IBTSOME Chapter 40 Part 2: Promising Marriage

I BECAME THE STEPMOTHER OF MY EX-HUSBAND

 

Chapter 40 Part 2: Promising Marriage

 

 ^^

The current emperor was not Empress Dowager Qian’s real son. Although she was an empress but she was not favored, so she had nothing to do for many years. Later, in the third year of Jianzhao, Bu Guifei entered the palace and quickly became favored. A lifeless Empress Qian was also panicking. In the fifth year of Jianzhao a palace maid gave birth to the eldest son of the emperor. Empress Qian didn't care about the separations between di and shu, she hurriedly took the baby and raised him herself. At that point Empress Qian didn't expect to have a son of her own, so she quickly adopted the eldest son of the emperor as a means to protect herself. The eldest son of the emperor was highly regarded, and she raised him under her knees so she regard him as half a son, which in orthodox believe was a very important position. Empress Qian counted on this child to support herself in the future. It's a pity that even when Empress Qian made a good plan, but at the end of the same year, Bu Guifei became pregnant.

 

This was really a big trouble. Every day, Empress Qian looked forward to Bu Guifei’s miscarriage, but unfortunately the mother and son were safe. By the next year she smoothly gave birth to a child and it was also a prince. Bu Guifei was already favored, and now she was still giving birth to the emperor’s son, the thoughts in her heart inevitably grew bigger. Bu Guifei became more and more domineering, pestering Emperor Muzong to establish the second prince as the crown prince. One was the emperor’s eldest son that he lacked feelings, and the other one was the second son from his favorite concubine. Emperor Muzong really intended to pass the throne to the second son, but the courts firmly refused. If there was di son they need to established him, but if there wasn’t then they should established the eldest son, not to mention the eldest son was raised by the Empress since he was a child. Obviously the eldest son was the orthodox candidate for crown prince position.

 

For this reason Emperor Muzong and the courts minister was pulling each other back and forth. Because of Emperor Muzong's indecision, the private fight within the court was very serious. Later, Bu Guifei even colluded with palace eunuch, wantonly ruled out dissidents from the courts, and harmed the minister who advocated the establishment of the eldest son. It could be imagined what it was like for Empress Dowager Qian and the eldest son in those years. The turmoil at the final years of Jianzhao, the breaking point came from an epidemic.

 

The five poisons¹ was abundant in the early spring. When the epidemic spreads from the capital into the palace, the second prince unfortunately contracted the illness and even the medicine could not cure him, he died in just one month.

 

Empress Qian almost burned incense in Kunning Palace, the Bodhisattva really opened its eyes. The battle for the crown prince for several years was forced to make a decision. Bu Guifei lost her beloved son, and immediately went mad, and became more and more unscrupulous to eliminated dissidents. For a time, the treacherous eunuchs were rampant, and gradually even Emperor Muzong couldn't control it. He had no choice but to write the secret edict to summon Yan Wang to enter the capital, suppressed chaos, to punish the traitors, and governed the Qing Dynasty. Whether Bu Guifei hangs herself, afraid only Emperor Muzong and Yan Wang themselves who know.

 

The final word was that the second prince died of illness, and Bu Guifei was executed. The remaining prince in the palace was only the eldest prince. Now even if the prince was a fool, the courts must assist him to succeed the throne. After this incident, Emperor Muzong was so distressed that he left after a short while. Before his death, Emperor Muzong established the eldest prince as the crown prince, and Gu Hui Yan, Zhang Xiao Lian, and Eunuch Feng as the auxiliary ministers, together they would assisted the young emperor to grow up until he could govern the country himself.

 

Right now is the fifth year of Yuanjia, and the little Emperor had been on the throne for five years and already twelve years old.

 

In fact, Empress Dowager Qian did not care about the affairs of the court, the harem should not interfere with the politics and Empress Dowager Qian did not have any interest to take control. She had become the woman with the highest seniority and the most respected in the whole world. No matter how the previous dynasty changed, could it still implicated the Empress Dowager? Empress Dowager Qian stayed in the harem with a great peace of mind. All day long she either eat vegetarian food and reciting Buddha, or summoned her natal sister-in-law to come in and talk. The matter between the second son of Qian and Lin Wei Xi was brought into the palace by Qian's family old madam.

 

At that time, the news of Yan Wang's marrying his Wangfei had already spread. Of course, the Qian family did not dare to snatch a woman from Yan Wang, and Yan Wang also specifically passed on a message. Qian second young master was so scared that he did not dare to go out. After a while, when the wind gradually subsided, Qian's family old madam became a little uncomfortable. Obviously Yan Wang Shizi Consort already gave her words, but only a few days later, it was intercepted by Yan Wang, and wasn’t it means Yan Wang Mansion stepped on the empress’s relative Qian family’s face?

 

The more Old Madam Qian thought about it, the more unwilling she became, so she came to the palace and mentioned this to Empress Dowager Qian. The Empress Dowager only knew that Yan Wang was going to marry a new wangfei. After hearing her sister-in-law’s words, she knew that the new Yan Wangfei Lin shi and her second nephew had such an entanglement. Empress Dowager Qian would naturally not have any objection on Yan Wang. At the beginning, the emperor succeeded the throne thanks to the support of Yan Wang. When he first ascended to the throne, he met foreign invasion, and Yan Wang led the army to calm the chaos. Without the military deterrence of Yan Wang, the Empress Dowager Qian and the emperor were just a pair of orphans and widows. What could they do to suppress the court minister and generals of the previous dynasty? Empress Dowager Qian relied on Yan Wang in her heart, how could she criticized the matter of Yan Wang marrying his wangfei.

 

However, Empress Dowager Qian did not dare to blame Yan Wang, but it did not prevent her from having some thoughts about this not simple new wangfei. Today Lin shi came to the palace to kowtow, originally Empress Dowager Qian had been thinking about giving her some examinations, she wanted to know what kind of character could provoke her nephew and Yan Wang to marry her.

 

But now it seems that this Yan Wangfei was not only very beautiful, but her personality was also very well-behaved. When Emperor Muzong was still alive, Grand Princess Shou Kang had high imperial courtesy, she almost had more face than Qian shi the Empress. As a result, Empress Dowager Qian had a little grudge. Now the fortunes was changed, Empress Dowager Qian was not afraid to speculate about Princess Shou Kang with the darkest thoughts. According to her, Princess Shou Kang was most likely fancied Lin shi's beauty, so she recognized her as a granddaughter. Later, she thought of a way to let Lin shi marry Yan Wang in order to stabilize the relationship between Princess Shou Kang Mansion and Yan Wang Mansion. After all, Princess Shou Kang's granddaughter died, and it was reasonable for her to be anxious.

 

Empress Dowager Qian felt refreshed when she thought of this. She unlikely to have an animosity against Grand Princess Shou Kang, because the princess who was once well-regarded was inferior to herself. Empress Dowager Qian's indescribable joy made Lin Wei Xi looked more pleasing in her eyes. However, when Empress Dowager Qian glanced at Gao Ran, she thought to herself really couldn’t judge a person by its appearance. Such a gentle and graceful well-breed young lady could do something like blocking her step mother-in-law from entering the door and promising her to other’s family. What especially hateful was that she actually calculated her nephew!

 

At this time, Empress Dowager Qian was completely forget that it was Old Madam Qian who proposed the marriage to Gao Ran. Anyway, Qian family did not dare to confront Yan Wang, then Qian’s family losing face was because of other people!

 

Gao Ran was inexplicably carrying the pot for Old Madam Qian, but she really couldn't explain it. From Empress Dowager Qian it could be seen that Qian family was not an honest family. Gao Ran had nowhere to say it, and Lin Wei Xi would not even give Gao Ran a chance to speak.

 

Gao Ran had a mouthful but couldn't speak all morning, it was really unbearable. While she was still anxious, a voice came from outside: "The Emperor is here. Yan Wang is here."

 

There was an uproar in Cining Palace, Lin Wei Xi got up and bowed to the door to salute.

 

"The Emperor long live, long live, long live."

 

The Emperor walked into Cining Palace while surrounded by a bunch of people, with Gu Hui Yan standing beside him. After entering the palace, the emperor looked around, suddenly his eyes condensed on a person: "Uncle Yan Wang, is this the new aunt?"

 

TN: Yikes! Really don’t like this empress dowager.

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1 Five poisons, refers to centipedes, venomous snakes, scorpions, geckos and toads, it believed as things that causes a plague. ^↩

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