CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 179: CRY FOR THE LATE EMPEROR

Liu Neng was taken aback by her words. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he asked, "The young miss has another identity? Does she come from a prestigious family? If so, is she going to be taken back?"

At the main gate, Old Lady Ji had only said that the Fifth Miss would not be returning, but she hadn’t revealed the identity of Suisui’s father. Therefore, Liu Neng naturally assumed that Suisui’s return with Old Lady Ji was temporary and that she would soon be taken back by her biological father.

Old Lady Ji gently shook her head. "No, it’s not her biological father, but His Majesty, the Emperor. Suisui is His Majesty’s adopted daughter and has been bestowed the title ’Princess Changrong Shunhe’. I imagine that once His Majesty returns to the Imperial Palace and deals with the backlog of state affairs, he will surely bring her into the palace, or perhaps assign experienced nannies and maids to her service."

Liu Neng was utterly astonished and instinctively dropped to his knees. "Pri...Princess..." he stammered, his voice trembling. "This humble servant greets Your Highness! Princess, please forgive my transgression! It is this humble servant who was blind, failing to recognize your eminence and greet you promptly. This humble servant deserves death!"

As he fell to his knees, those following him also knelt in a rush.

"We deserve death! Please forgive us, Princess!"

The little girl, who had been dozing off, suddenly woke with a start. "What happened? Is it raining? Is it thundering?" She blinked her large, bewildered eyes, looking around. "Huh? Grandpa Liu, why are you all kneeling?" Her wide eyes then turned to Old Lady Ji, full of incomprehension.

Old Lady Ji beckoned to her. "Come here, my sweet treasure," she said softly.

The little girl scrambled onto Old Lady Ji’s lap with her short legs.

Old Lady Ji gave her a meaningful look, her intention unspoken but clear.

"Oh! Everyone, please rise!" Only after a moment did the sweet treasure process the situation and tell them to stand. Then, she let out a big yawn.

Old Lady Ji waved her hand, dismissing everyone so she could take her sweet treasure for an afternoon nap.

「Inside the Imperial Palace」

The Empress Dowager sat on a soft couch in the place of honor, while the young Emperor sat below her, sipping Dahongpao tea and listening to her incessant chatter.

"Emperor," she began, "you have no idea how unsafe it is out there! You were gone for over two months. Do you have any idea how worried I, your mother, have been here in the palace?"

The young Emperor, holding his teacup, replied with utmost respect and filial piety, "Yes, yes, yes! It is all your son’s fault for worrying Mother. Your son has been unfilial."

"Speaking of being unfilial, it’s not just about leaving the palace without permission. As the saying goes, ’Of the three major unfilial acts, having no heir is the greatest.’ Emperor, you are already twenty-four, nearly twenty-five, yet your harem remains empty. This is not acceptable! In my opinion, during the upcoming Double Ninth Festival, I should issue an edict. Let the wives of officials of the Third Grade and above bring their eligible daughters to a palace banquet. You can then carefully select a few you find pleasing, who are likely to bear healthy children, to serve you in the palace. What do you think?"

The young Emperor’s hand paused as he held his teacup. Here we go again, he thought. His mother’s greatest fear had always been the lack of a successor to his throne, while his greatest fear was her ever-creative attempts to push him into marriage.

"Mother, let us postpone the matter of filling the harem for now. Your son has only recently begun to rule personally and is overwhelmed with state affairs. There is simply no time for selecting concubines. Moreover, the envoys from Nanjiang are due in the capital for peace talks soon. I believe it’s imperative to handle the negotiations properly before considering other matters!"

At the young Emperor’s refusal, the Empress Dowager’s eyelid twitched. Rejected again! she thought.

"Aiyo, my heart aches!" the Empress Dowager cried. "Oh, Emperor! I am getting old, and my health declines day by day. I truly fear that one day I will just pass away, and you will still be without a single son or daughter. How then could I face the ancestors of our Great Han Dynasty!"

The Empress Dowager clutched her chest, wailing about her pain and lamenting her future demise, terrified of being unable to face the imperial ancestors in the afterlife.

Nanny Xiao also hurriedly patted the Empress Dowager’s back, trying to soothe her breathing and calm her Qi.

The young Emperor’s head buzzed. Mother is performing her old drama again, he thought.

"Mother, if you are not feeling well, please rest. Your son has just returned and greatly misses Father Emperor in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Your son should go and mourn the late Emperor now."

Having said this, the young Emperor rose, bowed respectfully, and then departed from Cining Palace, leaving the Empress Dowager staring after him in stunned silence.