northernbook Chapter 1114 Who says acting cute is useless? It's my son who's useless.
Chapter 1114 Who says acting cute is useless? It's my son who's useless.
The mess of debts at home made Xiang Zheng both angry and amused just thinking about it.
"Everyone else sees my Hall of Mental Cultivation as a den of dragons and tigers, but you are not afraid."
Liang Chongyue raised his hand, and Yunling understood. She turned around and went out to get the tea leaves.
“I’m not afraid of my cousin, not of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”
Liang Chongyue didn't take her seemingly outrageous remark to heart.
After all, she spoiled him herself.
Gotta admit it.
"If the Empress Dowager wants Xiang Sheng to take your place in the future, there's no need to clear away all the thorns along the way. Leave some for Xiang Sheng to gain experience."
Liang Chongyue suffered from this very mistake back then.
The obstacles on the path to the throne have been dealt with too cleanly.
Since Minglang has no experience to gain, he can only leave her side and go out to travel.
Xiang Zheng understood His Majesty's meaning.
“Sheng’er is still young. I can see that the child really cares about you. Once you’ve cleaned up all the mess in the Duke of Dingguo’s mansion, the child may not be willing to go home with you.”
Growing up in the palace, Xiang Sheng was, in his mother's eyes, the next Xiang Zheng.
Even the Empress Dowager's affection for Xiang Sheng extends to his relationship with Xiang Zheng, so Xiang Sheng's status in her eyes might even surpass that of Xiang Zheng.
"If Xiang Sheng really doesn't want to go home at that time, I beg Your Majesty to look after her a little more."
Liang Chongyue rolled her eyes at Xiang Zheng.
"Me, take care of her? Do you think I can even get involved?"
Liang Chongyue suspected that Xiang Zheng had lost her mind because of the mess in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.
Did she not see how much the Empress Dowager liked Xiang Sheng at dinner just now?
"In the end, it is His Majesty who has the final say in matters of the palace."
Liang Chongyue waved her hand, refusing to listen to Xiang Zheng's flattery or accept the high praise Xiang Zheng was giving her.
"I cannot interfere in matters of the inner palace, but Mother Empress must have already considered things for the two children."
Just as Liang Chongyue had subtly rejected Xiang Zheng's flattery, she keenly sensed what was going on.
He looked at Xiang Zheng with a hint of sympathy.
“If you really can’t bear to part with it, you can have another one with Chai Shuo after this is over, and you can raise this one by your side.”
When Liang Chongyue said this, his voice was mocking, and the smile in his eyes dispelled any trace of sympathy.
"By then, I reckon your mother won't be in the mood to help you raise your child anymore."
"What does your majesty mean?"
When Xiang Zheng asked the question, she covered her ears.
She didn't really want to hear anything she didn't want to hear from His Majesty.
"What I mean is that your son probably won't be able to go back either."
The sound still reached Xiang Zheng's ears accurately.
Xiang Zheng simply stopped covering her ears and slumped onto the daybed, behaving completely improperly.
"Then why don't I not go back? Sheng'er and Yu'er are both with the Empress Dowager, and I'm just between His Majesty and me. Surely His Majesty wouldn't be willing to kick me out?"
Xiang Zheng looked up at Liang Chongyue with a pitiful expression.
Liang Chongyue just smiled and didn't reply.
"Enough, enough. I know His Majesty doesn't love me anymore."
Before Xiang Zheng could finish speaking, an orange was thrown into her arms.
"Xiang Yu learned bad habits from you. The child is so young, and instead of teaching him good things, you taught him bad ones."
After being scolded by Liang Chongyue, Xiang Zheng didn't care and simply started peeling oranges.
"Now that His Majesty and my aunt are helping me teach my child, it's true, I, Xiang Zheng, was born to enjoy a life of happiness."
Xiang Zheng did not mention the mess that had been spun around the Xiang family at this time.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation, which others would avoid at all costs, is a place where she can find shelter from the wind and rain.
The emperor, whom others fear and dread, is the same one who, even in the face of his family's decline, would still hold an umbrella for her as always.
They supported and encouraged her to start over.
She briefly escaped reality here, inhaling the majestic ambergris, and turned to look at His Majesty with a beaming smile.
"If you were to go back to your uncle's place and choose again, what would you choose?"
A hint of helplessness crept into Xiang Zheng's smile, and her eyes glistened with tears.
"Cousin, I had no choice."
Xiang Zheng's voice was ethereal, and she seemed to be drunk.
“My cousin and I are different. My cousin had reasons for doing what she did, and I also had reasons for making sacrifices. At that time, everything in the Xiang family was thriving. The changes that my cousin’s ascension to the throne brought to the Great Xia Dynasty did not change the Xiang family.”
"Of course, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to propose taking charge when the family is steadily improving; no one would give me that opportunity."
As Xiang Zheng finished speaking, she handed half of the freshly peeled orange to Liang Chongyue.
He stuffed the remaining half, piece by piece, into his mouth.
It was as if this way she wouldn't have time to reminisce about the past.
But oranges eventually run out, and how much can half an orange possibly contain?
Liang Chongyue ate with Xiang Zheng, and after a while, Xiang Zheng finally spoke:
"So if Sheng'er and Yu'er don't want to go home, as long as Aunt and Cousin don't mind the two children being noisy, I naturally hope they can learn more in the palace."
Xiang Zheng turned to look at Liang Chongyue, whose eyes were red, but there were no tears in the corners of her eyes, as if they had been washed with water.
"If we get the Duke of Dingguo's mansion sorted out as soon as possible, the two children might not be so attached to life in the palace."
His Majesty may not be aware of the messy affairs within the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, but Xiang Zheng certainly knows them all too well.
To resolve all the issues and people within the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, some skillful means will be required.
Now that His Majesty has reminded her, she should leave some people behind so that Xiang Sheng can practice on them in the future.
There are specific requirements for those who practice.
All these troubles made Xiang Zheng want to bring her grandfather back from the Taihang Mountains so he could see them for himself.
How many parasites are lurking beneath that nearly decaying signboard of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?
They're all things that can't stand the light of day; they all disappear when exposed to sunlight.
All that remained was a plaque that was almost completely eaten away by insects.
"I wish they could all stay in the palace now. It's brighter in the palace than at home, and it makes people feel more comfortable."
Yunling took the wrapped tea leaves and placed them on the low table next to her.
Liang Chongyue noticed that it was about time.
"Alright, I won't see you off. If there's anything at home that you can't resolve, just have someone bring your identification token to the palace to see me."
Before Xiang Zheng left, Liang Chongyue gave her two signal tubes.
"If there is no time to send someone to the palace to inform me, just set this up to the sky. There are always people on duty in the palace, so there is no need to worry about no one seeing it."
Xiang Zheng clutched the signal tube given to her by His Majesty; she had seen this in the military camp.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll be taking my leave now. Chai Shuo must be getting impatient waiting outside."
Chai Shuo waited in the side hall, so Liang Chongyue didn't try to keep him any longer.
After everyone left, Liang Chongyue had just finished washing up and was getting ready to rest.
Minglang arrived carrying a blanket.
Liang Chongyue sat in front of the dressing table, watching Minglang make her bed on her dragon bed.
"You're not a child anymore, why are you still afraid to sleep alone?"
"Mother Empress, you don't understand. I will set off after the spring. At that time, I will miss you, Mother Empress. Separated by the mountains and rivers of Great Xia, it will be difficult to ease my longing for you in a short time."