Chapter 395: On New Year's Eve, the Emperor Was Furious (Part 2)

In the end, Su Waner could not overcome Chen Longxiang's persistence, and with an uneasy mood boarded the Tang Dynasty Navy's "Japanese Destroyer" super warship that had returned to Beijing from Nanpo Port in Goguryeo.

Dozens of naval warships returning to Beijing this time will enter the waters of the Liaodong Peninsula of the Tang Dynasty via the Changshan Islands, then go south along the Yellow Sea to the East China Sea, and finally transfer to the estuary of the Yangtze River in the East China Sea, along the The Yangtze River goes all the way north to the imperial city of the capital.

When the naval fleet returning to Beijing arrived at the Stone City Pier outside Jinling City, it was already the evening of the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, a traditional New Year's Eve in the south.

Both inside and outside the huge Jinling City were already immersed in a festive and peaceful festival atmosphere.

As one of the docks with the largest water transport passenger flow outside Jinling City, the Stone City dock is also enveloped in a lively festive atmosphere.

On the deck of the Japanese warship, the former Queen Mother Su Waner, who returned to Jinling City after two years, looked at the dim lights in the direction of Jinling City and the colorful lights reflected on the river outside the Stone City Pier. Light and shadow, watching the lively scene of tourists in front of you;

In a daze, her mind flashed back to the scene when she first entered Jinling City;

It also recalled the scenes when she used to have different identities as the Crown Princess, the Queen and the Queen Mother, and she would parade along the Yangtze River and Qinhuai River on New Year's Eve every year, accepting the admiration of thousands of people;

Of course, one cannot avoid recalling the unforgettable memories of the time when the traitor Qin Ruhui of the previous dynasty usurped power, stole the country, and supported the puppet emperor Zhao Lingzhan, and drove their mother and son out of Jinling City;

For a moment, Su Waner had tears in her eyes and mixed emotions. She wanted to stand on the deck and shout in the direction of Jinling City: I'm back!

In the end, he was still controlled by his own reason.

Su Waner knew very well that by returning to Beijing rashly this time, she risked the wrath of the current sage, Long Yan, and might lose her head;

Therefore, before receiving "extralegal mercy" from Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian, he should not keep a low profile any longer.

Jin King Chen Longxiang, who was standing beside her, seemed to have noticed Wan'er's emotional changes. He gently hugged Su Wan'er beside him and promised her again: "Wan'er, don't worry, everything is up to me!"

Um!

At this point, Su Waner could only nod her head heavily.

Soon, thousands of soldiers under Chen Longxiang came to report that all the princes who had returned to Beijing had left the dock. Only then did Chen Longxiang order the accompanying soldiers to take him from the Goguryeo Peninsula to his mother, the emperor's brother and his two sons. All the gifts prepared by the sisters-in-law were unloaded from the ship and loaded into the truck.

He then rode on the back of the yellow gelding, personally escorted Su Waner and her group, and headed straight for the imperial city.

Xu hour.

At this time in the past, the Xuanwu Gate (North Gate) entering and exiting Jinling City had already been closed.

However, considering that all the civil and military officials of the second rank and above from various places have to enter the city to meet the saint recently, the closing time of Xuanwu Gate has been postponed by one hour. Officials from various places can enter the city with customs clearance documents.

When King Chen Longxiang of the Jin Dynasty arrived at Xuanwu Gate with a team of people and several carriages, thousands of military households guarding the city gate would inspect the people entering the city and their luggage as usual.

When the Qianhu inspected the accompanying carriage, Jin King Chen Longxiang, who was riding on horseback, couldn't help but scolded: "How outrageous. In the carriage is the beautiful girl I selected in Goguryeo for the current emperor. What are you doing?" dare?"

Forehead--

Chen Longxiang's sharp shout made the private soldier Qianhu stop what he was doing.

The next moment, he hurriedly smiled at Chen Longxiang and said: "Your Majesty, I am also following orders. Wei Guogong personally ordered that all officials from various places coming and going from the capital and their entourage and the salutes they carry must be interrogated;"

"Your Majesty, please don't embarrass me!"

After saying that, Qianhu nodded and bowed, and continued with an apologetic smile: "Why don't you ask the prince to help you open the door curtain of this carriage? I just need to take a look to confirm the identity of the person inside!"

"you--"

Chen Longxiang was furious and stared at this Qianhu fiercely for a long time.

Finally, he sullenly opened the door curtain of the first carriage with the saber in his hand. Sitting inside were two timid young women clinging to each other.

After just a startling glance, Chen Longxiang lowered the curtain of the carriage.

Then, without saying a word, he opened the door curtain of the second carriage, and sitting inside was none other than the former Queen Mother Su Waner.

However, Su Waner, who had been well prepared, had already covered her face with a veil and turban. Coupled with the relatively dark light inside the carriage, the thousands of households outside could not see the faces of the people inside at all.

The Qianhu on duty was naturally not so frightened that he held up a lantern to take a closer look, and he did not dare to ask the woman on the carriage to take off her veil and headscarf so that he could see clearly.

If that were to happen, this little soldier would probably have to weigh whether the head on his neck was stronger or the blade of the ring-headed sword in Jin Wang Chen Longxiang's hand that could be unsheathed at any time.

After a routine inspection, this Qianhu was busy smiling to King Jin Chen Longxiang and personally watched King Jin and his entourage enter the city.

"My lord, please walk slowly!"

snort!

All that was left to this Qianhu was Chen Longxiang's proud back and a cold snort.

After entering the city, Chen Longxiang settled Su Waner in his palace in Jinling City. He planned to go to the palace the next day to find out what his brother Chen Huaian said.

After a night.

Chen Longxiang put on clean Chinese clothes and went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the palace early to attend the morning court.

At the court meeting, he finally met his imperial brother Chen Huaian after more than half a year.

Today's court meeting is still the same things that are often talked about. It is nothing more than the construction progress of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the construction progress of the new palace that moved the capital to Chang'an Prefecture, as well as the construction of the Great Wall outside the territory and the "end of the year" and officials from all over the Tang Dynasty. Plans for the new year and more.

They are all complicated, but they are issues related to people's livelihood and the development of the dynasty, and they have to be dealt with.

During this court meeting, Jin King Chen Longxiang felt drowsy after hearing that he was "simple-minded but well-developed limbs", which made him more determined to leave the court;

Instead of experiencing these trivial matters every day, he would rather go to the Goguryeo Peninsula to be an idle prince.

Chen Longxiang planned to go to the imperial brother to pay his respects alone after he retired from the court, and then see if he could go to the harem to have a dinner with his mother and queen with him.

Finally, standing next to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian in the Jinluan Hall, the eunuch Cai He, the eunuch Bingbi, shouted with a sharp voice to the people in the court: "Retreat from the court——"

Chen Longxiang, who was originally drowsy, cheered up at this moment.

He went against the civil and military officials who were retreating in an orderly manner, and before Zhaowu Emperor Chen Huaian left the Jinluan Palace, he got to the latter's side and said hello: "Your Majesty, I'm back!"

oh?

Hearing this, Chen Huaian stopped as expected.

He turned to look at his younger brother, Chen Longxiang, who had grown to be as tall as him and whose original body was getting fuller. He raised his hand and punched Chen Longxiang in the chest;

Then, he said with a smile: "Long Xiang, I haven't seen you for more than half a year. You have grown taller and stronger."

"Not bad, not bad!"

Chen Huaian circled around Chen Longxiang, feeling deeply relieved to see his younger brother Chen Longxiang who had lost his childishness and grown into an adult;

Then, he praised without hesitation: "Long Xiang, I have heard about your performance in the army through the memorials and military reports sent by the Korean public. You did a good job and did not lose my face. It did not disgrace the Jin Palace;"

"After another three to five years of training in the army, I can rest assured that I will put more burdens on your shoulders and let you take charge of your own affairs and defend the Tang Dynasty!"

"Brother, I obey the order, hehe!"

Chen Longxiang grinned. In front of the imperial brother Chen Huaian, he still looked like a grown-up child.

Just when he was about to ask if he could go to Cining Palace with his imperial brother to pay respects to his mother and have a dinner by the way, Xiao Po, the commander of the Jinwu Guard over there, came in a hurry to report——

"Your Majesty, King Zhao and envoys from various countries are waiting at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Please leave to the Hall of Supreme Harmony as soon as possible!"

"Okay, I understand!"

Chen Huaian waved his hand, turned around and told Chen Longxiang: "Longxiang, today you go to Cining Palace to pay your respects to your mother. We haven't seen you for such a long time, and my mother misses you very much."

After thinking for a while, he added another sentence and said: "By the way, you can go and discuss with the queen mother. The Korean father will protect you and arrange a marriage between you and the youngest daughter of the King of Jiujiang;"

"I think it's pretty good!"

"Go!"

After saying that, Chen Huaian stopped caring about his younger brother Chen Longxiang and, surrounded by Xiao Po and his party, hurriedly moved to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to receive the envoys from various countries.

Eh——

Chen Longxiang sighed, and finally left angrily, going to Cining Palace alone to pay his respects to his mother, Queen Xu Ruoyun.

In the next few days, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huaian was busy meeting with ministers from various places, as well as envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty from Southeast Asian and Western countries, and his schedule was full.

As a result, King Chen Longxiang of Jin could not find the opportunity or time to find out what the emperor's brother was saying.

In addition, the queen mother Xu Ruoyun, after learning that the Korean father Chen Qingzhi was a matchmaker and wanted to match up the marriage between his youngest son Chen Longxiang and the youngest daughter of the King of Jiujiang, they kept urging Chen Longxiang to hurry up and set the date on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Get married.

In desperation, Chen Longxiang, who couldn't hide the matter in his heart, finally confessed to his mother Xu Ruoyun at the dinner party on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month.

Chen Longxiang said: "Mother, in fact, my son already has someone he likes, and she already has his flesh and blood in her belly;"

"The imperial doctor said that she was carrying a boy in her belly!"

"What?"

In Cining Palace, Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun, who was eating boiled mutton, was extremely shocked and stared at her youngest son Chen Longxiang in disbelief for a long time.

He even stood up and came to Chen Longxiang's side, confirming again with a surprised look on his face: "Longxiang, what did you say?"

Chen Longxiang spread his hands and said: "Mother, my son is going to be a father!"

Ahem!

After receiving the affirmative answer, Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun's mood could not calm down for a long time, and her insightful eyes of the world became uncertain at this moment.

After a long time, Xu Ruoyun sat back down and asked calmly: "Long Xiang, tell me about that girl's identity and family background!"

Chen Longxiang raised his eyelids and said: "Mother, she and her son met in Goguryeo. She, she is a member of the Goguryeo royal family."

oh!

Xu Ruoyun nodded and said thoughtfully: "So she is a royal woman from a vassal state. Then she can only be a concubine of our Jin Wangfu at most. As for the princess of Jin Wangfu, I have to say that she is the princess of Jiujiang Wangfu!"

Obviously, Queen Mother Xu Ruoyun was wrong. She thought that the Goguryeo royal family members mentioned by Chen Longxiang were the family members of the Goguryeo Baozang King who was overthrown by the Tang Dynasty!

Little did she know that the royal family members mentioned by Chen Longxiang were the mother of the new Goguryeo King Chen Lingwu who was conferred by his brother Chen Huaian. He also didn't know that Chen Lingwu was the former emperor Zhao Lingwu.

So, from Xu Ruoyun's perspective, since the youngest son and the woman from the Goguryeo royal family are in love with each other and she is pregnant with a boy;

Then, it is okay to take her into the Jin Palace as "the mother is honored by her son";

But, this foreign woman, even if she is a member of the royal family, even if she gave birth to a son for the Jin King, can only be a concubine of the Jin Palace, and can never become the principal wife or princess of the Jin King.

This is the bottom line!

After a moment, Xu Ruoyun added, "Longxiang, you arranged the woman from Goguryeo to stay in the Jin Palace in the capital, right?"

Yes!

Chen Longxiang nodded.

Xu Ruoyun added: "That's perfect. Let's summon her to the palace for dinner tomorrow. Our family will have a reunion dinner in the Cining Palace."

"When the time comes, I will ask the emperor, the queen, and the imperial concubine to come together. Your two nephews should also come to meet you, the emperor's uncle."

"That's it!"

"Yes, it's mother, I know!"

......

The next day.

The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month of the first year of the Tang Dynasty, New Year's Eve.

The palace was full of joy and excitement, with big red lanterns and festive couplets posted everywhere.

Empress Liu Shujun and Imperial Concubine Yue Qiluo brought the two little princes who had just turned one month old to the Cining Palace to pay their respects to their mother Xu Ruoyun.

They were looking forward to the emperor naming the two little princes on the New Year's Eve today.

At 5 p.m.

With a nervous mood, Jin Wang Chen Longxiang brought the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er, who was pregnant with a big belly, to the Cining Palace to pay respects to his mother and two sisters-in-law.

Neither Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, Empress Liu Shujun, nor Imperial Concubine Yue Qiluo had ever seen the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er.

Therefore, her appearance did not cause any sensation or waves in the Cining Palace.

The family chatted and talked about family matters in the Cining Palace.

However, in this seemingly festive and harmonious atmosphere, people always felt that something was wrong.

It was hard to say what was wrong.

Until the announcement of Xiao Po, the commander of the Jinwu Guard, came from outside the Cining Palace: "The emperor has arrived--"

The next moment, everyone in the palace, except Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun, stood up to greet him and waited for the emperor to come.

As a figure in a golden dragon robe came in a dragon-like and tiger-like step, the female relatives present all bowed slightly to greet the emperor.

Seeing this, Chen Huaian hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite, stand up."

"Today is the family dinner on New Year's Eve, there are no so many rules, sit down!"

Suddenly, a familiar figure jumped into Chen Huaian's eyes, and the big belly was particularly eye-catching.

Boom!

In an instant, Chen Huaian felt a nameless anger rushing to his head, and his whole body seemed to be burning and boiling!