Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 567: Concubine Xiao Enters the Palace, Empress Xiao Yu Dies of Illness (Part )
On June 13th, the palace was filled with joy.

In the Liangyi Hall, palace maids danced in celebration.

The ministers on both sides were toasting each other, their faces filled with joy.

Li Chengqian was wearing a red dragon robe and sitting on the imperial couch, drunk.

He turned slightly, his eyes swept over the ministers, and then calmly fell on Duke of Song Xiao Yu, who was sitting at the top seat on the left.

Xiao Yu was laughing very happily at this moment.

The emperor married Xiao Zi, the granddaughter of his elder brother Xiao Gong, whose father was Xiao Qin, the governor of Beizhou.

In other words, the emperor is now his great-nephew's son-in-law.

The Lanling Xiao family has always had intermarriages with the royal family, from Emperor Gaozu to Emperor Taizong to the current emperor.

What happened today is enough to guarantee the Lanling Xiao family decades of prosperity.

Xiao Yu is already seventy-five years old.

I was in high spirits tonight and drank quite a lot of wine.

Seeing this scene, Li Chengqian sighed lightly, then stood up from the imperial couch, walked down the steps, and then knelt down beside Xiao Yu.

Although Xiao Yu was a little drunk, he still reacted quickly and turned to stand up: "Your Majesty!"

"Today is a family dinner, no need for formalities." Li Chengqian held Xiao Yu close, raised his wine glass, and looked at him and said, "Duke Song, I once said that I would allow you to return to the government and become prime minister, but now the court is overflowing with talented people. I am afraid I will have to break my promise."

Xiao Yu smiled and shook his head, saying, "At my age, I can't even attend court, so what's the point of being a prime minister? It's far better to be at home and relax. Now is the perfect time."

"Come, Duke of Song, I'll toast you a glass." Li Chengqian raised his glass and drank it all with Xiao Yu.

Changsun Wuji sat nearby, watching the scene calmly.

There was a complicated look in his eyes.

……

The sky is full of stars and cicadas are chirping.

With the help of Xu An, Li Chengqian returned to Ganlu Palace.

The hall was filled with red silk and green ribbons.

Li Chengqian stood in the hall, took a deep breath, and his eyes went from drunken to sober quickly.

As he stepped into the inner hall, Li Chengqian immediately saw Xiao Zi sitting on the bed in a red wedding dress.

She has delicate facial features and picturesque eyebrows and eyes. Sitting on the bed, she has a cool temperament, yet a noble and elegant demeanor.

Li Chengqian walked over to sit across from Xiao Zi. Looking at the girl, whose hands were trembling slightly as she held a round fan, he whispered, "How is my beloved concubine?"

"Your Majesty!" Xiao Zi bravely looked up and looked straight at Li Chengqian, with nervous inquiry in her eyes.

Li Chengqian smiled gently, then reached out and grasped Xiao Zi's delicate hand. Looking into her dark eyes, he said seriously, "Today, you have entered the palace. Your lifelong hopes are on me. I promise you that I will not let you down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Zi relaxed all of a sudden.

Li Chengqian turned sideways and waved his hand.

A maid came to Li Chengqian carrying a red tray.

Li Chengqian picked up the wine pot and poured a glass for himself and Xiao Zi respectively. Then he handed a glass of wine to Xiao Zi and said softly, "Come, my beloved, drink with me. From now on, we will be connected in body and soul and will never be separated."

"Yes!" Xiao Zi smiled and drank a glass of wine, becoming more and more radiant and charming.

Li Chengqian took the wine glass and put it aside, then turned sideways and said, "Come here, help my beloved concubine undress."

"Here!" Two maids immediately stepped forward and helped Xiao Zi take off the phoenix crown on her head. Then, under the watchful eyes of Li Chengqian, they took off Xiao Zi's wedding dress bit by bit until it was all off.

The curtain fell, and she was extremely shy for a moment.

……

The emperor took a concubine and suspended court for three days.

Xiao Zi entered the palace and became the emperor's concubine, one of the nine concubines.

As the sun sets, Xiao Zi, dressed in a pink skirt, sits in front of Ganlu Palace, painting the entire palace.

Although Xiao Zi is a woman, she is very good at painting.

Before I knew it, a picture of the sunset was almost taking shape.

Xiao Zi couldn't help but look sideways at the emperor, who was sitting behind a desk, carefully processing memorials.

Xiao Zi knew that although Li Chengqian stopped attending court for three days because of his marriage, he actually did not stop processing memorials from the court for a single day.

Except for accompanying her wholeheartedly after nightfall, Li Chengqian spent most of his time handling government affairs.

Xiao Zi turned around and looked at the setting sun in the west.

Before I knew it, the sun had slowly set.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from Ganlu Gate.

Xu An came to Ganlu Palace, first bowed seriously to Xiao Zi, and then walked quickly into the palace.

Soon, Li Chengqian walked out of the hall, looked at Xiao Zi with a complicated expression, then ignored her and walked directly towards Ganlu Gate.

Did something big happen?
Xiao Zi didn't react at first. After a while, someone delivered the message.

Duke of Song Xiao Yu is critically ill!

……

Under the cover of night, the long street is under curfew.

"Gee!" Li Chengqian urged the horse to quickly arrive at the residence of Duke Song.

Xiao Rui, who had been waiting at the gate of the mansion for a long time, bowed with a sad face and said, "Your Majesty, my father has suddenly become seriously ill and is unable to walk. The imperial physician came to see him and said that his life is coming to an end."

"Why are you crying? Even if something really happened, it's a happy funeral." Li Chengqian glared at Xiao Rui.

Speaking of which, Xiao Rui is his brother-in-law.

"Where is my imperial sister?" Li Chengqian raised his head and looked towards the courtyard.

Xiao Rui suppressed his sadness and whispered, "In the backyard." "Let's go!" Li Chengqian strode towards the backyard.

As soon as I entered the backyard, I saw a dense crowd of Xiao family members.

Since the Lanling Xiao family moved north during the pre-Sui Dynasty, they had been intermarrying with the powerful families in Guanlong for many years, and many of their descendants served as officials in Chang'an.

Its strength is in no way inferior to that of the great families in Guanzhong.

"Your Majesty!" Everyone bowed to Li Chengqian with a sad look on their faces.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and strode towards the room.

Princess Xiangcheng just came out of the room and bowed to Li Chengqian with a sad face.

Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly and went straight into the room.

At this moment, Xiao Yu was lying powerlessly on the bed, his face pale and his white hair disheveled. Queen Xiao was sitting beside his bed.

Queen Xiao was about to stand up, but was held tightly by Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu looked at Empress Xiao and pleaded, "Sister, now that my brother is gone, there will be no one to take care of you. You've endured all that for so many years. It's time to let go, think about yourself, and spend your old age in peace."

Empress Xiao paused. She had not expected that Xiao Yu would say such words in front of the emperor at the last moment of his life.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly to Empress Xiao, sighed softly, then walked to the bedside, looked at Xiao Yu, and whispered, "Duke Song, you don't have to worry about the Xiao family's affairs. I'm here. As long as they don't violate Tang law, no one in the court can embarrass them."

Xiao Yu smiled softly. He looked at Li Chengqian and said softly, "Your Majesty, I should have left years ago. The late emperor wanted to demote me to a rural position, but it was Your Majesty who personally persuaded me to retire. Only then was I able to live these few years."

Li Chengqian held Xiao Yu's pale hand and said with a look of pity, "The Xiao family has made great contributions to me and the country. The only thing I feel sorry for is you, my dear. I said I would let you become prime minister again, but I never found the opportunity."

Xiao Yu shook his head slightly and said, "It's enough. In exchange for a few years of companionship with my elder sister, even in the underworld, when I face my father and mother, I can justify this."

Xiao Yu's gaze fell on Queen Xiao with reluctance in his eyes, and then he looked outside the room.

Li Chengqian immediately made way, and Xiao Jun and Princess Xiangcheng, along with their women and their entire family, walked in.

Xiao Yu looked at everyone with a satisfied smile on his face.

That night, Duke of Song Xiao Yu died.

The posthumous title was Zhenbian.

He was posthumously awarded the titles of Sikong and Governor of Jingzhou.

……

Ganlu Palace, on the bed.

Xiao Zi lay in Li Chengqian's arms, crying.

Although she didn't see Xiao Yu often, she knew that the entire Lanling Xiao family in Chang'an City was supported by Xiao Yu alone.

Now that Xiao Yu is gone, she felt lost for a moment.

Feeling the clothes beneath her body soaked by her tears, Xiao Zi finally suppressed her sorrowful expression and raised her head while sobbing, "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian held Xiao Zi in his arms, patted her back gently, and whispered, "You don't need to worry about the Xiao family's affairs. Xiao Qing will be buried in a few days. I will go with you to see it. When the time comes, if the Xiao family has any young talents, please recommend them to me."

"Can I?" Xiao Zi couldn't help but raise a gleam in her eyes, and in Li Chengqian's eyes, she became more and more bright and charming.

"Of course." Li Chengqian reached out and pinched Xiao Zi's nose bridge, then leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.

Suddenly, Xiao Zi's face flushed.

She straightened up and took it upon herself to lower the curtains on both sides.

Immediately, the hall was filled with the sounds of boudoir music.

It's quiet at night.

Li Chengqian slowly opened his eyes, holding Xiao Zi, who had already fallen asleep due to exhaustion, in his arms. There was a hint of coldness in his calm eyes.

Turning around, Li Chengqian looked outside the hall.

The moonlight is hazy.

Shining in the hall, the light and shadows are colorful.

Li Chengqian sighed lightly. There were some things that he didn't want to do, but he had to do them.

With a slight self-deprecating laugh, Li Chengqian turned sideways to look at Xiao Zi in his arms.

This is really a beauty, a stunner.

The more you savor it, the more reluctant you are to let it go.

No wonder in her previous life, Li Zhi named her Shufei. She was even more favored in Li Zhi's harem than the queen.

At one point, the queen was forced to adopt an adopted son.

There was a smug smile in Li Chengqian's eyes. Now Wang Youlan and Xiao Zi had all become his concubines.

There was also a woman named Wu Meiniang, who was also taken into his harem.

However, before Li Chengqian solves the problem of the Hongnong Yang family behind the scenes, he will not touch Wu Meiniang easily.

In addition, there is Xu Hui.

The reason why Xu Hui was deposed last time was because of Wu Meiniang's frame-up.

Next month, Xu Hui will enter the palace.

Moreover, it wasn't just Xu Hui, there was also her sister.

There will be some fun to watch in the future as these two people fight against Wu Meiniang.

The Yang family of Hongnong!
Li Chengqian's eyes turned cold again.

……

On June 23, Duke Xiao Yu of Song was buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum.

That night, Queen Xiao died.

(End of this chapter)