mtl008 Chapter 422 Worry
Chapter 422 Worry
After the banquet, the Sixth Prince went to pay his respects to Lan Qingwu. Lan Qingwu waved for the palace attendants to leave before asking, "Today we're choosing a concubine for you. Why are you so unfocused? Is there something on your mind?"
It wasn't that the Sixth Prince didn't care, but he felt that even choosing a concubine was just a routine in his life. "Mother, I just don't think there's much to see. You can't tell a person's true nature from just one encounter. Don't I still have my father, the Emperor, and my mother to back me up?"
In fact, there were only three or four noble ladies who could become the Sixth Prince's consort, and Emperor Shenwu had already mentioned it to the Sixth Prince, so the Sixth Prince was not surprised at all.
But Lan Qingwu obviously didn't think so. She frowned and said, "Chu Ming, that's not what I meant. Even if you don't have many choices, you still have to consider your own preferences. After all, that's the person you're going to spend your life with. If you don't even have a little bit of love or affection for him, then how boring the rest of your life will be! This is also unfair to that woman. Mother hopes you can take this matter seriously!"
The Sixth Prince understood Lan Qingwu's motherly love and nodded in agreement. What he was thinking in his heart was that his mother was a unique person, and he himself might not have the good luck of his father in his entire life.
Lan Qingwu cares about the Sixth Prince purely out of a mother's mentality, so the Sixth Prince naturally cannot help but appreciate it.
Lan Qingwu said with emotion: "Your Majesty's Chu Ming has grown up. Your Majesty still remembers what you looked like when you were just born."
The Sixth Prince's heart moved. He knelt before Lan Qingwu and placed his upper body on his biological mother's lap like a spoiled child. "I heard that when I was born, I looked very much like my father, and my mother was very upset."
Lan Qingwu smiled helplessly and said, "You're still acting like a spoiled child at this age? You're talking about getting married!"
For this dynasty, this age is just right to get married, but Lan Qingwu always felt deep down that it was not appropriate.
She shook her head, her white fingers gently combing the Sixth Prince's black hair: "You rarely act like a spoiled child, but in my heart, you will always be my child."
The Sixth Prince felt warm and touched. "I know that you love me just as much as you do Little Qiyueyue. In fact, because I didn't spend much time with you growing up, you're even more concerned about me. Today, I want to tell you, Queen Mother, don't worry. You have the Emperor and I. I will become stronger and continue to protect you and Little Qiyueyue."
Lan Qingwu felt extremely sad. The Sixth Prince's young and tender shoulders had already shouldered too much.
"Chu Ming, you are different from your brothers and sisters. You have too much to bear now and in the future. I am really distressed! If there is anything that makes you happy, I am willing to do it."
The Sixth Prince said contentedly, "No! Mother, I am already much luckier than others. Father taught me the skills and principles to survive, and Mother loved and protected me wholeheartedly, and taught me how to be happy. Who could be as lucky as me?"
Lan Qingwu sighed sincerely: "I hope my Chu Ming can meet a lover who will support me through thick and thin!"
The Sixth Prince was slightly distracted. "Lover?" In the imperial family, the word "lover" might only apply to the Emperor and the Empress. For the rest of the people, it was good enough to treat each other with respect. Even so, the Emperor still had many concubines, and I'm sure the Empress must have been heartbroken by this! Fortunately, the Emperor would never let the Empress down.
In early March, the grassland tribes and the six countries in the Paracel Islands gathered together and arrived at the Dasheng Imperial City one after another.
Emperor Shenwu ordered the Sixth Prince, the First Prince and the Ministry of Rites to arrange matters for the foreign envoys at the Bafang Pavilion. The Sixth Prince would be the lead, followed closely by the First Prince, and the Ministry of Rites would assist with all related matters.
All the ministers watched the actions of Emperor Shenwu and felt that the emperor's thoughts were almost exposed, which was also strange. Although the Sixth Prince was the first legitimate son of the Empress, he was ranked later, and the eldest prince, who was the eldest son, obviously lost the qualification to compete for the throne early. I don't know if the eldest prince himself would sigh with regret. Apart from the Empress, the second prince born to Concubine Jiang, who had the highest rank in the harem, obviously followed the Sixth Prince. The origins and qualifications of the other princes were far worse, so it's better not to mention them!
The next day, Emperor Shenwu accepted congratulations from his vassal states in the Golden Throne Hall. The complicated etiquette and the list of congratulatory gifts took up most of the morning.
At noon, Emperor Shenwu ordered a banquet to be held in Chaohe Hall to entertain envoys from other courts.
In the Chaohe Hall, civil and military officials, royal relatives, and imperial concubines all sat at separate tables. However, the envoys from the six Paracel Islands and the grassland tribes sat opposite each other, each side disliking the other to the core.
The envoys of the grassland tribes disliked the fact that the ministers of the six Xisha countries were too flattering to the Dasheng Dynasty. Thinking of the increasingly powerful and united grassland tribes and the fascinating grassland king, the envoys of the grassland tribes raised their necks again.
The envoys from the six Paracel Islands sincerely looked down on these uncouth and impolite grassland tribes. They were merely defeated vassal states of the Dasheng Dynasty, so why were they so proud? With such arrogance, they were bound to invade the Dasheng border again one day. They were truly unrepentant and would sooner or later be punished by the Dasheng Emperor once again!
The chief envoy of the six Paracel Islands, Aletai, had traveled to the Dasheng Dynasty at the behest of Shayue King Tuoyan. He was currently whispering to his deputy envoy, Gertu, with a frown on his face, "Stop complaining. Our Shayue King will never agree to send another noble lady into the Dasheng harem. The Shayue King's own sister entered the Dasheng harem and died within a few years. It's not right. Besides, His Majesty of the Dasheng has been doting on the Empress for many years, and this is known to all the world."
Deputy Envoy Gertu was an envoy from the Shajue Kingdom. He said, "That's because the Shayue King's sister is too arrogant and domineering. Most importantly, His Majesty Dasheng doesn't like her. Although His Majesty Dasheng favors the Queen, look at that grassland tribe that eagerly sent their beauty to Dasheng. How dare you say His Majesty Dasheng doesn't like her? A man likes her! We let them get the upper hand for no reason. It's really annoying. We shouldn't have listened to you, the Shayue Kingdom! It seems that our sincerity is half a step behind those grassland people!"
The envoy Altai was also worried. Beautiful women have always been a precious resource in the list of tribute gifts from vassal states to powerful countries. It seemed that things were not going so well this time.