20demayo Chapter 836 Concubine Song Shu came to invite favor
Chapter 836 Concubine Song Shu came to invite favor
In the imperial study, Xie Shang sat motionless in front of the desk. Wall lamps were lit around him. His figure was shrouded in a layer of golden light, making him look majestic, dignified, and domineering.
Why did Ruan Ruan go to see Zhang Yurou, and what did Zhang Yurou tell her? Now that Zhang Yurou is dead, if he asks her, will she tell him the truth?
A seed of doubt was buried in Xie Shang's heart.
Just at this moment, there was a sudden noise outside the door.
Xie Shang's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and he said in a cold voice, "Who is making a noise outside the door?"
"Your Majesty, it is Consort Shu and the Second Prince who are outside the door."
Xie Shang originally wanted to ignore it, but Xie Hongrui's soft and sticky voice came in: "Rui'er kowtowed to the emperor. Rui'er brought a midnight snack to the emperor. It was the longevity noodles made by the mother herself."
Xie Shang was thinking about the longevity noodles. Whose birthday was it?
He stood up from his seat and walked towards the door, only to see a small figure curled up and kneeling on the ground.
He opened the door and saw Concubine Song Shu also kneeling beside him, holding her son's hand.
When Song Jing saw the emperor coming out, she slowly raised her head and a pretty face came into Xie Shang's sight.
Song Jing said, "I pay my respects to His Majesty. It was Rui Er who insisted..."
Xie Shang had always been lenient towards the heir to the throne. He said, "Get up!"
He turned and entered the imperial study without closing the door. Song Jing bravely took her son's hand and walked in slowly.
Xie Shang, who was sitting in the main seat, looked up at her, then said to Xie Hongrui, "Come here."
Xie Hongrui was a little timid. He had practiced the words he said outside the door countless times.
Song Jing pushed her son, and Xie Hongrui walked tremblingly to Xie Shang. He was tall and strong.
Xie Shang took the initiative to hold his hand, and his tone became much gentler, "Why did you come to bring midnight snack to father?"
Xie Hongrui glanced at his mother and said, "Today is my mother's birthday. Rui'er also wants to treat my father to a bowl of longevity noodles. I wish my father and mother a long life."
Song Jing stepped forward and quickly covered her son's mouth. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The Second Prince meant..."
Xie Shang stared at Concubine Song Shu's cheek that suddenly approached him, "No problem, since the Second Prince has this intention, and father is also hungry, let's try your mother's cooking."
The second prince clapped his hands happily, "Great, father agrees to eat longevity noodles."
After hearing this, a strange look flashed across Xie Shang's face. Is he afraid that I will not agree to eat noodles?
Looking at the smile on the child's face, Xie Shang didn't think much about it.
Song Jing raised a smile at the corner of her lips. She quickly put the food box on the table and opened it. A fragrant aroma wafted to her face.
He asked, “Did you do this?”
Song Jing said, "I don't usually have any hobbies, I just like delicious food. Your Majesty, please try it and see if it suits your taste."
Xie Shang picked up the chopsticks and started eating. Maybe it was because he hadn’t eaten anything today, so this seemingly simple bowl of noodles stimulated his taste buds and he felt it was particularly delicious.
In a short while, he had eaten up all the noodles and even drank up the soup.
Song Jing asked, "Isn't there enough for the emperor to eat?"
Xie Shang said: "That's enough, Concubine Shu's cooking skills are indeed good."
After filling his stomach, he suddenly felt better. The gloom from before was even swept away. He took the initiative to ask, "Is today Concubine Shu's birthday?"
Song Jing nodded shyly, "I am nineteen years old today."
"I'll give you a birthday gift. What do you like?" Xie Shang said lightly.
Song Jing waved her hands quickly, "No, no, I'm not here to ask for a gift, Your Majesty has misunderstood."
Xie Shang has always been generous to women. The women who married into the palace were all useful to the royal family, and he would never treat them unfairly.
He shouted outside, "Wuxin."
Wu Xin glanced at Concubine Song Shu and said respectfully, "Your servant is here."
"Go to the small storehouse and pick out some jewelry to celebrate Concubine Shu's birthday." Xie Shang said in a deep voice.
Wuxin withdrew respectfully and went to the small storehouse, where he selected and selected again. All the things were good things sent in from outside the palace. It was Chief Steward Cheng who had been selecting them before, but now that Chief Steward Cheng had been punished and expelled from the palace, Wuxin took over temporarily.
He thought to himself, "The Emperor wants to give Concubine Shu a birthday gift. I can't choose something too stingy, otherwise it would be a slap in the Emperor's face."
The emperor gave the order personally, so Wuxin didn't dare to choose a bad gift. But Concubine Song Shu would look for opportunities. No wonder she would intentionally or unintentionally run to the emperor during the day. It turned out that this was her idea.
The Queen was leaving the palace to do some things this time, but unexpectedly, Concubine Shu found the opportunity.
What method should I use to prevent Concubine Shu from staying overnight?
When Wuxin came back, he saw the emperor was teaching the second prince how to write. He also selected some decent jewelry and presented it to Concubine Shu, wanting to send her away quickly.
Wu Xin said, "Your Majesty, I have brought the jewelry."
Xie Shang put down his pen and glanced at the jewelry. It was quite decent, with seven or eight items on a plate. He said, "Give them all to Concubine Shu. They all look suitable."
Song Jing had never received a gift from the emperor before. In previous years, during festivals or concubines' birthdays, the queen would choose something and send it to their palace. She didn't expect that the emperor would give her so many directly this year.
Wuxin opened his mouth into a circle and gave them all as gifts. If he had known, he would have taken less than two items.
Concubine Song Shu said, "I thank the emperor for the gift."
There was unstoppable joy on her face, and she looked even more charming.
Xie Shang said calmly, "I am very satisfied with Concubine Song Shu's education of the Second Prince. I will urge the Second Prince to work hard in the future and share my worries when he grows up."
The second prince was also very happy to be praised. He had always seen his father praising the eldest prince and the eldest princess, but he never expected that he would also be praised by his father.
Concubine Song Shu's eyes were red, and her efforts were not in vain. She hurriedly said, "Second Prince, why don't you thank your father quickly?"
"Thank you, father, for your help. I will study hard in the future." These words Xie Hongrui said were taught by Concubine Song Shufei. He didn't expect that they would actually be used.
Xie Shang asked him to stand up again, "In addition to studying hard, you must also practice swordsmanship well in the future. The children of the royal family will have to support a genius and be truly useful people in the future."
It is not known whether the Second Prince remembered Xie Shang’s words, but Concubine Song Shu always kept them in mind.
She thought to herself: This is indeed the right path. As long as I train the Second Prince well, one day the Emperor will see her good side.
It doesn't matter if the emperor married a concubine into the palace just because he needed an heir, at least she has a son.
The emperor liked the meals she cooked. He should change to something different next time. The saying that if you capture a man's stomach, you can capture his heart is indeed true.
It doesn’t matter even if the emperor only likes the queen. All she needs is a little position in the emperor’s heart. She would be willing to accept this position even if she gets it by using her uncle’s relationship.
She also heard from her uncle that the emperor was training troops and preparing to train an elite force to protect the Zhou Dynasty. Her uncle would be the leader. As long as the emperor continued to use her uncle, her position would not fall.
After Xie Shang asked Concubine Song Shu to leave, he packed up his things and quietly left the palace.