Free Web NovelChapter 829: Chapter 834, 835: The Empress Dowager Returns to the Capital (Part 2)
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After staying at the Copper Sparrow Platform for more than an hour, Chen Mo took Chu Ran and rode a carriage back to the Prince’s Mansion.
This made the women at the Copper Sparrow Platform quite envious, but at least it gave them hope.
As long as they were pregnant, they too could leave this Copper Sparrow Platform.
...
Mid-February.
A sudden rumor spread in the Capital.
It was said that King Wei, from Chen Mo’s branch of the Chen Clan, could trace his origin back to the Chen Kingdom over a thousand years ago.
It was said that King Wei had royal blood from the Chen Kingdom and was a descendant of its Grand Ancestor, Chen Yin.
When the rumor reached Chen Mo’s ears, even he laughed at it.
The Chen Family, three generations back, were all poor farmers.
They didn’t even have a family genealogy.
How could they trace back to over a thousand years ago?
Chen Mo just listened to it as a joke and didn’t take it to heart.
...
Time flew by.
It quickly became March.
The weather warmed, and everything revived.
But it did not put people in a good mood.
Because with it came continuous spring rains, which were frustrating.
A caravan, heavily guarded by several escort agencies, entered Tianchuan City at this time and stopped at the Linhuai Money Shop in the city.
Luo Yong, with a team of Armored Warriors from the Personal Guard Battalion, came to the Linhuai Money Shop.
Finally escorting a carriage into the Prince Wei’s Mansion.
And sitting in the carriage was "Chen Qin", son of Empress Dowager Liang Ji, along with a nursemaid.
Chen Qin temporarily stayed with Xiao Yunxi, but as Xiao Yunxi’s belly grew, it became inconvenient, so Xiao Ya took over.
Five days after Chen Qin arrived at the Prince’s Mansion, the Empress Dowager also returned to the Capital after visiting her family in the provinces.
On that day, she stayed in the Kangshou Palace.
...
On the other hand, Pingting County in Qingzhou.
Fu Ze Village.
As the birthplace of King Wei, Chen Mo, this once-obscure little village was now famous nationwide, becoming a "Holy Land" in the country.
In a short few years, it attracted a large population to settle in Pingting County.
And Fu Ze Village had also seen extensive development.
The once-small village was now indistinguishable from a bustling city center.
And it’s still expanding and being rebuilt.
The closer the houses were to King Wei’s ancestral home, the higher their price; they were so expensive that they were priceless, not something money could buy.
Even the small river in front of Fu Ze Village was being widened, with plans to convert it into a canal connecting to the Huai River in the south.
In Qingzhou, it wasn’t raining.
The weather was warming up.
The work on the small river began.
This project wasn’t funded by silver allocated by the Court.
Instead, it was undertaken by the Linhuai Commerce Association, without resorting to labor requisition or burdening the people.
Instead, they hired paid workers.
One afternoon, something major happened at the river course.
Attracting thousands of workers to gather.
No one died.
Instead, someone dug out a yellow dragon-shaped stone in the river course.
Dragon, long ago, was used to specifically refer to the Emperor.
Now, a dragon-shaped stone was dug out in the river course at Fu Ze Village, causing a sensation.
They thought this place would produce someone who would become Emperor.
Gradually, people thought of King Wei.
So more and more people got to know about the dragon-shaped stone dug out from the river course.
This incident quickly alerted the local County Magistrate, Song Qing.
Song Qing personally came to check it out, then took the dragon-shaped stone under protection, reported it, and transported it to the Capital.
...
Back to Tianchuan City.
After the Empress Dowager returned to the palace.
Chen Mo did not immediately go to see her.
Instead, he went to the palace the next day.
But even with just a day’s delay, he was reprimanded by Empress Dowager Liang Ji.
"Hmph, you ungrateful man, you still know how to show up."
Liang Ji, dressed in a black and gold gown, with her hair elegantly styled, was sitting on a soft couch. When she saw Chen Mo enter, she pouted and looked at him with blame.
Chen Mo did not perform a courtesy, dismissed the serving maids around them, walked quickly to her, looked at her snow-white beautiful face, sat down beside the soft couch, and sighed: "This is to avoid suspicion, you just returned to the palace, and I come right after, it would be too conspicuous."
"Avoid suspicion?" Having just given birth without a "lover" by her side, Liang Ji was particularly emotional and didn’t listen to Chen Mo’s explanation, continuously blaming: "When you insulted me, I never saw you avoid suspicion; when you came to see me every now and then, I never saw you avoid suspicion; when you stayed overnight at Shoukang Palace, I never saw you avoid suspicion. Now you think of avoiding suspicion, when the entire Capital is filled with your people, what are you worried about?
You, King Wei, just feel you’ve had enough of me and tricked me into having your son, thinking I have no more use and am a trouble, so you want to get rid of me."
Saying so, she slapped away Chen Mo’s hand that was reaching over to hug her waist.
This barrage of words made Chen Mo feel as if he had committed some unspeakable crime, so he gripped Liang Ji’s delicate hand firmly, pulled her body to lean against him, and said: "What are you saying, you are the Chen Family’s great benefactor, how could I not want you? Although the Capital is filled with my people, unnecessary troubles should still be avoided.
Plus, you don’t know, during the time you were not in the Capital, how much I missed you."
However, mentioning the last sentence agitated Liang Ji again. She pushed Chen Mo aside and withdrew her hand from his grip, saying grumpily: "Miss me? If you missed me, you should have come to the Liang Family to see me. I found out that you returned to the Capital in November and for more than four months, you didn’t come to see me once."
Chen Mo: "..."
"Wasn’t it inconvenient for me? Also, didn’t I write to you?" Chen Mo said.
"Inconvenient? How inconvenient, I see you don’t value me at all. Yes, I’m the Empress Dowager, married before, but when you pursued me, I never saw you minding it."
Chen Mo: "..."
Seeing her growing angrier.
Chen Mo knew that reasoning was getting nowhere.
He could only wait until she was muddle-headed to continue the conversation.
Chen Mo wrapped his arm around Liang Ji’s delicate shoulder, then leaned in without saying more, pressing his lips against her soft rosy ones, greedily taking from her.
At first, Liang Ji showed resistance, hitting Chen Mo’s shoulder and the like.
But it didn’t take long before her eyelashes fluttered down, and her delicate hands gently wrapped around Chen Mo’s neck, enjoying the intimacy of the Python-robed youth.
Then, the two embraced and fell onto the couch, with fewer and fewer clothes between them.
It was unclear how much time passed.
Liang Ji, with her voluptuous and soft body nestled in Chen Mo’s embrace, spoke in a sultry, tender voice, which Chen Mo had never heard before: "This time, I will temporarily forgive you."
Chen Mo didn’t speak, but responded by kissing her forehead.
Liang Ji gave a light hum and said: "How should I meet Qin’Er in the future? I don’t want to be separated from him for too long, making our mother-son relationship distant."
"I have a plan. Yunxi is about to give birth next month, I will announce that she gave birth to twins. Then you can acknowledge Qin’Er as your godson. With this relationship, you can meet often afterward. We can too." Chen Mo said.
"Godson? Qin’Er is my biological son, why should I acknowledge him as a godson?" Liang Ji was clearly displeased.
"It’s just temporary."
"When do you plan to proclaim yourself Emperor?" For the sake of Chen Qin, Liang Ji wished Chen Mo would seize power immediately.
Chen Mo: "..."
"Soon." That was all he could say.
Liang Ji was slightly satisfied after hearing that, then added: "Recently there’s a public opinion storm in the Capital, saying you are a descendant of the Chen Kingdom’s royal family from over a thousand years ago, as preparation for proclaiming yourself Emperor, right?"
Chen Mo shook his head: "I’m not too sure about this either."
Liang Ji smiled lightly: "It’s best if you’re not aware of this, it’s something for those below to handle."
Feeling the warmth of the heart in his palm, Chen Mo’s mind drifted afar.
Proclaiming himself Emperor, was he mentally prepared for this?
ps: Starting to prepare for proclaiming oneself Emperor.
