NFBE Chapter 333 The Emperor Does Not Choose a Concubine
Chapter 333 The Emperor Does Not Choose a Concubine
The Empress Dowager smiled gently, her gaze falling softly on Su Nuannuan, but she remained silent. Su Nuannuan felt extremely uncomfortable under the Empress Dowager's gaze, as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
After a while, Su Nuannuan finally couldn't hold back any longer. She smiled coquettishly and said, "Alright, alright, I know it was Your Majesty who summoned me back. I was so happy that I forgot about Shu." As she spoke, she gently twisted her body, seemingly a little embarrassed.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager's smile widened. She said slowly, "You're almost a grandmother, yet you still act like a child. You're becoming more and more childish."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan blushed slightly and pouted, saying, "No way, I'm only so relaxed in front of the Empress Dowager."
Su Nuannuan suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Is the Empress about to give birth?" Then, realizing her mistake, she quickly added, "Wait a minute, Empress Dowager, isn't the Empress's due date at the end of the year?"
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly and teased, "Oh, you have a good memory. You still remember the Empress's due date."
Su Nuannuan smiled awkwardly and said, "Look at what the Empress Dowager is saying. No matter what, the Empress still calls me Consort Zhuang, so I naturally have to pay attention."
The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "In that case, perfect. I have a thorny matter here, so please help me handle it."
Su Nuannuan was stunned when she heard this. She didn't expect the Empress Dowager to suddenly assign her a task, especially one that was so troublesome.
Then, the Empress Dowager got her wish and saw Su Nuannuan's shocked face.
"Empress Dowager, are you sure you want me to handle this for you?" Su Nuannuan asked, her face full of astonishment and disbelief as she pointed at herself, her voice trembling slightly.
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly, raised her eyebrows, and nodded gently in affirmation.
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan's surprise subsided slightly, but she still hesitated before saying, "Since Your Majesty trusts me so much, please tell me what exactly this thorny matter is?"
The Empress Dowager seemed to have anticipated Su Nuannuan's reaction. She spoke slowly and deliberately: "Recently, many ministers in the court have submitted memorials, earnestly requesting the Emperor to expand the harem in order to ensure the continuation of the imperial line."
"Oh? Is that all?" Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan's expression showed even greater surprise, and she couldn't help but ask.
The Empress Dowager smiled slightly, nodded again, and replied, "Yes, that's the matter."
Feeling slightly relieved, Su Nuannuan casually picked up a washed grape, put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times, and found it quite tasty. She then asked, "What is His Majesty's opinion on this matter?"
The Empress Dowager did not answer Su Nuannuan's question directly. Instead, she casually picked up a grape, put it in her mouth, and savored it. After a while, she slowly said, "This grape tastes really good."
"That's right, look who planted it." A hint of pride was revealed in his words.
"Of course I know, it was planted by that little pawn in your palace!" The Empress Dowager teased, a half-smile playing on her lips.
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan almost dropped the grapes in her hand. She quickly steadied herself, smiled awkwardly, and said, "Your Majesty, that's not very nice!"
Ying Qiu stood aside, watching the two masters' conversation drift further and further away, and felt anxious. So she coughed lightly, trying to get the Empress Dowager's attention.
However, Su Nuannuan keenly caught the soft cough. She turned her head, looked at Ying Qiu with a half-smile, and teased, "Ying Qiu, that's not right of you. Why are you giving me a warning?"
Ying Qiu's face instantly turned somewhat awkward. She lowered her head, not daring to meet Su Nuannuan's gaze.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager quickly spoke up to defend Yingqiu, saying, "Yingqiu, don't listen to her nonsense."
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan stopped making things difficult for Ying Qiu and instead steered the conversation back to the main topic, saying, "What is His Majesty's thought? Does he want to select concubines, or does he not want to?"
The Empress Dowager's expression turned serious, and she said to Su Nuannuan, "His Majesty does not wish to select any concubines."
Su Nuannuan pondered for a moment and said, "Since Your Majesty does not want to select concubines, I have an idea. You can hold a flower-viewing banquet for the purpose of matchmaking, and then invite unmarried young ladies and gentlemen from various families to the palace, so that they have the opportunity to get to know each other. If they like each other, the Empress Dowager can then bestow a marriage upon them. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
"You make it sound so easy," the Empress Dowager said, giving Su Nuannuan a disapproving look. "How much money would a flower-viewing banquet cost? I don't have that much spare money to do such a thankless task!"
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly smiled and explained, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Since you find the flower viewing banquet troublesome, why don't you let the Emperor make it clear? Just say that he will not select any concubines for the next five years."
After listening to Su Nuannuan's words, the Empress Dowager felt that there was some truth to them, so she softened her expression slightly and said, "Hmm, your idea is not bad. Five years is not a short time. The Empress should be able to give birth to three children for the Emperor by now."
Su Nuannuan quickly chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty, you are truly insightful! Having three children in five years is a joyous occasion! However, it must be hard on the Empress."
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement, "Yes, it has indeed been hard on the Empress. However, there's nothing that can be done about it. The Empress's personality is simply not suited to the scheming and intrigue among those women in the harem."
At this point, the Empress Dowager seemed to recall her experiences in the harem when she was young, and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
"I never expected the Empress Dowager to be so open-minded, not even trying to send people to the Emperor. The Empress is truly blessed to have a mother-in-law like you."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager smiled slightly, casually picked up a grape, put it in her mouth, and shook her head as she chewed, saying, "Alas, why do women have to make things difficult for each other? I don't want the Empress to go through the same hardships I've endured. As long as there is someone to inherit the throne in the future, that's fine. As for the women in the harem, the fewer the better. As long as I'm alive, I will protect the Empress. If this child is a boy, then her position as Empress will be secure, and the Emperor will have an excuse to shut up the court officials."
"In my opinion, these court officials are just idle. Otherwise, why would they have the time to keep an eye on the Emperor's harem?" Su Nuannuan said indignantly. "They're always busy scheming against each other or exchanging empty words in court, not doing any real work. And now, they actually have the leisure to meddle in the Emperor's harem affairs. They're really just bored and have nothing better to do!"
“You’re right, these court officials are just too idle.” The Empress Dowager agreed. “The Emperor needs to find them something to do. Once they’re busy, they’ll naturally have no time to attend to the Emperor’s harem.”
Su Nuannuan nodded and continued, "Yes, Your Majesty should assign them more important tasks so they won't have time to gossip. This would not only make things run more smoothly in the court, but also make Your Majesty's harem much quieter."