Children of Loulan

Chapter 324 Accepting a concubine

Seeing the queen's enthusiasm, Hanguli understood. She thought to herself that the queen probably wanted to discuss something with the prince alone, so she deliberately let herself leave for a while. So, Hanguli smiled and responded softly: "In that case, I would like to thank you for your kindness, mother. I will not be polite to you!" After that, Hanguli moved lightly and followed Mu Lian away slowly.

After Hanguli walked away, Keremu, who had been standing silently by the side, could no longer suppress his curiosity and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Mother, what is going on? Why do you have to send Li'er away?"

The queen looked at Keremu with a face full of satisfaction, her eyes sparkling with joy and pride, and she said softly: "My son, you are now an extremely noble prince. The sufferings that your mother has endured over the years have not been in vain. It can be said that the time has finally come for you to reap the rewards of your hard work."

Keremu hurriedly stepped forward and responded respectfully: "Mother, I can achieve what I have today thanks to your careful teaching and silent support over the years. Although the virtuous concubine has passed away, you still need to be extra careful in this treacherous harem!"

The queen nodded slightly, indicating that she agreed with her son's concerns, and then said with emotion: "Yes, mother naturally understands. Without that insidious and cunning Concubine Xian, I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Who would have thought that Concubine Ru has been restless recently and not as obedient as before. What's more..." Having said this, the queen paused for a moment, as if she had some concerns.

After a little hesitation, the queen decided not to talk about this matter anymore and turned the topic to another important aspect: "But let's not talk about these troubles for now. My son, you are now a prince, but there is only a princess consort to accompany you in the mansion. How can this be? Come, come, your mother has specially selected several candidates for concubines for you. Come and take a look to see if there is any woman you like. If you think they are all to your liking, you might as well take the concubines into the mansion as well!" After that, the queen smiled and took out several exquisite scrolls from her side, slowly unfolded them and placed them on the table.

Keremu widened his eyes and stared in astonishment at the exquisite scroll in the queen's hand. His mouth opened wide and he shouted in disbelief: "What? Mother...you are going to take a concubine for your son? How is this possible!" As he spoke, he involuntarily took two steps back, as if he was extremely frightened.

The queen smiled, her eyes revealing an unquestionable sincerity, and she explained softly, "Yes, child, mother had no choice but to do this. Think about it, the Crown Princess is pregnant now, and her emotions are easily volatile. If she knew about this, what if she couldn't get over it and got pregnant? That's why mother deliberately sent her away first, because she didn't want her to be troubled by this."

Hearing this, Keremu frowned, his face still full of doubt and dissatisfaction, and retorted: "But mother, you clearly know that she is pregnant, and you also know that she may be sad because of this, why do you insist on giving your son a concubine? Even if you keep it secret from her for the time being, she will eventually know about this in the future!"

The queen sighed softly, patted Keremu's shoulder with her hand, and advised earnestly: "Silly child, why are you so confused? As the crown prince of a country, it is only natural for you to have more concubines to serve you. Besides, the crown princess is pregnant now, and she really can't serve you. Can't you have two concubines to serve you? As long as you talk to her properly afterwards and coax her, I believe she won't care too much."

Keremu knew that if he rejected his mother directly, Li'er would certainly be angered by her. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath, and then slowly said in a sincere and caring tone: "Mother, please listen to me. I have just been canonized as the crown prince, and everything has not yet stabilized. It is really too hasty to rush to take a concubine at this moment! Moreover, think about it, Li'er is pregnant with the first grandchild of our royal family, which is a great joy! If there is any mistake or error because of this matter, it will be more trouble than gain!"

However, the queen seemed unimpressed by Keremu's words. She frowned slightly, snorted and retorted: "Her pregnancy is already stable, how could anything go wrong? Could it be that she is so jealous that she can't even tolerate a concubine? You must know that as the king of our Loulan Kingdom, his harem must be filled with concubines. If he can't even accommodate a concubine, how can he be worthy of the responsibility of being the queen of a country in the future?"

Keremu frowned and tried to persuade his mother with a worried look on his face: "Mother, please listen to me. It's not that the Crown Princess can't accommodate others, but I don't have the intention to take a concubine at the moment. You might as well think about it carefully. In this big world, which woman would be willing to serve her husband with others?"

"Even if the Crown Princess is open-minded and tolerant and won't get upset because of this, how can we ensure that those women who are about to become concubines have no selfish thoughts? Do they really want to watch the Crown Princess give birth to a legitimate son smoothly? If they are unlucky enough to meet someone as scheming as Concubine Xian, I'm afraid she is always thinking about how to make the eldest grandson of the royal family be born by herself!"

While observing the queen's expression, Keremu continued, "Mother, you have lived in the harem for a long time, so you are naturally very clear about the scheming and means of these women to compete for favor and beauty. Back then, the Crown Princess was just an innocent girl who grew up in the countryside. When she first entered the palace, she was framed and almost lost her life. Now if you force me to arrange a few concubines for you, how can she protect the unborn child in her belly with her simplicity and weakness? Which is more important, a concubine or the eldest grandson of the royal family? I hope you will think twice before acting!"

Listening to Keremu's words, the queen frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. After a long while, she slowly said, "Well, what you said is not unreasonable. But..." The queen paused and continued, "But as a prince, how can you have only one princess? This is unreasonable."

Seeing that the queen's attitude seemed to be somewhat relaxed, Keremu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly replied respectfully: "What the queen said is very true. It's just that the Crown Princess is pregnant now, and it's time for her to rest and take care of the baby. Moreover, I have just been named the Crown Prince, and there are many matters to deal with. I really have no time to take care of other things. It's better to wait until the Crown Princess gives birth smoothly before considering this matter! I am now shouldering an important responsibility, and I should focus on the government. I must not let others think that I, the Crown Prince, only know how to indulge in women and do nothing all day long!"

At the same time, Hanguli followed Mulian to the warehouse. As soon as she entered the warehouse, she was attracted by the dazzling array of Shu brocades in front of her. There were dozens of brightly colored and fine Shu brocades neatly arranged in the warehouse, each of which exuded a charming luster.