Chapter 365 Whom was Emperor Zongwen’s Favorite Candidate?
“Well, rest assured. Li Youmo is definitely a good husband. It is a good thing that Your cousin can marry Li Youmo, since she can both escape from the Empress Dowager’s scheme, and enjoy happiness. Your grandmother is so prescient. Could she make the wrong decision? Tong’er, you don’t need to worry about anything.” Seeing her confused but smart eyes, Feng Yuran said with a smile and stretched his hands to her and kissed her hair on the temple.
“Your Royal father is not…” Looking at his handsome and gentle face, Mo Xuetong felt unaccountably relaxed, and the words rushed out involuntarily. Before finishing speaking, she covered her mouth hurriedly, and her long eyelashes flashed. She clung to his chest without saying a word. Even though something was no secret, it was still clearly unpleasant.
Sure enough, the atmosphere froze immediately. Feng Yuran did not answer her but closed his eyes and fell into a silence.
Mo Xuetong was annoyed about herself a little. She knew clearly that something was inappropriate to speak out. Why did she just mention it? But he ignored her, which made her a bit embarrassed. Then, she felt uneasy to lean over him, wondering whether she should stand up and leave, or continue to be in his arms. The sight of his coldly closing his eyes was rather chilly to the bones.
It was as if his warm smile were just an illusion.
But at this time, if Mo Xuetong stood up and left, it might seem…
“My mother was murdered.” It took a long time before Feng Yuran opened his eyes and said calmly.
Didn’t she die of illness in the rumors? But Mo Xuetong did not ask, as seldom rumors were true. Consort Xian died of illness when she won the Emperor’s dominant favor. She was just about 20 years old at that time, so why could she die so abruptly, leaving a young prince in the palace? The reason for this was not talked in a few words.
A woman, who did not have power or influence, even no strong family background, won the Emperor’s favor and gave birth to a cute child. Definitely, she was also envied in the whole harem. How could she survive. No matter how deeply the Emperor loved her, it was impossible for him to guard her 24 hours a day. There were various deadly tricks in the palace. How could ordinary people know them?
Therefore, Feng Yuran almost lost his own life at an early age, and had to be sent out of the palace. A prince could finally return to the palace after so many years. His bitterness and sadness were not less than Mo Xuetong’s rebirth. And he was a man, so he was unwilling to say something. But she understood him well and felt sorry for him.
She stretched out his white-jade hand to touch his unparalleled handsome face and said heartily, “We will take revenge for our mother.”
After saying the words, Mo Xuetong flicked her eyes and thought about his words. She was stunned for a moment. She bit her lips, only feeling the faster heartbeat, held her breath and asked, “You, you want?”
Although she had thought he was not simple long before, she did not expect that he could win the Emperor’s support rather than that of his mother’s family. From the first time they met, Feng Yuran always behaved in a romantic and arrogant manner in public. No one could ever imagine that the Emperor’s favorite candidate was the King Xuan, the least likely one to succeed to the throne.
Then, something would make sense. Feng Yuran was not seriously injured, but he had to pretend to be badly ill and stay at home. On the first day of the wedding, the words when they served the tea sounded reprimands to him that demanded him to do some decent work and to administer affairs of the court, but in fact, all were paving the road for him.
Seemingly, King Xuan was spoiled by the Emperor, and the Emperor did pamper him practically. It seemed that the more the Emperor pampered King Xuan, the more it showed that King Xuan was good for nothing. But unexpectedly, the hopeless Feng Yuran was Emperor Zongwen’s favorite candidate. If the news was spread out, the other princes would collide to deal with him. At the thought, a worry took on Mo Xuetong’s eyes.
“My royal father is in poor health. He didn’t give much time to me.” Feng Yuran’s voice sounded like a breeze blowing out of the window, bland and trackless, but peaceful and calm, which made her uneasy heart rest for a while.
But she was more shocked by his words.
“The Emperor was in poor health? How come? He was radiant with vigor that day, a look at the prime of the life.” thought she.
She breathed quickly and thought on the condition that Emperor Zongwen was really in poor health and the Crown Prince had not been yet settled, the Qin Kingdom must be in chaos. Empress Dowager, the Empress, and Royal Consort Su were supported by different parts, as the military forces were shared almost equally by different people. Besides, even judging from other strengths, Feng Yuran had no advantage over others.
If the Emperor’s poor health was revealed, the whole situation would be more chaotic and dangerous. How could Feng Yuran just tell Mo Xuetong so frankly and boldly, as if he were talking about an ordinary thing instead of a state secret? How could he just touch on it lightly?
Mo Xuetong didn’t know how to respond to him. Or, any response was redundant at this time. She just leaned on him quietly and felt his strong heartbeat. And strangely, her flustered heart was calmed down by his firm heartbeat. She told herself silently that she did not need to be flurried and everything would be fine, as he was always with her, and they two would go through it hand in hand.
Perhaps, Feng Yuran felt her silence. He lowered his head, let out a long breath, and kissed gently her forehead and eyes. Then, he asked, “Tong’er, are you willing to go through it with me? I feel lonely to struggle on the road myself. Only with my beloved woman can I feel relieved.”
After saying the words, he hugged her more tightly and pressed her pink face to his face. His lips curved up into a faint smile.
Mo Xuetong twisted her head sideways to cling to his face and only saw his slightly curly long eyelashes from the angle. With only one glance, she reached out her hands to embrace involuntarily his broad and said firmly, “I will accompany you, even if we will vanish together.”
Regardless of going through the wind or heavy rain, a foul wind or a rain of blood, she would accompany him to the end, because she had him in her heart, and because he could tell such a thing of great weight to a house woman without any hesitation.
She believed that he could do well. No matter what would happen in the future, even if he wanted to be the Emperor, she would accompany him. Since the Emperor had set his choice on Feng Yuran, the Emperor surely left the room to him for maneuver.
Suddenly, Mo Xuetong understood the Emperor’s purpose. Arranging the marriage between the families of Mo Xuetong’s uncle and the minister of the Ministry of War was to seek military support for Feng Yuran; asking him to participate in the state affairs was to help him to get rid of the dissolute reputation and to become a royal prince in the real sense. The condition at present was very much different from that of the past. The dissolute reputation could help him extricate himself from the fight for the throne in the past.
But it was useless now!
From now on, he would be much busier…
The wind blew with some scent of flowers. The two people just lay on the bed quietly, cuddling each other, just like a couple of mandarin ducks.
In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager almost recovered, and was accompanied by Lady of Xian, Consort Yu, and Duchess Mingyang.
Consort Yu had just been released from the Cold Palace. No matter what she ate or used in that place could not be compared with those outside. Therefore, she looked wan and sallow. Although she was not obviously pregnant, she assumed a sheer posture, surrounded by several palace maids, as they were afraid that Consort Yu would be uncomfortable and did not dare to leave behind her.
“You have to take care of your belly. As you are in such poor health, how can you give birth to the child for the Emperor?” Empress Dowager asked with concern. The Buddha pearls rolled gently in her hands. With a benign look, she looked at Consort Yu’s belly with a smile and asked servants to take a cushion for Consort Yu.
“Thank you, Your Excellency. My health was slightly hurt in the Cold Palace. But I feel better recently.” Consort Yu smiled a bit shyly, setting off her face more charming.
“Your Highness, you look rather good now. Your Excellency, please don’t worry. Before long, you will have a little grandson.” Duchess Mingyang came to say in amusement and look with a smile at Consort Yu’s inconspicuous belly.
“Yes. Your Excellency, please feel assured. It must be a baby boy. There hasn’t been a new prince born in the palace for a long time. So it is a great event.” Lady of Xian congratulated with a quick tongue.
Empress Dowager looked sullen at the words and sighed with some depression, “How can I feel assured? After Consort Xian gave birth to King Xuan, no more prince has been born in the past more than 10 years. I thought the Emperor would have just three sons. But luckily, Consort Yu is pregnant now. God bless us!”
Seeing Empress Dowager frowning slightly, Lady of Xian persuaded, “Your Excellency, don’t worry about it so much. As you said, the Emperor has already had three sons. It is not a problem. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Frankly speaking, Emperor Zongwen had already had three adult sons. Even if Consort Yu could give birth to a baby boy, what could she do? Would the Emperor choose the youngest son as the Crown Prince instead of his grown-up children? Impossible! However, someone did not think so, even though it was an acknowledged fact.
A glimmer of gloom flashed in Consort Yu’s eyes, but then faded in her gentle smile.
“Even if I don’t need to worry about it, I still need to worry about other things. Zhen’er has come back. He has grown up, but doesn’t have a consort. It does make me worried, as he is older than King Xuan and King Yan. As for his consort, no one will select for him, and I still have to decide for him.” Empress Dowager said with a sigh.
This was really hard to answer. Would the Empress Dowager blame the Emperor for not selecting a consort for King Ning, or would she just mention it? Although Lady of Xian was straightforward, she knew it was hard to answer, and just reply with a smile, pretending that she didn’t understand what the Empress Dowager meant.
“King Ning is young and handsome. Your Excellency, you should choose a gentle and polite one. Well, the family background does not matter. With your presence, who dares to cheat?” Consort Yu answered with a smile.
“That being said, I am sick, so I cannot choose the proper one now. Can you help to recommend some to me?” The Empress Dowager put down the Buddha pearls, took a sip of tea, and said with a gentle smile, as if she were just an ordinary Old Madam who cared about her grandson’s marriage.
“Your Excellency, don’t pick up any longer. I will recommend one to you. You are bound to agree with me!” Duchess Mingyang covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled. She took a glance at Lady of Xian and teased. However, Lady of Xian’s eyes looked a little sullen.
“Go ahead.” Empress Dowager showed interest in her remarks.
“There is a niece in Lady of Xian’s maternal family. The girl is not only beautiful but also demure, elegant and decent. She is 15 years old, a flower-like age. If she will marry King Ning, I think, Your Excellency, you can rest your mind.” Duchess Mingyang said.
A hint of anger flashed in the eyes of the Lady of Xian who sat beside, and she refused with a smile before Empress Dowager replied.
“Your Excellency, although my niece is always with me, she does not have a powerful background, and her father is just a small official. I am afraid it will disgrace King Ning’s name and she is not good enough for upper King Ning.” Lady of Xian declined uneasily. Since she had no daughter herself, she raised her niece around her and loved her niece as her own daughter. Lady of Xian would usually keep one more for her niece equal to her son’s. In fact, the reason why the Lady of Xian came to the capital was for her niece’s marriage.
But the situation in the palace was unknown now. How could she feel assured to marry her niece into the palace?
Moreover, it did not only involve marriage.
“My Lady, don’t be so modest. Your niece is good-looking and good-tempered in a million. If she marries King Ning, it is really great marriage. If so, the niece of your maternal family can enjoy superior wealth and rank. Two royal consorts came from the same family. How envious it is!” Duchess Mingyang laughed and said.
Seeing Duchess Mingyang mention the niece again and again, Lady of Xian felt a bit unpleasant, but she did not manifest it and just said to the Empress Dowager with a smile, “His Highness, King Ning is really the one in a million. My niece comes from a humble family and cannot marry above herself. Besides, although I am her aunt, I cannot decide for her, as her marriage should be decided by her own parents. It may be half a year before her parents come to the capital. If it causes any delay in King Ning’s marriage, it will be too terrible.”
The engagement could be made after half a year? The Empress Dowager pulled a long face and thought it was really a long time. she had planned to draw Lady of Xian to her side, but did not expect that Lady of Xian did not know how to appreciate the favor. The Empress Dowager, though smiling, looked unhappy and said, “Let’s discuss the matter later. I feel tired now, so I will not keep you here.”
“Your Excellency, we will not disturb you.” The three stood up and leave, as they saw the Empress Dowager close her eyes tiredly and knew that she was going to rest.