bayedsolid Chapter 377 The Emperor's White Moonlight
Chapter 377 The Emperor's White Moonlight
After the Imperial Rice Incident.
King Jing became even more cautious.
He always felt that someone was trying to harm his beloved princess.
As long as he doesn't go into the palace, he basically spends all his time with the princess.
Miaomiao was also worried and came to check on them several times, each time finding the two of them being all lovey-dovey.
Fearing she would get a sty, she quietly slipped out.
Perhaps they suffered too much in their past life, so they were given double the sweetness in this life.
It's so sweet!
Early morning today.
King Jing claimed illness and requested leave.
He missed the morning court session again; it had been quite some time since he last attended.
It is said that the princess is pregnant, and the prince is worried and wants to stay by her side at all times.
A dignified prince was actually afraid of his wife and was completely subdued by a woman.
It makes people laugh and cry.
The court officials held him in utter contempt, feeling that King Jing was utterly incapable of shouldering such a great responsibility.
Especially those blades of grass that bend with the slightest breeze, they are now actually leaning towards Prince Chen.
Their initial bets were all placed on Prince Su, who had the best chance at the time.
Although Consort Li, the birth mother of Prince Su, was not from a prominent family, her social standing was not low.
Most importantly, the favor shown to Prince Su and his mother remained undiminished.
Unexpectedly, Prince Su brought about his own downfall, poisoning the Crown Prince, stealing military funds to frame General Lu, and even rebelling.
All the court officials who had pledged allegiance to him met a gruesome end.
The court officials were filled with trepidation.
They then placed their hopes on King Jing.
But when they saw the triumphant and triumphant Prince Chen, they began to waver again.
It's obvious that the Emperor now favors Prince Chen.
Prince Chen was now radiating golden light, making the delirious emperor believe that he had finally chosen the right person this time.
He was entrusted with an important task.
Judging from that, he's being groomed to be the crown prince.
They completely ignored the Fifth Prince, whom they had previously favored.
After all, the son in front of her was more pleasing. He had made great military achievements and was also very filial and sensible. He would come to the palace every day or two to try different ways to make her happy.
He really put his heart into it; everything he did pleased him.
Even if you know what he's after, he's still better than that son who only knows how to fawn over his wife.
Prince Chen was flattered and secretly delighted.
He was overjoyed to have met Jin'er; she was truly his lucky star.
The previous emperor would never have given them a second glance, as he looked down on his mother's background as a palace maid.
After his triumphant return, the attitude towards him and his mother improved considerably, but it was still far less favorable than towards the deceased Prince Su.
It's impossible for him to see the living Prince Su again.
Jin'er said, "Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you know where the enemy's weakness lies."
Although he didn't know why, Jin'er actually knew his father's likes and dislikes. After hearing Jin'er's explanation, he realized why his father had disliked him in the past.
A large part of the reason is that he did not understand his father and violated his father's taboos.
Now he understands.
The reason why the Emperor favored Consort Li was not because she was exceptionally beautiful, but because she looked very similar to Consort Dong.
Consort Dong was the emperor's favorite concubine when he was young, but she died young and was never forgotten by him.
It just so happens that Consort Li's appearance and demeanor are very similar to Consort Dong's, and even her preferences are exactly the same.
Everyone loves keeping cats.
Unfortunately, he and his mother were terrified of cats.
The concubine was out of favor, and the palace where the mother and son used to live was no different from the cold palace. Stray cats often gathered to compete with them for food.
The sad thing is that when you're down on your luck, even a stray cat will bully you.
Those cats were pets to others, but to him and his mother, they were ferocious creatures.
Unfortunately, the Emperor noticed the Empress's subconscious fear and aversion to cats.
He still believed that his father disliked his mother's background.
Fortunately, we know now, and there's still a chance to make amends.
It's just a matter of letting my mother raise a few more cats and finding a few women with similar looks and demeanor to Consort Dong to keep in the palace. It's easy to gain imperial favor and be showered with imperial grace.
Just as Jin'er had predicted, her father did indeed treat her mother differently and even promoted her to the rank of concubine.
She was promoted from Noble Lady Chen to Imperial Concubine Chen.
It's really ridiculous.
He had always believed that the Emperor's mind was unfathomable, but it turned out that it was manipulated by a dead man and a few cats.
What's even more interesting is that the Empress hated Consort Dong the most.
He hated her to the core while she was alive, and his hatred only deepened after she died; he even loathed the cat.
But the empress was old.
However, people who resemble Consort Dong will continue to emerge; some have similar appearances, some have similar temperaments, and some have similar tastes and mannerisms.
Even if the empress were driven mad with jealousy, she could not kill them all.
This will only deepen the rift between her and her father, making him even more disgusted with her.
Besides her understanding of her father, the Prince of Chen was also pleasantly surprised to discover that Jin'er was also very knowledgeable about the wives of several princes and ministers.
Knowing their likes and dislikes, and their weaknesses, is not an easy task to grasp.
Look at Prince Chen, who moves with ease between the emperor and his court officials.
Prime Minister Cui remained silent, observing the situation with indifference.
There's a saying that goes, "The higher you climb, the harder you fall," and this prince clearly doesn't understand his father very well.
After hearing that excessive consumption of imperial rice could cause addiction and mental confusion, the emperor immediately stopped taking the medicine and had a eunuch test it.
According to the dosage on the prescription, the medicine will take effect in as little as three or four months, or as long as a year.
The emperor rarely encountered such an effective medicine to treat his headaches, and he didn't want to miss it, but he also dared not take it rashly again.
They are still waiting patiently.
But recently he has become obsessed with pills. The little red pills make him feel refreshed and several years younger after taking them.
Whether it was a blessing from heaven or not, the emperor actually encountered a palace maid in Consort Chen's palace.
Not only her appearance, but also her gestures and mannerisms were strikingly similar to those of Consort Dong.
She also loves cats.
However, she was of lowly status, serving as Consort Chen's foot-washing maid.
Seeing this, Consort Chen immediately stepped forward to help the Emperor resolve his worries, saying, "If Your Majesty is pleased, I will immediately have my brother take Zhen'er back to be his sworn sister."
Consort Dong's name was Dong Zhenzhen. It's too much of a coincidence that they even have the same name.
The emperor wasn't stupid.
I casually asked, "She's also called Zhen'er, how come I've never seen her in your palace before?"
"Your Majesty, she was sent by the Imperial Household Department when I was recently promoted in rank. Before she came, she was called Zhen'er, which means 'the pearl is as bright as dew and the bow is as round as moonlight'."
The Emperor was very satisfied with this explanation.
From then on, the harem gained another concubine, Zhen Meiren.
She is said to be a distant cousin of Consort Chen, and has been favored by the harem since the day she entered the palace.
From then on, the emperor stopped holding morning court sessions.
With the help of elixirs and a substitute for his beloved, the Emperor felt as if he and Zhen'er had returned to their youthful days.
He had no interest in politics and left most of the court affairs to Minister Cui.
However, he remained clear-headed and knew he couldn't give the princes too much power; the real power was still in the hands of his own people.
Cui Yan was one of their own.
He was the only one who dared to speak frankly to the emperor, even to the point of meddling in his affairs.
Although it was somewhat presumptuous, it made him feel at ease.
Prince Chen wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, he had women in his harem. As long as he could gain a foothold in the court and win the hearts of the people, he was fine.
Even if Cui Yan were to win the emperor's favor, he would ultimately still be nothing more than a subject.
……