Unparalleled Beauty C139 pt2

Wushuang heard all these things from Mei Chang and Mei E.

They didn't know too clearly, and Wushuang naturally didn't know either. In any case, she only wanted to frown as soon as she heard about that family's affairs.

Emperor Qianwu had also spoken to her, telling her not to bother with that family.

But this time, the matter had blown up somewhat. It was said that Mei Wuxia had forced her daughter-in-law to kneel, causing a miscarriage. The family was cursing Mei Wuxia as a venomous woman, making a scene and demanding her divorce.

Because of this, Cao shi personally brought her husband and son to the door, but it was no use. The other family was determined to divorce her, saying that they had endured Mei Wuxia for a long time for the sake of the Marquis's Mansion.

Helpless, Cao shi could only pull in her two sons-in-law, Li Xin and Chen Jin, to mediate. She also thought that since the two sons-in-law were in the military, they could get a word in. That was how Mei Chang and Mei E knew the details so thoroughly.

The reason the two of them specifically told Wushuang about this matter was because Li Xin and Chen Jin's intervention was useless. Cao shi had brought Wushuang out to threaten the other party. They were afraid of causing trouble for Wushuang, so they came to tell her in advance.

After listening, Wushuang was speechless, not knowing what to say.

"Anyway, it's good as long as you are aware of it. We didn't want to bother you, but that daughter-in-law's family is not easy to deal with. The woman's maiden family saw that their daughter had suffered such a great loss, and probably knew Mei Wuxia's identity. Fearing that the family would cover it up, they directly took the matter to the authorities. There are already people talking about this matter outside, and it even mentions Your Majesty." Mei E hesitated.

For Mei Chang and Mei E, two women from the inner quarters, to know about it, it seemed that it was not just people talking about it, but it must have spread like wildfire throughout the city.

It was estimated that Li Xin had taught Mei E to say these words, because he was the most well-informed about the news in the capital, being in the Five Cities Military Commission.

"I know about this matter. I will talk to His Majesty when he returns."

Seeing that Wushuang was going to tell His Majesty about this, Mei Chang and Mei E exchanged glances. Although they hesitated, they still asked.

"Is it alright for Your Majesty to tell His Majesty about this matter?"

"What's wrong with it? I am just a woman, and I can't manage the affairs outside. It's better to let His Majesty handle it."

The two were stunned by what Wushuang said, and they didn't dare to continue. After leaving Fengqi Palace, Mei Chang smiled wryly when she saw Mei E looking worried, and said, "If you ask me, you don't have to worry about her. Since she said so, it will definitely be fine."

"But Brother Xin said that it's better to give her Majesty a heads-up about this matter first, so as to avoid things getting out of hand and causing her Majesty to be implicated in front of His Majesty. What I originally thought was that after her Majesty knew about this matter, whether she ordered us to do something, or thought of a way to suppress the matter, I didn't expect her Majesty to plan to tell His Majesty. Doesn't her Majesty fear..."

"Fear what?"

***

"Doesn't she fear?"

"Fear what?" Grand Empress Dowager asked rhetorically.

Commandery Princess Minghui looked conflicted and said, "Isn't she afraid that His Majesty will look down on her? Such a vicious woman actually came from her family, and it's causing such a stir in the city, how embarrassing."

Grand Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Why should she be afraid? She didn't do this, and the other party is not close to her, except for some family relationship. Besides, husband and wife are one, sharing worries and solving problems together, isn't that as it should be?"

"But..."

"You think she's afraid, but frankly, that's because you're using the relationship between an emperor and empress to speculate about them, rather than viewing them as husband and wife. From the perspective of an emperor and empress, the emperor is the supreme and unmatched ruler, while the empress, though his wife, is also his subject. Naturally, she should be mindful of her dignity and reputation, striving to uphold them and not allowing herself to lose her status as empress. But if you look at it from the perspective of a husband and wife, this matter is nothing at all."

The Grand Empress Dowager said with a touch of melancholy, "That is precisely where her cleverness lies—in being frank and clear about what she should and should not do. Logically, as the Empress, such a farce could be quelled with a simple imperial decree. But issuing a decree is easy; explaining it to the Emperor is the difficult part."

"How do you, confined to the inner palace, know about matters of the imperial court and even outside affairs? Is someone communicating with you, and who is helping you? Emperor Xuanzong and the Emperor Emeritus always wanted to eliminate the influence of maternal relatives, but they lacked a way, because these relatives were also their support. You sought their help to ascend the throne, but now that you've achieved your ambition, you're purging those who helped you? Now the Emperor has only one Empress, and she is not close to her family, effectively cutting off the maternal relatives."

"Seemingly perfect, it is precisely at this time that the Empress cannot relax. Once might be acceptable, but if she becomes accustomed to reaching outside, doing so repeatedly, the Emperor's inherent suspicion will inevitably lead him to choose other women to enter the palace, to suppress the Empress's excessive power. Such things have happened countless times throughout history. Often, the mutual suspicion between husband and wife begins with seemingly insignificant matters. The collapse of a thousand-mile dam begins with an ant hole; do you understand?"

These days, the Grand Empress Dowager would always tell her stories to enlighten her. After many times, Commandery Princess Minghui naturally understood the meaning.

"Hui'er understands; husband and wife must treat each other with sincerity."

"It's not just about treating each other with sincerity, but also about mutual tolerance, knowing each other's dislikes and taboos, and avoiding doing things that displease or embarrass the other. If he is considerate, he will naturally reciprocate with equal tolerance. Even stones have edges, let alone two people living together. Only through mutual tolerance, understanding, and care can they last a long time."

Sometimes, listening to the principles the Grand Empress Dowager spoke of, Commandery Princess Minghui would wonder why her maternal grandmother understood these things.

Logically speaking, given the Grand Empress Dowager's experiences, she and Emperor Xuanzong could not be considered deeply in love, or even particularly favored. Why would she understand these ways of getting along as husband and wife?

This time, Commandery Princess Minghui couldn't help but ask.

The Grand Empress Dowager sighed, "Why? Perhaps it's because when your maternal grandmother was young, she also dreamed of being a man's wife. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. I entered the palace, and he went far away, never returning to the capital."

What kind of story was that?

Commandery Princess Minghui could only tell from the Grand Empress Dowager's eyes that it must have been an extremely beautiful yet deeply regrettable story. She couldn't help but think of that nemesis; perhaps she really should change.

Outsiders always have wild imaginations about those inside, not knowing that those inside don't have so many whys and wherefores when they do things.

It was a fact that Mei Wushuang was not enthusiastic about power; she even lacked airs. The reason she chose to directly tell Emperor Qianwu about this matter was simply because she was used to doing things that way.

Having someone who always takes care of everything for you becomes a habit over time. She doesn't even need to think much; she just feels that he is so capable that he will definitely handle things extremely well, without any worries.

And for a man, being so wholeheartedly relied upon and trusted without reservation is a very strange feeling. This strange feeling has accompanied him for many years, making him feel extremely complex every time, and also giving him a special kind of masculine vanity.

Emperor Qianwu always felt that the reason his birth mother went mad was secondary to being drugged. Just as Consort Hu said, the drug didn't play a fundamental role; it only amplified a person's emotions.

The real fundamental reason was that although his birth mother and the Emperor Emeritus loved each other, they did not trust each other. There were too many things separating them. They lacked trust and had too much suspicion, which led to the tragedy.

But he and she would certainly not be like that.

***

Just as Wushuang had thought, Emperor Qianwu didn't even need to lift a finger; a single sentence resolved the entire matter.

He didn't entrust the matter to others, but rather to Li Xin. He didn't say much else, only that whether the two families went to court or turned the world upside down, they were forbidden from mentioning the palace; everything else was up to them.

Upon receiving the order, Li Xin felt a sense of being reprimanded. Although His Majesty hadn't said much, he clearly sensed the warning—don't disrupt the trust between me and my wife with unnecessary meddling.

He actually felt quite wronged. He admitted that he had been meddlesome, but wasn't it because he thought of the Empress as his sister-in-law, fearing she would lose face before His Majesty? But then he thought about how his own identity could also be considered that of a relative of the imperial family, and he immediately felt a jolt of fear.

As if that weren't enough, he was also lectured by his wife upon his return. His little wife only asked him one question: "If I encounter trouble in the future and don't tell you, would you be happy?"

Of course, he wouldn't be happy!

Li Xin immediately understood His Majesty's feelings.

***

With Li Xin's involvement, things became much simpler.

That in-law's family was already the type to press every advantage. Now that their anger had subsided, they also feared truly offending someone they shouldn't. It wasn't that they feared Mei Wuxia; even a dilapidated boat still had three pounds of iron. The person wasn't important, but the face of the person behind her couldn't be trifled with.

The Mei family, seeing that the matter had blown up, was also afraid, fearing both His Majesty's rebuke and their daughter being sent back home after being divorced. When Mei Wuxia's husband's family saw that the head of the Capital City's Magistrate office had changed his attitude, they immediately understood that the palace had intervened.

Their attitude was very clear: it didn't matter how you fought, but you were not allowed to involve the palace.

In this way, they had to be cautious.

The final result was that the Mei family compensated the in-law's family with a sum of silver as compensation. Mei Wuxia apologized to her daughter-in-law for the miscarriage, and her husband's family didn't divorce her. The matter passed just like that.

After learning the result, Wushuang was quite touched, but ultimately, these things had nothing to do with her.

***

With the arrival of many study companions, the West Garden Study became increasingly lively. With more children, small squabbles and minor conflicts were inevitable, but fortunately, none were serious.

So far, there were only these two imperial sons. The Second Prince clearly took his lead from the First Prince. The two brothers shared the same father and mother, and His Majesty only had one Empress, so the First Prince was the undisputed future Crown Prince, sweeping away the factional disputes that had previously existed in the study.

Although Prince Zhao and Prince Han were unconvinced in their hearts, they hadn't been able to escape Emperor Qianwu's control for so many years.

The key was that Emperor Qianwu didn't simply ignore them. He even valued them quite highly, giving them military power in the north when they went north, and military power in the south when they went south, without fearing that they would rebel.

They were busy day and night establishing merit for the court and wiping away their past shame. When they finally returned to the capital, they discovered that all their sons had 'betrayed' them. What could they say?

One can only say that time waits for no one, and may the Emperor live for ten thousand years.

***

Spring departs and autumn arrives; time flies like an arrow.

As Ji Yang became more and more adept at managing the affairs of the court, from outward appearances, he and Emperor Qianwu looked increasingly alike.

From then on, Wushuang finally understood what Emperor Qianwu had tricked him into.

The ever-diligent and conscientious Emperor Qianwu was now becoming increasingly lazy and licentious. In the past, Ji Yang only knew how to eat, drink, and be merry, but now the roles were reversed, and he had become the diligent and conscientious one.

Wushuang didn't know if Ji Yang had realized it, but she certainly didn't dare to remind him.

If she were to remind him, there would definitely be someone who wouldn't forgive her, so it was better to play dumb.

In her leisure time, she and Emperor Qianwu also discussed the matter of his dual-soul disorder.

Judging from that experience, it seemed they had gone through a cycle. They originally thought they had a dual-soul disorder, but in reality, the extra person was himself from many years later, traveling through time back to his childhood.

At first glance, it seemed quite airtight and seamless, and Wushuang had always thought so, but after Emperor Qianwu's reminder, she thought of a question.

Since the extra soul in the present world was himself after the fusion of the two souls in the previous life, but there was also an extra soul in the previous life, where did that extra soul come from? Could there be another previous life?

No one could answer this question, and the mystery of it made people feel lingering fear, yet inevitably led to flights of fancy.

It also allowed the two of them, especially Emperor Qianwu, to understand a principle. There are too many things in this world that cannot be explained but exist nonetheless. People must have a sense of reverence. Although he is the supreme ruler, the Son of Heaven, he must also have a sense of reverence for heaven and earth.

This sense of reverence led him to rectify official corruption, investigate and punish corruption, and treat the people kindly during his future reign. The people of Great Liang lived and worked in peace and contentment, and their lives were getting better and better, but of course, that is a story for later.

In his leisure time, Ji Yang also mentioned the Northwest, which he still missed to this day.

He was originally a wolf galloping on the frontier, but he had no choice but to be confined to the capital. They had their responsibilities to fulfill, and he knew all of this. He dreamed that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would take Wushuang to the Northwest for a trip, and he would definitely let her see the scenery there.

Emperor Qianwu, on the other hand, preferred to take a walk in Jiangnan, which was the wealthiest and most beautiful place in the entire Great Liang, but also the place with the most aristocratic families, gentry, and merchants. The forces there were complex, and land annexation was serious. The Crown Prince's trip to Jiangnan was for this matter.

It was foreseeable that this trip would not be easy, and perhaps it would be a year or two before the Crown Prince returned, but he was in his prime, and the Crown Prince was still young. Some things would eventually be resolved; all that was needed was time.

At that time, after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, they, as the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emeritus, could travel around the country, experiencing the lives of the people, which would surely be an extremely wonderful thing.

Wushuang also felt that it would definitely be extremely wonderful, and it was not far away.

(End of Main Text)