The Gilded Cage

The Qi family moved quickly this time.

Five days later, an attendant of the Ministry of Rites took the lead and told the court about the married woman entering and leaving the palace at night, and even openly accused the emperor of licentiousness and regretted it.

As soon as a word was said, seven or eight ministers stood up to agree, and they all pointed their fingers at the young emperor.

Xiao Kezhi just sat calmly on the seat and carefully examined the expressions of these people. There was no expression on the stern face, which made people unable to figure out what it meant.

In theory, ordinary kings will almost always feel ashamed and regret subconsciously when they encounter such righteous accusations. If they were replaced by the first emperor or even the prince, they would have already admitted their mistakes in fear.

After all, although the emperor is the supreme one in the world, anyone who still wants to be a king is most afraid of being wronged and criticized by others.

At the moment, the new emperor has been on the throne for half a year. He has stayed in the frontier for a long time. He still doesn't understand the rules of the DPRK, so he has acted a little more publicly. After half a year of experience, he should understand.

But a pair of eyes looked carefully for a long while, but he never got a response from him.

Everyone hesitated, and for a while, they didn't know whether the words were too heavy or the emperor had other ideas.

At this moment, Qi Mu, who has not spoken since he mentioned the matter, slowly got up from his seat and said, "My colleagues don't have to worry too much. Your Majesty is now in the heyday of the Spring and Autumn Period. Negligence does not harm Deze. In my opinion, this incident is somewhat due to the lack of an owner in the harem. There is no remediation in the harem, and no one to advise your Majesty. This is not a long-term solution!"

Next, everything was as if the rehearsal was good. Just a few ministers said "yes" one after another, and gradually turned their words to the twenty-sixth year of the emperor. They should marry a wife as soon as possible and give birth to heirs to comfort the ancestors.

Xiao Kezhi patiently listened to them as they finished speaking, until calm in the hall gradually recovered, he said blankly, "All the Qings have finished speaking?"

Everyone looked at each other, hesitatingly nodded in response to "yes."

"Now that I have finished speaking, I should come to me. I only have one word." He sat up straight, and looked at Wei Fujing and the others with a smile but a smile, "The East Palace is here, and the country is solid."

After that, he got up slowly, adjusted his dressing robe, and said in a deep voice: "Okay, I'll be here today."

The courtiers, who were left with a look of astonishment, were silent for a moment, all of a sudden, as if they had exploded, they all speculated about the emperor's meaning.

Wei Fujing stayed on the spot, his eyes were so complicated that he couldn't even listen to the comments and questions of the people around him.

He is a staunch princeling. Although he was born in Jingzhao Wei Clan, but because he is a side tribe, he has almost declined, so De Enyin took a small position in the army. Later, he walked around and was introduced by the number of people and gradually became the prince. Eyes, only then was transferred to the Criminal Ministry, and after ups and downs for a few years, he was appointed as the Secretary of the Criminal Ministry.

He had just heard Qi Mu and others singing and making peace, he already felt very dangerous-once the emperor got married and gave birth to heirs, it meant that the current East Palace would lose its function.

But who knows that the emperor who should have agreed, used the prince as an excuse to shirk!

Everyone knows that the Qi family intends to send Qi Mu's young girl into the Tai Chi Palace as the queen, so the saint declined, is it because they have a rift with the Qi family and are secretly competing?

If this is the case, it should be a good opportunity for the prince now!

Thinking of this, his face changed again and again, he simply left the colleague who was still talking next to him, and hurried towards the direction of Zhan Shifu.

...

Qi Mu's words were blocked on the spot, and he certainly wouldn't be reconciled.

Next, after several days of Chang Chao, he waited for other political issues to be discussed, and then he mentioned the matter of persuading to marry again.

Everyone in the middle of the court knew that his Qi family wanted to send Liu Niang into the palace as a queen. If he was so easily rejected by the emperor, he would give up. How should they treat the Qi family in the future?

And Xiao Kezhi also, uncharacteristically, did not use his own tough wrist to directly solve the matter. Instead, he was extremely patient and listened to the righteous advice every day, and then used the same "Eastern Palace is here, the country is solid." Reason to refuse.

All this seems to have fallen into a dead end.

It wasn't until the end of February that the prince who was far away in Huazhou suddenly went to bed. He said that he had finished dredging the ditch. He was about to return to Chang'an soon. This broke the stalemate.

The minister of the Ministry of Rites who was the first to provoke this incident suddenly turned his attention to the prince Xiao Yu, saying that he had been married for many years and had not given birth to a son or a half. Even if he sat firmly in the East Palace, he could not explain to his ancestors.

This is the last word, but it is to persuade the emperor to marry a wife and expand the harem.

But the princely party seized the opportunity.

Under Xu Rong’s arrangement, Wei Fujing and others transferred their conversations to the East Palace at once, saying that although the prince had been married for many years, the East Palace was always only the prince Chu, and the others had never even had a small concubine. , This is the real reason why it has nothing to do in the past two years.

After arguing for many days, things finally gradually changed.

Chu Ning waited patiently in the East Palace every day, until this day, finally felt that it was only the last play.

...

Three days later, on the first day of March, Xiao Yu finally hurried back to Chang'an from Huazhou.

In the evening, he did not enter the Tai Chi Palace to pay a visit, but went straight back to the East Palace, discussed the matter of entering the palace the next day with Xu Rong and others, before heading to the sleeping hall solemnly.

In the evening breeze of spring, birds whisper and insects sing, the grass and trees are fragrant, and there is vitality everywhere, revealing faint joy and joy.

Chu Ning stood by the door of the sleeping hall, her skirt swaying in the breeze, her beautiful and tranquil face reflected in the brilliant sunset, with a magnificent and hazy moving soft light.

This should be the last time, she had to stand here to welcome Xiao Yu. The depression and suffering of the past disappeared, and she felt peace in her heart.

"His Royal Highness is back."

"A Ning..." Xiao Yu's footsteps stopped on the steps, looking at her with complicated eyes a little distance away, unexpectedly feeling inexplicably daunting.

Tomorrow, she will go with him into the palace and take the initiative to give up the position of the princess. He suddenly felt a little timid, for fear of seeing any sad and desperate expressions on her face.

"The warm water and clothes have been prepared for Your Highness long ago. Your Highness will come in." Chu Ning entered the room with his back facing him, and between the walks, as usual, naturally gentle and flawless.

Only then did Xiao Yu feel quietly relieved, and stepped into the house with heavy steps.

There was silence in the room, except for the pattering of the warm water she wrung out of her towel.

She wiped his face and hands, and removed his dusty robe, put on loose and clean robe, the movements were soft and comfortable, and his favorite faint scent was still on the placket, even the belt The tightness on the top is just right.

Everything is to his liking.

"A Ning." He couldn't help but stretched out his hand and hugged her into his arms, whispering in her ear, "It's just missing a false name."

I don't know if he is comforting her or comforting himself.

Chu Ning lowered his head, let him approach, and gave a low "um".

"It will be the same in the future. You can still live in the East Palace. When I come back every day, you come to welcome me, serve me, wash and change clothes, and eat together again. It is the same in the morning, and nothing has changed..."

He slowly tightened his arms, as if to confirm something, not staying at her neck and kissing.

Chu Ningjing listened quietly. He had originally imagined that he refused him a few times before. After all, he held his breath and held it back, softly leaning against his chest and letting him peel off his clothes little by little.

The last time.

At first, he was very gentle, kissing her brows and eyes from time to time, as if she was a treasure to be held in the palm of his hand.

But she soon revealed her nature, no longer caring about her feelings.

His face was pale, but his eyes were red. He pulled the long hair behind her head and forced her to kneel at his feet, and asked eagerly: "Aning, we have been a husband and wife for two years. Hate me, right?"

Chu Ning's knees were already red, and the long hair behind his head was pulled in pain, tears filled his eyes, but there was still a quiet smile.

"No, Your Highness, Aning will not hate Your Highness because of this."

This is the truth.

Her hatred, she knew the truth of her father's death as early as - wrong, it was very likely that the seeds had been planted earlier.

"That's good, that's good..."

As if he let out a sigh of relief, he slowly relaxed, and the hand holding her hair changed to hold the back of her head.

He felt the unstoppable pleasure rising from the tail vertebrae, but the hole in his heart was getting bigger and bigger, and the sigh that came to his mouth suddenly turned into a choking choking.

He finally couldn't help leaning on the mat, covering his red eyes with one hand, and choked with two tears.