Chapter 143 Fear
In the palace, the emperor finished dealing with the government affairs of the day and was about to order someone to hand over the decree that needed to be drafted today to the inner court, when the eunuch came in and said that Concubine Shu wanted to see him.

The sage agreed, and after a while, Concubine Shu came in and bowed to the sage when she saw him.

The Saint said, "My beloved concubine, why are you asking to see me at this time? Is there something wrong?"

Shufei is currently assisting in the management of the six palaces and often has to meet with the emperor to discuss matters.

"The reason I want to see Your Majesty today is not because of official business." Concubine Shu kept it a secret: "It's because of my family's affairs."

The affairs of Ningguo Mansion.

Upon hearing this, the Saint helped Concubine Shu up and asked with a smile, "What's the matter with the father-in-law?"

Only the empress's mother's family can be called the father-in-law of the country. Ever since the fall of Concubine Chen, the emperor has always intentionally or unintentionally praised Concubine Shu, giving her the illusion that he wanted to make her the empress.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. I am truly terrified."

The saint laughed twice and embraced Concubine Shu: "My beloved concubine has been with me for many years, but she has become more and more cautious. Your brothers are all capable, especially Shouzhi. If he hadn't recovered Hexi for me, how could I have spared my time to eliminate the vassal kings? As for the Prince of Dongyang who has not been resolved, I intend to wait until autumn to accumulate strength and let Shouzhi lead the army to pacify him."

As he spoke, he sighed with emotion: "The men of the Lu family are my loyal subjects. I must rely on the Lu family, and the throne should belong to you, my beloved concubine."

Here comes another big promise for her.

If you really mean this, why don't you give the Phoenix Seal to yourself now?

He used the same tactics he used on Concubine Chen to deceive me. On the one hand, he used his own brothers to fight for him, and on the other hand, he was afraid of the Lu family and wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Concubine Shu despised the Saint's methods extremely, but her face showed an expression of gratitude.

"My brother is responsible for sharing the worries of Your Majesty. That is my duty." Concubine Shu smiled and said, "I know that Your Majesty values ​​my brother. I came here this time to seek grace for my integrity."

"What grace do you ask for, my beloved?"

Concubine Shu smiled faintly: "Shouzhi is going to get engaged."

Before Concubine Shu finished speaking, the Saint frowned and said, "Engagement? Didn't you say last time that the Lu family was discussing it? It's been less than three days, how could it be so fast?"

If you don't act quickly, I'm going to let you spy on my brother.
Concubine Shu smiled and continued, "In fact, the elders in my family had already discussed this matter a long time ago. When Your Majesty mentioned it last time, I was embarrassed to elaborate in front of everyone."

Concubine Shu paused and said, "My brother is planning to marry a legitimate daughter of the Wang family of Langya. Your Majesty, you recognize her. She is the third daughter, Wang Fengyi."

Naturally, he recognized her as the late queen's biological sister.

When the saint heard this, a complicated look appeared on his face and his brows subconsciously furrowed.

For some reason, he always felt unhappy whenever he mentioned the late queen.

The late queen was gentle and virtuous, and she was less than thirty when she passed away. It would make sense that the saint was saddened by the untimely death of his beloved wife, but based on Concubine Shu's understanding of Zhao Che, she always felt that there was something fishy going on.

The death of the late queen seemed to be closely related to Zhao Che.

"His Majesty--"

When the late queen was mentioned, the sage was lost in thought until Concubine Shu called him. Then he came to his senses. "Shouzhi is engaged to the daughter of the Wang family. They are a well-matched couple." The sage said vaguely, and then asked, "What favor do you want to ask for, my beloved concubine?"

Concubine Shu glanced at him and replied, "My brother is getting engaged. I am in the inner palace and cannot return to celebrate. I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me a favor and allow Shouzhi to bring his fiancée to the palace. I would like to meet the newlyweds."

What Concubine Shu asked for was not excessive, so there was no reason for the Saint to refuse.

After Concubine Shu left, Zhao Che returned to the dragon case, took out a decree from the list to be sent to the inner court today, and immediately ordered the eunuch to take it away and deal with it.

That decree was the imperial edict granting marriage to Lord Lu Ji.

Zhao Che was afraid of Lu Ji, so he adopted Concubine Duan's suggestion and planned to marry the seventh princess to Lu Ji to monitor his every move. However, he didn't expect that the Lu family was one step faster. Since they were already engaged, there was no reason to grant the marriage.

But he was still unwilling in his heart. Zhao Che narrowed his eyes, snorted heavily, and then strode out of the Qinzheng Hall.

The saint did not go to Concubine Duan's bedroom, nor did he go to see Concubine Shu again. Instead, he went to Zhanghuatai, which was the farthest away from Qinzheng Hall.

Living here is Concubine Jing, a woman who is nearly forty years old and has always been a peaceful person.

Among the high-ranking concubines in the harem, Concubine Jing was not considered to be favored.

In terms of family background, she was not as good as the three concubines of Duan Shuchen; in terms of appearance, she was even less worthy of the title in this harem full of beauty. Now that she was old, the saint only visited her occasionally.

Concubine Jing was considered the saint's first woman. Concubine Jing, who was born as a female official, had been with him since Zhao Che was still a prince.

Perhaps it was because he remembered that she had followed him the longest. Otherwise, in the deep palace, a woman like Concubine Jing would generally not be favored by the emperor again.

The saint entered the Zhanghua Terrace, raised his hand to signal the people following him to leave, and did not allow anyone to pass on the message. He walked into Concubine Jing's bedroom.

The female officials and maids were all standing outside the hall with their hands hanging down. In the empty inner hall, Concubine Jing was kneeling in front of a tablet with her hands folded, silently praying.

Zhao Che did not disturb her, but walked quietly to the woman and knelt down. Concubine Jing then realized that the emperor was coming, but she did not stand up to greet him. She just said calmly, "Your Majesty, are you here to visit Ji'er?"

The saint said nothing. He imitated Concubine Jing, clasped his hands together, and said silently: "Ji'er, it's all your father's fault for not protecting you well. Today is your death anniversary. Tonight, can you come to accompany your father and your mother in your dreams?"

Seeing this, Concubine Jing choked up. The Saint turned to her side and raised his hand to wipe her tears: "Don't cry, don't cry."

The woman leaned in the emperor's arms, her voice choking with sobs: "It's not your fault, it's me as a mother who is useless."

Zhao Che's eyes were moist. He helped the woman up and pulled her out of the hall. He then waved his hand to dismiss all the palace servants outside the hall. The two of them then walked around to the corridor behind the hall and sat down quietly facing the sunset.

The emperor looked into the distance with empty eyes and murmured, "I will never forget Ji'er's revenge."

Concubine Jing frowned and said, "Concubine Chen has been deposed. Ji'er can rest in peace now if his spirit is in heaven."

Upon hearing this, the Saint suddenly turned around and looked at the woman beside him. His eyes were red, and his tone was filled with hidden resentment: "Is it the end of the matter just to kill one concubine?"

The woman hurriedly held his hand, which was cold due to anger, and said in a gentle voice: "The culprit of this matter is Concubine Chen. Your Majesty exterminated the entire family of King Xuanchen, imprisoned Concubine Chen, and even cruelly killed her son, who is also your own flesh and blood."

Mentioning this, the woman choked up again: "I know the hatred in your heart, Your Majesty, but now that things have come to this, you should stop."