Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1013 - 111_1

Chapter 1013: Chapter 111_1

The Empress Dowager of Cining Palace had no idea that the maids had divided the rice dumplings amongst themselves, nor did she have the mood to care.

At the moment, the Empress Dowager was full of worries, and thought that Xiao’er, with her enchanting face, was the avatar of the witch who was rumored to bring disaster to the nation!

Her reputation among the people was even better than that of the Empress Dowager herself! Even the emperor seemed to favor her no less!

As the saying goes, whoever wins the hearts of the people has the world. The Empress Dowager believes that she should seize the opportunity before Xiao’er gets pregnant, demote her from a Princess to a maid, and forbid her from plotting any troubles.

Of course, the most important thing was to win her grandson’s heart back from her!

"Servants, invite the emperor to dine at Cining Palace tonight!" The Empress Dowager loudly instructed, having come to this conclusion.

"Yes, Empress Dowager!" the senior maid attending the Empress Dowager hastily replied before retreating.

Given the Empress Dowager’s troubled expression, it’s almost as if a storm is forthcoming. It would be better to find a chance to stay away!

The Empress Dowager also thought of Shangguan Ruixi, Du Yijin who married him over a year ago and still has yet to conceive a child!

It was said that she and the Lady of Rui’an County were intimately close friends? She’s probably another enchantress. Although she wasn’t exactly beautiful, she somehow managed to bewitch her grandson to only visit her room, without once paying a visit to his concubines in the past year!

How could it possibly be without any enchantment involved? How did she manage to do this!

Shangguan Ruixi had two maids before he got married, one of which was selected by Empress Dowager herself, and was the niece of a nanny serving the Empress Dowager. Therefore, the Empress Dowager was aware that Shangguan Ruixi had not visited his maids.

"Also invite Prince An to have dinner at Cining Palace tonight!" the Empress Dowager loudly instructed, having thought of this.

...

By evening, the emperor, the empress, Prince An and Princess Consort An all came to dine with the Empress Dowager at Cining Palace.

Given that they had consumed a lot of rice dumplings during the day that were still being digested, they ate very little before putting down their chopsticks.

Seeing that everyone stopped eating, the Empress Dowager asked, "Does today’s dish not suit your taste? Why have you all stopped eating?"

"Your majesty, I had too many rice dumplings at noon, so I’m not hungry yet."

"Did the emperor also have rice dumplings? Were they personally made by Princess Rui? I too had some, and they were incredibly delicious. I ate four at once, and if not for having eaten too much, I would have wanted more!" I will eat all the different flavors when I return to the mansion later. Prince An thought to himself.

"I had five and still wanted more, I just couldn’t stop!" the emperor bragged.

For lunch, he didn’t have anything else apart from rice dumplings! After having five dumplings, there was still a lingering feeling wanting more!

But it was Shangguan Xuanyi who stopped him from eating any more, otherwise, he would have still kept going.

Now he will eat a little less for dinner, leaving some stomach space to continue having dumplings while reviewing memorials in his study room later.

The empress and Princess Consort An also praised the rice dumplings endlessly, but their small appetites allowed them to only eat two before feeling full.

Seeing everyone praising the rice dumplings without end, the Empress Dowager felt they were indeed bewitched by Princess Rui. Annoyed, she said: "Are they really that delicious? I think all of you are just enchanted by Princess Rui, so you think everything she makes tastes great!"

"Has your majesty not tried them? They truly are very delicious! Has that brat, Shangguan Xuanyi, not sent any to you? He’s completely unfilial!" Upon hearing this, the emperor became angry.

"No, I gave them to the servants. They are just some dumplings, how good can they be?" The Empress Dowager did not dare to say that she had the dumplings dumped out. After all, they were made with affection by her own grandson.

Upon hearing this from the Empress Dowager, Prince An stared at her heartbroken: If you didn’t want to eat them, you should have saved them for me, how could you just give such good food to the servants! What a waste!

Seeing the Empress Dowager didn’t believe, the emperor commanded, "Servants, bring a plate of rice dumplings for the Empress Dowager to try."

Although it pained him to share one with the Empress Dowager, the one who made these delicious dumplings was his own daughter-in-law. The emperor thus decided that anytime he wanted to eat, he would ask her to make some.

The Empress Dowager was just about to refuse, but then she changed her mind. She was determined to have a bite of the dumpling made by the witch, and then to harshly criticize it, to tell them that they had all been bewitched by her.

The eunuch by the emperor’s side swiftly left to fetch the dumplings.

"Did your majesty invite us brothers to dine because you have something to tell us?"

The Empress Dowager’s body had not been as robust as it used to be. She usually went to bed just as the sun set, so it was rare for her to ask them to dine with her in the evening. That’s why the emperor asked this.

"Hasn’t Xuanyi been married for more than two years now?"

Upon hearing this, a pang of dread struck the emperor’s heart. How could this problem arise again! However, he replied, "Indeed, it’s been more than two years."

"He’s been married for more than two years, yet there’s not even a single male or female descendant. Could you, as the emperor father, not be worried about this? The imperial family’s descendants are thinning out, aren’t you going to do something to prosper our lineage?"

"Your majesty is right, I will urge him tomorrow." The emperor responded smoothly.

But concerning the thinning of the imperial family descendants, the Empress Dowager also bore some responsibility! Who told her to not bear more in the past! The emperor privately muttered in his heart.

"Forget it, state affairs have already kept you busy enough, don’t worry about this matter anymore, I’ll take care of it!" The Empress Dowager’s goal today was to tell her sons that she intended to find concubines for her grandsons. When she brought up the matter to her grandsons, she could then mention that their emperor father and empress mother had agreed!

This doesn’t seem like a very good idea! The emperor instinctively thought, but he didn’t voice out his thoughts, instead he said, "This matter is quite trivial, your majesty need not worry. Your majesty’s gout has just begun to heal, it’s more important for you to care for your health. If not, I would worry. I’ll definitely nudge Yi’er and Xiao’er, and ask them to quickly produce a great-grandson for you."

"Such trivial matter! It’s a huge matter to have no offspring. Even if it takes the last of me, I will be sure to see my grandsons having sons of their own before I step into my coffin!"

"Your majesty will surely live a thousand years!" The emperor immediately said upon hearing this.

The Empress Dowager snorted, then turned to look at Prince An. "Ruixi has been married for more than a year now, why are there no children yet?"

Prince An said nonchalantly, "There are plenty of people who only have children two to three years after marriage, your majesty need not worry. If four years after marriage and they still haven’t had a child, only then should you worry."

Upon hearing his words, the Empress Dowager almost gasped for air.

"You rascal, in four years, I would have already gone to see your emperor father! I don’t care, since their Princes’ wives can’t bear children for the royal family, then let some other women with blessings to conceive!"

"Your majesty must be joking, you sound so energetic, you might even outlive your sons!" Prince An got sprayed with the Empress Dowager’s saliva and couldn’t help but move a bit further away.

Sometimes the Empress Dowager really was about to be angered to death by him. "Fine, I’ll settle this matter. If not, a hundred years from now, I wouldn’t have the face to meet your emperor father! I’m tired now, all of you may leave."

At this moment, eunuch serving the emperor brought over the dumplings.

Seeing the eunuch brought over all five remaining dumplings, the emperor’s eyes widened!

When did he say to bring over five dumplings? He only meant to bring one for the Empress Dowager to taste!