Indeed, that was exactly what the young Emperor was thinking.
When the old Inspector stepped forward, it wasn’t just his words that conveyed his profound grief; his facial expression mirrored the same sentiment. The Empress Dowager found this hard to watch and said, "Inspector Lv, don’t be hasty. Say whatever is on your mind. Look at you, a veteran official who has served three reigns. What matter can’t be handled slowly? Why such urgency?"
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Inspector Lv dropped to his knees with a THUD and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager! This old minister has committed a capital offense!"
The Empress Dowager then rubbed her temples.
The young Emperor then said, "Inspector Lv seems to have had too much to drink today. Are any of his family members here with him? Why haven’t they helped him away to sober up?"
Hearing the Emperor’s words, Inspector Lv’s family members came forward, trembling with fear, and hurriedly apologized.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand. "Emperor, Inspector Lv is a veteran official of three reigns. Let him say what he wants to say!"
With the Empress Dowager’s words, the young Emperor fell silent. This old codger insisting on meddling in his harem, how detestable!
"Thank you, Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, for your understanding! This old minister will serve you faithfully until death." Inspector Lv hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand again. "Alright, alright. Stop talking about life and death all day long. What exactly is the matter with you? Speak plainly!"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, this minister has served through three reigns. It is due to the vast imperial grace and Heaven’s blessing upon our Great Han that this old minister has lived to this age. However, His Majesty the Emperor has yet to appoint an Empress, nor does he have any heirs. This old minister is advanced in years and will sooner or later journey to the Underworld to meet the late Emperor and Emperor Taizong. This old minister will have no way to face their late Majesties!"
Well, everyone understood: the old Inspector was intending to ’force the Emperor’s hand’. Of course, this ’forcing of the hand’ was not the kind involving regicide and usurpation of imperial power. Rather, it was to pressure their young Emperor to appoint an Empress and fill the harem!
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager also nodded. "Inspector Lv, your words are reasonable. Now that you put it that way, I, too, feel the same."
The Empress Dowager sighed softly.
In an instant, many people at the banquet stood up, and with a great RUSTLE, knelt down en masse, proclaiming in unison, "We implore Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, to select an Empress for His Majesty, conduct a concubine selection, fill the harem, and ensure the continuation of our Great Han’s imperial lineage!"
Yes, with Inspector Lv taking the lead and so many ministers following suit, the Empress Dowager’s spirits soared. She believed the young Emperor wouldn’t be able to escape this time. She even considered settling the matter definitively then and there, having His Majesty select a few ministers’ daughters for the harem on the spot. That wouldn’t be bad at all.
With this in mind, the Empress Dowager said, "Alright, everyone, rise. Regarding this matter, Emperor, what are your thoughts...?"
"Oh, Imperial Mother! I can’t... I suddenly feel unwell and must excuse myself. My beloved ministers, you are all dismissed!"
The young Emperor clutched his stomach, feigning discomfort, stood up from the Dragon Throne, and fled. As he ran, he shouted, "Imperial Mother, your son misses the late Emperor! I’m going to the Fengxian Hall to kowtow to the late Emperor first!"
"Emperor..."
The Empress Dowager was seething with uncontrollable anger, her body trembling, but ultimately, she said nothing.
The ministers at the banquet exchanged bewildered glances, then all turned to the Empress Dowager. "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager! This..."
Inspector Lv was trembling uncontrollably, his entire body shaking. Kneeling on the ground, he felt an overwhelming urge to simply die!
Xiaosuisui sensed the Empress Dowager’s fury and felt a little uneasy in her heart. Recalling what her Emperor adoptive father had said as he fled just now, she asked the Empress Dowager.
"Grandma! What kind of place is the Fengxian Hall? Who did my Emperor adoptive father say he was going to kowtow to?"
Hearing Xiaosuisui’s words, a smile couldn’t help but appear on the face of the Empress Dowager, who was in a predicament.
"Your Emperor adoptive father is going to kowtow to his Imperial Father. Xiaosuisui, you haven’t met your late Imperial Grandfather yet! Grandma will take you to the Fengxian Hall right now, so you can kowtow to your late Imperial Grandfather!"
When the Empress Dowager said this, everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment; they almost couldn’t resist cleaning out their ears to make sure they’d heard correctly.