Liu Changlan thought, for that Miss Meng to give birth to a dragon son would at least take one or two years — in such a long span of time, anything could happen. Even if she truly were to be made Empress, by then it could be justified as “mother elevated due to the son”, which would be much more reasonable than directly bestowing the title now.
But Li Yue, upon hearing this, immediately let out a scornful laugh.
He lightly tossed the memorial in his hand aside and stood up from the dragon throne, overlooking the full court of civil and military officials from above.
He asked them: “Beloved officials, have you perhaps misunderstood something?”
Misunderstood what?
Could it be that His Majesty wasn’t really intending to establish an Empress?
His Majesty’s oppressive aura was like a thundercloud hanging over their heads — all the officials were as silent as cicadas in winter, everyone filled with unease.
At this point, the smile on Li Yue’s face had long faded.
He said coldly: “I am informing you, not discussing with you.”
“Today, I am in a good mood and do not wish to quarrel endlessly with you beloved officials. I am going to make Meng Fu the Empress. The Bureau of Astronomy is to calculate an auspicious date immediately, and the Ministry of Rites is to begin preparing for the grand wedding. Court is dismissed.”
After Li Yue finished speaking, he directly left the Xuanzheng Hall with Gao Xi. The imperial edict for conferring the title of Empress had long since been written — in a little while, he was going to personally deliver it to A’Fu.
Though the Emperor had already left, the civil and military officials in the Xuanzheng Hall were still standing there dumbfounded. Qian Dongzhou looked around, then secretly shuffled over to Liu Changlan’s side and softly asked:
“Lord Liu, what do you think of this?”
“What else can I think? Do you think you can talk the Emperor out of this idea?” Liu Changlan shook his head.
Although the matter of His Majesty marrying a woman who had already been married was rather outrageous, first — it didn’t touch on the officials’ own interests, and second — it didn’t shake the foundations of the state.
So there was no need to go head-to-head with the Emperor over this. Besides, the outrageous things His Majesty had done were already numerous — this wasn’t one more that made the difference.
Having thought this through, Liu Changlan reached out and patted Qian Dongzhou’s shoulder to comfort him, saying:
“Just think of it this way — it’s better that His Majesty establishes an Empress than not. Besides, before issuing the edict, His Majesty even gave us a heads-up — that’s already enough, isn’t it?”
Qian Dongzhou looked at Liu Changlan speechlessly.
Had Lord Liu not realized that his standards for His Majesty were getting lower and lower?
Just notifying them now counted as proof that His Majesty “had them in mind”?
This matter clearly could not be reversed. Qian Dongzhou sighed and lamented:
“In this vast world, there are so many young women with beauty, talent, and virtue — why did His Majesty set his sights on a woman who’s already been married?”
Wei Jun’an walked up from behind. Just now, he had mentally flipped through all the books across past dynasties regarding women, even recalling a certain scandal from the previous dynasty’s official history about a monarch seizing his minister’s wife. At this moment, he felt as if he’d reached enlightenment.
He said with some resignation to Qian Dongzhou: “Let it go. Fortunately, Miss Meng already divorced the Marquis of Xuanping. If His Majesty had developed this idea before they divorced, then we really should find a corner to cry in.”
The Secretariat officials who followed behind, upon hearing these words, hurriedly interjected:
“My Lord, such words must not be said casually.”
Everyone present was a seasoned official — they knew this matter mustn’t spread carelessly. Wei Jun’an switched topics and said: “The Marquis of Xuanping probably doesn’t know about this yet, right?”
“He… probably doesn’t.” Qian Dongzhou thought about Xie Wenzhao’s performance in the Ministry of Revenue these past few days and only felt he had been even more diligent than usual.
This matter was kept far too tightly under wraps by His Majesty — Qian Dongzhou even suspected that the Empress Dowager herself might only have found out today.
Wei Jun’an sighed emotionally: “Just think about Meng Yanxing, then think about the Marquis of Xuanping — doesn’t that make your heart feel a bit lighter?”
Qian Dongzhou blinked and let out a sound of “ah,” then patted his own chest and said: “Now that you mention it, I really do feel a bit more at ease inside.”
Joy always comes through comparison — now that there were people more miserable than themselves to laugh at, what did His Majesty’s little bout of rebellion even count for?
Xie Wenzhao, after divorcing the young lady, had rushed to marry her younger sister — yet now that very young lady was about to become Empress.
In the future, he’d have to kneel and pay full court obeisance when he saw her.
As for Meng Yanxing, it was even worse — he had inexplicably expelled his own eldest daughter from the family genealogy.
A man so obsessed with pride — could he still shamelessly add her back in?
When the ministers thought about the future suffering of these two, their resistance to His Majesty conferring the title of Empress actually lessened a little.
Xie Wenzhao had no idea that he had already become the butt of the entire court’s jokes.
After finishing his duties at the Ministry of Revenue that day, he returned early to the marquis manor. Passing by the Lingxiang Pavilion, he saw its gates tightly shut, and casually asked: “Where is Meng Yu?”
The little maid guarding the gate said: “This servant heard the madam say that she’s going to visit her elder sister.”
The servants in the marquis manor all knew about the relationship between Meng Yu and Meng Fu — as the biological younger sister, she had married her elder sister’s former husband.
And now she still had the face to go visit the other — this new madam truly had an extraordinarily thick skin.
Xie Wenzhao didn’t know what Meng Yu was thinking, going to see Meng Fu. But if the Emperor happened to also be there, and she angered him, the entire marquis manor might be dragged down along with her.
Xie Wenzhao had no time to think further. He picked out a horse from the back courtyard, mounted up, and urgently rushed toward Meng Fu’s current residence.
At that time, Meng Yu had already arrived outside Meng Fu’s residence.
After being brought back to the marquis manor last month, she had originally intended to present herself with the proper bearing of a principal wife — planning to teach the three concubines a lesson.
She summoned them to the Lingxiang Pavilion, intending to establish some house rules first.
Among the three, the one she looked down on the most was Sun Yulian, who was already pregnant.
She had the three of them kneel outside for half an hour, then leisurely came out, preparing to explain her rules.
But just as she walked up to Sun Yulian, Sun Yulian’s body tilted and she collapsed directly.
The marquis manor was instantly thrown into complete chaos.
The Old Madam treasured the grandson in Sun Yulian’s belly immensely. When she heard that Meng Yu had nearly harmed her grandson, she immediately punished Meng Yu with fifteen days of confinement.
During those fifteen days, Meng Yu was locked inside the Lingxiang Pavilion. Only the two maids who had followed her since childhood were allowed to serve her.
She wanted them to return to the Meng family to help deliver a message, but they were stopped before they could even reach the front gate.
The Old Madam also sent over several scrolls of Buddhist scriptures and told Meng Yu: only after she finished copying them would she be let out.
Meng Yu had never suffered such grievances in her life. She smashed all the furnishings in the room, but no one came to open the door.
She realized that if she wanted to get out, she would have to do as the Old Madam said. She clutched her maids and cried for two full days — crying until her eyes were swollen — but besides the two maids, no one else cared about her.
The concubines spent their days outside laughing and joking, even loudly proclaiming how great the former madam was. Meng Yu heard this and felt even more distressed. That burning fury made her internal organs ache, and her tears fell again.
At last, under the persuasion of the maids, she finally finished copying the Buddhist scriptures.
The moment her confinement was lifted, she headed straight to Meng Fu’s residence. Only by seeing Meng Fu now would she feel any better.
Wasn’t everyone saying Meng Fu was so great?
She just had to see what kind of life this supposedly “great” Meng Fu was living!
That day, Li Yue had come looking for Meng Fu right after morning court, carrying the imperial edict in his sleeve.
But as soon as he arrived, he saw Qingping standing in the courtyard, complaining that the chimney wasn’t smoking — there was no way to cook.
His Majesty didn’t say a word, changed into a different set of clothes, and climbed onto the roof to repair the chimney.
Qingping, watching from below, was deeply impressed.
This Emperor — wasn’t he just a bit too humble?
When Meng Fu finished writing and came out, His Majesty had just jumped down from the roof. His clothes and face were covered in soot.
Startled, Meng Fu quickly asked Qingping to fetch a basin of water. Her tone carried a slight hint of reproach: “Couldn’t you just have found someone else to do it?”
Li Yue reached out and gently tapped Meng Fu’s nose. On her fair skin, a dark smudge was instantly left.
He replied: “I can do it too. It’s no trouble.”
“It may be no trouble, but look at you now,” Meng Fu sighed. “If the court officials saw you like this, I’m afraid they’d go bang their heads against the pillars again.”
His Majesty sweet-talked without hesitation: “Only for your eyes to see.”
Meng Fu softly smiled and dipped the cloth into water: “Let me wipe you clean.”
Just as she raised her hand —
Meng Yu pushed the door open and entered from outside.
She looked up and saw Meng Fu standing in front of a tall man, holding a handkerchief in her hand, as if about to wipe his face.
That man was filthy. Just one glance made Meng Yu feel her eyes were tainted.
What on earth was Meng Fu thinking — to fall for such a man?
For the first time, Meng Yu felt sorry for her older sister.
The resentment she had accumulated these past few days suddenly dispersed quite a bit.
Meng Fu drew back her hand, the smile on her face fading. She asked indifferently: “Why have you come again?”
Meng Yu curved her lips into a smile, looking like a child. She walked over and asked: “Sister, is this my brother-in-law?”
Meng Fu said nothing.
Meng Yu wasn’t bothered — she felt she could fully sense her sister’s awkwardness at this moment.
She continued: “Sister, may I ask what brother-in-law does for a living?”
Sometimes, Meng Fu felt that Meng Yu was truly a bit deranged — perhaps she ought to find a doctor to examine her mind.
She ignored Meng Yu and continued wiping His Majesty’s face.
Meng Yu wasn’t upset. She turned her head and saw the swing under the wall.
She walked over to inspect it and asked again: “Did brother-in-law make this swing?”
Meng Fu said nothing.
So she mumbled to herself: “Brother-in-law’s woodworking skills are pretty good. As it happens, the marquis manor also needs a carpenter. Why doesn’t brother-in-law come work at the manor? I can even pay him extra silver.”
She had just finished speaking when the sound of horse hooves came from outside the door.
Meng Yu turned her head and saw Xie Wenzhao standing at the entrance. Her expression instantly changed, and she asked: “Xie Wenzhao, what are you doing here?”
Xie Wenzhao had already learned the truth of the past.
She didn’t want him to have any further entanglement with Meng Fu!
But Xie Wenzhao completely ignored her.
He strode quickly to stand before Li Yue, and with a loud thump, knelt down and said:
“Your servant Xie Wenzhao pays respects to His Majesty — long live the Emperor!”
The questions Meng Yu had meant to ask froze on her lips.
She stood in place, staring blankly at the scene before her.
The husband she had married for his noble status and prestige was now kneeling in fear and trembling before that filthy man, respectfully calling him “Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty”…
It was like a thunderclap on a clear day —
as if it struck her dead on the spot.
This couldn’t be true! This absolutely couldn’t be true!