everyone, he slowly walked into the Xuanzheng Hall with steady and humble steps.

When he reached the center of the hall, the Prince of Zhenbei calmly lifted his robe, slowly bent his knees, and solemnly bowed to the person on the throne, shouting: "Your humble servant pays homage to the emperor. Long live the emperor!"

His voice was loud and powerful, echoing for a long time in the empty hall.

Chu Yunxiao, who was sitting on the dragon throne, had an indifferent expression. He raised his eyes slightly and glanced casually at the bottom. Then he said, "Prince Zhenbei, there is no need for formalities." His tone was as calm as a pool of stagnant water, without any ripples.

Hearing the emperor's words, Prince Zhenbei quickly responded: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

After he finished speaking, he first bent over and kowtowed to express his gratitude, and then stood up straight, but still maintained a slightly bowed posture with his head lowered, appearing very respectful and humble.

He carefully stretched out his right hand, reached into his left sleeve, fumbled gently for a moment, and then took out a small and exquisite military token.

Holding the military token in his hand, the Prince of Zhenbei bowed again and took a step forward, saying at the same time: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother's birthday is approaching, and I have come here specially to pay my respects. I would like to take this opportunity to return the military token to the court to express my loyalty to Your Majesty and the Queen Mother." After that, he held the military token respectfully in both hands, raised it high above his head, and presented it to the emperor above.

However, Chu Yunxiao was not in a hurry to accept the military token. Instead, he smiled slightly and said slowly, "It is rare that the Prince of Zhenbei is so thoughtful. I believe the Queen Mother will be deeply pleased to hear about this. In this case, the Prince of Zhenbei has been traveling all the way, so why not stay in the palace for a while and attend this birthday banquet."

Hearing the emperor's words, Prince Zhenbei's heart sank.

The emperor didn't want him to stay in the capital for long.

Why?

Are you afraid that you will be involved with the Queen Mother?

……

Well, for the sake of his useless son, he could only follow the emperor's wishes.

Thinking of this, the Prince of Zhenbei looked solemn, and said with a hint of regret, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I am deeply grateful. However, there are still many urgent matters in Shuozhou that I need to deal with when I return, and I cannot delay even a moment. I have come to the capital to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday, and I have prepared a small gift to express my gratitude. As for the birthday banquet, I am afraid I will not be able to enjoy it. I hope Your Majesty will understand my difficulties."

"I am very pleased that the King of Zhenbei has fulfilled his duties conscientiously. In this case, I will not force you to stay." After saying that, Chu Yunxiao waved his hand to signal the eunuch beside him to come forward and get the military token.

After the military token was handed over, the King of Zhenbei knelt and kowtowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding. I have one more thing to ask... My son offended the Crown Prince and harmed innocent people. This is an unforgivable crime. However, since the son does not teach his father well, I cannot escape the blame. I also ask Your Majesty to spare my son's life for the glorious military exploits I have won for the Great Wei!"

Chu Yunxiao frowned and sighed, "If your son had even half the temperament of the King of Zhenbei, he wouldn't have caused such a disaster. Well, I'll do you a favor today. You can escape the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life. Since the Crown Prince has committed such a serious mistake, I must also give an explanation to the Governor Qin. From today on, you will be demoted to a commoner and exiled to Yuzhou. You will never be allowed to enter the capital. Is this acceptable to the King of Zhenbei?"

Upon hearing this, King Zhenbei felt relieved.

He kowtowed again in thanks, saying excitedly, "Your Majesty, I thank you so much for your great grace! I am willing to sacrifice my life to repay your Majesty's forgiveness!"

After saying that, he slowly stood up. His tall and mighty body now looked a little hunched, as if he had aged a lot in an instant.

Seeing this, Zhao Dequan on the side couldn't help but sigh: It's not easy to be the King of Zhenbei. He worked hard for half his life to gain the reputation, but he ruined it on his child!

Alas, it all comes down to not having a good education!

……