AWB Chapter 383: Zhishu becomes the Concubine
Chapter 383: Zhishu becomes the Concubine
"His Majesty?!"
The Duke of Zhenguo was shocked.
Can't believe my ears.
Today, first Concubine Yue asked to be demoted, and then he personally went to the palace to apologize, both of which were done out of necessity.
As the commander-in-chief defending the city, he had a detailed plan to deal with the rebels and was confident of victory, and would make great contributions after the war.
But the Tartars appeared and the situation got out of control. No matter how well he did, he could not avoid being blamed. After all, there were too many casualties!
Besides, he himself hasn't done well enough and has some stains...
I originally thought that I would do my best to plead guilty and seek the emperor's mercy so that my crime would be less severe.
But what did he hear?
Your Majesty said that you would "entrust him with an important task"?
"I am terrified. I am old and frail, and I am no longer able to do what I want. This time defending the city has already caused many regrets. I really don't dare to take on such a heavy responsibility again..."
The Duke of Zhenguo, who was already kneeling on the ground, kowtowed again.
Unable to figure out the emperor's thoughts, he could only decline.
But the emperor laughed.
"You say you're old and frail? I remember you're only in your forties, in the prime of life, serving your country. How could you back down after just one setback?"
The Duke of Zhenguo was speechless.
I have always been in good health, without any illness or disaster, and I am full of energy.
"His Majesty……"
"Lord Yan, although you made a mistake this time, I know you are loyal. Looking around the court, there are not many people I can trust. If you are unwilling to share my worries, I..."
The emperor was silent for a moment, then laughed at himself, "I am truly a lonely man, and it is lonely at the top."
"Your Majesty! I am terrified! If Your Majesty does not despise my stupidity and is willing to let me redeem myself for meritorious service, I will certainly be willing to serve you wholeheartedly and die for you!"
The king had said this, so how could the Duke of Zhenguo dare to refuse? He could only bite the bullet and express his loyalty.
The emperor smiled warmly.
"My dear, I know you won't let me down."
Then, the emperor mentioned the army that Shixiang Mama had reported, the Linping Army, located in the southwest region, the empress dowager's last trump card supporter.
Let the Duke of Zhenguo solve it.
"If this is accomplished, you will have made an invaluable contribution. I will enthrone Concubine Yue as my empress, and no one will say anything against me." The emperor spoke frankly, "You should know that being an emperor is not an easy task for me."
The Duke of Zhenguo was shocked.
He looked up at the emperor in astonishment, hardly caring about being rude.
The Emperor had just allowed Consort Yue to be demoted to Consort Yue, and the Duke of Zhenguo thought that his family had lost the chance to become Empress. Unexpectedly, the Emperor actually made such a promise! ?
The army in the southwest is not easy to deal with, and this task is a hot potato.
But, but if it succeeds...
The Yan family of the Duke's Mansion became a royal family.
Moreover, the king has already given the task. If you don’t accept it, you will be punished!
So almost in an instant, the Duke of Zhenguo made the decision.
"Your Majesty has placed your trust in me, and I will do my best to serve you until my death. If I fail, I will bring my head before you!"
"My dear, have you issued a military order?" the emperor asked with a smile.
The Duke of Zhenguo nodded in agreement.
The emperor's smile deepened. "My dear, when this matter is over and Concubine Yue becomes the empress, I will still have many things to do with you. My dear, you should encourage yourself."
"I will do my best."
"The most recent incident is that Concubine Hui received an order to rebuild the Li Clan Army. As a female general, Concubine Hui has many inconveniences, and she has a quick temper, so she is definitely not reliable. I need you to constantly remind her."
"...I understand."
The emperor nodded.
He turned and pointed to the map on the wall, asking the Duke of Zhenguo to take a closer look at the territory of Daliang, from south to north, from east to west, by land, and even by sea.
"As long as you and I work together, Daliang's prosperity will last for generations, and your Zhenguo Mansion's prosperity will be guaranteed!"
The Duke of Zhenguo and the Emperor's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness!"
The two talked in detail for a long time before the Duke of Zhenguo thanked him and left.
Walking out of Chen Qian Hall and down the stairs, he took a few deep breaths of the cold late autumn air to clear his mind.
After staying in the dark back room of the palace for a long time, the Duke of Zhenguo felt dizzy.
In addition to the profits from the ship he handed over last time, this time he was forced to hand over an entire ship in the name of his fourth brother in the clan in exchange for a lighter sentence for the crime of failing to defend the city.
The emperor promised the Duke's mansion the position of empress, but what the Duke's mansion had to pay was a significant loss of maritime trade income, the need to quell the rebellion for the emperor, and the need to check and balance the rising Li family army.
The ruler is the ruler, and the ministers are the ministers, exchanging interests.
The Duke of Zhenguo strode out of the palace.
He knew he had no other choice.
In Chenqian Palace, the emperor was in a very good mood after the Duke of Zhenguo left.
To conquer the Duke of Zhenguo means that the Duke of Zhenguo will lead a group of noble and military generals to fight for him.
Although the battle in the capital was dangerous, it was ultimately auspicious, and the Queen Mother died. From then on, he could finally become a true king, planning and commanding all the people!
While drinking tea and eating the snacks Zhishu brought, the emperor asked Cao Bin with a smile: "Did Yingqing say she would come again in the evening?"
"Your Majesty, Miss Ying wants Your Majesty to see her new Qiu Shui silk dress. I asked you to ask Your Majesty if I can serve you dinner tonight."
Cao Bin's respectful smile earned him an even bigger smile from the emperor.
"She refused to come for lunch, saying she needed to recuperate, but she wanted to come alone in the evening!"
Cao Bin agreed with a smile: "Miss Ying has a unique temper."
The emperor casually flipped through a new memorial.
After looking at it carefully twice, he suddenly raised his eyebrows.
This was a joint memorial submitted by Lu Guinian and two other imperial censors. It not only solidified the previous conviction against Prince Rui, but also detailed the ten crimes of the Empress Dowager.
In addition to treason, she also disrespected the previous emperor, interfered in state affairs, and murdered the royal heir, etc. Each of these offenses would make it impossible for her to be redressed.
The charge of murdering the royal heir was accompanied by the latest investigation results of the Palace Administration Department approved by the Dali Temple - Ying Ronghua had a miscarriage and falsely accused the palace maid Linshui of Concubine Zhao and fled to Prince Rui's Mansion. The evidence was conclusive and it was actually a conspiracy between the Queen Mother and Prince Rui.
This memorial will be made public in the court tomorrow, and after some discussion, the empress dowager will be firmly convicted!
The emperor looked up from his memorial and smiled at Cao Bin:
"Still calling her Young Master? Go and pass on the official message later, promoting her to the rank of Ying Fei. The enthronement ceremony will be held on another day. Let her choose a palace of her choice and move in first."
"Yes, I obey your order." Cao Bin bowed hurriedly. "When Empress Ying hears your order, she will surely be very happy. She might even come over before dinner."
This was another test to see if the emperor would allow Zhishu to come and serve the meal.
The emperor picked up another memorial and said, "Don't let her come early. I still have a lot of things to do. Tell the kitchen to prepare two dishes that Yingqing likes. The Jingshifang doesn't need to pass the sign tonight."
"Yes."
After Cao Bin had served the emperor the snacks given by Zhishu, he went to convey the emperor's decree to Zhishu.
Zhishu has been living in Shunfei's palace recently. After receiving the imperial edict, Shunfei was happier than she was.
"My sister has endured humiliation and stayed by the Queen Mother's side, and now it has finally paid off! Although I'm reluctant to see you move away, I'm even more happy that you have your own palace. Where do you want to choose? It's better to be close to me so that we can visit each other more often."
Cao Bin read out the names of the palaces that currently had no main seat and asked Zhishu to choose one.
When the word "Yihe Palace" came up, Zhishu thought for a moment and said, "Let's go here. However, this name is not good, let's change it."
Cao Bin asked with a smile, "What name would you like to change to, Your Majesty? I will report it to His Majesty right away."
"Yihe, I'm neither beautiful nor kind, so I shouldn't use these two names for nothing. I remember there were several large apricot trees in that palace. In spring, the blossoms spread out over the walls, making it a truly beautiful sight. Let's call it 'Blizzard Palace'."
Concubine Shun was puzzled: "What is blowing snow?"
"When the wind blows, the apricot blossoms fall down in large numbers, looking as beautiful as snowflakes." Zhishu explained patiently this time.
Concubine Shun smiled and nodded: "Sister, you are right. I can't help but wish that spring will come soon so that I can go to your Chui Xue Palace to enjoy the flowers."
Zhishu tightened her cloak and smiled into the wind, "Winter is coming soon, can spring be far behind?"
That night, Zhishu accompanied him.
The emperor personally wrote the two words "blowing snow" and ordered people to make a plaque, waiting to be hung on the gate of the original Yihe Palace.
While expressing her gratitude, Zhishu asked whether her sister Zhao Fei would be promoted.
"I was promoted by stabbing the Queen Mother. Sister Zhao risked her life to return to the city and brought back the escaped Queen Mother. That's also a merit, isn't it? What is your majesty planning to confer on her?"
She always speaks directly, so she asked directly without beating around the bush.
The emperor was used to her temper and didn't take it as an offense. He smiled and said, "Of course. I plan to make her a noble concubine. When the time comes, you can hold the canonization ceremony together."
Zhishu was delighted: "I, your Highness, would like to thank you on behalf of my sister!"
But when the emperor turned around, his face turned cold.
He really didn't plan to make Sister Zhao the queen!
Zhishu was angry and didn't want to control her anger, so she was very rough when she slept with him that night.
She was too lazy to be gentle and tactful, and she just wanted to pin the emperor to the bed and beat him up.
As a result, the emperor benefited greatly from it.
I called for water three times in one night.
When he got up yawning in the morning and dressed to go to court, he saw Zhishu without makeup and with a cold face, and he couldn't help but think of last night.
So he rewarded Zhishu with a large amount of gold, silver, jewelry, silks and satins as a gift for her promotion to concubine.
In fact, it has exceeded the reward of being a concubine several times.
"Good Yingqing, come over tonight."
Before leaving, he whispered to Zhishu.
Zhishu lowered her head to hide her disgust, but he took it as shyness.
When he sat on the dragon throne, the emperor still had a smile on his face.
Ying Qing had always been aloof, but she was still impressed by the great favor of the concubine position and tried her best to serve him...
It can be seen that no matter how proud a woman is, she cannot resist the charm of a king!
"It's clear he's a worthless person. Despite all the pampering and sweet talk he's doing in bed, in the end, he's still only concerned about his throne. As long as we can't help him take over the throne, we'll always be his playthings!"
Zhishu came to Chunxi Palace to stand up for Feiwan.
In terms of favor, Sister Zhao is the most favored in the palace. In terms of merit, she brought back the escaped Queen Mother this time, isn't that enough?
Whether in private or in public, the emperor has always cared about Sister Zhao.
But because Sister Zhao doesn't have the background of the Duke's Mansion, she has to be inferior to others and only be a noble concubine?
Zhishu suddenly had an idea...