What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 435 - 431: Full Blossoms and Radiant Moon—Empress Side Story (Part 2)
"Why is there still no news between you and Your Majesty?"
That question again.
Tang Xiaobai was pondering how to answer when there was a clamor outside the hall: "Pingyang Princess is here!"
At the end of the late Emperor’s reign, Pingyang Princess Li Yao had been imprisoned in the Three Pure Ones Hall within the Imperial Palace.
After Li Mu ascended the throne, Pingyang Princess returned to Pingyang Temple next to Duke Yan Mansion on Qinren Street, where she kept the full mourning period for the late Emperor, just exiting the period last month.
Tang Jiaojiao and Li Yao had been friends since childhood, but surprisingly, they hadn’t properly seen each other for four or five years.
So upon hearing Li Yao’s arrival, Tang Jiaojiao momentarily set aside the matter with Tang Xiaobai and looked outside.
Outside the hall, a woman hurriedly approached.
There are always some similarities between people who have been friends for many years.
In their youth, both Pingyang Princess and Miss Tang were devotees of luxury, prioritizing grandiosity in travel, surrounded by a cloud of attendants.
Now, Tang Jiaojiao still maintains this style, but when Li Yao appeared, she only had two maids with her, which seemed too sparse in the eyes of Princess Xiping.
What struck her as even more glaring was Li Yao’s attire.
"Why haven’t you returned to secular life?" Tang Jiaojiao frowned.
Li Yao tugged at her ritual robe, awkwardly smiled, handed the horsetail whisk to a maid beside her, and smiling brightly, approached the little girl in Tang Xiaobai’s arms: "Is this Bao’er? Let me hold her!"
The little Commandery Princess maintained her cool persona, turned her head away, ignoring Li Yao.
Li Yao wanted to tease her more, but Tang Jiaojiao pulled her to the side.
"What are you avoiding? Did Your Majesty forbid you from returning to secular life?"
"That’s not true!" Tang Xiaobai immediately defended Li Mu, "Your Majesty doesn’t have the time to care about her. It’s her own choice not to!"
"Then why?" Tang Jiaojiao appraised Li Yao, chuckling, "Surely not because you’re set on the path of Tao?"
"Why not?" Li Yao retorted, stiffening her neck.
Tang Jiaojiao half-smiled, half-not: "Really? Then recite a passage from the ’Nanhua True Scripture’ for us?"
Li Yao hesitated, then awkwardly laughed: "On such a fine day, why bring that up..."
"So what are you doing? Isn’t it better to be a Princess than a Taoist priestess?" Tang Jiaojiao still didn’t let her off.
Li Yao hemmed and hawed, not answering.
It was Tang Xiaobai who cheekily chimed in: "Being a Princess isn’t as exciting as being a Taoist priestess!"
Li Yao’s face turned crimson instantly, glaring at Tang Xiaobai: "Even being a Taoist priestess, the Empress has commanded me so much. If I were a Princess, who knows how I’d be used!"
"Oh?" Tang Jiaojiao narrowed her brows in misunderstanding.
Li Yao, seeing the opportunity to change the topic, quickly continued her complaint: "Just last month, after my mourning period ended, our Empress tricked me into the palace to work. Is it appropriate for the master of the six palaces to dump palace affairs on a renunciate like me?"
Tang Xiaobai smiled: "It’s appropriate! I don’t keep idle people here. Why don’t you seriously practice your retreats so you don’t have to deal with these worldly affairs?"
Li Yao was frustrated and turned to Tang Jiaojiao: "Jiaojiao, aren’t you going to do something about your sister?"
Tang Jiaojiao glanced at her: "If you keep shouting, Your Majesty will send you away for some peace and quiet."
Li Yao closed her mouth.
Tang Jiaojiao extended her arm to take back her daughter from Tang Xiaobai, gently smoothing the little girl’s soft, cute hair, her voice turning slightly cold: "Right now, with no one in the harem to guide, you’re free to act as you please, but don’t get too careless—"
Tang Xiaobai detected something unusual in her tone, gradually reining in her smile.
"I’ve heard that Goryeo is preparing to send a Princess for marriage, while the northern Xi tribe has selected a group of beauties to offer," Tang Jiaojiao said, glancing at Tang Xiaobai, "These are minor matters, the important thing is, His Majesty has been married for four years, ascended the throne for three, and still has no heir—"
"You’ll see, soon there will be talks of selecting concubines!"
...
The matter of selecting concubines was something Tang Xiaobai had been prepared for since the day she learned about Li Mu’s true identity. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
During that time, there had been several instances of candidates being presented by the late Emperor, but they always ended up being all talk and no action.
What was surprising was that after Li Mu ascended to the throne, perhaps because the Emperor was still young, nobody had brought up the issues of heirs or selecting concubines.
However, after Tang Jiaojiao’s "crow’s mouth," someone did bring it up quite soon.
...
In the fourth year of Zhengyuan, the first month.
At the first court assembly after the New Year, the Minister of the Imperial Clan petitioned the Son of Heaven to select concubines.
...
"Father doesn’t have to oppose so bluntly..." Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the scene.
The Minister of the Imperial Clan petitioned, and immediately gained the support of the two Prime Ministers, followed by the combined ministers pressing the Emperor together.
Yet, somehow they had to unwisely mention Tang Shigong by name—
"Duke Yan is the Empress’s father, he should advise the Empress to prioritize the royal lineage, and encourage Your Majesty to take refined women as concubines to enrich the harem!"
What expression her father had at the time, Tang Xiaobai didn’t know, but his reply quickly spread—
"No, Tang is indeed the Empress’s father, and would only advise Your Majesty to prioritize the Empress and legitimate heirs, avoiding indulgence in female charms!"
The matter of selecting concubines naturally ended without result, but Tang Xiaobai felt that she and Li Mu understood the situation; her family really didn’t need to charge ahead like that.
Tang Shigong was indifferent to it: "If Prince Xiping wants concubines, as a father, I’d say the same thing. Both you and your sister are daughters of the Tang Family, just because you married high doesn’t mean I’d treat you differently."
With that, he stood up.
"Since you’re home, spend more time talking with your mother." Then he left.
Tang Xiaobai looked at Gu Ning’s expression and knew she was deliberately left to discuss matters, so she sat properly, waiting for Gu Ning to speak.
Gu Ning smiled gently and lovingly, but the smile hadn’t faded before she sighed in concern: "The Minister of the Imperial Clan said you accompanied the Emperor for over four years and haven’t had children, it’s true—"
Tang Xiaobai squeezed her fingers.
Did she not know this was true?
She hadn’t had a child, and Li Mu hadn’t either!
It would be bewildering if there were, given that they still—
"Is it that you and His Majesty still haven’t consummated?"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Seeing her daughter cough intensely, Gu Ning understood.
Understanding made her anxious: "Is it His Majesty’s issue? Or yours?"
Logically, Li Mu is of the right age, how could all these years pass... Besides, her youngest daughter looks and has a fine figure!
Tang Xiaobai blushed as she coughed: "No problem, no problem, it’s just... I was young when I got married..."
Gu Ning was surprised: "You were young, but His Majesty is not! And you’re almost eighteen in a few days, hardly young."
Eighteen, I’m still a young girl! Tang Xiaobai murmured internally.
Gu Ning frowned with concern: "Is it His Majesty’s idea, or your own choice? Hasn’t His Majesty always stayed with you? You both sleep on the same bed every night, and he—"
"Mother!" Tang Xiaobai interrupted Gu Ning in embarrassment.
She really wasn’t accustomed to discussing such topics, especially with her mother.
"Mother, don’t worry, His Majesty and I are fine! It’s nothing!" She thought for a moment, then added an important point, "Rest assured, there will be children!"
After all, considering the palace truly needs an heir.
Gu Ning studied her with a mix of surprise and suspicion for a while, then suddenly asked: "At the time of your big wedding, the scrolls I gave you... did you look at them all?"
