Pregnant Before the Royal Marriage

Chapter 873: Chapter 873: Whose Card to Reveal_1

The Emperor glanced over the green cards, taking note of the names of several young concubines such as Concubine Ya, Concubine Zhu, and Concubine Qiu.

Concubine Ya… Even though she held an unmatched beauty, she was after all from the Silla Kingdom. It was a delicate time to remain aloof.

Concubine Zhu…The Emperor’s heart warmed at the thought of her demeanor so alike to that of Concubine Jin. He longed to be by her side immediately, to see her smile.

However, his excessive favoritism for Concubine Zhu lately had caused discontent among his ministers, with many openly criticizing him and even making shocking remarks about cleaning up his act.

This, consequently, also implicated Jiang Ruobai, the Senior Grand Secretary.

Having only just managed to suppress the matter a little, the Emperor didn’t wish for more troubles that would cause him anxiety.

He needed to distance himself from Concubine Zhu for the time being.

Concubine Qiu?

The image of a gorgeous woman dressed in pink, radiant and vibrant, generous and spirited, flashed across the Emperor’s mind.

A dazzling and charming girl who, in front of all, refused to enter the East Palace and insisted on serving the aging Emperor. This alone was enough to stir the Emperor’s heart.

The Emperor would not have forgotten such a beautiful woman and completely ignore her if it were not for Shui Xiuxiu, who overly resembled Concubine Jin.

Qiu Rong was the daughter of the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice. It would not be appropriate to neglect her now that she was in the palace.

Upon this thought, the Emperor lifted his hand and flipped over the green card bearing the name of Concubine Qiu.

The Empress, who was at his side, watched everything clearly. Knowing that anything she said would be in vain but couldn’t help saying, “Your Majesty, you really should take care of your health.”

The Emperor coldly responded, “Does the Empress think my health is so deteriorated that I can’t even afford to be attended by a concubine?”

“I only wish for Your majesty to prioritize the country…”

“Enough,” the Emperor refused to listen to her further, “Your health, Empress, is not very good either. You’d better go back and rest early.”

There was nothing the Empress could do but to rise and leave.

That evening, Concubine Qiu was bathed and dressed and sent to the Crystal Frost Hall.

The next day, the Crown Prince requested to see the Emperor, offering to resign from his regency. All the ministers, who knew of this news beforehand, bowed outside the Heavenly Worship Hall, echoing the Crown Prince’s request.

Could the Emperor refuse?

He had just favored a young concubine.

As an Emperor, could he revel every night but not handle state affairs?

Such was an injustice.

If this carried on, the Emperor’s efforts over the years would go in vain, with the Historian ruthlessly recording this in the annals.

The Emperor suddenly felt that inviting two beauties into the palace this time was a big pitfall.

His leisure days were over.

Reluctantly, he accepted the Crown Prince’s resignation.

Thus, at last, the Crown Prince’s regency ended. The Emperor returned to the Imperial Court, to the relief of the officials.

However, at the same time, the ministers also noticed a significant decline in both the body and spirit of the Emperor compared to his former days.

In his youth, the Emperor was energetic. Before the morning court was over, he would hold discussions with a few officials, personally review petitions, and even frequently added an extra noon court session.

He was extremely diligent.

But now, not long after the morning court began, while the Senior Ministers were reporting on the repair of the river bank, they didn’t receive any response from the Emperor for quite a while. Quietly raising their heads, they found the Emperor dozing on his royal throne.

Seeing this, the ministers exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to do.

Has the Emperor’s spirit deteriorated to such an extent?

How was he supposed to handle state affairs like this?

The ministers turned their eyes to Jiang Ruobai, the Senior Grand Secretary.

As the leader of the civil officials, he was supposed to handle this matter.

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