Parents are busy farming

After Ye Zifen left the palace, the eunuch beside the emperor returned to Chengqian Palace.

As soon as I came in, I saw him holding a tray with a bowl of tonic soup on it.

The emperor glanced at them casually, then waved his hand gently and said, "Forget it. I am so old now, how can I have the leisure to participate in these activities? Which concubine in the harem arranged today's event? I will go to the Queen's Palace tonight. I happen to have something to discuss with the Queen."

When the eunuch heard this, he hurriedly responded respectfully: "I will send someone to the Queen's palace to deliver the message immediately, in case the Queen has already rested."

The father-in-law has followed the emperor for many years and he is well aware of how much importance the emperor attaches to the empress.

Although the Queen is no longer in favor, she still enjoys the respect of the Emperor.

The current queen is the emperor's successor, and the former queen is her elder sister.

The late queen did not leave any offspring, leaving the emperor with only deep longing for her.

However, the current queen not only has princes and princesses, but now she has many children and grandchildren.

She had been in charge of the harem for many years. No matter how favored the concubines in the harem were, they could not shake the queen's position. Therefore, there were very few concubines who caused trouble, and she naturally won the respect of the emperor.

The emperor waved his sleeves gently, signaling the eunuch to hurry up and convey the message.

The emperor estimated the time in his mind and thought that the servant should have arrived at Kunning Palace and conveyed his order, so he slowly stood up and walked towards the harem with steady steps.

He was followed closely by a group of servants, some holding lanterns to light the road ahead, while others were responsible for protecting the emperor's safety.

However, on the way to the harem, the emperor met several concubines in succession.

They either admire the moon at night, or sing alone, or even play the piano in the middle of the night.

These tricks were not unfamiliar to the emperor.

Even when he was still a prince, he had witnessed generation after generation of women in the harem using similar methods.

Although the emperor did not take these actions to heart, he would never tolerate them appearing in front of him frequently.

Therefore, those concubines who tried to attract the emperor's attention tonight were punished accordingly: either they were forced to reflect on their mistakes, or they were sent back to the bedroom to copy scriptures.

When the emperor finally arrived at the queen's bedroom, everything that happened on the way had already reached the queen's ears.

However, the queen could only pretend to be ignorant, apart from making a few sarcastic remarks.

After all, her beauty and charm have faded, and she no longer needs to compete for the emperor's favor.

With so many children and grandchildren, her only goal now is to ensure that after the death of the current emperor, the throne can be smoothly passed on to her son, and not fall into the hands of princes born to other concubines.

After the emperor came in, the queen hurriedly stood up and greeted the emperor.

The emperor personally helped the queen up from the ground, and the two sat down together.

The queen personally poured a cup of tea for the emperor. The emperor took the tea, took a sip, and then placed the cup on the small table.

The emperor coughed lightly and said, "I came here today to discuss important matters with you. Princess Anle has reached the age of marriage, and marriage cannot be delayed."

After saying that, he paused slightly.

The queen's heart tightened and she couldn't help but look at the emperor nervously.

Since ancient times, the fates of women born in the deep palace are mostly similar, and most of them are unfortunate.

They were either lucky enough to be granted marriage by the emperor and marry a rich man, or unlucky enough to be married far away and become a tool for marriage alliance.

And now, the northwest had just been pacified, and she was worried that the emperor would send Princess Anle to marry for the sake of peace on both sides.

That's her granddaughter!

The queen twisted the handkerchief tightly in her hands, but did not dare to ask any questions rashly. She could only wait anxiously for the emperor to continue speaking.

The emperor seemed to sense the queen's worry, and he patted her hand gently, comforting her: "Don't worry too much, I will naturally not let Anle suffer any grievances."

The queen was slightly relieved when she heard this, but she still did not dare to take it lightly.

The emperor looked at the empress's puzzled expression and patiently explained, "You may not have met my cousin, Princess Fu Rui, but you must have heard of some of her deeds. She has a descendant named Wang Chuanxing, who won the fourth place in the second class of the imperial examination. He is a very outstanding young man. I intend to marry An Le to him."

When the queen heard this, she was moved and suddenly asked, "I have heard that the emperor sent people to clean up the palace of Prince Lao Rui. Could it be that he wants to let Anle live there after he gets married?"

As soon as she said this, she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

The emperor shook his head slightly and answered firmly: "The prince's mansion is not prepared for Anle. As a princess, she has no merits. How can she live in the prince's mansion? That house was specially reserved by me for another person."

When the queen heard this, her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't help but look nervous.

He asked cautiously, "Then, Your Majesty, to whom do you intend to give this house?"

The emperor was silent for a moment and did not directly respond to the queen's question, but looked at her deeply.

This glance seemed to contain endless profound meaning, which made the queen feel a chill in her heart.

She immediately realized that her question seemed to touch upon certain taboos, and these taboos were something she absolutely could not touch.

Although the emperor has always respected her, she must be cautious about the affairs of the previous dynasty and must not interfere easily.

What's more, when she entered the harem, the emperor had been sitting firmly on the throne for many years.

She only knew a little about what had happened before from a few words, and her understanding of Prince Rui and Princess Furui was even more limited.

However, she did not know what these people meant to the emperor. They were the emperor's weak spot that others could not easily touch.

Now, there is another person to take over this weak spot - Ye Zifen.

The emperor saw that the queen had realized something, so he continued, "Tomorrow I need to go out of the city to welcome the vanguard camp back in triumph, and there will be a grand celebration banquet to be prepared in the evening. You can take a look at the child of the Wang family, and let Anle's parents take a look as well."

His tone was calm, but his eyes revealed a hint of anticipation.

This celebration banquet was not only to celebrate the victory, but also to demonstrate the majesty and strength of the court.

At the same time, allowing the queen to meet her own son, daughter-in-law and children of the royal family was also a political means to consolidate the relationship between the royal family and the nobility.

The Queen immediately said, "I will definitely arrange a celebration banquet, and I will also let Anle come over to meet that child. If the Emperor wants to grant the marriage, he should also see how these two children feel about each other, so that they don't become resentful couples in the future."