Children of Loulan

Chapter 319: Concubine Selection 2

On the other side, Concubine Ru was holding several exquisite scrolls in her hands. After examining them one by one, she slowly shifted her gaze to the seemingly nonchalant Batur on the side and said softly, "Son, these ladies were carefully selected by your mother. Come and have a look!"

Batuer heard his mother calling him and walked over slowly. He glanced at the paintings casually, then frowned and asked, "What families do these women come from?"

Concubine Ru's face instantly blossomed with excitement. She quickly pointed to one of the scrolls and introduced it in a torrent of words: "This woman is the niece of the General of the Cavalry and the cousin of General Ankar. Look at this one, this beauty is the second daughter of the General who guards the country. And the woman in this painting over here, she is the biological sister of General Guide..."

However, before Concubine Ru finished introducing the family backgrounds of all the women, Batur could not help but interrupt her. He stared at his mother with a worried look on his face, and said in a heavy tone: "Mother, I really don't understand. When Concubine Xian passed away not long ago, you were still worried about the situation. How could you start looking for such a striking in-law for your son so quickly? They are all generals with heavy troops. Aren't you worried that this will arouse the suspicion and fear of your father?"

Concubine Ru gently put the exquisite scroll aside, and then said slowly: "My child, in the past, mother was trembling with fear and treading on thin ice all day long. She had to be careful with every step, for fear that the slightest mistake would anger Concubine Xian and the queen, and bring disaster to us mother and daughter. Those days were really terrified and sleepless. However, after your grandfather retired from the court, he gradually handed over the power he held in the court to mother. From then on, mother finally had a little confidence and was no longer as afraid of the queen as before."

"But even so, in order to ensure that you could grow up safely, mother chose to be patient and give in many times. Later, because the power of Concubine Xian's family was too great, she aroused the king's deep fear, and eventually her entire family was executed and her family was destroyed. During that time, mother was really worried about this matter for a long time. But as time went by, mother gradually figured out the key points."

Concubine Ru took a sip of tea and continued, "Now, the three princes of the king have all grown up and have been conferred the title of prince. So no matter what kind of in-laws you marry in the future, the king will secretly compare them in his heart. He will weigh which royal son is more suitable to be the future crown prince and which one has more outstanding talents. Even if you behave extremely humble and low-key, even humble to the point of being as insignificant as dust, the king will still be worried about you, worrying whether you have the heart to covet the supreme throne."

She slowly lowered her head, her lips slightly raised, revealing a bitter smile, and then she sighed and said, "My child, even though we all know that the king is unlikely to make you the crown prince, he will still be suspicious of you because of your outstanding talents and excellent performance. However, as your mother, I still hope to choose a powerful Yue family for you that is capable of protecting you. In this way, even if you really miss the throne in the future, you will not be persecuted by your brothers. At a critical moment, maybe this Yue family can be your last line of defense to save your life!"

Although Batur thought that what his mother said made sense, he still had concerns about choosing such a powerful Yue family. He frowned and said, "But..."

At this time, Concubine Ru took a step forward, stretched out a hand and gently held Batur's palm, and continued earnestly: "My son, I know your thoughts and feelings, and I understand that you have a lot of thoughts in your heart. Over the years, you have been humble and polite to your brothers in the palace; after you came of age, you resolutely stayed away from the disputes in the court and chose to wander around the world and live freely in the rivers and lakes."

"In the eyes of outsiders, you are now just an idle prince who is indifferent to the affairs of the court. Because of this, if your mother chooses such a prominent Yue family for you, others will only think that you are doing this for the purpose of self-protection. With such a strong backing, if you want to make further progress in time, then such a Yue family will surely become a powerful arm on your way forward; and if you just want to live a simple life, they will become a solid shield to protect your safety."

Batur actually had many thoughts in his mind that he wanted to express, but when he saw his mother's face full of pity, all the words on his lips seemed to be choked back. He really couldn't say anything to reject his mother, so he could only nod gently and said, "Well, then I'll listen to your arrangements, mother. The person you choose will definitely not be wrong!"

Seeing that Batur agreed so obediently, Concubine Ru finally felt relieved. She breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Now in this huge palace, there are only four concubines left, and I am the only one left. I think it won't be long before your father will reward everyone in the harem on a large scale. By then, the palace will be much more lively!"

Batur knew that time was passing by and his mother was no longer young. In the inner palace, there was no shortage of young and beautiful women. They not only had beautiful faces, but also had deep minds and clever means.

Therefore, the mother carefully selected such a marriage for herself, and chose that powerful family as her future in-laws. In this way, on the one hand, it was to find a solid and reliable backer for her son, so that he could stand firm in the power struggle in the palace; on the other hand, wasn't it the mother seeking a strong and powerful backing for herself? After all, in this palace without gunpowder but full of open and secret struggles, if you want to survive and gain a place, you must have enough wisdom and strategy.

Thinking of this, Batur could not help but slowly lower his head, with an indescribable emotion in his heart. He knew very well that his mother had been struggling among many concubines all these years, and the hardships she had experienced were beyond the imagination of others. Every step was like walking on thin ice, and if he was not careful, he might fall into an irretrievable situation. However, even in the face of such difficulties and obstacles, his mother still firmly protected him and raised him up, carrying the burden with her weak body. The greatness of this maternal love made Batur deeply admire and distressed.

At the same time, the person sent to ask Edir for his opinion had returned to the palace and reported to the king: "Your Majesty, I have conveyed this matter to His Royal Highness Prince Xin. His Royal Highness Prince Xin replied that since His Royal Highness Prince Xuan, as his elder brother, has not yet taken a concubine, he is naturally not in a hurry. He just wants to marry a principal wife first."