I, who disguised myself as a woman, turned out to be a queen! ?

Chapter 1337 Empress of Great Xia
Upon hearing this, Xia Fengye clenched his fists and looked at the old man in front of him.

In order to stabilize the court, his father, the emperor, arranged marriages with many powerful families, which made the Great Xia Dynasty completely stable after the war. However, for this reason, there were many princes.

Even if it was the child born to a concubine of the lowest status, the Empress Dowager would personally take a look at it.

Even when she was a child, this grandmother would still say a few words to them.

None of them were her favorite.

There wasn't a single one she disliked.

But he remembered his own situation very clearly!

When I was young, I saw my grandmother walking alone in the Imperial Garden with wine in her hand, so I went up to greet her.

The Empress Dowager looked at him and said, "Your eyebrows do resemble your grandfather's. You're old enough to drink now, why don't you have a drink with me?"

Only him!
He was the only one who had ever drunk wine with the Empress Dowager, who was considered the most mysterious and noble in the eyes of all the royal family members!

He was the only one who had ever been told that he resembled his grandfather!

And now.
Hearing the words, "That's why we won't let you be emperor."

The old Shu king, who had finally met her, clenched his fists and cried out, "Grandmother!"

Xia Fengye knelt on the ground and raised his head, as if he had mustered up his courage.

Grandma was walking towards the main hall when she turned back to look at Xia Fengye.

When Xia Fengye saw the old man looking at him, a look of fear suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Throughout history, the imperial court and the imperial harem have been filled with numerous concubines, inevitably leading to various troubles. However, in the past, the imperial harem was free of strife and sordid schemes, all because of the existence of this old man.

Once, a concubine became pregnant, and another concubine sent her rouge mixed with musk.

As a result, the concubine was beheaded by the guards that very day, and Emperor Zhao ignored the matter and only went to the Hua'e Tower to beg for forgiveness.

Seeing that Xia Fengye remained silent and his expression was indifferent, the great-grandmother turned around and continued walking towards the main hall.

Although Su Chang'an was rubbing his wrist, which had just been pinched by his wife, he happily ran over to get a chair and set it up, along with a low table and other refreshments, including tea and snacks.

Xia Tingyu looked at Su Chang'an like this.
Especially after tidying it up, he looked at his great-grandmother with a big smile.

Well, how should I put it?
What a sycophant!
How disgusting!
Huh~~
Xia Tingyu glanced at Su Chang'an with disdain, but smiled and looked somewhat envious.

If it were her serving her great-grandmother, she would be even more obsequious than this!
Su Chang'an caught a glimpse of Xia Tingyu's gaze and immediately returned it with a look of disdain. "Trying to steal my job?!"
Xia Fengxiang rolled his eyes, too lazy to say anything.

Xia Fengye, however, clenched his fists and looked at his great-grandmother: "Grandmother, your grandson... I..."

She still couldn't speak after opening her mouth, but after gritting her teeth, she finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind for decades, "Why did you choose Xia Huachang back then!"

Upon hearing this question, Su Chang'an and the others all looked at Xia Fengye.

There were only five of them in the courtyard.

After seeing that Great-Grandma had arrived, Aunt Sun, Feng Chun, and the others bowed and immediately left the courtyard.

Grandma didn't answer immediately. Instead, she sat down, leaned back in her chair, supported her cheek with the back of her hand, and looked at Xia Fengye coldly.

Xia Fengye mustered his courage and continued, "In what way is grandson not better than Xia Huachang? Moreover, back then, all the powerful families supported me, and I had far more capable people around me than Xia Huachang. Even most of the court officials supported my succession. Even Father Emperor intended for me to succeed to the throne, but you chose Xia Huachang. Father Emperor chose him because of this. Have you forgotten that he killed the sixth and seventh princes? And besides, am I not your favorite grandson?"

Xia Fengye's voice grew louder and louder, but by the last sentence, it seemed to have weakened, his tone full of doubt, yet also a hint of helplessness.

Just like Xia Fengye himself, he is very complex, as if he is questioning one issue, but also as if he is asking another.

But Grandma just looked at him and said, "Qingge."

Upon hearing this, Xia Fengxiang immediately looked at his great-grandmother and said, "Your grandson is here."

Grandmother said, "Issue an imperial decree to abdicate the throne to your uncle."

"!"

Xia Fengye was immediately taken aback.

Even Su Chang'an, Xia Fengxiang, and Xia Tingyu were taken aback.

but
Xia Fengxiang immediately bowed and said, "Yes."

But as Xia Fengxiang walked towards the desk, Xia Fengye glanced at her back, then looked at his great-grandmother and asked, "What...what do you mean?"

Grandma looked at Xia Fengye and said, "That's the difference."

Xia Fengye looked puzzled.

Grandma said, "Your grandfather, your father, or even your fourth brother, or even your eldest brother, would all stand up and say 'Good' at a time like this. Even your eldest brother would never ask such a foolish question; he would ask about military power. But you, you are surprised."

Grandma brought the teacup to her lips but didn't drink. Instead, she looked up at Xia Fengye and said, "Even this girl didn't ask a single question; she just answered yes."

Xia Fengye paused, taking a few deep breaths. "Grandson doesn't understand Grandmother's meaning, and besides, if you really want me to sit..."

At this point, Xia Fengye looked at Xia Fengxiang, who had already begun writing, but his words abruptly stopped.

But immediately, Xia Fengye revealed his decisiveness: "Grandson will control the military power of all the troops in the world!"

But after saying that, Xia Fengye laughed and looked at his grandmother: "Is it too late? It's all too late now! Even if I were to sit in that position now, I would only be a puppet! Grandmother, you are trying to tell me that defeat is a complete defeat. But Grandmother, I just want to know why you chose the fourth prince back then. It's not that I did nothing wrong. On the contrary, the fourth prince was decisive and ruthless, and the court officials impeached him one after another."

Grandma picked up a donkey roll and took a small bite: "Chang'an, tell him why."

Su Chang'an was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Xia Fengye: "Uncle, the reason you're asking this question now is because Grandfather and Grandmother didn't choose you."

Xia Fengye looked at Su Chang'an.

Su Chang'an said, "Although I don't know what happened back then, you should have agreed when Grandmother just asked you to sit on the throne."

Xia Fengye couldn't help but scoff: "Go up there to be a puppet emperor?! To be ridiculed by the whole world?"

Su Chang'an said expressionlessly, "Even if you are a puppet emperor, you still have a chance to turn things around after you sit on that throne. The people of the world don't know what a powerful minister is. They only know that the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty is the one sitting on the dragon throne. That is a sliver of hope, but you gave it up. Giving it up means losing everything. You lost even that sliver of hope."

As Su Chang'an was talking, after Grandma ate the donkey roll, she glanced at Xia Tingyu's table and found that there was no such snack, so she picked up a plate and looked at Xia Tingyu.

Xia Tingyu quickly stepped forward and took it with both hands.

Grandma spoke up: "Little Thirteen."

Xia Fengye was looking at Su Chang'an when he heard his grandmother call him, so he turned his head to look.

Grandma spoke up: "Huang Chao was summoned, and this girl and Chang'an only had Luo Changfeng and Kuyue by their side. Yunxiao was not by their side, and they also had strong support from the southern aristocratic families. In the end, you still lost."

Xia Fengye looked at his great-grandmother and immediately replied, "I overthought things at the time, which is why I didn't send troops to help."

Grandma continued, "That night, I saw the fourth prince gathering his troops under Chengtian Gate, while your troops, without needing to be gathered, voluntarily came to your residence, far outnumbering the fourth prince, yet you hesitated."

Xia Fengye clenched his fists even tighter.

Grandma continued, "Do you still remember the question your father asked you and the fourth prince?"

Xia Fengye nodded: "I remember, I chose the throne, and the fourth prince chose to control all the armies in the land!"

Grandma spoke up: "Your father told me that he knew you actually wanted both, but you didn't dare to say so, so you chose the throne."

Xia Fengye: "I thought I could only choose one."

Xia Fengye was not stupid; on the contrary, he was quite clever. At this point, he understood what his grandmother wanted to say and knew that she had answered his question.

but.
Xia Fengye looked at his great-grandmother: "Even if I am overly cautious in my actions, Xia Huachang still has his own flaws, Grandmother! It's not that I don't accept the current outcome. I know I have lost, so I am willing to accept whatever punishment Xia Huachang may impose on me. I have also lost this time, so I came to the capital instead of dying in Shu. But at the same time, I just want to see you and ask you face to face, why... why wasn't it me! Is it just because of my personality?"

Grandma's gaze remained unchanged as she looked at Xia Fengye: "Your father planned to kill you and the Eighth Prince before he died." Upon hearing this, not only Xia Fengye, but even Xia Fengxiang couldn't help but turn around and look.

Grandma spoke up: "Your father's ability to judge people was so good that even your grandfather was impressed. He watched you tell the Eighth Prince that you would bring disaster to the future emperor. Besides, so many children had already died, so he didn't care anymore."

"But when the fourth prince and his wife entered the palace, they presented your father with a painting, a tiger painting."

Xia Fengye's expression froze for a moment, and he subconsciously said in a low voice, "The tiger is the king of beasts. Who dares to provoke its wrath? Only the bond between parents and children makes one look back at every step."

Grandma continued, "When your father saw it, he laughed. Looking at the fourth prince, he knew he hadn't chosen the wrong person. And before he died, he gave that painting to you. But what did you do?"

Xia Fengye looked at his great-grandmother, then subconsciously glanced at Xia Tingyu.

Worthy!

I feel no guilt towards Tingyu, no...
But the image that came to mind was that little girl covered in blood, standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

When Dian Junming brought Xia Tingyu to Shu, he looked at him and said, "Your Highness, the princess has been assassinated. Are you really not going to do anything about it? She's still just a child."

Xia Fengye didn't answer, but just watched from the shadows as the girl hugged her pillow and cried in fear.

His daughter needs to learn not to be afraid of these things from a young age, otherwise she will fail just like him in the future!

His daughter, too, had to learn ruthlessness and how to kill from a young age!
so.
He secretly helped Xia Tingyu poison the entire Chen family, and even watched as his own daughter killed her maternal grandfather's entire family in revenge.

then
Xia Fengye suddenly thought of his second and third brothers.

In order to prevent his daughter from having those indecisive feelings, he deliberately set a trap to let his third son in, but in the end, his daughter did not kill his third son.

But the third son's leg was broken, and he has been bedridden ever since.

The fifth brother said, "Listening to the rain is too kind; you should encourage him."

The second son's private indulgence.

The fourth brother was very clever; he kept his distance from me, especially after the hairpin incident, he dared not approach me at all.

What did I do?
Xia Fengye recalled the scene when he first saw that painting: his father had passed away, and the palace eunuchs delivered the painting immediately.

But he only glanced at it before tossing it aside.

but
Looking at Xia Tingyu, Xia Fengye clenched his fists: "I did nothing wrong!"

Xia Fengye looked at his great-grandmother: "I did nothing wrong!"

Grandma stood up, glanced at him, and said nothing. She looked at Su Chang'an and said, "Send someone to tell Wan'er that in tomorrow's martial arts competition, swords are not allowed. All other weapons are permitted except swords. As for techniques, only thrusting and blocking are allowed."

Su Chang'an nodded.

Grandma looked at him and continued, "Since you don't need a spear anymore, you can fight with a tree branch. You can only use spikes and blocks."

Su Chang'an looked at his great-grandmother with a puzzled expression, "What if we draw the lot and get the Old Master, Yu Taohua, and Aunt Yan, and they get the same result?"

Grandma hummed in agreement and walked out of the courtyard.

When Xia Fengye saw his great-grandmother about to leave, he kept calling out to her, but she completely ignored him and walked out of the courtyard.

And then I watched the old man pass away.

Xia Fengye slumped to the ground, his face blank, seemingly lost in thought, as if he had received an answer but hadn't.

Affectionate.

Did I lose because of family ties?

Xia Huachang has family ties?!
Xia Fengxiang looked at Xia Fengye but didn't say anything.

Instead, Su Chang'an lowered his voice and said, "I think the old man wants to kill me and find a new grandson-in-law. Tell me the truth, are you tired of me?"

Xia Fengxiang rolled his eyes at Su Chang'an and handed him the paper he had just been writing on.

Su Chang'an looked down, puzzled.

'You and Xia Tingyu were exchanging glances, you're sleeping on the floor tonight!'

'You actually wanted to wipe her mouth?! I'll find you somewhere else to keep your secret stash of money!'

'You even cooked for her yourself, and she ate it with such relish! You just wait!'

'Su Chang'an! How dare you look at Xia Tingyu so many times! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You're not allowed to touch me for a week!'

Looking at these four lines of text, Su Chang'an pursed his lips and looked at his wife, who was walking towards Xia Tingyu with a smile.

Then he looked down at the contents of the paper in his hand.

After a moment of silence.

Ignoring Xia Fengye in the courtyard and Xia Fengxiang and Xia Tingyu, she walked towards her bedroom.

Regardless of whether this makes sense or not.

I need to hide my secret stash of money so my wife can't find it!

……

When Great-Grandma walked out of the courtyard, no one noticed, just as no one noticed when she came.

just
The old man walked along the passageway like this.

I thought of my child.

The Xia Zhao Emperor who lay in his arms on his deathbed.

'Mother, what if those dead children saw me? Would they curse me?'

'Fine, let them curse. What can they do? They were born into royalty, and they insist on fighting for the throne.'

Under that moonlight, the old man, who in Li Yunxian's eyes would always be just a child, but in reality was a frail old man with a full head of white hair, rested weakly on his mother's lap.

Li Yunxian looked down at her child, gently patting him, her eyes unusually calm.

Emperor Zhao chuckled, "Mother, I'm sorry to have you, an old woman, outlive your young son."

Li Yunxian said softly, "Mother still has black hair, but my son's hair has already turned white."

Emperor Zhao laughed and, with all his might, shifted his body to snuggle into his mother's arms.

The moonlight outside the window was unusually bright.

Li Yunxian looked up and gazed outside, softly humming a children's song.

His face had somehow returned to its former youthful appearance.

With blurred vision, Emperor Zhao looked at his younger self, listened to the nursery rhymes he had heard in his childhood, and slowly closed his eyes.

And just a few years ago
Xia Huachang, frail and emaciated, also lay in his grandmother's arms.

Looking at her grandmother, tears welled in her eyes, and she was too weak to speak.

Li Yunxian had no grandsons she disliked, nor any grandsons she particularly favored; she simply didn't show any particular preference for any one of them.

But looking at Xia Huachang, Li Yunxian held her grandson and softly murmured a nursery rhyme.

(End of this chapter)