TV Series: When the Villain Chooses to Stand by

Chapter 243 Return of the Pearl Buddha 11

The queen came forward to plead for mercy, but Nan Chu did not agree so easily. Since the emperor had opened the door, it had to remain open.

"Queen, there's no need to say anything. I'll speak to the Emperor myself about this."

"Let's sit down and watch the show together. I think their new piece is very interesting."

Qing'er came over with some tea and snacks at the right time.

"Good luck to the Buddha, good luck to the Queen."

"Master, these are freshly made snacks by the kitchen according to your instructions. However, the imperial physician said that you shouldn't use too much of these cold foods. Please don't be so stubborn."

"Look, at such a young age, you're still controlling me."

Nan Chu smiled and lightly tapped Qing'er's nose, then turned around and recommended the queen her favorite ice drink.

My body has been well taken care of, so there will be no problem with eating anything.

Nan Chu really enjoys spending time with Qing'er. Although her soul is already very old, she always can't help but feel soft-hearted when she sees a well-behaved and pretty little girl.

"Yes, I will listen to the Empress Dowager."

The Queen didn't try to persuade him seriously, and just sat down to watch the show with Nan Chu.

But the more she watched the play, the more she felt something was wrong. Why was it all about love? She shifted her gaze to Qing'er's face, thinking of an excuse to send the little girl away.

"What does the Queen think of the play 'The Sophora Shade Tree'?"

"That's good. I've never heard of this before. It's quite new."

The performance on stage was just about the part where the Seven Fairies returned their son as promised in front of the Jade Beam Bridge. The couple expressed their heartfelt feelings to each other, and the gentle and sad music echoed in the deep palace.

The queen felt an inexplicable chill down her spine.

Nan Chu curled the corners of his lips and turned to look at Qing'er beside him, "Qing'er, what do you think?"

"Qing'er doesn't understand, but Dong Yong's filial piety moved heaven by burying his father himself, and he is also praised by everyone as a filial son."

Nan Chu nodded and didn't ask any more questions. The girl was shy and naturally wouldn't say a word about love.

"Queen, if it were you, would you give your daughter away to someone else just because of someone else's filial piety?"

"After a hundred days of marriage, I will help him become rich and bear him a son. After a hundred days, I will give him horses and armor to help him join the army. After he has achieved great success and married Princess Baihua, I will give him a son."

"What kind of behavior is this?"

The queen could no longer maintain the smile on her face. It was just a show, but she really did have a daughter.

What parent could do such a thing.

"You're joking, Empress Dowager. This is just something some pedantic scholars wrote to amuse themselves. Parents wouldn't even have time to pity their own flesh and blood, how could they bear to mistreat them like this?"

"If anyone treats my daughter like this, I will fight him to the death."

"Ordinary people are like this, let alone gods and Buddhas. If burying their fathers with their own bodies could attract the mercy of the gods, I'm afraid there won't be enough immortals to give them."

Nan Chu burst into laughter when he heard this. The queen's honesty has its advantages.

"Qing'er, I heard you say that you can't trust everything in opera or storybooks."

"Qing'er must keep this in mind."

The area behind Qing'er's ears had turned red. She didn't understand why the old lady could say all this to her. She was not yet of marriageable age, so nothing should happen.

"Just remember it. I saw you reading the Book of Han yesterday. What method did Emperor Wu use to select officials?"

"In the first year of the Yuanguang reign, the emperor ordered each prefecture to select one person who was filial and honest. After examination and trial, those who passed the examination were given official positions. Later, Emperor He of the Han Dynasty also selected filial and honest officials according to the population ratio."

"Then which dynasty did Dong Yong belong to?"

"Han...Han Dynasty." Qing'er was a little confused by Nan Chu's words and didn't react for a while.

The opera on the stage continued. The fairy was "forced" to return to the Heavenly Palace, and Dong Yong lived a happy life with his child and Princess Baihua.

Nan Chu’s next words hit the Queen and Qing’er’s heads hard.

"What about being a filial son? Filial piety that moves heaven? Everything is just to spread a good reputation so that you can enter the court as an official. In the final analysis, it is all for your own future."

"Wang Xiang, the man who lay on the ice to catch carp, was from the Wang family of Langya. Do they need these two carp? Only a fool would believe that they need their eldest son to take such a risk."

Nan Chu affectionately pinched the soft flesh on Qing'er's face and shook it.

"Believe it or not, if the emperor governed the country and selected officials according to the law, the Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars would no longer exist. Perhaps there would be thirty-six or forty-nine famous scholars who sacrificed their relatives for the sake of justice and would be passed down through the ages."

"Some things are just for reading. If you read a few tales of wandering the world today and then want to leave home and try them tomorrow, that's absolutely not allowed."

Qing'er's eyes widened. She had only read a few miscellaneous books. Could it be that the Empress Dowager found out?

He repeatedly promised himself that he would not do such a thing.

"Master Buddha treats Qing'er so well, Qing'er will never leave you."