bayedsolid Chapter 641 Conferring the Title of Prince!
Chapter 641 Conferring the Title of Prince!
In his rage, the emperor could say whatever he wanted, but the empress was different.
"Your Majesty, I understand. I originally hoped to find a way to ease the tension between the brothers, but unexpectedly, it has only escalated. They are both my flesh and blood. Even if there is only one throne, so what? Why can't the brothers live in peace?"
As the empress spoke, she began to weep softly.
In his early years, the emperor was often neglectful of the empress due to his military campaigns. After ascending the throne, in order to make up for his shortcomings towards her, he did not take many concubines. Moreover, no matter how beautiful a woman was, she would never receive excessive favor from him.
The emperor's thoughts were simple: this woman had borne him four sons and three daughters. Her life had been extremely difficult.
"Alright, I didn't mean anything by it. Stop crying, or what will it look like if others see you like this?"
The Emperor took her hand and sat down on the couch with her. “Speaking of which, of my four sons, the one I like the most is not the Crown Prince, nor the Prince Ming, but the fourth one.”
The Empress was slightly taken aback. Although the fourth prince had an undefeated record on the battlefield, he had always been lazy in his duties. Therefore, the Emperor had always felt disappointed in him. What was wrong with him today?
Seeing the Empress's surprised expression, the Emperor smiled and patted the back of her hand. "Our son is quite remarkable. You have no idea how well he has governed Yanzhou."
"Yanzhou?"
"Yes, back then I gave him Yanzhou, the poorest place in Dayong, as his fiefdom. One reason was that there was a Qishan Mountain there, and another reason was that it was the area where the Turks often operated."
"Your Majesty's foresight is far-sighted; I am ashamed of my own in comparison."
The Emperor laughed heartily, "Alright, there's no need for such formalities between us. I originally intended for him to guard that place, so that at least the calamity that happened in Yanzhou wouldn't repeat itself. But I didn't expect that this lad would be so clever, managing Yanzhou so well and making it increasingly prosperous. Excellent!"
The Empress knew a little about the affairs of Yanzhou, but she did not know that Duanmu Chuze was doing so well there.
"Never mind, this child is clever. He doesn't have such a strong desire for power. That's why he refused to attend court properly when he was in the capital. I know his heart is with the Crown Prince. And he knows even better that those in power are suspicious."
The Empress's heart trembled. The Emperor's meaning was clearly that Duanmu Chuze had been worried about getting involved in this struggle.
He is indeed on the side of the Crown Prince, but if he performs too well, the Crown Prince and the Emperor's attitude towards him will likely change drastically.
Like right now?
The Emperor was increasingly pleased with his fourth son. From what he said, he was even more pleased that his son didn't seem to value power as much. In this way, the son could properly assist the Crown Prince in the future. With him around, the borders of the Great Yong Dynasty would not have any major problems, and Prince Ming would probably only be able to live a quiet life.
"As you've probably guessed, if the Ming King truly harbors rebellious intentions, he will inevitably pass through Yanzhou. At that time, what do you think the Fourth Prince will do?"
The Empress sighed softly. The children had all grown up. Now that her eldest grandson, Duanmu Chen, was so grown up, she could no longer interfere in their affairs.
"I knew Duanmu Chuze doted on Mu Xinnuan, but I never expected it to be to this extent. None of the beauties I sent over could get close to him."
"That's good. It's fine to let him only have one princess. He's simple-minded and doesn't want to make his life too chaotic. Let him be."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Duanmu Chuze, far away in Yanzhou, had no idea that the emperor's words would save him a lot of trouble.
"We swindled 100,000 shi of grain from the Ming King. Do you think he might be cursing us in his palace right now?"
Duanmu Chuze chuckled and put his arm around her waist. "If curses were effective, do you think there would still be so many conspiracies and schemes in this world?"
Mu Xin Nuan chuckled, "That's true. By the way, has Wang Ziyu written to you?"
"Well, what Prince Yu means is very simple. Duke Lu also has great dissatisfaction with the Crown Princess, not to mention the Xie family. A family that doesn't know how to hide its true colors is destined not to prosper for long."
"That sounds rather philosophical. Are these your words, or Wang Ziyu's?"
Duanmu Chuze reached out and flicked her nose. "It was my uncle, the Duke of Lu, who said that. What, does that make you think he's talented?"
"She is indeed talented."
Duanmu Chuze glanced to the east and said, "Anuan, the baby is asleep. Shall we go over there and rest for a bit?"
Mu Xin Nuan's face flushed slightly. Looking at the eagerness in his eyes and hearing his somewhat ambiguous words, how could she not understand what he meant by "rest"?
"Stop fooling around! It's daytime, go back to your study."
"Ah Nuan, have you really changed your mind?"
"What are you saying? Be careful not to let anyone hear you!" Mu Xin Nuan lowered her voice, feeling her heart pounding wildly.
Duanmu Chuze chuckled and leaned closer, "Anuan, I heard your heart's desire. It told me it wants it."
These words were too explicit, and Mu Xin Nuan's face turned bright red. She reached out and pushed him, but couldn't budge him.
"Ah Nuan, you smell so good."
Mu Xin Nuan struggled a few times, but she was no match for him. He carried her into the inner room on the other side, and as soon as the curtain fell, he swept the door of the main room shut with a gust of wind.
Rong Yue and the others, who were guarding outside the door, looked at each other, then couldn't help but chuckle. They quietly retreated a little further away and then ordered someone to boil water.
Mu Xin Nuan was tormented by him for almost an hour. If it weren't for the wet nurse saying that the young master had woken up, Duanmu Chu Ze probably wouldn't have let her off the hook.
In the evening, the two of them took a walk in the garden as usual, carrying the child. However, this time, it was Duanmu Chuze who carried the child, and most of Mu Xinnuan's weight was also on Duanmu Chuze.
"Today, Father Emperor issued an edict for Xingzhou. The son of Consort Luo was granted the title of Prince, while the legitimate son of Princess Ming was directly granted the title of Heir Apparent. In addition, Father Emperor also granted the titles of Princess. It seems that this time, Father Emperor has appeased both sides."
"I've heard that the feud between Prince Ming and the Crown Princess started with the Crown Princess's first child?"
Duanmu Chuze's eyes darkened. "It wasn't just Princess Ming's child; it was also Prince Ming's first child. At the time, he had high expectations for this child."