Mei Qingxue made up her mind to take a compromising approach. She would avoid problems if possible, and if not, she would deal with them as they came. Watching the little eunuch leading the way in front, Mei Qingxue had no intention of paying attention to Du Guqing.
"Princess Consort!" Du Guqing called out softly.
Mei Qingxue ignored him. His heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife. He really wanted to call out to Xue'er not to ignore him. He was truly in great pain.
Yue Ru and Han Zhao saw the two of them coming out of Concubine Qin's palace. They immediately noticed the unpleasant expressions on their faces, so they didn't ask any questions. They just quietly followed behind, not daring to say much.
Du Guyou stood in front of his desk, thinking about how to talk to the two people who were about to come in about that matter.
After all, Qing'er had just gotten married. It wasn't easy to bring up the matter of taking a concubine now. But Concubine Qin had come to plead with him. Seeing Concubine Qin, he couldn't help but think of the affectionate days in the past. It was because of Qing'er's illness that things had changed to what they were today.
He wasn't unaware that Qing'er's illness was strange, but over the years, after seeing countless doctors, he had given up hope.
Now the court was in a complete mess. Even if he was on the throne, it would be difficult to change anything. Who should he choose as the successor?
Just as he was standing in a daze in the study, the little eunuch announced.
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Sixth Prince and the Sixth Princess Consort are waiting outside the study." The little eunuch bowed.
Du Guyou didn't see his face at first, but from the voice, he knew it was Xiao Fuzi, the eunuch in the study.
Du Guyou waved his hand, indicating for them to be called in. The golden dragon robe was so eye - catching.
"Just call them in."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Fuzi respectfully backed out. He said to Du Guqing and Mei Qingxue outside the door, "Your Highness and Princess Consort, you may go in."
Mei Qingxue looked at the little eunuch's face and couldn't find any clues. So she didn't know what mood the emperor was in. She had originally thought that the expression of the emperor's attendant would be an indicator of the emperor's mood, but Mei Qingxue was disappointed. There was no expression on the little eunuch's face at all.
As soon as she entered the study, Mei Qingxue saw a golden figure.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live forever!"
Watching Du Guqing's actions, she imitated him and gave a grand salute. But the emperor didn't tell them to rise for a long time. Mei Qingxue didn't dare to raise her head. She secretly glanced at Du Guqing. All she could see now were Du Guyou's feet and the hem of his golden dragon robe.
"Rise."
Hearing this voice, Mei Qingxue was immediately disappointed. It was just such a simple sentence, "Rise."
"Father, may I ask why you summoned us?" Du Guqing arched his hands and spoke.
Mei Qingxue then secretly sized up the emperor. He was an ordinary - looking middle - aged man. He wasn't handsome at all. None of his three sons looked like him. They probably took after their mothers' good looks.
"Sixth Princess Consort, are you afraid of me?" Du Guyou's voice wasn't imposing at all. Mei Qingxue was really disappointed when she heard it.
She slowly raised her head. "No, Your Majesty. I'm not afraid. I'm just a bit curious."
"Curious?" Du Guyou raised his eyebrows. He had heard about the Sixth Princess Consort's deeds in the prince's mansion for a long time. It was the first time he had seen Mei Qingxue up close.
Sure enough, she was extremely beautiful. No wonder after marrying this woman, Du Guqing had stopped causing trouble. There was no emotion on Du Guyou's face.
"Have seats."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Mei Qingxue knew very well that no matter whether the person in front of her was fierce or ugly, he was the one who held the power of life and death over her. It was different from talking to Concubine Qin. Mei Qingxue knew that she had to say different things to different people. Concubine Qin was just an indulgent mother who was eager to have a grandson. But the man in front of her was much more complicated. He wasn't just a father, a husband, or the head of a family. He was the center of power in the world and the focus of everyone's admiration.
"Tell me what you're curious about."
Du Guyou didn't mean to ask a question. It was a direct order. Maybe after being used to giving orders for so long, he didn't know how to treat his family differently.
"Yes. It's the first time I've seen Your Majesty so closely. I just wanted to see Your Majesty in a good mood."
"Hehe. I summoned you today for some trivial matters." Mei Qingxue's almost childish words made Du Guyou stunned for a moment.
Du Guqing listened attentively to his father's words. Mei Qingxue's alarm bells rang in her heart. This wasn't her easy - going mother - in - law. I'm afraid this time she couldn't avoid it.
"Please instruct us, Father." Du Guqing knelt on the ground. Mei Qingxue quickly knelt down too.
"Get up. What I'm going to say today is also a family matter."
Hearing Du Guyou's words, Du Guqing secretly glanced at Mei Qingxue. Seeing the calm expression on Mei Qingxue's face, Du Guqing's heart began to feel uneasy again.
Du Guyou didn't care about their expressions at all. There was no room for negotiation for anything that came to him.
"The young lady of the Marquis of Anning is gentle, virtuous, and has a peaceful nature. She is of marriageable age. I intend to bestow her upon you as a side princess." Du Guyou's face showed authority without anger.
But Mei Qingxue wasn't afraid of his bluff. A concubine, right? She could just accept it. The prince was impotent!
"Yes!" Mei Qingxue stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, since you said the third young lady is good, then she must be extremely good. But..." Mei Qingxue paused for a moment. Du Guyou frowned slightly. Did she have any requests?
"Speak directly if you have something to say!"
"Yes. This subject's daughter - in - law was thinking that the Sixth Prince's Mansion is currently too small. There isn't even a main courtyard or a side courtyard. I was hoping that Your Majesty could postpone the order of the bestowal of marriage. Wait until everything in the prince's mansion is ready before issuing the order. It's already a bit of a grievance for the young lady to be a side princess. The ceremony must not be slighted. The Marquis of Anning is a powerful official. We also need to consider his face."
Du Guyou thought for a while and nodded.
"The Sixth Princess Consort is right. I will build a new mansion later. Since you two have no objections, this matter is settled. This is the first thing. There's another thing..."
Du Guyou's gaze turned to Mei Qingxue. "Your elder brother wants to go to the border to defend the country, but I refused. You are my daughter - in - law and also the daughter of the prime minister. What's your opinion on this matter?"
"This subject's daughter - in - law thinks that all are Your Majesty's subjects. As long as they are loyal to Your Majesty, it doesn't matter where they are. The only thing to be afraid of is that some ill - intentioned people might use my father and brother to make trouble."
"Oh?" Du Guyou then seriously examined his young daughter - in - law.
"Tell me!"
"This subject's daughter - in - law's father has long wanted to retire. It's just because of this subject's daughter - in - law's marriage that he has been reluctant to leave and thus has not been able to do so for a long time."
Du Guyou interrupted Mei Qingxue's words, "It's I who didn't allow him to retire."
Mei Qingxue lowered her eyes. "Father is getting old now. He is no longer suitable to be an official in the court." She was wracking her brains to find an excuse.
Du Guyou suddenly said, "He's not even fifty years old. What's so old about him?"
Then he looked at Mei Qingxue with great interest. The daughter of the Mei family was so interesting. It seemed that he should invite this couple to the palace more often.
Damn it... This emperor was like a professional interrupter. Her father held a high - ranking position. His head was almost on the verge of being cut off, but the emperor still thought it was fun?
Just when Mei Qingxue didn't know what to say, Du Guyou said again, "I think the daughter of the Grand Marshal, who is fourteen years old, and the young lady of the General of the Central Guard who is still unmarried are both good. You can get in touch with them more. If you get along well, I will choose one and bestow her in marriage to your elder brother."
Damn it! Mei Qingxue quickly knelt on the ground. She couldn't help but curse in her heart.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. This subject's daughter - in - law can't bear it." How could she choose a wife for her elder brother? If it was not suitable, her elder brother would surely resent her for a lifetime. This wife bestowed by the emperor couldn't be beaten, scolded, or divorced.
"I say you can, and you can. You may retire." Du Guyou deliberately put on a serious face and dismissed Du Guqing and Mei Qingxue.
He had his own plan for letting Mei Qingxue choose between the two young ladies. If the prime minister's family really remained neutral, they would choose the daughter of the Grand Marshal. If they chose the daughter of the General of the Central Guard, then it would be another matter.
The General of the Central Guard was the personal attendant of his eldest prince. Throughout the court, only Mei Zhenguo hadn't chosen a side. When Du Guqing had requested for the arranged marriage back then, he had also had the intention of testing. The young lady of the prime minister's family could have easily chosen either the eldest prince or the third prince, but Mei Zhenguo had easily agreed to let his most beloved daughter marry his "useless" son.
Thinking of his "useless" son, Du Guyou felt a pang of sadness. So much so that now he rarely even went to Concubine Qin's courtyard. Although he didn't reduce Concubine Qin's honors, her favor was no longer what it used to be.
Originally, he had made up his mind that as soon as Du Guqing came of age, he would make him the crown prince. Who would have thought that his health would be so poor that he might not even live to be twenty - five.
Even if the Marquis of Anning was willing to marry his daughter to Du Guqing, he wasn't sure of the reason. Maybe after being in that position for too long, it was difficult for him to trust others, especially now when it came to the matter of choosing a successor. Countless pairs of eyes were on him. If he was a little careless, it was not impossible that he might be forced to abdicate.
As a long - time ruler, how could he allow such a thing to happen? Now Du Guoming and Du Gujue both had their own forces. Only his most heart - breaking son, Du Guqing, had achieved nothing.
He simply didn't even grant him any real power. Du Guqing neither fought nor complained, which made him even more uncomfortable.
The Marquis of Anning was willing to let his daughter marry a person with a short life expectancy. What was his purpose? He would let Mei Qingxue find out by herself. This woman was not simple. This was Du Guyou's evaluation of Mei Qingxue after seeing her.
His eyes looked out of the window at the two people leaving hand in hand. Du Guyou's eyes dimmed. He really didn't believe that his favorite son was a short - lived person.
He knew very well about the attitudes of his other two sons towards their younger brother. But he couldn't help. Once he showed partiality, Du Guqing's life would surely be in danger. His two elder brothers would definitely not allow him to live.