Now knowing Concubine Yang's position in Emperor Showa and the prince's mind, Zhou Yanran naturally didn't dare to despise this woman who was not from a high background, but just followed Emperor Showa's words and said: "Concubine Yang will definitely be sympathetic to Your Majesty and will not blame Your Majesty." ”

Although Zhou Yanran's words were relieved, Emperor Showa knew very well in his heart that Yi Rui'er's peaceful and kind temperament would naturally not blame him, but the more he did this, the more he couldn't forgive himself.

Many times, he wished that Rui'er back then could be arrogant and mess around, so that he wouldn't feel guilty when he missed her except for endless thoughts.

If a person really has an afterlife, he hopes to meet her again, and at that time, he can abandon any important tasks in the world and any ancestral inheritance; As long as you stay with her for the rest of your life, make up for the mistakes you have committed to her in this life.

It's just that these thoughts are extravagant hopes for him now, because he has guilt for Concubine Yang in his heart, so when facing him and Rui'er's only son, he will only think about being better to that child; In his lifetime, he can no longer be a qualified husband, at least for the rest of his life.

That's why he called Zhou Yanran today.

Looking at Zhou Yanran, who was kneeling at the head of the bed, the meek and beautiful Zhou Yanran, Emperor Showa still remembers the moment when he first met her, a girl like a spring flower blooming wearing a pink palace skirt and a velvet flower of the same color on her head, standing in the biting autumn wind, shivering from the cold.

That was the first time he met Zhou Yanran, and he fell in love with her beauty at first sight.

It's just that he can feel it at that time, she has no love for him, and she is not even willing to act perfunctory; Although he said that after Rui'er's death, Jiang Qiang began to become more romantic and indulgent, but he is not a man who likes to force women to accept joy.

Therefore, after seeing her unwillingness, he did not force her, but just placed her alone in the harem and left her to fend for herself.

However, not long after, one day he met her again when he was visiting the Imperial Garden, but this encounter completely changed Zhou Yanran's life in the future.

He could see from the eyes of this beautiful and intelligent woman that she had other plans, and he could also see that her feelings for him were only in awe of the majestic imperial power, and at that moment, he felt that he had met the right person.

Since Rui'er's death, any woman in the harem has become a tool in his hands, and to him, these women are like stakes with delicate skins painted one after another, and he doesn't care who is there; As long as the women are smart enough not to trouble him, he will give them the life they want.

But women in the world seem to be born emotional animals, and when they gradually fall in love with him in their relationship with him, he will subconsciously reject him, because he knows very well that he can't afford the affection they want.

Therefore, he constantly allowed himself to linger around different women, in order to make these women not fall in love with him easily; And there are three thousand beauties in the harem, among so many beauties who are either smart and sensitive, or knowledgeable, or delicate and charming, or temperamental, none of the women can be as good as Zhou Yanran.

Their relationship is seen by many people as the romantic relationship between the merry prince and the stunning concubine, but only he and Zhou Yanran know best that the real relationship between the two of them is a very delicate relationship of mutual use.

He used this beautiful and intelligent woman to achieve his goals, and this woman used his identity as the son of heaven to change step by step from an inconspicuous beauty to a favorite concubine of the six palaces; They give each other what they want, and at the same time maintain balance and harmony with each other.

This kind of relationship that does not require affection is really easy for Emperor Showa.

I thought that this woman didn't understand love, after all, she took the initiative to contact him, and she just wanted to use him to stand in this position today, until now, Emperor Showa really knew that she didn't understand love at all, but she had already given her feelings to other men.

And this man is none other than his son, the current crown prince, Zhao Ling.

Emperor Showa didn't have much love for Zhou Yanran, so after knowing the truth of this matter, he wasn't much shocked, because for him, the women in the harem were like beautiful vases at all, and they didn't have any other meaning to him.

However, he could never allow a woman to ruin his beloved son, especially if this woman was still his concubine.

Emperor Showa stared at the seemingly docile Zhou Yanran with a cloudy gaze, his eyes were like torches, and his voice was hoarse: "Yan'er, what do you want to say to me?" ”

Zhou Yanran, who was kneeling on the ground, heard Emperor Showa's words, and subconsciously clenched her fingers nervously under her sleeves, but her face remained unchanged.

"Your Majesty, the concubine doesn't know what the emperor wants to hear from Yan'er? At that time, in Tai'an Palace, the concubines thought that the emperor ...... you"

Hearing Zhou Yanran take the initiative to mention what happened in Tai'an Palace, Emperor Showa immediately took her words and said, "At that time in Tai'an Palace, did Yan'er think that I couldn't live and was going to die?" ”

Even if she really thought so at the beginning, Zhou Yanran would never dare to admit it at this time.

She hurriedly bowed to Emperor Showa and said, "The concubines don't dare, the emperor is the son of Tianlong, but there is no limit to longevity." ”

"Hehehe! Longevity without borders? Such words are used to deceive people, only the faint monarch will really listen to such words, Yan'er thinks, am I the faint monarch? ”

Zhou Yanran's sideburns were slightly sweaty, "Although the concubines are harem women and children, they also know that in the Great Wei under the governance of the emperor, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the border is stable and peaceful. ”

"What a holy lord, I didn't know until today that Concubine Ai is so eloquent, but I didn't find that you still have such an advantage before. It's just Yan'er, of course I like smart women, but if a woman is too smart, I won't like it; Do you understand? ”

Zhou Yanran lowered her head and covered the vibration and panic under her eyes with her long thin eyelashes; Sure enough, what she was afraid of still happened, Emperor Showa really came to her after hearing about yesterday's incident, with Emperor Showa's style of acting, if she can't cope with it today, I'm afraid she won't be able to get out of Tai'an Palace alive.

A drop of cold sweat seemed to be unable to bear the depression in the air anymore, and fell to the ground with a 'tick' along Zhou Yanran's sideburns.

Zhou Yanran didn't dare to wipe it, so she could only continue to lower her head and put on a gentle and harmless appearance.

"On that day in the Tai'an Palace, I was indeed dying and dying, and when I handed over the edict to you, I also spoke to you with the thought that it would be impossible to survive again; It's just Yan'er, haven't you been curious? Why didn't I give the edict to others as soon as possible, but gave it to you at the last moment of my dying struggle? ”

Zhou Yanran didn't dare to say anything, and after saluting Emperor Showa again, she said, "The concubine listens." ”

"Because I know that you genuinely care about my son, and you pay more attention to Ling'er than anyone else I know."

Zhou Yanran's face instantly turned snow-white, but she knew that she must not admit anything at this time, otherwise, what was waiting for her would only be a catastrophe.

You must know that now in Emperor Showa's heart, there is only the position of the crown prince Zhao Ling, if he is allowed to perceive her thoughts about Zhao Ling, I am afraid that it will be really difficult for her to live anymore.

"Your Majesty, the concubine doesn't understand the meaning of your words very well, the concubine is your concubine, and it is reasonable to be familiar with several highnesses, and often meet several highnesses below, and they only nod and say hello."

"Is it really just a greeting? Yan'er, although I am seriously ill now, I am still the king of this country, and if I want to know anything, as long as I send someone to investigate, the answer I want to know will be sent to me in less than half a day. Yan'er, you and Ling Er are the same age, and although you don't have a childhood friendship with him like Li Fuqing, as far as I know, you were already familiar with Ling Er when you were a girl. ”

Zhou Yanran heard Emperor Showa say this, and hurriedly defended: "Your Majesty, the concubines grew up in the capital since childhood, and the Zhou family is also a famous family, because of the relationship between her father and mother, she can be regarded as having seen many high-ranking officials and nobles in Beijing, and it is reasonable to know several highnesses when she was a girl, isn't it?" Could it be that the emperor is suspicious of the concubines? ”

Seeing that Zhou Yanran looked like she was about to cry when she was wronged, Emperor Showa was unmoved.

"What do I think I should suspect of you? Yan'er, I knew from the first time I saw you that you were a very thoughtful girl, and you have been by my side all these years, and you have been advancing and retreating in a moderate way, which is quite in line with my heart; Since you can make me favor you, you must also know me, and you should know that the most intolerable thing I can do is someone who dares to have a heart to move me to my heart. ”

"Now that Ling'er is the crown prince and the future monarch of Great Wei, I have high hopes for him, and I don't want to see someone ruin Ling'er's reputation; You're still young now, and you shouldn't know that there was actually a scandal in my harem back then; My Xiao Jiu has been a lawless character since he was a child, except for his third brother who can control him, sometimes even I can't control this rabbit cub. The little rabbit cub is a person who eats the gall of a bear's heart and a leopard, and once while he was drunk, he actually molested a beauty whom I had recently been quite fond of, and then the beauty ran to me and cried, although I was distressed, but I also knew very well what to choose; In the end, I let the ignorant beauty disappear quietly, and as for the stinky boy who caused trouble, he was punished by me and thrown into the fiefdom. ”

Speaking of this, Emperor Showa looked at Zhou Yanran who was kneeling on the ground with a cold gaze, and continued: "It can be seen that if you choose between a beauty and a son, I will always choose my son; Yan'er, you're a smart kid, and you should be able to understand that I don't want this to happen again. ”