blogombal Chapter 2405 Hot Pot Chat
Chapter 2405 Hot Pot Chat
"Come here, Guanyin, try this, Imperial Concubine, eat this."
On the second-floor platform of Yajingju, Li Shimin, Empress Zhangsun and Concubine Wei were enjoying themselves while watching the snow scene and eating hot pot.
Li Shimin picked up the dishes that his two concubines liked.
These are the two most important women in his life. One is his first wife, who is very loving to him and helped him ascend to the throne.
Another reason was that he married Concubine Wei in order to gain the support of the Guanzhong forces.
Who would have thought that Concubine Wei would become famous because of her son?
Why is she so important? Because she gave birth to Li Shen, who played a vital role in the Tang Dynasty.
Although he had a somewhat dissolute personality and did things without considering the consequences, it must be admitted that Li Shen played a decisive role in the changes of the Tang Dynasty.
If it weren't for Li Shen, there would be no prosperous scene today. The people would be happy, well-fed and warmly clothed, and no longer suffer from hunger and cold.
Therefore, Li Shimin believed that Concubine Wei made an indelible contribution to raising such a capable son.
More importantly, Li Shimin still hoped that Concubine Wei could control Li Shen.
Li Shen was fearless and dared to do anything, except to obey Concubine Wei's words.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Please have some too. This is a bottle of fine wine I brought back from Prince Ji's mansion last time. Ding Niang said it was a daughter's wine prepared by Shen'er for Xixi, so I brought it back specially for Your Majesty to try."
Concubine Wei waved to the maid behind her, who immediately came over with a jar of wine.
Wang De took it and opened the seal, and the aroma of wine immediately filled the air.
"Your Majesty, I am hungry and would like a drink first." Wang De poured a small cup and said to Li Shimin.
"Okay, the imperial concubine is not an outsider." Li Shimin waved his hand.
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty, but the rules cannot be broken." Concubine Wei reached out and took the wine jar, poured herself a glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
Li Shimin shook his head helplessly and poured a cup:
"My beloved, you and I have been married for many years. Don't you think I still trust you? Over the years, you and Guanyin have managed this harem in an orderly and well-organized manner, leaving me with no worries.
I have seen it all and have kept it in mind. I won’t have to do this again in the future.”
After saying that, Li Shimin picked up the cup and drank it to show his trust.
He didn't think there was any reason for Concubine Wei to harm him unless she was crazy.
Li Shimin loved both of Concubine Wei's children very much, especially Li Shen, whom he doted on even more. He would agree to almost anything except the throne.
Li Shen never showed any interest in the throne, and even expressed his disgust for it many times.
In this way, there would be no conflict of interest when Li Shimin favored Li Shen.
With her children living happily and herself enjoying her old age, Concubine Wei was already a winner in life. How could she poison Li Shimin for no reason and put herself and her children to death?
"Yes, sister, how could Erlang not trust you? Don't do this again in the future. These red tapes are for outsiders."
Empress Changsun smiled and picked up the wine jar and poured herself a glass.
"Ah~~~Good wine. Rich aroma and sweet taste. This wine is at least three years old."
Li Shimin took a sip and his eyes suddenly lit up. This wine was different from the palace jade liquor. It was not a high-alcohol liquor, but a low-alcohol pure grain rice wine.
It tastes sweet and has a wine aroma. It is delicate and graceful in the mouth, with a long-lasting wine aroma.
After drinking it, Li Shimin couldn't help but exclaim in admiration that this unfilial son had such good wine but didn't send it to him.
He hid it and asked his daughter-in-law to deliver a jar to him when he was not at home. It was really unreasonable. This action alone was enough to punish him for three years.
Wang De, who was standing by, saw Li Shimin enjoying himself and secretly wanted to pick up the glass of wine that had just been poured.
"You old dog, why are you craving for wine?"
Li Shimin pushed the wine glass over.
"Hehe, seeing your majesty's praise, I can't help but want to try it."
Wang De chuckled, picked up the wine glass, licked it with his tongue, and then drank it in one gulp.
After taking a sip, Wang De closed his eyes and savored it slowly.
"Why not pour another glass for Manager Wang?" Concubine Wei couldn't help but say when she saw Wang De's expression.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will just try it. I can't drink too much. I still have to serve Your Majesty."
Wang De bowed and expressed his gratitude.
Wang De was the only servant in the palace who could drink in front of the emperor.
Both the Queen and Concubine Wei knew that His Majesty did not treat Wang De as an outsider, but as a family member.
"Okay, we can't finish this jar of wine, so we can just give it all to him.
You old dog has collected a lot of good wine from that rebellious son. Is this the only thing you need?"
Li Shimin waved his hand.
"Haha, look at what Your Majesty said. Your Highness Prince Ji rewarded me because of Your Majesty's face. Otherwise, with Your Highness Prince Ji's status and position, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet him."
Wang De quickly smiled flatteringly.
"Erlang, I see that among all these princes and princesses, only Shen'er is the most capable, approachable, and lovable."
Empress Changsun picked up a piece of meat and put it in Li Shimin's bowl.
"Humph, he's quite approachable. You, Guanyin, have been deceived by him. Do you really think I don't know what he does every day?
You haven't seen how he bullies others by taking advantage of his power, how he becomes arrogant and conceited.
No one below the third rank is allowed to enter Prince Ji's palace. I have more than a dozen princes-in-law, he has beaten half of them and looked down on the other half. Except for Zhou Daowu, he has never opened his eyes to those princes-in-law.
Among the royal family, many of my nephews have also suffered from his murderous hands. Weren't Yang Yuzhi, Zhao Jie, and Chai Lingwu all beaten by him in public?
Just look at the pomp and ceremony he uses when he goes out. It's even grander than the crown prince's procession. How can he be approachable?"
Li Shimin snorted and listed all of Li Shen's crimes, implying that he wanted to tell Empress Changsun not to favor Li Shen too much.
Now he is lawless.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It's all my fault." Concubine Wei quickly apologized. Her son did have a long history of bad deeds.
Empress Zhangsun on the side was unwilling and said:
“Sister, there’s no need to be like this. I think Shen’er is not at fault.
Erlang, it's only right that Shen'er goes out with a bit of pomp and circumstance. He's your son, Erlang, a prince. If he's shabby, won't outsiders laugh at him? Will they say my royal family is too petty?
Shen'er's action demonstrated the strength and status of our royal family in the eyes of outsiders, and also increased the reputation of the royal family.
What's wrong with letting outsiders know about the royal family's wealth and background?
Besides, I have also heard that Shen'er beat people, and each of them was wrong first.
Zhao Jie bewitched Gao Ming and indulged in extravagance and debauchery, which was absurd and immoral. Shouldn't he be punished? What Chai Lingwu and Yang Yuzhi did was unspeakable.
If Shen'er hadn't intervened, I'm afraid my royal family would have been ridiculed by the world. I think Shen'er was not at fault, but rather merited."
(I went to see Unit 731 today and will write my review tomorrow.)