Guo Qiner's face immediately turned a bit grim. Du Guqing knew exactly what was going on. He was sure that his mother hadn't said anything nice to Mei Qingxue while he was away. She must have said something harsh.
"Alright, both of you get up!" Guo Qiner said helplessly. She cast a resentful glance at Mei Qingxue. Wasn't she supposed to be well - educated and reasonable? Mei Qingxue's knees were already numb from kneeling. This was the first time she had knelt for so long since she came to this world. She tried to get up but failed. Du Guqing quickly reached out to help her.
"Where's your father?" Guo Qiner didn't look at Mei Qingxue anymore. She wondered how Du Guyou had talked to Du Guqing. She had launched this sudden attack just in case they colluded.
"Father will be here soon!" Du Guqing had rushed to find Mei Qingxue in a hurry after leaving Du Guyou behind. How could he know where his father was?
As they were speaking, Du Guyou slowly walked up to Guo Qiner and gently shook his head at her.
"Mother, who wrote the letter to you?"
Du Guqing knew it would be easier to get information from his mother, so he casually asked, although he had already planned what to do in his mind.
"Wasn't it the letter from the General of the Central Guard? What's wrong with his daughter? You tell me." Guo Qiner didn't realize that Du Guqing was asking deliberately. She asked him, "What's wrong with the General's daughter?" Originally, Guo Qiner wanted to say that she was well - educated and reasonable. But before Mei Qingxue got married, people also said the same about the General's daughter. It seemed that these four words were not really a compliment.
"Mother, children have their own fates. The General just thought it was Qingxue's fault because I didn't take a fancy to his daughter." Du Guqing had an idea. It seemed that the General was blind. Well, he would just let him do something within his capabilities.
"Daughter - in - law, what do you think of the General's daughter?"
"To be honest, His Majesty personally screened most of them. I only looked at the last six." Mei Qingxue said. She really hadn't been in charge of the previous ones. "Oh?" Hearing Mei Qingxue's words, Guo Qiner became interested in those six.
"Which ones are they?"
"Lan Feng, the daughter of the Marquis of Dingbei, the eldest illegitimate daughter and the third daughter of the Marquis of Anning, and a few others who were not outstanding. I don't remember them." Mei Qingxue was telling the truth. The Emperor had already issued an imperial edict to bestow marriages on the outstanding ones, and the others were also said to be engaged as soon as they got back. But she didn't show any expression that would let the Empress Dowager notice.
"Oh?" As expected, Guo Qiner was satisfied and immediately became interested in the people Mei Qingxue mentioned. "What do you think, Qing'er?"
"One of them has been betrothed to my cousin, Guo Shou." Hearing that the marriage was bestowed on her own family member, Guo Qiner couldn't find any fault. "What about the others?"
"Mother, if you have something to say, just say it directly." Du Guqing knew what his mother meant, so he made it clear. Guo Qiner didn't expect Du Guqing to be so direct.
"Qing'er, your mother just wants you to have more wives so that you can have more children."
"Mother, can you guarantee that all my children will grow up safely if I have more women?" Didn't his mother remember his childhood experience?
Was it because she had become the Empress Dowager that her memory had gotten worse? Du Guqing knew that his mother had been pregnant once before she gave birth to him, but she lost the baby at five months due to an accident. Everyone in the palace knew what those so - called "accidents" were. At that time, the Queen was still alive, and Guo Qiner was in the height of favor. It was hard to investigate what had happened in the past.
Hearing Du Guqing's words, Guo Qiner said, "With your mother and your father watching, who would dare?"
"Oh?" Du Guqing looked at his own mother with a half - smile, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"Really?" Du Guqing's calmness made Guo Qiner feel extremely sad.
Now she had the power, but Qing'er didn't trust her. In Du Guqing's memory, he had more than a dozen brothers and sisters, but only three of them had survived to adulthood.
"Qing'er." Guo Qiner's eyes were red. Mei Qingxue knew that the emotional offensive was coming. She felt a little nervous. If the Empress Dowager tried to move him with emotion and reason, what would Du Guqing do? She didn't know.
"Mother, if there are too many women in a family, it will surely be in disarray. How did your son grow up in the past few years? Mother doesn't remember. Well, that's right. I didn't grow up by your side since childhood. How could you know how I grew up?"
There was endless helplessness and bitterness in Du Guqing's tone, and even a hint of sneer. His mother, when she was Concubine Qin, didn't seem to be like this. Could that position really change a person so much?
"I understand, but your wife has been married into the family for almost two years and still has no children. This is against the rules." Guo Qiner was about to say something else, but Mei Qingxue couldn't stand it anymore. Why was it against the rules that she couldn't get pregnant?
Mei Qingxue lowered her eyes and didn't look at the Empress Dowager's face. She felt extremely ridiculous in her heart. Had she made a mistake by helping Du Guqing become the Emperor?
A smile played on Du Guqing's lips: "Mother, since Father is still in his prime, I'll just give the throne to him. I'll go back to the south of the Yangtze River and be the Prince Rui again. I don't care about the throne. All I want is a wife, that's all."
Loving beauty over the throne. What courage! A hint of pride appeared on Mei Qingxue's lips. How could the man she had chosen be wrong? Although it seemed that she hadn't taken a fancy to him at first.
"Qing'er." Guo Qiner called out bitterly. All she wanted was to hold her grandson earlier. What was wrong with that? Besides, when had there ever been an Emperor with only one woman? And abolishing the harem? Du Guqing really dared to say and do such things!
Guo Qiner didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. In the past, Du Guyou had many women, and she resented it. Now Du Guqing had only one woman, and she still resented it.
"Forget it. I won't interfere in your affairs anymore. I'll go back to the south of the Yangtze River with your father tomorrow." Guo Qiner's voice sounded much older. Du Guqing felt a little reluctant, but in order to prevent Mei Qingxue from suffering the same hardships as his mother, he persisted. Mei Qingxue looked at him gratefully. It was really rare for an ancient man to stand up for a woman like this.
Mei Qingxue knew history like the back of her hand and was also good at dealing with human relationships. It was just that her personality wasn't the kind that would flatter others.
Even after living ten lifetimes, this fact couldn't be changed.
"Mother, is Grandpa's leg getting better?" Du Guqing changed the topic. Since the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager were going back to the south of the Yangtze River tomorrow, Du Guqing felt relieved. He was afraid that they would make things difficult for Mei Qingxue. Since they were leaving, Mei Qingxue could do what she wanted. The things they had planned had been changed because of the sudden return of the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager.
"Your grandpa's leg is better when the weather is hot, but it acts up when it gets cold." Thinking of the old Duke's leg, a worried look appeared on Guo Qiner's brow. Her father was getting older, and his leg problem was making it hard for him to rest. When it acted up, he couldn't do without someone by his side. Fortunately, his grandchildren were all filial, which saved her a lot of trouble.
"Mother, your daughter - in - law once heard of a prescription. I don't know if it can relieve the old Duke's pain." Mei Qingxue remembered a way to treat rheumatism. Since the old Duke's leg only hurt when the weather changed, she just mentioned it casually.
"Then tell me about it."
"Just use a cloth bag, fill it with fried beans, tie it up, and put it on the painful leg. It's that simple, but you have to keep doing it."
"I'll try it when I get back." Guo Qiner secretly memorized the method. Then they all looked at Du Guyou, who had been sitting there silently for a long time.
"We'll go back to the south of the Yangtze River tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"
"Okay!" The Emperor Emeritus just nodded at the Empress Dowager without any hesitation.
"Alright, you can go now. You don't need to come and pay your respects tomorrow. We may leave early." Staying here couldn't change her son's mind. She had just said a few words to her daughter - in - law, and her son had already gotten unhappy.
So she would just let them be. She would just pretend that she hadn't received the General's letter.
Guo Qiner looked at her son, wanting to say something but stopped. Du Guqing knelt down in front of her: "Mother, you and Father must take good care of yourselves." The capital and the south of the Yangtze River were so far apart. He wanted to be with his family, but it was harder than climbing to the sky for their family to be reunited.
He might as well just let it be.
Mei Qingxue also knelt down beside Du Guqing. It wasn't her turn to speak now. She just knelt there and listened to the mother - son conversation. She lowered her head. How many times had she knelt today? Damn it. She was already the Queen, but she still had to kneel in front of the Empress Dowager. It was really a law of nature that a daughter - in - law and her mother - in - law couldn't get along.
"Alright, you can leave now!" Guo Qiner looked at Mei Qingxue's stomach helplessly. Hurry up and have a baby. She was really looking forward to it!
"Yes!"
Seeing the Empress Dowager looking at her stomach, Mei Qingxue felt extremely wronged. They were always nagging about whether she could get pregnant or not. Could she just get pregnant whenever she wanted?
Mei Qingxue was speechless. Since she became the Queen, her stomach had become the focus of everyone. As long as she didn't get pregnant, they would say that the Emperor should take concubines. What if she got pregnant in the future and gave birth to a daughter? They would say that a woman couldn't inherit the throne and that the Emperor should take more concubines to have more children to continue the imperial line.
The two of them left the Empress Dowager's palace. Mei Qingxue looked dejected. Du Guqing didn't know how to comfort his wife. After all, the old people's wishes were simple, and he couldn't say anything.
"Xue'er, does your leg still hurt?" Du Guqing still remembered that Mei Qingxue had knelt for a long time.
"It doesn't hurt anymore. It's okay. Mother didn't say anything bad. Really." After leaving the Empress Dowager's palace, Mei Qingxue started to speak good words for her mother - in - law. She really didn't want to play tricks with her husband here. If she didn't do so, no one would protect her in the next conflict between her and her mother - in - law. Mei Qingxue could see clearly and think more clearly.
So when she did things, she wouldn't make any mistakes.