Chapter 156 - 155: Rumors
Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Rumors
Rong Che glanced at Empress Dowager Su with a displeased expression and said, "Mother, don’t you know why I’m angry? Didn’t you come over just to reprimand me?"
After speaking, Rong Che strode back angrily, not even looking at the Empress Dowager behind him. He harbored resentment towards the Empress Dowager in his heart.
He clearly liked Han Ziyan, yet she was married off to Prince Yong Mansion. Is this really his mother?
The Empress Dowager felt a slight heaviness in her heart when she heard Rong Che’s words, her gaze darkened for a moment. This son of hers truly resented her now.
The Empress Dowager replied unemotionally, "You are the Emperor, why would Mother need to reprimand you? It’s just that right now, it’s not suitable for you to have too much conflict with your Uncle. Too much tension won’t benefit you. After all, you’ve just undertaken the affairs of governance, and you should focus your energy there. Those old ministers at court are all cunning and treacherous, you must stay alert to..."
Before she could finish, Rong Che impatiently interrupted her, "Mother also knows that all those old ministers at court are cunning and treacherous, right? They are all lackeys of Little Uncle. With him there, those old guys wouldn’t obey me at all. None of my decrees are carried out smoothly; they all evade and obstruct, or bring up old cases the Prince Regent dealt with."
"Do you think it’s humiliating for me as an Emperor to still follow the old cases of the Prince Regent?"
Recently, things had not been smooth for Rong Che at court, and coupled with the matters regarding Han Ziyan, his mood was extremely displeased, so even facing the Empress Dowager, he didn’t maintain his usual demeanor.
The Empress Dowager squinted at Rong Che, knowing that the more she spoke, the weaker their mother-son bond became. The Emperor in front of her was no longer the son who relied on her. He was the Emperor of Dayan, and he had his own ideas. If she interfered too much, she would only become his enemy.
If so, she and the Su Family would be alienated from the Emperor. With this in mind, the Empress Dowager decided not to say more and spoke with concern instead.
"Alright, since the Emperor is aware, I won’t say more. Oh, today I came to talk about something with the Emperor. Since the Emperor has now married the Empress and taken charge of court affairs, it’s time to select concubines."
"Selecting concubines serves two purposes: it extends the bloodline of the Imperial Family, and didn’t the Emperor say that those old ministers at court always evade issues? If the Emperor opens the harem and selects the daughters of those ministers opposing him as concubines, they will then be on the same boat and I doubt they would dare oppose the Emperor."
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished, the Little Emperor Rong Che’s eyes lit up immediately. That was indeed a good plan. Once those old ministers’ daughters entered the palace, he wanted to see if those old fellows would still dare to oppose him.
Rong Che’s mood finally improved a little, but he soon recalled his earlier harsh attitude towards the Empress Dowager and felt somewhat regretful. She was his mother, after all, and behind her was the Su Family, whom he still depended on as Emperor.
Rong Che’s expression softened again, and he turned back to support the Empress Dowager to sit down.
"I will leave the matter of selecting concubines to Mother. I trust that Mother will manage the harem well for me."
The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded, and the two of them once again displayed a harmonious mother-son relationship.
In the Yijing Courtyard of Prince Yong Mansion, Rong Ling had slept most of the day and was now awake, feeling well. Feng Qing was attending to him as he ate.
In the room, the steward Nan Sheng was reporting, "Prince, the rumors have been spread. The people in the Capital are all calling the Little Emperor ungrateful and cold-hearted."