noffsinger Chapter 615 The Empress Dowager Wants to Make Trouble When She Returns to Beijing
Chapter 615 The Empress Dowager Wants to Make Trouble When She Returns to Beijing
Xie Shang hurried back to the palace after receiving the news that the Empress Dowager had returned to the palace. It took them some twists and turns to get back to Shengjing.
The Grand Empress Dowager was the woman with the highest status in the Great Zhou Kingdom. Xie Shang was the emperor and also her grandson, so he had to follow all the necessary etiquette. "Grandson pays respect to the Grandmother."
"I haven't been back to the palace for thirty years. This time I came back for only one thing. The emperor, please release Yun'er and Minmin. They are still children, and it is inevitable that they are naughty and ignorant." The Empress Dowager said this just to make one point clear, that she came back just for Prince Kang's children.
Xie Shang was not shocked at all. After all, she only treated Prince Kang’s children as her own grandchildren.
He raised the corners of his lips and smiled lightly, "Now that the Royal Grandmother has returned to the palace, you can stay in the palace. I will take care of her in her old age."
The Empress Dowager frowned, anger flashing in her eyes, "No matter what, Yun'er and Minmin are both your cousins. You have been far away from each other since childhood, so you have no feelings for each other. This time there is really a misunderstanding."
"If the Empress Dowager really doesn't want to stay in the palace, it won't be too late to leave the palace and return to Hengyang after drinking my wedding wine. The Empress Dowager likes quietness, so I will have someone arrange a palace that is a little more remote for her." He and the Empress Dowager were talking at cross purposes, and he said in a deep voice, "I will soon marry the Empress, and it would be a good opportunity for the Empress Dowager to return to the palace and drink a cup of tea with her grandson's wife."
The Empress Dowager really didn't understand his intention, so she suppressed her temper and said, "Doesn't the Emperor already have a queen? Why does he want to marry another woman as his queen?"
"My father has issued an edict to enthrone Jiang as my queen. I haven't given her a complete wedding yet. This time, the whole country is celebrating with the queen's coronation ceremony. Your grandmother came at the perfect time." Xie Shang was very gentle in front of his elders and would never let anyone find fault with him.
The Grand Empress Dowager saw that he was very high-spirited and said, "Your father married two queens. The first one died of illness. I'm afraid only he knows whether he died of illness or not. The second one was the daughter of Duke Cheng, who was also stupid. Your father married Duke Cheng's daughter and made her his queen. From then on, the Cheng family became his. Although Jiang was the queen your father canonized for you, it is inevitable that many years later you will follow in your father's footsteps and depose the queen and marry again."
A hint of coldness flashed in Xie Shang's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Grandmother is worried. When my father issued an edict to enthrone Jiang as my queen, he also wrote a sentence that I must never abolish her position as queen. As long as I am still the emperor of the Great Zhou Kingdom, Jiang Fenghua can only be my queen. It is impossible for my grandson to depose the queen in this lifetime. Grandmother is worried."
The Empress Dowager was so angry that her chest hurt, as if she had punched cotton. Xie Shang was even more harsh than his father. He was trying to tell her in various ways that as long as he was there, the Xie family's kingdom would never fall into the hands of Prince Kang.
At this moment, two tightly wrapped little ones came running from a distance.
They wore furry tiger-skin hats on their heads, their eyes shone brightly like two crystal gems, their pink lips looked like tempting cherries, and Xie Zixuan called out sweetly, "Father."
Xie Shang picked up his daughter and kissed her face again and again, "Xian'er, how did you know that the emperor was back?"
"Lin Feng went to hug Xiao Ye, and he kissed Xiao Ye. He said that father and mother are back." Xie Zixuan said seriously, "Father, Xuan'er misses mother. When will she come back from grandmother's house? Last time grandmother came to visit Xuan'er, she forgot to bring mother back. Did she get lost?"
Xie Shang said, "The Queen Mother will be back soon. Father, can you take Xiao Xian'er and Xiao Youyou to pick her up?"
"Okay!" Xie Zixuan became happy.
Xie Hongyou stood on the ground and stretched out his hand, pursing his lips, "Youyou wants father to hug you too."
Xie Shang held Xie Hongyou in his other hand again and kissed his son's face, "Father wants to forgive you too."
Xie Hongyou wiped his face in disdain, "Youyou is a man, father can't kiss Youyou, or others will laugh at you."
Xie Shang smiled and said, "Youyou has grown up. In two years, your father will send you to the military camp to practice martial arts."
Along with Xie Zixuan and Xie Hongyou came Gao Qingtong and Aoxue.
Aoxue had already learned from Lin Feng that the queen had not returned to the palace. At this time, she really did not see Jiang Fenghua, and she still felt a little disappointed.
Ever since Gao Qingtong became Concubine Gao, she has been in charge of the harem. When Gao Qingtong heard the news that the emperor had returned to the palace, she and her daughter followed Xie Zixiu and Xie Hongyou.
"My concubine pays your respects to the Emperor."
Gao Qingtong was followed by a group of servants, and they all saluted. The wet nurse and the second princess Xie Yanhuan also hurriedly saluted.
Xie Shang glanced at everyone and said, "No need to be polite!"
Gao Qingtong saw the old woman with silver hair beside her, her pupils trembled slightly and she knelt down quickly, "I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."
She thought: The only people in the world who could be summoned by the emperor in person and be on an equal footing with the emperor were the empress dowager and the grand empress dowager.
The Empress Dowager looked at Gao Qingtong with a smile on her lips, "What a dignified and elegant beauty, which concubine of the Emperor are you?"
"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, I am the noble concubine of Yongle Palace, and my maiden name is Qingtong." Gao Qingtong answered politely and respectfully.
"So it's the Imperial Concubine. She's a blessed child. Are these princes and princesses all the Imperial Concubine's children?" said the Empress Dowager.
Gao Qingtong quickly said, "The biological mother of the eldest prince and the eldest princess is the Empress, and the second princess was born to me." Didn't the Empress Dowager hear their conversation with the Emperor just now?
The Empress Dowager did it on purpose. "It turns out that I heard it wrong. I think they have a mother-son relationship with Concubine Gao."
Gao Qingtong was also a sensitive person, so how could she not hear that the Grand Empress Dowager was deliberately trying to sow discord? If the Empress heard this in front of her, she would probably be very sad.
Which mother would want her child to recognize someone else as her mother?
Xie Zixuan and Gao Hongyou only had their queen mother in their hearts. Although the royal concubine had always taken good care of them, they had never gotten close to her.
Xie Hongyou got off Xie Shang and bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager. "Youyou pays respects to my great-grandmother. I wish you a long and healthy life."
Xie Zixiuan looked a little unhappy, but she still hadn't forgotten her grandfather's teachings that the person who could be called the Grand Empress Dowager in the palace was their great-grandmother.
Xie Zixuan followed her brother's steps and bowed: "Xian'er pays respects to great-grandmother, may great-grandmother live a long and healthy life. Xian'er's mother is called Jiang Fenghua, not Consort Gao."
The two sensible and polite children stunned the adults instantly. They were so well-mannered at such a young age and were not even stage-frightened.
Before leaving, Xie Shang handed the two children over to Tutor Jiang for instruction. After not seeing them for more than half a year, they seemed to have become more sensible.
The Empress Dowager was surprised to see the two children so polite and tactful. She smiled and said, "My dear great-grandchildren, please don't be polite. I came in a hurry and didn't bring you any gifts. I will make it up to you another day."
The two looked at each other. Grandfather had said that they would give a thank you gift, so they both bowed and said, "Thank you, great-grandmother."
No one knew whether the Empress Dowager would give a gift, but the two of them thanked her first, which made her feel a little embarrassed.