Although the Empress Dowager said this, she had already given up hope. In fact, it had been almost five months, nearly half a year, but there had been no news from the women for so long. It seemed that it was really impossible. Perhaps the dream was just a dream, and not the divine message she thought it was.
In the end, it was all just wishful thinking on her part. Now, all she wanted was for the Emperor to feel a little better.
“Furthermore, even if the Emperor has no children, it is not a big deal to adopt one from the imperial clan. No matter what, you are still the emperor, and the adopted child must also abide by the Three Principles and Five Constant Virtues1三纲五常, sāngāngwǔcháng: three principles and five virtues (idiom) / the three rules (ruler guides subject, father guides son, and husband guides wife) and five constant virtues of Confucianism (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity) and dare not overstep them.”
The Empress Dowager was comforting the Emperor, but in doing so, she was also comforting herself.
“Yes, so Mother doesn’t need to worry. The adopted princes are worthless. If they don’t suit my taste, I can just kill them. I can just appoint another one, or remove the father and keep the son. As long as I’m alive, they can’t cause any trouble.”
The Empress Dowager nodded.
After they accepted the facts and their hopes were completely dashed, they actually became a little more open-minded.
This was their fate.
“People say contentment brings happiness, and they are actually right. Think about us, mother and son—we’ve actually gained a lot. We’re still alive, and we’ve even risen to high positions. Having gained these, losing some is only natural. Perhaps this is just the fate of us, mother and son.”
The Emperor held her hand: “It’s good that Mother has come to this conclusion. You still need to take good care of yourself in the future. Minghua is getting old, and perhaps in a few years, Mother will be able to hold her grandson.”
Speaking of Princess Minghua, even though the Empress Dowager was originally in a depressed mood, she was slightly happier at this moment.
“That girl is the most willful and unruly. She hasn’t come to see me for many days. She’s probably fooling around outside the palace again. The Emperor should discipline her properly and not let her go too far.”
Although the Empress Dowager spoke ill of Princess Minghua, she was the one who loved Princess Minghua the most.
She had looked at Princess Minghua countless times and thought to herself, how wonderful it would be if she were a prince.
But she knew that it was impossible and would also harm her only granddaughter, so the Empress Dowager never showed her regret in front of Princess Minghua.
“She is my only daughter, and I only wish that she lived a happy and carefree life.”
***
“Princess, news has come from the Imperial Medical Bureau that there is still no movement in the inner palace.”
The maid came to report in a low voice.
Princess Minghua was reclining on a chaise longue, with her two favorite male concubines on either side of her.
One’s surname is Xu, and the other’s surname is Wang.
The former was originally a junior scholar from a poor family, but he was very learned and was going to take the imperial examination to become a scholar.
Princess Minghua took a liking to his face and directly snatched him back to her palace.
Having become the princess’s male favorite, the path of taking the imperial examinations was naturally out of the question.
The second one was also stolen; Princess Minghua was not interested in things that were easily obtained.
The more difficult something is to obtain and the harder it is for her to get, the more she wants it.
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Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1
Ugh.. why do I hate this princess so much??