freenovelworld Chapter 976 [Fragrant Honey: Zhou Shengru Gu 2]
Chapter 976 [Fragrant Honey: Zhou Shengru Gu 2]
Liu Hui hurriedly took a few steps forward and said with a smile, "Mother Gao, please take a seat over here." As he spoke, he pointed to the direction of the seat with his hand.
Empress Dowager Gao nodded slightly and responded, "Your Majesty is really thoughtful." She walked gracefully to the chair and sat down slowly.
At this time, Zhou Shengchen, who had been standing aside, saw Empress Dowager Gao, and immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your humble servant greets the Empress Dowager." His voice was loud and solemn.
Queen Mother Gao gently waved her hand and said in a gentle tone: "Little Prince Nanchen, there is no need to be so polite."
On the other side, Qi Zhenzhen saw that the situation had been settled. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not change the situation in front of her. She couldn't help but get angry. She secretly wondered who was so bold as to invite Queen Mother Gao!
At this time, Queen Mother Gao turned to look at Zhou Shengchen and asked, "Young Prince Nanchen, how long do you plan to stay in Zhongzhou this time?" There was some curiosity and concern in her eyes.
Zhou Shengchen replied calmly: "My lady-in-law, I will stay until the day of the funeral. After seeing my brother off for the last time, I will return to Western Zhou." His tone was firm, as if he had already made the decision.
Hearing this, Liu Hui hurriedly said: "Uncle, can't you stay in Zhongzhou for a while longer? I really need your help." There was a hint of earnestness in his words.
However, Zhou Shengchen shook his head and said seriously: "No, Your Majesty. Back then, I swore a vow that I would never set foot in Zhongzhou in my lifetime. Now I have made an exception and come here, but it will absolutely not be possible for me to enter Zhongzhou again in the future." After saying that, he looked firmly into the distance, as if recalling the heavy vow he had once made.
At this moment, Cui Guang, who had been silent all the time, suddenly spoke up and said, "Your Majesty, I wonder if the marriage contract made by the late emperor still counts?" His words were like a stone thrown into a lake, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
"Master Cui, the late emperor once clearly stated that Miss Cui should be the Crown Princess! But now that the Emperor has ascended the throne, naturally there is no longer any talk of a Crown Prince. In my opinion, it would be better to carefully select a suitable child from the royal family, enthrone him as the Crown Prince, and then give Miss Cui to him in marriage. What do you think?" Qi Zhenzhen spoke slowly, but her eyes occasionally glanced at the people beside her, as if she wanted to observe their reactions to the proposal.
"Empress Dowager Qi, are you planning to burn your bridges after crossing them? Since the late emperor has already issued an edict to grant the marriage, then this Miss Cui should naturally become the empress. Your Majesty, what do you think?" Empress Dowager Gao responded earnestly, her eyes firm and sharp, staring straight at Qi Zhenzhen, as if she wanted to see through her true thoughts.
"What Queen Mother Gao said is very true. I have decided to enthrone Cui Shiyi, the daughter of Jun Wenjun, the head of the Shuifang family of Junshiwu, a prominent family in Northern Chen, as the queen from today, and order her to enter the palace on a certain day." Liu Hui nodded without hesitation, his voice loud and decisive, and it was obvious that he was full of confidence in his decision.
Hearing this, Qi Zhenzhen couldn't help but frown, feeling secretly annoyed. She had originally hoped to let her own Qi family girl ascend the throne of queen to consolidate the family power. But she didn't expect that the emperor would make such a decision so easily, completely disregarding her wishes.
"Your Majesty, you..." Qi Zhenzhen couldn't help but want to refute, but she swallowed the words back when they came to her lips. She was obviously the emperor's biological mother, but the emperor did not support her.
"What's the matter? Is Empress Dowager Qi dissatisfied with the Emperor's decision?" Upon seeing this, Empress Dowager Gao immediately seized the opportunity to ask, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a barely perceptible sense of pride.
"Sister, you are joking. How dare I be dissatisfied with the emperor's actions? I just couldn't come to my senses for a moment." Qi Zhenzhen suppressed her anger and forced a smile on her face. However, her clenched fists betrayed her true mood at the moment.
"That's good. Is there anything else? If nothing else, I will go back to the palace to rest." Empress Dowager Gao nodded slightly and spoke slowly. Her eyes swept over everyone, with a hint of majesty and fatigue.
Cui Guang, who was standing aside, strode forward and bowed respectfully, saying: "Your humble servant greets the Queen Mother Gao! Queen Mother Gao, your humble servant has a presumptuous request, and I hope you can grant it." His voice was low and earnest, which made people curious about what he was asking for.
Queen Mother Gao raised her eyebrows slightly, looked at Cui Guang with interest, and said, "Oh? Tell me about it."
Cui Guang took a deep breath and said carefully, "This matter concerns Princess Changle." As soon as he finished speaking, Youyou, who had been watching the show silently, was shocked. She didn't expect that the topic would suddenly turn to her.
Youyou calmed down and said in a clear voice, "Master Cui, please feel free to speak."
Cui Guang cast a grateful glance at Youyou and continued, "I have heard that Princess Changle is the favorite disciple of Emperor Nan, with great martial arts and outstanding talent. I wonder if Princess Changle is willing to accept Miss Shiyi as her disciple?"
Hearing this, Youyou looked embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I'm afraid this is not appropriate. After all, Miss Shiyi is the future queen. As the queen of a country, how can you easily take someone else as your master? This is really a bit difficult..."
With an earnest look on his face, Liu Hui advised sincerely, "Sister Huaiyang, please be kind and agree to this matter! We are teaching others anyway, so what's the harm in having one more person?" He stared at the woman in front of him with expectant eyes, as if waiting for her to give a satisfactory answer.
At this time, Youyou nodded slightly, opened her red lips and responded: "Since the emperor has already spoken, Lord Cui should send Shiyi to the palace in three days." Her voice was crisp and pleasant, like a yellow oriole singing out of a valley.
Hearing this, Cui Guang hurriedly bowed and thanked, "Thank you, Princess Changle, for your help." His expression was full of gratitude.
Queen Mother Gao, who had been silent the whole time, slowly spoke up at this moment: "Little Prince Nanchen, I still keep the palace where you used to live for you. You can stay in the palace tonight, and we will escort the late emperor out of the palace together tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shengchen stood up, clasped his fists and bowed, saying respectfully: "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law." After that, he watched Empress Dowager Gao and Youyou turn around and leave, and then the others also walked out of the hall.
As night fell and the lights came on, a bright moon hung high in the sky. Zhou Shengchen sat alone at the palace gate, looking up at the cold moon, as if thinking about something.
Suddenly, a sound of light footsteps came from far away. Zhou Shengchen looked in the direction of the sound and saw Youyou approaching with an exquisite food box in her hand. When she came closer, Youyou smiled and said softly, "I guess you must not have eaten in the evening, so I brought you some cakes." As she spoke, she gently opened the lid of the food box, and an alluring sweet fragrance immediately filled her nose.
Zhou Shengchen stared at Youyou and said slowly, "Actually, I've been waiting for you here."
Youyou was startled when she heard this, her beautiful eyes widened, and she asked in surprise: "How could you guess that I would come?"
Zhou Shengchen raised the corner of his mouth slightly and nodded in response, "Not bad." The moonlight fell on his handsome face, adding a sense of mystery.