Chapter 58 - 58 Imperial Uncle
58 Imperial Uncle
In the Great Jin Dynasty, everyone knew that Emperor Taizu was wise and mighty. The only thing that people criticized was his flirtatiousness. Not only did he have a harem of 3,000 beauties, but he also had many flirtatious affairs when he visited the commoners incognito.
As a result, many romantic stories about Emperor Taizu spread in the streets and were even adapted into various novels and plays.
However, despite being a playboy, Emperor Taizu only found women who were willing, and would never seize a woman by force.
Whether it was a love affair or bringing them into the harem, he would treat those women who had slept with him well. The women got along harmoniously in the harem and were as close as sisters.
Emperor Taizu had even added many regulations to safeguard the power of women in marriage.
Chu You looked straight at the emperor sitting on the brick bed with a determined gaze.
The Emperor, who had just passed his prime, was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe with a white jade belt around his waist. His skin was fair, his facial features handsome, his expression warm, and his bearing noble. However, he was thin, and the whites of his eyes were slightly yellow. The fingers protruding from his sleeves were thin and bony.
Looking thoughtful, the Emperor picked up the Cloisonne cup with “Double Dragons Playing Pearls” on the coffee table and took a sip. His movements were soothing and elegant.
The half-brothers were very different in appearance and temperament.
Seeing that the Emperor did not immediately object, Chu You felt even more confident. He said firmly and seriously, “If two people are in love, they desire to be together day and night. Brother, you can’t have forgotten Grandfather’s ‘reminder’, right?!”
“Brother, you promised Grandfather.” The threat in his words was obvious.
“…” The Emperor did not say anything for a while.
Emperor Taizu had indeed said such a thing when he was only six years old. Emperor Taizu had watched a play called “The Peony Pavilion” about a man and woman who had feelings for each other but could not be together because of the feud between the two families. After watching it, he had lamented, “Should this love last for all eternity, would a day or a night really matter?” In the end, both lovers died.
When Emperor Taizu was in high spirits, he had called him over and sighed with emotion. “If two people are in love, they desire to be together day and night.” He even said that when he becomes Emperor in the future, he could not be so pedantic and insist on breaking up two people in love.
At that time, he was still young and did not know anything about love. However, Emperor Taizu insisted that he agree, so he could only agree.
After a while, the Emperor put down the teacup in his hand. His eyes were gentle and he was about to speak when a clear male voice on his right spoke first. “Seventh Imperial Uncle.”
After receiving a look from his son, the Emperor fell silent and pretended to feed a multicolored parrot on the brass bird rack beside him.
Chu You turned to look at Chu Yi beside him. His face was expressionless, but his eyes turned cold.
Chu Yi was still dressed in snow-white clothes and had a calm temperament. He looked out of place in this dazzling palace, like a pale white ink added to a carefully drawn painting of hundreds of flowers.
“What do you mean?” Chu Yi asked with a smile.
“What do you mean?!” The colorful parrot flapped its wings on the bird stand and imitated his words. Its exaggerated high voice was extremely ironic under the circumstances.
“…” Chu You maintained his composure, and the haze in his eyes deepened.
His thin lips tightened and a strange look flashed across his eyes.
The Empress Dowager refused to agree to his marriage with Rong’er.
After the incident at Prince Jing’s Manor, he had gone to look for the Empress Dowager and had tried his best to persuade her, but the Empress Dowager, who had always doted on him, refused no matter what. In fact, after knowing that he had gone to the Dingyuan Marquis Household to propose marriage, she had flown into a rage and had even thought of killing Rong’er.
Chu You had begged for a thousand times, and they had quarreled in Shou’an Palace, using both soft and hard methods. However, Empress Dowager Yuan had only reluctantly agreed to let Rong’er be his secondary consort.
She knew as well as Chu You did that Rong’er would definitely not agree to be his secondary consort.
Rong’er was different from ordinary women and had always been tenacious on the outside, tough on the inside. How could she lower her head?!
Moreover, he would not allow anyone to stand on Rong’er’s head and lord over her, let alone watch her lower herself in front of the main consort!
This time, the British Monarchy had sent a letter to impeach him, catching Chu You off guard. He was angry that Fang Mingfeng still had designs on Rong’er, but he felt that this was an opportunity.
He wanted the Emperor to stand in front of him and let him come forward to confirm his marriage with Gu Yunrong. At the same time, he could take advantage of the situation to put the British Monarchy in their place.
The Emperor had always respected Emperor Taizu. Chu You was originally 80 to 90% confident, but…
With a warning aura, Chu You narrowed his eyes at Chu Yi, who was only seven or eight feet away from him.
Without a change in his expression, Chu Yi smiled warmly and continued, “The Empress Dowager once said that she would find a good marriage for the Seventh Imperial Uncle. She even asked Father to promise in front of the Emperor that he would not interfere in the marriage.”
“Father has always been filial. How can Father go against the late Emperor’s last wish!”
“Seventh Imperial Uncle, don’t let the Empress Dowager down.”
Chu Yi spoke at a moderate pace and at the right time. These words came from him without any aggressiveness.
Chu You stared deeply at Chu Yi, a storm brewing in his eyes.
He could not figure out if Chu Yi had done it on purpose, just as he could not figure out if Chu Yi was behind the incident in Danyang City.
There was a moment of silence in the East Warm Pavilion. Only the noisy parrot shouted “marriage” one moment and “last wish” the next.
The Emperor just watched from the sidelines. Without a word, he teased the parrot with his fingers and looked at Chu Yi with a smile, as if he couldn’t get enough of it.
Seeing that the Emperor did not fall into the trap, Chu You’s heart sank bit by bit. He was frustrated, and his eagle eyes were as sharp as knives.
Chu You had always looked down on his eldest brother.
The late Emperor’s Empress Liu came from a poor family. As a lowly commoner woman, she was not worthy of being the mother of the country at all. On the other hand, Chu Qi only had his current status because he was the eldest son of the late Emperor. Otherwise, his literary talent and martial arts skills were too ordinary.
When Emperor Taizu was still alive, he had acknowledged Chu Qi as his grandson.
When the late Emperor was in power, he wanted to abolish the Crown Prince a few times, but he was stopped by the ministers on the grounds that he could not abolish the Crown Prince for no reason. This allowed Chu Qi to naturally advance from the grandson of the Emperor to the Crown Prince and to the dignified Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Chu You clenched his fists. The lines of his arms and fists tensed, suppressing his irritation.
He simply ignored Chu Yi and said to the Emperor again, “Brother, is this your idea?”
The Emperor pursed his lips and smiled faintly. He still did not speak and left it to Chu Yi to handle.