area51novel Chapter 255 In this prosperous age, there is no hunger or starvation, and no one freezes to death on
Chapter 255 In this prosperous age, there is no hunger or starvation, and no one freezes to death on
The Empress Dowager was also unwilling to swallow this insult and had no intention of giving Shen Shixi any face. "The Empress is right. I do intend to choose a principal wife for Yuan Yin, and I do think your third daughter is a good candidate. I never expected you to act so quickly!"
It means that Shen Shixi ruined her plans, which is unfilial.
Shen Shixi said, "Your Majesty, I really didn't know about this! I heard Your Majesty say that the Empress Dowager and the Empress were preparing for the selection of a consort. I thought that this was probably to select a consort for Prince Chang Le."
Moreover, my third sister is not young anymore. Consort Ning has been trying to arrange a marriage for her brother and has asked me about it. I have also met her eldest brother once, that year when we were shooting willows. He is a simple and honest man.
"I asked Your Majesty, and Your Majesty also said it was a good match, so we settled on it."
Ning Zhaorong: ...
Did I ask?
Isn't this pot a bit too heavy?
But what could she say? They were all tied together now.
She had a bad feeling. She had finally managed to live to this day. Her father had used his life and merits to earn her a title and a son. Would she be ruined by the Imperial Noble Consort in the future?
"Your Highness is right. It was after seeing Miss Shen that I decided to find a wife for my brother. My brother is not young anymore, and he still has three years of mourning left. By the time that period is over, all the good girls will have been chosen."
Ning Zhaorong said, giving a timid smile.
Who would have thought it was the Empress Dowager who was intercepting the Emperor's hair? You know, they wouldn't dare to do that even if you beat them to death!
The Dowager Lady of Changning Marquis shared the same thought.
So, there was a reason why the three members of the Shen family went to the palace last time, and after returning home they sent a letter to his family, and then the two families exchanged tokens and betrothal letters.
That's the difference. Her daughter is also in the palace, but she's like a dead person, knowing nothing.
It would be good to form a marriage alliance with the Shen family; the son would like it, and the daughter would have someone to rely on in the palace.
When it came time to present the birthday gifts, the emperor naturally went first, presenting a jade mountain and two corals about half a person's height, both precious and beautiful. The Empress Dowager was delighted, but when the people from Li Yuanyin's residence presented him with a jade carving of Guanyin, the Empress Dowager's eyes welled up with tears.
This put the emperor in a very awkward position.
The emperor's face immediately darkened.
Aunt Qingruo hurriedly said from the side, "The Emperor and the Prince are indeed brothers. This was all planned in advance. The Guanyin statue on this jade mountain is quite fitting."
The Empress Dowager then came to her senses and smiled, "Good, good, they are all good children!"
How can you say "both"? Although the emperor and the prince are brothers, there is still a distinction between ruler and subject.
The Empress Dowager is truly a naive and innocent girl; she's incredibly lucky! It's fortunate that it's Li Yuanke who doesn't hold grudges; if it were me, I would have killed that foolish brother long ago.
She changed her sitting position. It had nothing to do with her, but she started to let her mind wander, mentally commenting on everyone she saw.
Pei Gao looks much older now. Is she worrying about how to kill me? I wonder if she's come up with a good plan yet?
Then came Prime Minister Pei.
[Prime Minister Pei has aged quite a bit. Sigh, it hasn't been easy for him. On one hand, there's the duty of loyalty to the emperor; on the other, selfish desires and ambitions. There's also family feud in between. He must be torn apart by inner conflict every day. He needs to take care of his health; at his age, anxiety is bad for him!]
Li Yuanke's mind was filled with her voice, and he would often miss what others were saying.
When it was the Empress's turn to present her work, she had a large screen brought up. It was about three meters by one and a half meters long, and it was double-sided embroidered. One side depicted pine trees and cranes symbolizing longevity, while the other side symbolized the eternal stability of the empire. Both the material and the embroidery were exceptional.
It was clear that the Empress had put a lot of thought into this gift. The Empress Dowager liked it very much and said "good" three times, which made up for the slight loss of face she had caused to her eldest son by being too fond of her younger son.
The Empress was delighted and glanced at Li Yuanke, like a child who had been obedient for a moment and was asking his elders for a piece of candy as a reward.
Unfortunately, Li Yuanke ignored her Bluetooth connection request. He was looking at Shen Shixi with a smile, seemingly wanting to see what kind of gift this scoundrel had prepared for the Empress Dowager.
Could it be that Bai Ping or Lan Tan embroidered a handkerchief?
It's a piece of clothing, after all!
The gifts prepared by Zhaoyang Palace were brought up, wrapped in a large red silk cloth, so their true appearance was not visible. But at first glance, they were vulgar, extremely vulgar!
The Empress Dowager frowned at a glance, because she knew perfectly well that not only were she and Shen Shixi at odds now, and Shen Shixi wouldn't put any effort into preparing a birthday gift for him, but even in the past, Shen Shixi had never put any thought into showing respect to his elders.
Her heart is like a stone, the kind that can never be warmed; she's cold-hearted and indifferent.
"Sister Chenyuan, what are you preparing? Could it be that you're bringing the sable coat that the Emperor bestowed upon you to give to Mother? It's already spring, and we won't need it for a while!" the Empress said with a smile.
Shen Shixi ignored her, which made her lose face.
Consort De thought to herself, "The Empress is indeed impatient. People, indeed, you can see a person's potential not when they are riding high, but when they fall into a trough."
Before Chen Yuan rose to power, no one in the harem could rival her, and things seemed to be going smoothly. But after Chen Yuan was made an Imperial Noble Consort, the Empress made one blunder after another, losing all sense of propriety in whatever she said or did in any situation.
"By saying this, Her Majesty the Empress, you are looking down on the Imperial Noble Consort. She is so shrewd and intelligent; when has she ever disappointed anyone?"
Consort De's words were also quite meaningful.
Consort Jin didn't understand, but she knew none of it was anything good.
Shen Shixi got up, walked to the pile of red silk, and lifted it up herself. Inside was a large cloud-like object. She had it unfolded, and it really was an object that looked like a quilt.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, this is a birthday gift I have prepared for you. Please allow me to explain!"
She looked around at the guests and said, "This is the cotton crop that His Majesty ordered to be planted last year. I had two quilts made from the cotton, and I found them to be particularly good. They are light, soft, comfortable, and warm."
His Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler, always thinking of the people and hoping that cotton can be widely distributed so that our Great Zhou Dynasty will be free from hunger and cold, and that no one will freeze to death on the roads! The Empress Dowager is supported by the people of the land; therefore, we beseech the Empress Dowager to test whether this cotton is warm enough for the people!
Pei Xiang couldn't help but admire Shen Shixi. Such a height and such a vision were unmatched by any man in the world. It was just a pity that such a good child was not a member of the Pei family.
It's laughable that a man who has no feelings for his children could have his wife and daughter defeat him in the inner palace!
The Empress Dowager was initially quite disdainful, but when she was held high and saw how snow-white and soft it was, like a cloud, she was delighted. She ran down to look at it, touched it, and was amazed.
"This is indeed light and soft; it should be very comfortable to cover yourself with. Nowadays, quilts are indeed a bit heavy. Good, good, good! I am the Empress Dowager, and I am willing to try this cotton quilt for all my subjects. It is truly light and soft to the touch; it should be very comfortable to cover yourself with!"
Come, come, all of you, come and see!
The Empress Dowager's delight was impossible to hide; everyone who saw it became curious and eager to try it themselves.
Someone couldn't resist touching it, and exclaimed with delight, "Empress Dowager, please cover yourself with this tonight. Tomorrow, I request permission to enter the palace and ask you if it's alright!"
The Empress Dowager was pleased with the compliment, "Very well, I will try it for the sake of the people!"
Many other officials also came forward to touch it, and finding it to be a valuable substance, one of them said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, if this exists, it is a blessing for our Great Zhou Dynasty. If there are many seeds, in my opinion, it should be widely planted this year!"