allonlinenovel Chapter 548 1 again and again 3
Chapter 548 1 again and again 3
In the Qianzheng Hall, the Emperor's face darkened, his demeanor growing lower and lower. He would occasionally lift his gaze from the memorials to the doorway, only to find that the door remained motionless, making the Emperor's face dark as ink. The Emperor's gloomy expression sent shivers down the palace walls.
After a whole morning, Emperor Shenwu understood Lan Qingwu's intention. He had no appetite for the delicious food on the table.
Li Xiang served with fear and trepidation. Emperor Shenwu had only taken a few bites when he completely lost interest in picking up his chopsticks. The eunuch who served the meal carefully placed the celadon bowl filled with soup next to Emperor Shenwu. Emperor Shenwu was absent-minded and raised his hand, overturning the celadon bowl with his wide sleeves. Emperor Shenwu looked at the spilled soup with a gloomy and cold expression.
The eunuch knelt on the ground with his knees bent: "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Instantly, the hall was filled with people kneeling. Emperor Shenwu looked at the trembling servants and became even more annoyed. He no longer looked at the people kneeling on the ground and walked out of the hall with a stern face.
Li Xiang hurriedly followed with a bitter face. It seemed that he would have to follow His Majesty in being turned away again!
Emperor Shenwu looked at the tightly closed door, and with a stern face, he ordered the palace servants to open it, and then he walked in unimpeded.
This time, the Emperor Shenwu arrived with a rage. He couldn't understand why Lan Qingwu had deceived him time and time again! He had only conferred a special concubine as a sign of appeasement due to the Empress Dowager's illness, and he had never even looked at that concubine Deng, yet Lan Qingwu was so... so - so arrogant!
Emperor Shenwu gritted his teeth and thought that he was the one who made the child arrogant because of his favor!
There was no one in the main hall. Emperor Shenwu turned around and found that he had not met a single palace servant on his way here!
The Shenwu Emperor's heart sank even more as he turned and went straight into his bedroom. Lan Qingwu had anticipated this and had sent all the palace servants away, waiting for the Shenwu Emperor alone in his bedroom.
As soon as Emperor Shenwu entered the bedroom, he saw Lan Qingwu holding a scroll. When he saw him, Lan Qingwu put the scroll down, stood up with dignity and courtesy, and then bowed calmly: "Your Majesty!"
Seeing Lan Qingwu's calm demeanor, the Emperor of God-Martial miraculously suppressed most of his anger. However, his expression remained icy cold. "Speak! This is the third time! I await your reasons!"
Lan Qingwu was silent for a while, then said, "I forgot! I was only concerned with taking care of Xiaoqi..."
"You're lying! Xiao Qi's health has been stable for a long time, there's no need for you to watch over her all the time!"
Emperor Shenwu stepped forward and pulled Lan Qingwu, who was bowing, to his feet. "Why are you doing this? I've already said that I don't even take that Concubine Deng seriously. You've repeatedly deceived me and disobeyed me! This is deceiving the emperor!"
Lan Qingwu said: "I will go to Qianzheng Palace tomorrow..."
Emperor Shenwu interrupted her and said coldly: "Let's go today! You..."
Unexpectedly, Lan Qingwu suddenly brushed away the hand of the Emperor Shenwu, her eyes filled with tears. She turned around and sat on the edge of the bed, saying coldly, "Then Your Majesty, please punish me for deceiving the emperor!"
The Emperor's heart was pierced when he saw Lan Qingwu's tears. His phoenix eyes darkened for a moment, and he controlled his temper. He sat down next to Lan Qingwu and said patiently, "Is that what I mean? I don't mean to punish you! Ultimately, it's all about Concubine Deng. I promise I'll never see her again! Can we just be like before?"
Lan Qingwu's eyes were filled with tears. She looked at Emperor Shenwu seriously: "The matter of a talented woman named Deng? Your Majesty, do you think so?"
"Isn't it?" Emperor Shenwu really didn't understand. To him, this was not a big deal at all.
Lan Qingwu spoke word by word, "This is a tacit agreement between you and the Empress Dowager, mother and son. You've granted me the title of a talented lady and lifted my house arrest, but do I agree to this tacit agreement? Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager fell ill today, and you, out of sympathy, have granted her the title of a talented lady. But what about tomorrow? If the harem still hasn't produced a new heir, and the Empress Dowager falls ill again, what will you do?"
Emperor Shenwu looked at Lan Qingwu's moist eyes, feeling a little bewildered. He hadn't expected Lan Qingwu to think so far ahead. "Wei Ruo Ruo, are you thinking too much? Besides, I'm not a puppet. I won't let my mother manipulate me. How could I let something like this happen? If you're worried about these things, there's no need to worry! I've made up my mind about you, and no one can shake it! I'll handle everything that happens next!"
Lan Qingwu said softly, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten the cause of this incident? You've temporarily reassured the Empress Dowager, but in fact, the Empress Dowager will always be worried about the emperor and empress being buried together in the imperial mausoleum! As long as the emperor and empress are always in harmony, the Empress Dowager will never be at ease. She will always worry about whether Your Majesty will regret it, and therefore she will not stop supporting the new couple!"
"Her goal is to give the harem a new favorite concubine and a new heir. This won't affect the previous dynasty's political affairs, but rather it's a favor to the harem! The Empress Dowager only wants the Emperor and Empress to maintain superficial harmony in the future, or even to gradually drift apart! No longer have the deep love they have now! No longer affecting the joint burial of Your Majesty and Empress Li!"
The Shenwu Emperor was speechless for a moment. He paused for a long time before saying, "Ruoruo, you've already thought so much..."
Lan Qingwu responded slowly, a hint of sadness in his tone: "Only women can understand women's thoughts! Your Majesty, it's not that you can't imagine the Queen Mother's intentions, you just don't want to think about it too deeply! You just want to solve the problem at hand as quickly as possible at the lowest cost. You want to appease the Queen Mother, but you also want Ruo Ruo and you to return to the way we were before!"
"But Your Majesty, I am unwilling to pay this price! I have no idea of the tacit understanding between you and the Queen Mother, and I cannot agree to it!"
"Rather than watching the Empress Dowager's wish slowly come true, I would rather be confined to Fengqi Palace and have some peace and quiet!"
Emperor Shenwu was getting anxious. He frowned and said, "What are you talking about? How could I keep you under house arrest forever? Ruo Ruo, I understand what you mean. I was indeed not thoughtful enough in this matter! However, I can still control the affairs of the harem, and I will not let those things come true! Don't worry too much, just follow me to Qianzheng Palace first..."
Lan Qingwu shook her head, her sparkling eyes gazing at the Emperor Shenwu: "No! After the ban is lifted, I won't go out despite the Empress Dowager's cold reception, the newcomers' provocations... and the cold stares from others! Your Majesty has no problem conferring the title of Talent, but do you know how much I have to endure? Anyway, I won't go out!"
Emperor Shenwu looked at Lan Qingwu's tears, feeling a headache and a little guilty. "How dare they! Who dares to bully the Queen? I won't let this happen! Weakling, put aside everything else, in a few days the emperor's concubine will be entering the Eastern Palace. If you don't go out, how will the people in the former court and the harem view Chu Ming? How will they talk about Chu Ming?"
Lan Qingwu remained unmoved: "Ruoruo has made up his mind. I will leave on the same day! After this, Ruoruo will remain confined to Fengqi Palace..."
"No!" Emperor Shenwu growled with almost no patience.
At this moment, his face was gloomy and cold, and he looked extremely oppressive!
Lan Qingwu shuddered, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wiped them gently and whispered, "Your Majesty can certainly punish me for disrespecting the Emperor and disobeying His Majesty's orders! Then I will spend the rest of my life in Fengqi Palace! Otherwise, there's a famous Buddhist temple for women, and I can leave the palace and spend the rest of my life with the ancient Buddha!"
The Shenwu Emperor was shocked and helpless. "No, weak... why did it come to this! I really think I was wrong in this matter! I will find a way to resolve it later. Let's not dwell on it anymore, okay?"
Lan Qingwu ignored him and continued, "As for Chu Ming, he's already capable of standing on his own. He's the heir trained by Your Majesty and the hope for the future. I can't count on Chu Ming's companionship. Your Majesty, please allow me to take Xiao Qi and Yue Yue away! These two children have pure personalities, so it wouldn't be bad for them to study Buddhist scriptures with me!"
"Are you going to separate from me?"
The anger of the Emperor Shenwu was like a balloon being pricked, and his tone was extremely helpless: "You still want to share your child with me?"
"Ruo Ruo, the children born from your womb are all my bloodline, I won't let anyone take them away!"
Lan Qingwu was almost on the verge of collapse. She bit her lip and said, "Your Majesty... they haven't grown up yet! And Xiaoqi has been hurt in the palace... When they are older and weaker, I will let them come back!"
The Emperor Shenwu stretched out his long arm and embraced Lan Qingwu. "What are you thinking about? I will not let you leave the palace! Weak, I was wrong this time. I let you bear this alone. Don't be angry with me! I will resolve these matters in the next two days. Come with me to Qianzheng Palace first, okay?"
Lan Qingwu shook his head. "Your Majesty, you personally opened this door, giving countless hopes to the beauties in the harem and making the Empress Dowager's first step so smooth. No one will give up easily!"