SFS Chapter 259 The Empress's Choice: Love and Power, the Undercurrent Behind the Concubine
Chapter 259 The Empress's Choice: Love and Power, the Undercurrent Behind the Concubine
The changes in the court are far more unpredictable than the smoke of gunpowder on the battlefield.
One day, Prime Minister Zhao Chongyi asked to see Liu Ruyan with a serious face.
He entered the hall, bowed, and then said directly:
"Your Majesty, now that Wei has retreated and Prince Yu has been eliminated, the foundation of Chu has been damaged, and the court needs to be stabilized as soon as possible. I think that Your Majesty should take a concubine as soon as possible, firstly to continue the royal bloodline, and secondly to use this to win over various forces in the court and stabilize your rule."
When Liu Ruyan heard this, her face instantly turned ugly.
She subconsciously looked at Li Tian beside her, her eyes full of help and helplessness.
When Li Tian heard this, he immediately became furious and his brows were twisted into the shape of a "川" character.
A surge of anger welled up in his heart. It was obvious that the Prime Minister was deliberately making things difficult for him.
If Liu Ruyan takes a concubine, doesn't that mean she is cheating on Li Tian?
As a modern man, how could he accept such a weird thing?
"What did you say? You old man, you actually came up with such a ridiculous idea! Marrying a concubine? Do you think this is a joke? What the hell are you thinking?"
Li Tian took a step forward, staring at Zhao Chongyi with his eyes, and roared angrily.
Zhao Chongyi was startled by Li Tian's sudden roar, but he quickly calmed down.
After all, he has the Zhao family, the most powerful family in Da Chu, behind him. They are so powerful that they cannot be easily intimidated.
He frowned slightly, with a hint of displeasure on his face:
"Your Highness Li Tian, this is a court matter. When is it your turn to act recklessly here? This is the court. How can you be allowed to act wildly?"
Li Tian laughed in anger, his eyes flashing with anger:
"Insolent? I think you are the insolent one! You are under the pretext of stabilizing the court, but in fact you have evil intentions. Do you think I don't know your little tricks?"
A trace of panic flashed across Zhao Chongyi's face, but he quickly regained his composure and sneered:
"Hmph, His Highness Li Tian is so angry, is there something wrong? The matter of taking a concubine is for the sake of the country and the people of Great Chu, how can you make unwarranted speculations!"
Li Tian was about to explode, but Liu Ruyan quickly raised her hand to signal him to calm down.
Then, she suppressed her displeasure and tried her best to maintain the dignity of the empress:
"Although what the Prime Minister said makes sense, this matter concerns the emperor's life, and I will allow the emperor to make long-term plans. I hope the Prime Minister understands."
Zhao Chongyi was not willing to give in. He took a step forward and bowed:
"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be delayed. After this battle, the foundation of the Great Chu was shaken, the people's hearts were unstable, and the forces of the court were surging. If Your Majesty can marry a concubine as soon as possible and form an alliance with an important official in the court, it will not only appease the people's hearts, but also continue the royal bloodline. It is indeed a top priority!"
As soon as Zhao Chongyi finished speaking, the hall fell into a brief silence.
At this time, a handsome young man walked out of the crowd.
This person is Zhao Chongyi's son, Zhao Lei, the most talented man in Da Chu and a genius in cultivating immortals.
He was only a hundred years old, but he had already reached the early stage of celestial immortal and became a disciple of Taixuan Sect, a sect of immortal cultivation.
Zhao Lei was dressed in a moon-white robe with a warm jade pendant tied around his waist, and his every move revealed his elegant temperament.
He walked calmly to the center of the hall and bowed to Liu Ruyan and Li Tian.
Then, Zhao Lei stood up with a faint smile on his face:
"Your Majesty, I offer myself to be your consort. The situation in Great Chu is turbulent now. I am willing to use my own strength to help Your Majesty stabilize the court and appease the forces of all parties."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the court.
Everyone was whispering and talking.
Some ministers looked surprised, obviously not expecting Zhao Lei to do such a thing.
Some looked disdainful, thinking that Zhao Lei was just trying to take advantage of this opportunity to get ahead.
Others looked helpless and sighed silently, knowing that the Zhao family wanted to have more say in the court of Great Chu.
Li Tian's expression became even uglier, his fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles turned white, and the anger in his heart almost burst out.
He never expected that Zhao Lei would be so bold as to openly recommend himself as a concubine, which was a blatant provocation to him.
Liu Ruyan was also shocked by Zhao Lei's words and was speechless for a moment. She took a deep breath and calmed her thoughts:
"Mr. Zhao, I appreciate your kindness. I and His Highness Li Tian are in love and have already chosen each other. I cannot accept anyone else."
However, Zhao Lei seemed to have expected Liu Ruyan to answer like this.
He nodded slightly, the smile on his face still gentle:
"Your Majesty, I know that you and His Highness Li Tian have a deep relationship. But I offer myself to be your consort not out of selfishness, but for the future of Great Chu. I am willing to assist Your Majesty as your concubine, and I have no intention of usurping power."
Liu Ruyan was shocked to a new level by Zhao Lei's shamelessness. He was acting like a whore and pretending to be a saint at the same time!
Zhao Chongyi also echoed:
"Your Majesty, my son is extremely talented and is also a genius in cultivating immortals. If he can become your Majesty's concubine, he will definitely be able to recruit more talents for Da Chu and enhance the national strength. I hope your Majesty will think twice!"
At this time, voices of support and opposition were heard one after another in the court.
The ministers who supported it believed that Zhao Lei’s proposal could indeed alleviate the current predicament of Da Chu to a certain extent, and that marriage was an effective means to stabilize the court.
The ministers who opposed it felt that this was a conspiracy by Zhao Chongyi and his son, and that they simply wanted to take this opportunity to expand the Zhao family's power and control the court.
Liu Ruyan frowned, she knew very well that this matter was of great importance and one decision might affect the future of Da Chu.
She looked at Li Tian again, her eyes full of the helplessness of a little woman.
Li Tianze shook his head slightly, his eyes determined, signaling Liu Ruyan to act like an empress.
At this time, Lin Wanqiu, who had been silent, stood up.
She took a few steps forward and bowed to Liu Ruyan.
Then, Lin Wanqiu turned and looked at Zhao Lei and Zhao Chongyi:
"Prime Minister, Master Zhao, the relationship between your majesty and His Majesty Li Tian is as solid as a rock and cannot be doubted. Moreover, the Great Chu has just experienced war and has a lot of things to rebuild. The most urgent task is to recuperate and develop national strength, rather than rushing to marry a concubine."
Zhao Chongyi's face darkened and he snorted coldly:
"Commander Lin, what do you, a mere guard commander, know about the affairs of the imperial court? Don't say anything here!"
Lin Wanqiu was not afraid at all and straightened her back:
"Prime Minister, although I am the commander of the guards, I am also a citizen of Da Chu, so I naturally care about the safety of Da Chu. Now the Prime Minister is blindly emphasizing the marriage of concubines, but has ignored the foundation of Da Chu. If the marriage leads to disputes in the court and makes the people fall into dire straits, is this for the sake of Da Chu?"
Lin Wanqiu's words caused the court to fall silent again.
Everyone was weighing the pros and cons in their minds.
Zhao Lei and Zhao Chongyi's faces turned very ugly.
They didn't expect that a small commander of the guards would dare to openly refute them in the court.
Li Tian was about to get angry again, but Liu Ruyan gently pulled his sleeve, signaling him to calm down.
Liu Ruyan was upset, but she didn't want to show it directly.
She could only send Zhao Chongyi away on the pretext of being busy with state affairs.
After Zhao Chongyi left, Liu Ruyan leaned back in her chair tiredly and said to Li Tian:
"Li Tian, what do you think I should do? You are the only one in my heart, how can I take someone else as my concubine?"
Li Tian stepped forward, gently held Liu Ruyan's hand, and comforted her:
"Don't worry, I'm here. Zhao Chongyi is clearly up to something, and there may be other forces behind the scenes. We have to find a way to prevent them from succeeding and at the same time prevent unrest in the court."