The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 324 Zhaosheng Temple

Daming Palace.

At the turn of the day, the gray-black of the remaining night still shone through the paper window.

A group of young eunuchs stood cautiously on both sides of the steps of the newly built Zhaosheng Temple, their hands clasped and heads bowed.

The barrier was removed, and the young and dignified Consort Liang, Consort Luo, Consort Yang, Consort Wu, Consort Li, Consort Zhang, and others, along with the Emperor, emerged gracefully in their sacrificial robes.

Today is the anniversary of Consort Wang's death. The Holy Emperor rose early, washed, and went to the shrine. For dozens of days a year, he presided over various rituals for the gods and humans. One can only say that the job of a feudal emperor involved far too many sacrifices.

Upon entering the main hall, they saw the portrait and shrine of Consort Wang. The Holy Emperor knelt on a prayer mat, while the concubines knelt behind him according to their rank.

The waiting middlemen filed in, presenting dried fruit, jade coins, and the like.

The scent of agarwood permeated the tranquil space.

The concubines became solemn, kowtowed, and recited the sacrificial text.

"Heaven bestowed upon her a fine character and virtuous qualities."

"His appearance may be hidden in the Jade Pool, but his heart is a priceless treasure."

"Before his life was long, he passed away."

"With dreams now closed, I respectfully inquire after your well-being..."

After the prayers were completed, the concubines rose one by one to offer incense.

The sage seemed to be in a meditative state, simply pressing his palms together and murmuring scriptures.

He Yuqing and the other concubines who had returned with incense dared not disturb them. They rested their hands on the prayer mats, secretly rubbing their knees and slightly twisting their bodies as they waited anxiously.

After a long while, he finished blessing Wang Meiren with a scroll of the Diamond Sutra.

The sage then changed his movements, placing his ten fingers on his brow and bowing deeply to the ground before the true face: "Rebirth and transcendence, future enlightenment."

"Reincarnation and transcendence..." The concubines followed in a chaotic uproar.

The candlelight flickered and burned. The emperor slowly stood up and said to Nangong, who was in charge of Xuanhui Academy, and Shangguan Shen, the director of Yeting, "Today is the anniversary of his death. Give each palace servant of Zhaosheng Temple ten thousand coins."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The palace servants quickly expressed their gratitude.

Having said that, the sage did not linger any longer, turned around and went to the Cloud-Turning and Rain-Covering Tower to see his daughter.

I received the report on the way to Zhaosheng Temple. Tianxianjun went into labor at midnight and just gave birth to a daughter. This is their fourth child—well, their sixth, they also have an "adopted son" Zhu Youzhen and a "stepdaughter" Zhu Lingya.

Thinking about it, he realized he hadn't let the Empress rest at all; her belly hadn't been empty since she entered the court. It was fortunate she was a married woman, and a typical Yan woman, capable of withstanding such torment.

Of course, in this era, there weren't many divas.

After Yang Xingmi's daughter, Princess Xunyang Yang Miaoyan, was taken in by Liu Xin, she bore him twelve children in twenty-two years without stopping. Under such intense torment, she died in her thirties.

It's true that beauty doesn't suffer.

Even a delicate young woman from Jiangnan could give birth to twelve children in a row. With the Empress's physical condition, twenty children shouldn't be her limit, right?

However, the diva is already 34 years old this year. Based on the normal menopausal period, she only has ten years left to have the procedure. There's also a higher risk of having Down syndrome, and the diva herself may also experience pregnancy complications.

What a pain!

"What are you thinking about?" Zhao asked, noticing that the emperor was distracted.

"It's nothing," the sage said casually.

"You're worried about Zhang Hui, aren't you?" Ah Zhao said with a smile, reassuring her, "It's alright. At her age, she's usually fine. Just make sure she gets enough nourishment. I'll bring her some things tomorrow."

Nangong felt annoyed just hearing Zhang Hui's name, and hearing that A Zhao was showing her favor only increased her disgust. She muttered "dog" under her breath, though it was unclear who she was referring to. The concubines and the imperial attendants exchanged knowing smiles, assuming she was cursing Zhang Hui.

After all, this wasn't the first or second time that Nangong and his gang had publicly humiliated Zhang Hui.

The sage remained silent.

The intention was good, but Ah Zhao... why did you say "at her age"?

These words are like a thousand needles.

Ah Zhao was a thoughtful person. Seeing that the emperor did not respond, she realized that her words were inappropriate and made amends by saying, "I did not mean that she was old, but that she was older than us."

Given her relationship with the saint, there was no need for such a thing.

She also disliked Zhang Hui, but in her heart, the emperor's happiness was more important than the matter itself. She cared more about her husband's feelings than her own. Since Zhang Hui could bring her a kind of happiness he couldn't provide, what was wrong with accepting her?

Nangong scoffed: "That slut was already old."

“Nangong.” A Zhao glanced at her.

"I wasn't talking about you." Nangong retorted without backing down: "Is the Imperial Concubine siding with outsiders?"

"Alright," the sage called out in time, "You're arguing over Zhang Hui... She's old, and you're not wrong."

The sage smiled and said, "I do like the Celestial Immortal, but you have always been the most important people to me. Why should Ah Zhao be afraid of upsetting me by talking about her?"

In front of so many people, he certainly wouldn't let Ah Zhao lower her status and bow down to the Empress, lest the outside world interpret it as Ah Zhao being inferior to the Empress in his heart.

Nangong's mood improved slightly.

Ah Zhao forced a smile, but her heart was filled with sweetness. She understood the sage's meaning—avoid saying things detrimental to unity. But speaking up for her, flattering her, showing that he valued her, and knowing the importance of things—still made her very happy.

"Let's go." The emperor took the imperial concubine's hand and strolled hand in hand, starting a new topic: "This time I plan to bring Prince Liang along."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Ah Zhao's eyes, but he immediately pondered and hesitated, "My eldest son is still young. To get involved in the military so early, I..."

“Yes, that’s why I’m asking for your opinion first.” The sage changed the subject, allaying A Zhao’s concerns: “It is a bit early, but it doesn’t mean sending Da Lang to charge into battle. For us, who are enduring hardship and danger, the safety is actually not much different.”

The palace and Chang'an are certainly safer, but—

The sage did not want his children to one day fall into the same situation as the descendants of Yang Xingmi, Li Keyong, Liu Zhiyuan, and Ma Yin.

He did not want his children to suffer the same fate as the imperial families of Liu Song, Xiao Qi, Xiao Liang, Northern Wei, and Eastern Wei, facing slaughter and being captured like ducks in a line.

The descendants of the Li family must firmly grasp their own destiny.

Ah Zhao remained silent.

Consort Shu, standing to the side, felt a stirring in her heart. She lowered her eyes, pinching the tiger's mouth of her right hand with her left hand, and then pinching the tiger's mouth of her left hand with her right hand, over and over again, seemingly lost in thought.

"How so?" the sage pressed.

"I..." Ah Zhao closed his eyes tightly, extremely conflicted. He was afraid something might happen to his son.

She also feared that her love and controlling nature would suffocate her son, put her husband in a difficult position, and anger her family. The benefits that her eldest son received from the successor qualification assessment and training far exceeded what any powerful family could achieve even after several generations of struggle.

What I fear even more is that, spoiled, Dalang will become useless and a naive fool in this chaotic world.

Blind compassion is dangerous; superficial love can destroy a nation.

If Dalang were mediocre, she would refuse without hesitation.

But now it seems he's destined not to be an unknown king. I can't be the one who holds him back.

Moreover, even if Zhao Ruxin's son cannot become the dragon or phoenix she hopes for, he must still be a remarkable person.

They either die on the throne or on the throne itself.

Either die on the way to that place!
Thinking of this, Zhao Ruxin recalled Dalang's face, as well as the eagerness that Zhao Jia, Zhao Fu, Zhao Cun, Zhao En, Zhao Hui, Amonan, and Dou Biao always showed.

Her throat felt dry and bitter, and her mind was filled with a whirlwind of thoughts.

“I have seen how much the Emperor values ​​my eldest son.” Zhao Ruxin hesitated for a moment, but then spoke her mind without realizing it: “I will absolutely support any of your ideas that are correct. I am not the kind of mother who spoils her son… As long as my eldest son is well, what does it matter if there are some risks? There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”

"The Holy Ruler has granted my request so many times, this time, I will grant the Holy Ruler's request."

Ah Zhao suddenly sighed.

The emperor smiled with satisfaction and turned to the absent-minded Consort Shu, saying, "King Wu is in charge of the state. This boy is sometimes careless and negligent, and his character still needs tempering. You should communicate with him more and give him some advice."

Consort Shu looked at the loving couple with their fingers intertwined.

That spot next to me used to be hers.

Seeing Consort Zhao again, adorned in red and green, though she wasn't the stunning beauty of Zhang Hui or Zhang Hui I'd seen before, the gentle tenderness and affection in her lowered head, the resilience and grace in her raised head, coupled with the air of someone with a vast knowledge of literature…

Then I thought about my family background, culture, and experiences...

Consort Shu simply smiled sadly.

"Don't overthink it." The sage bent down and plucked a flower, just as everyone was speculating about its meaning and who it would be given to.

Under the watchful gaze of Consort Shu, whose eyes were red-rimmed, he placed the flowers in her hair, saying, "Those mountain hawthorns are not as good as these lake lotuses."

Consort Shu forced a smile, her slender hand carefully touching the flower in her hair: "I... I'm actually fine. Your Majesty's thoughts are the most important, I understand."

The emperor looked at her and suddenly felt that Consort Shu was exceptionally beautiful today.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the nine-flower hairpin in her hair, refracting into a rainbow of colors. Her fair and delicate face appeared even more radiant in the sunlight, and coupled with her long, open-necked dress that revealed her cleavage, she was truly captivating.

Consort Shu seemed to rediscover the feeling of being infatuated with him, but feigned modesty by half-covering her face. She lowered her head shyly and murmured, "Da Lang, Pingyuan, and Lizhi really want to see you. Could you come to Xuanwu Palace tonight? I'll host a small banquet, and our family can have a chat and a deeper conversation..."

To show such a feverish expression in front of so many people, it seems he's been thoroughly trained and has lost all sense of propriety. From initial resistance, to half-hearted compliance, to giving up, to now being extremely obsequious and actively seeking to be led around in a collar.

"Good." The sage held two jade stones the size of pigeon eggs in his hand.

He turned it around and played with it, but the women all had strange expressions on their faces.

Nangong looked at Luo Fu, Liang Xiaoyao, and Wu Lingxian, who were all filled with shame.

It seems that these are the three I should be carrying with me today, right?

As they chatted, when the group arrived at the Cloud-Turning Pavilion in the eastern part of the imperial city, Nangong, Rounu, and the others spat at the courtyard gate: "As expected of a bitch, she really can give birth!" and turned to leave.

"Nan! Gong! Chong! Yan! You wait tonight." After bidding farewell to everyone, the Sage entered the building.

.........

The Cloud-Turning and Rain-Covering Tower, though called a tower, is actually quite large. It has a complete set of pavilions, terraces, and other buildings. The Minister of Works, who was in charge of the project, knew that the emperor cared about the Celestial Lord, and thoughtfully designed landscapes such as artificial mountains, flowing water, bamboo forests, lotus ponds, and peach orchards.

In a dimly lit room in the east wing courtyard, Zhang Hui, drenched in sweat and blood, lay panting heavily on the bed, astonished that she had survived again. She weakly reached out her hand towards a blurry figure: "The child... let me see... is it a boy or a girl?"

"Wait, don't rush." ​​Zhang Yueyi washed her sister's body, brought her food and water, and warmed up some milk: "Eat first."

Zhu Lingya teased the baby in the swaddling clothes, giggling happily: "We have a little sister again!"

"Empress Dowager~" Footsteps suddenly came, and the Sage strode in.

Zhu Lingya, like a startled fawn, immediately hid behind the screen.

"Why did it take you so long, Li Lang?" Zhang Yueyi complained when she saw him, "My sister almost died! If something had really gone wrong..."

Hearing this voice, Zhang Hui seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"My dear, thank you for your hard work, Second Sister." The Emperor pinched Zhang Yueyi's cheek, smiled, and sat down by the bed, looking at the Empress with her disheveled hair: "Does it still hurt?"

"It must hurt," Shi Fei said resentfully.

"Why are you crying..." The sage smoothed the empress's hair.

There's nothing else to it, I just don't know who I am, and I just feel like I'm destined for misery.

"Thank you for your hard work, Empress." Zhang Hui was difficult to coax, and even the Emperor didn't know how to coax her.

The diva blinked her big eyes silently: "It's not hard work, it's just a hard life."

"When did you learn to be funny?"

"Am I not destined for misery?" The Queen struggled to sit up, her body a mixture of white and black: "Tears soaked the millet rice, in the next life my tongue will be pickled in a sugar jar... The gold and jade you gave me are like a coffin inlaid with gold and jade."

This woman is becoming increasingly abstract.

But I like it so much! The sage embraced her and gently patted her back: "Everything will be alright. In a few days, I'll take you to see the Western Sea, the desert, and the grasslands."

The Empress leaned on his shoulder, breathing softly. The Sage took the child and looked at him carefully for a while: "He looks just like you again. Do you have any ideas for a name? You can choose one this time."

"Is it a daughter?..." The Empress's weary gaze fell on the swaddled baby in the Emperor's arms: "I named her Zhu Lingya, hoping that she would be elegant as a daughter, not falling into the mundane world... I didn't have any ideas at the moment. The only images that came to mind were wisdom, virtue, gentleness, and beauty, which were rather cliché."

“Then think about it carefully.” The sage lifted his daughter up and down, and laughed, “Let me give you some ideas… Shu can refer to demeanor and personality, such as Ruyi, Wan, Jun, and Lian. Zhi can refer to a wise person, such as Wei, Ying, Zhi, and Dao…”

Before she could finish speaking, the Empress, her eyes already hazy with desire, whispered in the Sage's ear as if in a dream: "I hope she is a smart woman, unlike me, who has suffered endless hardships and torments in this life... Zhizi, Zhiyuan, you choose one."

"Li Zhizi, Li Zhiyuan... they're both quite good." They seemed to be the Empress's daughters. Which was better? The former had a Taoist nun-like air, the latter a strong Buddhist aura. The Sage savored the porridge and dishes, then fed the Empress spoonful by spoonful. The Empress, who had previously remained silent despite Zhang Yueyi's earnest pleas, quietly opened her mouth and obediently accepted the feeding.

The two chatted casually.

(End of this chapter)