bayedsolid Chapter 293 One woman asks?
Chapter 293 One woman asks?
The Emperor's expression seemed quite good. "Alright, we're an old married couple now, why bother with all this formality?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Seeing that the couple was still so affectionate, Duanmu Chuze was naturally pleased. He bowed to the Emperor and asked with a smile, "Father, you seem to be in a good mood today. Is there some good news?"
Upon hearing him speak, the Emperor immediately turned cold and glared at him, "You good-for-nothing! Tell me, what have you been busy with these days? I never see you! Didn't you say you were going to court early? Why are you always taking sick leave?"
"Your Majesty, the morning court is so early, I can't get up," Duanmu Chuze said with a cheeky laugh, showing no sign of remorse in either his tone or expression!
The Empress glanced at him, then quickly smiled and glared at him without saying a word.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's voice immediately rose several decibels, "Nonsense! Do you think I don't know your habits? What time do you get up every day to practice your sword? And these past few days you've claimed to be sick, how come you still have time to go to the hunting grounds in the Western Hills? I think you're clearly just deliberately shirking your duties!"
Duanmu Chuze wasn't in a hurry. He chuckled a few times and, without waiting for the Emperor's instructions, sat back down in his original seat. "Father, since you've seen through me, I have no reason to force myself. Why don't you excuse me from the court discussion? I have three elder brothers helping you in court, so one more won't make a difference. Hehe."
The Emperor snorted coldly, "Your three elder brothers naturally have their own duties. What about yours? I ask you, since you returned, I ordered you to go to the Ministry of War to study first, how many times have you been there in total?"
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Chuze actually started counting on his fingers, looking quite serious.
"Hmm, probably no more than ten times."
"How dare you say that!" The Emperor angrily pointed his finger at his nose and scolded, "You brat. How exactly did you lead the troops at the border? Huh? Now that you're back, you've completely lost your composure! I can see that you're just waiting for me to be rude to you, aren't you?"
The Empress quickly grabbed the Emperor's arm with one hand and glared at Duanmu Chuze with the other, advising, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. Please calm down. Don't you think about how old Chuze is this year? Besides, he went to the border for three years. What kind of suffering did he endure there? Of his three older brothers, which one can endure hardship like him? Now that he's back, just let him play for a while longer."
"Your Majesty is right. I am still young and there is no rush!"
"Listen to this, listen to this!" The Emperor turned to the Empress and said, "You're still defending him? He's already reached the age for his coming-of-age ceremony, yet he still claims to be young! In ordinary households, men this age are already fathers, aren't they?"
“Father, you know perfectly well that I am in love with the eldest daughter of the Mu family. You are doing this on purpose. I have said that I will marry no one but her in this life! If you really have the heart to let me live a lonely life, then so be it. Anyway, you are the emperor and the father, and I can't do anything to you.”
"Listen to this, listen to this!" The Emperor chuckled lightly in anger. "This is the good son you always praise for being filial! See him? All he knows is how to act like a rogue with me! He even said he can't do anything to me, but I think it's me who can't do anything to him!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, all you do is spout nonsense. How dare you be so rude to your father? Where did you learn all these ridiculous tricks?"
"In my opinion, this is because he learned from those soldiers outside. Although his skills have improved, he has forgotten all the things he should have learned."
Duanmu Chuze wasn't in a hurry, and chuckled, "Anyway, no matter how things change, I am still Father Emperor's son, and Father Emperor is still my father. This is something that can never be changed."
"You're quite clever!" The Emperor chuckled, giving him a playful glare. He took the tea the Empress offered, sipped it, and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, the eldest daughter of the Mu family is only fourteen this year. If we were to properly marry her as our principal wife, it wouldn't be impossible. But her age..."
"Father, why don't you bestow a marriage upon me first? Or perhaps I could marry her myself first. Aren't there many men in the common people who marry women who are thirteen or fourteen years old?"
"Nonsense! How can you compare yourself to those commoners? You are a prince, a royal! You are becoming more and more ignorant of the rules." This time, the empress did not side with him.
The Emperor nodded. "Your mother is right. This is not appropriate. However, it would be acceptable to marry one or two concubines or secondary consorts first. What does the Empress think?"
The Empress smiled faintly. She had originally intended to agree, but when she saw the anxious look in her son's eyes, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "This matter can only be accomplished if Aze himself is willing."
“Father, I have said that I only want Mu Nuan in this life. I don’t care about any of the others. Even if you were to bestow a concubine or mistress upon me, I would only leave her to live alone for the rest of her life. Wouldn’t that be harming the young lady?”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's forehead twitched immediately. "What did you say? You've spent your whole life only with your principal wife?"
The Empress thought about it and also felt it was inappropriate. "Yes, Aze, your father is right. As a prince, how can he only have one woman to live with? Wouldn't that make him a laughing stock? Besides, as a member of the royal family, one should strive to have many offspring. How can one wife be enough?"
"Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate. It is true that I am of royal blood, but what does it matter if I become a prince in the future? In my opinion, you should urge my elder brother, the Crown Prince, and Achen. Achen is the same age as me. If they cannot get married this year, you will have to give him a good lesson."
The Empress is now genuinely starting to worry.
The Emperor's brows furrowed; Duanmu Chen's marriage was indeed something he needed to take seriously.
"I find it strange, what is so good about this Mu Xin Nuan that you are all vying to marry her?"
One by one?
Duanmu Chuze's heart immediately jumped. "Father, could it be that besides my second brother, someone else has also come to propose to her?"
The Emperor's face darkened, and he nodded. "Your eldest sister-in-law also came yesterday. She also wanted to take Mu Xin Nuan as a concubine, and even wanted her to be the head concubine. Judging from her intentions, she doesn't seem to have any plans to take a principal wife for the time being. She's thinking of taking a few concubines first, and then slowly choosing from them. Judging from Chen'er's attitude at the time, he seems to have a lot of feelings for Mu Xin Nuan."