Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

Emperor Liu Xu did not care about the empty empress's palace and the lack of women in the harem. However, as he grew older, not only did the ministers in the court frequently submit memorials requesting the emperor to expand the harem and increase the number of offspring, but even the Imperial Concubine Tai, who had been extremely affectionate towards him since childhood, was busy looking for suitable young ladies among the eligible noblewomen.

Liu Xu was in a real predicament.

This Consort Chen was extremely beautiful. It is said that in order to maintain her snow-white skin, she never walked in the sun without any cover. At the same time, Consort Chen was also very strange. Although she had a son who was the same age as Liu Xu, she always spent more time currying favor with Liu Xu.

Liu Xu was aware of the feud between this former favored concubine and his mother; one had received the late emperor's utmost favor, while the other merely occupied the position of the late emperor's successor and received only perfunctory treatment. Now, the foolish yet beautiful former favored concubine was still alive, while his mother had died on the day of childbirth. Considering all this, Liu Xu felt disgusted by the obsequiousness of both Consort Chen and Consort Tai.

However, Liu Xu was a man who did not easily show his emotions, and as a ruler, he would not easily reveal his feelings. Therefore, he had watched Consort Chen's various displays of ardent care and self-indulgence since childhood without making a fuss, and now he viewed it merely as if he were watching a famous actress on a stage.

But for Consort Chen to interfere in his marriage is an overreach.

At first, when Consort Chen frequently organized flower-viewing banquets, Liu Xu assumed she was choosing a marriage partner for his eighth elder brother, Liu Shu. He thought it was fine; once Liu Shu married and established his own household, Consort Chen could leave the palace with her son to live a life of luxury, saving him from constantly bothering him. However, a eunuch later reported that Consort Chen and Grand Tutor Wu Peng'en were secretly arguing, and the content of their argument was Consort Chen's desire for Grand Tutor Wu's eldest daughter to enter the palace as empress!

This foolish woman was so stupid it made Liu Xu want to laugh. How could she be so confident? What right did she have to interfere in his marriage? Who did she think she was?

Liu Xu decided to continue watching the show, hoping to see the self-satisfied Consort Tai break with her mentor.

Emperor Liu Xu was aware of the close relationship between Consort Chen and Wu Peng'en. He had even sent people to investigate whether his father had been cuckolded, but the results suggested that the two were merely maintaining an alliance based on mutual benefit. He had directly questioned Wu Peng'en, who, while surprised, frankly admitted that a close neighbor girl had entered the palace when she was young. Initially, she only needed Consort Chen's help to find her sister in the harem, but she also harbored ulterior motives, hoping to gain the trust of this former favorite concubine and thus more easily detect her actions, given that she had a son the same age as the emperor.

Liu Xu chose to trust his teacher, and as Wu Peng'en stepped down, he asked, "Did you find it?"

Grand Tutor Wu, turning back with a sorrowful expression, replied: "No."

Thinking of this, the emperor in the carriage slightly lifted the curtain, and a bodyguard appeared silently in front of him: "Go and investigate Wu Taifu's neighbors when he was young."

The guards retreated silently.

After entering the palace gates, the emperor, who had remained silent the entire way, suddenly spoke to Ruifu: "Summon Wu Peng'en. Go in person."

After receiving the imperial decree, Ruifu alighted from his carriage, looked up at the night sky, and saw that it was the eighth day of the month, and the moon had long since set, meaning it was past midnight. He shook his head, then beckoned to a young eunuch, and drove off again to the Grand Tutor's residence.

……

In the imperial study, after Liu Xu had his teacher sit down, he asked, "Has the renowned scholar from Qi agreed?"

Wu Peng'en: "Your Majesty, no."

Emperor: "How many times have you searched?"

Wu Peng'en: "Your Majesty, on the 28th of last month, I visited Hua Mingshi for the third time."

Emperor: "Kill them."

Wu Peng'en swallowed the words that were about to escape his lips and obediently knelt down and kowtowed: "Your subject obeys the decree."