amaotonovel Chapter 379 The Emperor and Empress's Dispute
Chapter 379 The Emperor and Empress's Dispute
The Empress paused slightly in her teapot, lowered her eyelids to conceal the emotions in her eyes, and carefully considered her words as she poured herself more tea.
"I have heard that the reason why the Prince of Guangling's illness was cured was thanks to the Princess of Guangling. Now that they have been married for less than a year, they are already sending people into the Prince of Guangling's room. Isn't that a bit ungrateful?"
"In addition, Princess Guangling is the apple of Zhenbei King's eye. Zhenbei King waited for fourteen years for an opportunity to make a contribution in order to find his daughter safely."
"Now that we've finally found her, we discover that she's already married and can't be brought home to be pampered for a few more years. The Prince of Zhenbei feels guilty towards this daughter, so how can he bear to let her suffer in her husband's family?"
The Emperor of Northern Qi could no longer bear to listen: "Husband and wife are one. Isn't it her duty to find a divine doctor to treat her husband's illness?"
"How many soldiers of Northern Qi did the Prince of Zhenbei kill? I overruled all objections and conferred upon her the title of Princess of Guangling, which is already considered repaying his kindness."
"Besides, what man in this world doesn't have three wives and four concubines? As a prince, isn't it only natural for the Prince of Guangling to take a concubine? How is that unfair to her?"
"As the principal wife, she should have a tolerant heart. If she can't even tolerate a concubine, such a narrow-minded and jealous woman, even if she is divorced, no one will dare to say anything."
"So what if the Prince of Zhenbei is dissatisfied? He's in the wrong to begin with. Does he dare to send troops against Northern Qi?"
At this point, he sneered: "Every soldier has loved ones, and no one wants to start a war. They will obey the king's orders and expand the territory. They will fight to the death to defend the country's borders. But they will never send troops to Northern Qi just because the Prince of Guangling took a concubine."
This is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world.
If the Prince of Zhenbei does this, he will lose the support of the army and the people, and may even put Shen Qingtan in the eye of the storm.
Even if the Prince of Zhenbei found other reasons to send troops against Northern Qi.
With Shen Qingtan as a hostage, surely the Prince of Zhenbei wouldn't disregard his daughter's life for such a trivial matter?
The Empress held a porcelain cloisonné inlaid glass teacup in her hands, which was different from the tea set on the small table and was unique to her.
She took a sip of her flower tea and said, "That makes sense."
The Northern Qi emperor's expression softened slightly, and he drank a few sips of tea to calm his temper.
"It's just that traditionally, the principal wife should give birth to the legitimate son first, and only then should the concubine become pregnant, so that the family can have offspring." The Empress said in a light tone, "If the illegitimate child is allowed to take the first place, it will not be in accordance with the rules of our ancestors."
The Northern Qi emperor immediately thought of himself. When his empress was still the crown princess, she had no children, while Consort Shu had given birth to one child after another.
Even Yizhen, who entered the palace later, became pregnant and gave birth to her eldest son, while the Empress's belly remained completely still.
It was not until the second year after Yizhen's death that the Empress announced the good news.
Even if the empress's words were unintentional, he still felt ashamed.
The Empress seemed unaware that her words had struck a nerve with the Northern Qi Emperor, and continued, "The wedding of Guangning and Prince Yu is set for early April. Their marriage is related to the alliance between the two countries, so we cannot be careless."
"Moreover, Prince Yu personally requested to come to Northern Qi to welcome the bride, to show his respect for Guangning. After the fifteenth, he will set off for Northern Qi. The Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial will have to prepare for receiving the envoy, and the wedding should also be put on the agenda."
"At this critical juncture, wouldn't it just create more trouble for the Prince of Guangling to take a concubine?"
"In my opinion, we should focus on Guangning's marriage for now and postpone other matters to prevent any mishaps."
She put down her teacup and turned to look at the Emperor of Northern Qi: "What does Your Majesty think?"
The Emperor of Northern Qi turned his head and looked over, meeting the Empress's eyes. They were clear and cold, indifferent as water, as if she didn't care about anything and was too cold-hearted.
Even if they disagree, she won't argue with him; she'll simply change the subject and achieve her goal.
For example, right now.
The Northern Qi emperor felt stifled, yet he had no choice but to agree with the empress's words.
"Let's do as you say."
The Northern Qi emperor was unhappy; the only two women in his life had ever made him feel stifled.
One was the Empress, and the other was Yizhen.
He stood up and tossed a list aside: "In the meantime, you select a concubine for the Prince of Guangling. Once Guangning is married, we'll put that on the agenda."
After saying this, the Northern Qi Emperor walked out of the palace, deliberately slowing his pace. After taking five or six steps, without waiting for the Empress to stop him, his face turned ashen, and he strode away from Chang Le Palace.
The Empress didn't even lift her eyelids, glancing at the teacup that the Northern Qi Emperor had used.
Green Branch immediately removed the tea set that the Northern Qi Emperor had used.
The Empress did not use a complete tea set, but prepared a separate teacup for herself, because she was afraid that if she touched a cup that the Northern Qi Emperor had used, she would feel nauseous.
Green Branch was brought by the Empress from her maiden home and enjoyed the Empress's special trust, so she knew how much the Empress hated the Emperor of Northern Qi.
"Now that Consort Shu has fallen from power, His Majesty will likely visit your palace more often from now on, won't he?"
"He can come whenever he wants; what can I do to stop him?"
Green Branch pursed her lips and chuckled to herself, thinking: You won't stop it, but it will make His Majesty angry.
The Northern Qi emperor had a very strong sense of self-esteem. After being turned away by the empress several times, he would always find an excuse to come to Changle Palace for some peace and quiet.
The Empress saw through his thoughts, and every time he came, she would deliberately ask him what he wanted to discuss.
The Northern Qi emperor, unable to save face, had no choice but to go along with the empress and discuss trivial matters with her.
If the discussion was over and he wished to stay in Chang Le Palace, he would have another cup of tea and sit quietly for a while, waiting for the Empress to say something to persuade him to stay.
Unfortunately, the empress never tried to stop him.
Green Branch recalled the words of the Northern Qi Emperor and was filled with questions: "Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to take a concubine for the Prince of Guangling?"
"The wise prince was kicked out of the succession struggle, and the Qi prince's family became the only powerful one. He was worried that this would threaten his own position, so he was eager to support a prince to oppose the Qi prince."
The Empress picked up the list from the couch, glanced at it indifferently, and sneered, "The only one who is presentable is the Prince of Guangling. But given his status, he dares not easily give him important responsibilities, not even to use him."
Green Branch understood perfectly well that the plan to have the Prince of Guangling take a concubine was to use the concubine to restrain the Prince of Guangling.
The Empress beckoned Green Branch to come closer and whispered a few words in her ear.