Chapter 35 The Sacred Heart is unpredictable
The Concubine Chen walked into the hall nervously. The Saint was sitting behind the imperial desk. The middle-aged emperor was calm and majestic. He had experienced too many twists and turns, which made the man look unfathomable.

The pregnant Concubine Chen gently stroked her belly and knelt down to pay respect to the emperor sitting on the dragon throne. After a long time, the sage ordered her to stand up. After Concubine Chen stood up, the sage asked, "What do you want from me?"

Glancing at the saint's unfathomable eyes, the concubine Chen had words on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't dare to ask them out loud.

"The Concubine Chen's request for an audience at this time, could it be related to the decree I issued yesterday?"

The sage's tone was flat, and one could not tell whether he was happy or angry.

The Concubine frowned and asked tentatively, "The King of Qin has already paid tribute, which shows that he has no intention of rebelling. Why does Your Majesty want to send troops to attack him?"

The saint raised his eyes to look at Concubine Chen, and slowly said, "My beloved concubine, how do you know that the King of Qin has no intention of rebelling? Did the King of Xuanchen tell you in the letters between you and your father?"

The concubine immediately knelt down and said in panic, "Your Majesty, please understand that my father would never dare to collude with the King of Qin."

The saint sneered and said, "Of course I believe in Prince Xuanchen."

The words are nice, but they sound sinister and make people feel uneasy.

What Concubine Chen feared most was that the Saint really wanted to abolish the feudal system. The King of Qin was just the beginning, and the next one would be her own mother's family.

"His Majesty--"

In great fear, Concubine Chen was about to open her mouth to defend her father, but she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She immediately broke out in a cold sweat and her pretty face twisted.

"what happened?"

The saint stood up, got off the dragon throne, and walked to the concubine in three or two steps. He raised his hand to help her up, with a trace of concern on his face: "Did you have a miscarriage?"

As he said this, he ordered the eunuch outside to call the imperial physician.

After a while, Concubine Chen felt much better: "I am fine."

As she spoke, she grabbed the saint's sleeve and cried, "Your Majesty, I dare to guarantee with my life and the lives of my two children that my father has no second thoughts."

The saint said nothing, but helped her sit down on the chair.

The concubine threw herself into the saint's arms and cried, "Your Majesty, when I was sixteen years old, I followed my brother to the palace to pay tribute and met you. I fell in love with you and begged my father to send me to the palace. We have been married for more than ten years. I am sincere to you. Do you still doubt me?"

After a long while, the saint raised his hand and embraced the concubine who threw herself in his arms in grief, and replied: "Of course I believe you."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Chen gradually stopped crying and looked up at the Saint. The Emperor raised his hand to wipe her tears, a smile appeared on his face, and he replied: "I only suspect the King of Qin, and will not implicate your father, my beloved concubine, please do not think too much."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Chen's eyes lit up immediately: "Your Majesty, is this true?"

The emperor nodded and scratched the tip of the woman's nose with his finger: "When have I ever lied to you?" Then he raised his hand to touch her belly and admonished her: "Don't let your imagination run wild all day long. I hope my beloved concubine will give birth to another smart prince for me."

The emperor’s wrath caused thousands of miles of bloodshed, but his tenderness was also addictive.

After leaving the Qinzheng Palace, Concubine Chen felt much better. She had been married to the Saint for more than ten years, and she loved him with all her heart. She thought that he must be grateful to her, otherwise he would not have bypassed the two Concubines Duanshu and handed over the power of the harem to her.

I guess she was just overthinking it.

On the way back to the palace, passing a fork in the road, I saw Concubine Duan dressed in gorgeous clothes and leading the eldest prince towards the direction of the Qinzheng Palace.

Concubine Chen stood at the intersection, looking at the backs of Concubine Duan and her son, frowning and watching for a long time.
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In the Ningguo Mansion, Lu Ji returned from the office and was about to go back to Qingsong Garden, but was stopped by the servant of the eldest son, who said that the eldest son wanted to invite him. Lu Ji turned around and went to his brother and sister-in-law's Tingxue Residence. The eldest son Lu Yu had been waiting for a long time. The tea in the small stove on the tea table had just been brewed, and the fragrant tea aroma slowly overflowed.

Lu Yu was wearing a moon-white brocade robe and a black jade crown on his head. This young man, who was born as the top scholar in the imperial examination, had a tall figure and elegant temperament. He was truly a handsome man like an orchid or jade tree.

Lu Yu is the adopted son of Duke Ningguo from the clan. The two brothers are almost a generation apart in age. From childhood to adulthood, Lu Yu has taken good care of Lu Ji. Lu Ji is a military general, and his profound cultural attainments are crucial to the influence of his elder brother.

Therefore, although the two are not blood brothers, their relationship is very deep.

"Brother, aren't you busy today? How come you have the leisure to come to me to make tea and chat?" When he saw his brother, Lu Ji greeted him with a smile.

"How can I not be busy with the work of the cabinet?" Lu Yu poured a cup of tea for his brother and replied with a smile: "Second brother, you have accomplished what the emperor wanted. No matter how busy I am, I have to make tea to congratulate you."

The sage's mind was unfathomable, but it could not be hidden from the Lu Ji brothers.

Lu Ji picked up the teacup, took a sip, and praised, "Good tea."

As Lu Yu added water to the small stove, he said, "This is the new tea that the Saint gave us yesterday. I heard it was produced in the northwest. It's a rare variety. It was presented as a tribute by King Xuanchen."

As he spoke, he picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said calmly, "Drinking someone's tea while harboring the thought of destroying them is really against the virtues of a gentleman."

Lu Ji was amused: "A gentleman can be a good emperor?"

Lu Yu also laughed and said, "The Saint has long had the idea of ​​withdrawing the feudal lords. This time, the King of Qin has been touched. I wonder if the other two feudal lords, especially the King of Xuanchen, will dare to get angry."

"He doesn't dare." Lu Ji said firmly, "He is still dreaming of being the prince's husband. How can he take such a risk when the fat meat is about to be in his mouth?"

Hearing this, Lu Yu said calmly: "If King Xuanchen joins forces with King Qin, it will be a tough nut to crack. Otherwise, it will save a lot of effort."

Lu Ji leaned back in his chair and sneered, "I estimated that if Zhou Jing is more capable, the tribute paid by the King of Qin this time can barely be enough to support the military supplies for the annihilation of the King of Qin."

Lu Yu smiled and sighed: "You took someone's money and used it to hit them. Saint, you are really amazing." Then he looked at Lu Ji and said jokingly: "This is also thanks to your help, otherwise, things would not be so smooth."

"It's just something that happens easily." Lu Ji said casually.

Then he asked Lu Yu, "How is Pan'er? I haven't seen him for a while. Is he still doing well?"

The Pan'er mentioned by Lu Ji is the son of Concubine Shu, who was granted the title of Prince of Qi. In the fight for the throne, the Lu family would naturally support their nephew to take the top spot.

Lu Yu was a man of great learning. He was not only an important official in the cabinet, but also the tutor of the Imperial Study appointed by the emperor. Seven or eight days a month, he would go to the palace to teach the princes.

Speaking of the King of Qi, Lu Yu said, "Yes, he is a smart child and sensible."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ji nodded with satisfaction.

It would be good if he could be a capable person. Lu Ji doesn't want to go to great lengths and end up supporting a useless crown prince.

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(End of this chapter)