readsfreenovel Chapter 414 Princess Pearl
Chapter 414 Princess Pearl
Emperor Shenwu pointed at the Sixth Prince and said, "My son, tell me first, what's going on?"
The Sixth Prince clasped his fists and saluted, "Father, Third Brother was too enthusiastic and insisted on sparring with me. It's also my fault that I couldn't resist fighting in the palace because I was itching to do so."
Emperor Shenwu looked at the eldest prince. The eldest prince knew very well that the third prince's inappropriate remarks would make Emperor Shenwu angry. It would be better to let the third prince admit to a serious crime of instability. Presumably, his father would not investigate the matter further.
"Father, the situation is just as Sixth Prince said. It's my fault for not stopping my two younger brothers."
The Second Prince naturally understood this and said, "Yes, Father."
The Third Prince was filled with rage and had a lot to say, but the Emperor Shenwu bypassed him. The Fourth Prince was far away in the Imperial Mausoleum, so the Emperor Shenwu then asked the Fifth Prince, "Speak!"
The fifth prince hesitated for a moment, but still gritted his teeth and said, "It is just as my eldest and second brothers said."
The Seventh Prince was somewhat indignant. He had been doted on by his father, the Emperor, and his mother, the Empress Dowager, since he was young. Because he was born weak, the Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu had never asked too much of him. In his opinion, his Third Brother should be punished for slandering his mother. The Seventh Prince glanced at his brother and said, "Yes, Father, what you said is right!"
Emperor Shenwu then looked at the princes one by one and said, "Brothers should be friendly and respectful. They should flourish with inheritance and achieve success with virtue."
The Third Prince was stunned when he heard the Emperor Shenwu ask, "Third Prince, what do you mean? What happened that day?"
The Third Prince thought of the Sixth Prince's disrespect for his mother and wanted to make a scene. However, the scene before him made his anger deflate like a ball. He could not think of anything to say: "Yes... yes, Father, what the Sixth Prince said is true."
The Third Prince was unable to utter anything else, and Emperor Shenwu could not help but feel disappointed in him again. If he had stood firm for his mother, Emperor Shenwu would have praised him for his courage. However, the Third Prince only knew how to bully some palace servants. He could not defeat the Sixth Prince, and he did not even dare to tell the truth to himself. What great things could he accomplish!
Emperor Shenwu said calmly, "I give you these sixteen words: Brothers are friends, respectful and polite, success is achieved through inheritance, and virtue is achieved! And you all, think carefully about this."
Emperor Shenwu didn't say anything else. It was not realistic to ask the royal brothers to love each other blindly.
"You are brothers connected by blood. Even though you were born into the royal family, I hope you can support and complement each other!"
All the princes replied, "Son, I will learn from you!"
Li Xiang stood aside like a wooden statue, but his mind was as clear as a mirror. Today's scolding was directed at the third prince, and the other princes were just mentioned in passing.
It was obvious that the princes in the palace knew what was going on, especially the third prince, whose face was so blue and black that it was almost unbearable to look at.
Emperor Shenwu stopped paying attention to the Third Prince and asked about the affairs of the court. Except for the Fifth and Seventh Princes, the remaining princes had all entered the court.
The biggest issue facing the previous dynasty right now was that Grand Master Shi was retiring. He could have cut off his ties to save his own country, but Emperor Shenwu couldn't be so heartless. The Shi family was a prominent and prestigious clan, naturally benefiting from numerous aristocratic families, officials, and scholars. Furthermore, Grand Master Shi was a veteran of two dynasties, and Emperor Shenwu couldn't let the officials of the previous dynasty down.
Years ago, Emperor Shenwu had rejected the memorial from Master Shi to retire and return home, and only stated that he could rest well in his mansion. He sent an imperial physician to Master Shi's mansion and rewarded him with a bunch of medicinal herbs.
The Imperial Tutor was grateful on the surface, but his heart was becoming increasingly blocked. The Emperor had asked him to recuperate, but he never mentioned letting him return to the court. If he wanted to enter the court again in the future, he would probably have to find another way out. The Imperial Tutor had considered giving up power and returning home, but after being in a high position for so long, even if he didn't fight for it, the group of people behind him would not give up, and they would continue to push him forward.
"The day after tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. I will be hosting a banquet for all civil and military officials, as well as royal relatives. Your grandmother and mother are not feeling well, so remember to have your wives enter the palace as soon as possible on that day."
A while ago, Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu were busy with New Year worship, banquets and other matters and had no time to spare. Fortunately, with the help of Concubine Jiang and Concubine Liang, they finally managed to get through the first few days of the New Year.
The married princes quickly agreed. When it came to the princesses, Emperor Shenwu asked, "The eldest princess is in a very heavy state, so there's no need for her to work so hard."
The eldest prince's face brightened visibly, "Thank you for your concern, Father. I will ask Shen to be careful."
Emperor Shenwu asked just one question and then turned to ask other things.
A moment later, a commotion erupted from the side hall. The Third Prince looked to the side and saw the Seventh Princess approaching cautiously, holding a cup of tea. She looked only at the Emperor, her eyes aglow, her petal-like lips etched with a faint smile. A group of palace attendants surrounded the Seventh Princess, on high alert, fearing she might drop her hand and smash the cup, potentially injuring herself. That would be a serious matter!
When Emperor Shenwu saw his little daughter, his brows relaxed immediately: "Yueyue, go slower."
The princes only caught a whiff of the faint floral fragrance, light yet refreshing and pleasant. The Third Prince curled his lips slightly. In terms of favor, all of them combined couldn't match the "Pearl of the Palm" Princess. His younger sister had been raised in their father's arms since childhood, receiving such unbridled favors like no other prince or princess. Of course, the Seventh Princess was favored differently from the Sixth Prince, who was highly regarded by the Emperor Shenwu. She was truly the apple of the eye. Not to mention the insignificant concubine princesses, even Princess Mingzhu, the daughter of the Empress Yuan, couldn't even be compared to Princess Mingzhu. The word "Pearl" was a blatant mockery of the eldest princess. No wonder Princess Mingzhu was so frustrated and angry that she was about to go mad.
Princess Zhou Chengyue is the apple of the eye of Emperor Shenwu and the Empress!
At this time, the seventh princess finally walked in front of Emperor Shenwu. She was already ten years old. She bent her knees gracefully, and her posture and demeanor were quite similar to Lan Qingwu's.
Emperor Shenwu quickly reached out and took the fragrant tea from the Seventh Princess's hand: "Yueyue, please stand up! You've personally made tea for your father again. Didn't I tell you not to worry too much? Just let the palace maids do these things!"
The Seventh Princess smiled sweetly, her eyes dark and bright: "How can the palace maids brew the same as my daughter's? Father, please try it. Yueyue has calculated the time and it's just right to drink it now!"
The Emperor Shenwu naturally would not let his little daughter down, and immediately took a sip of tea and said, "Very good!"
The Seventh Princess smiled sweetly, then turned to her brothers: "Greetings to all the royal brothers! Father, I hope Yueyue didn't disturb you!"
Emperor Shenwu pulled his little daughter to sit on the dragon throne. "No, Yueyue, sit down and rest for a while. What else did you do today?"