The two nodded blankly, wondering what their elder brother meant by asking such a question. Could marriage really lead to enmity?

They all chose pampered legitimate daughters from their families, showing their sincerity in marrying into the newly wealthy Yu family.

Could it be that the Emperor does not want them to marry the sons of important officials in the court, or that he himself has taken a liking to Yu Qingyu and wants to recruit him as his son-in-law?

After much consideration, there are no princesses of suitable age in the palace!

Princess Taikang was alright, but Prince Qi inevitably had more to think about. His heart sank, but he still pretended to be puzzled.

"Then let me ask you, who did you choose to marry Yu's eldest son? Was it Xu Jiao and that girl Xie Zhiyao?"

The two nodded, but Princess Consort Feng of Qi frowned slightly.

"Do you even know the temperaments of these two girls?" The Empress Dowager's voice grew colder and colder.

Upon hearing this question, Princess Taikang trembled slightly. As a mother, it was one thing to have a biased view of her daughter, but she also knew her daughter very well.

She put a lot of thought into finding a husband, but had not yet met a suitable one.

That's why he's taken a fancy to the eldest grandson of the Yu family.

"Tai Kang, you go first. Tell me properly what kind of temperament that girl Xu Jiao is."

Princess Taikang's hesitation was a matter of great concern to the Empress Dowager, who knew her temperament well enough to have scolded her countless times for it.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Mother, that child Aman... she's still young, and a bit spoiled, but she..."

The Empress Dowager impatiently interrupted her, saying, "Don't tell me that she is innocent and kind with no bad intentions. You don't even believe it yourself, so don't try to fool us with that old cliché.

You know Xu Jiao's temperament very well, and so do I. She's been spoiled by you since she was little, and she's not kind at all.

"Tai Kang, tell me, what are your plans in arranging this marriage between Xu Jiao and Yu Jia Da Lang?"

Princess Taikang's lips trembled as she was questioned by the Empress Dowager. She was extremely flustered. If the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were to take her daughter's actions seriously, they would not forgive her and her daughter.

"Mother, I...I..." She couldn't utter a complete sentence.

You can't exactly tell the truth that because someone's sister is favored, she's trying to use that relationship to benefit her sons!

This would not only be beneath him, but it would also easily arouse the emperor's suspicion.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Mingxi said, "Taikang, your mother and I know what you're up to, but you've chosen the wrong person. The Yu family is not someone you can manipulate with your whims!"

You must understand that the marriage between Yu Qingyu and Xu Jiao is a union between two families, not an alliance of enemies!

Xu Jiao is a proud girl. Do you think she would be willing to marry Yu Jia Dalang?

Don't think that a forced marriage will be sweet. Even if the two of them get married and their marriage falls apart, I will still stand up for the Yu family and order them to divorce.

Your plan to use the princess's status to make the Yu family suffer in silence was a miscalculation from the very beginning.

Princess Taikang turned pale when Emperor Mingxi saw through her thoughts, feeling as if she had lost face.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "Alright, stand aside for now. Your punishments will be sent to your princess residence later."

[Master, Princess Taikang is just a bit dim-witted. She hasn't actually done many bad things; she's the one with the fewest lives on her hands in her family! To be honest, she and her mother mostly took the blame for the Xu family father and son.]

What exactly did the Xu family father and son do?

[Occupying farmland, driving people to their deaths, forcing women into prostitution, and buying and selling people—these are not the worst of their crimes. Guess what their greatest evil is?]

"What is it? Is there a crime greater than murder?"

They grow poppy, oh, and you've definitely heard of it before!

Moonlight remained silent for half a minute before asking, "Why do they grow that stuff? Or rather, do they know how dangerous it is?"

"We know now, but we'll find out soon!"

'Okay, I got it. Let's think of a way to trick Emperor Mingxi into locking those two up, breaking their legs, and ideally making sure they can never leave the house again!'

Princess Taikang, following instructions, moved slightly to the side, revealing Princess Qi, Lady Feng, standing behind her.

Emperor Mingxi was also curious as to why Yue Fuguang wanted to break the legs of the Xu family father and son as soon as she heard that they were growing imperial rice.

It is said that this kind of rice was introduced from Nanzhao in the last two years. Because of its beautiful color, many families like to grow some in their own gardens.

Judging from what they've said, this thing is not only harmful, but extremely harmful, but the two of them won't go into details!

Emperor Mingxi thought he should just wait for Fu Guang to try and fool him!

Putting that aside, he turned to Prince Qi and asked, "Prince Qi, tell me about Xie Zhiyao. I've heard she's keeping a male lover outside the marriage. Is that true?"

Although he asked this question, he had already sent people to investigate the moment Yue Fuguang mentioned Peach Blossom Lane, and he wasn't afraid that the King of Qi wouldn't tell the truth.

King Qi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I was unaware of this! Zhiyao has always been a well-behaved and filial child to me. I have never heard of her keeping someone else outside!"

Even if she wanted to raise a child, it would be after marriage. She's not betrothed yet, and your brother and the princess will not allow her to tarnish her reputation because of this."

He then turned to his queen to confirm, "Feng, do you agree with what I said? It's impossible for Zhiyao to be keeping a man before she's even married. This must be a rumor!"

Princess Consort Feng of Qi was pale and kept her head down without saying a word.

"Little Pearl, do the King and Queen really not know that their daughter is keeping a man outside? Actually, it doesn't matter if she keeps a man; it's her own business as long as it's consensual."

We're all the same kind of people. If men can support women, why can't they?

However, to be fair, I can support a man, but you can't marry into my family, not even if you want to marry him!

Master, you're applying double standards again!

"Who am I? So what if I'm a bit hypocritical? Besides, it's obvious without even asking that my older brother would never want to share a wife with another man."

Sharing a wife? Little Immortal Lord, you really dare to dream! How many men could stand that?

In the Qi Prince's residence, Princess Feng only vaguely knew about the princess's affairs, but the Qi Prince knew everything.

Xie Zhiyao is training people for his future rebellion; do you think he even knows that?!

When these two voices rang in Princess Qi's ears again, she looked up in alarm, her eyes wide open.

The first time I heard her, I thought I was seeing a ghost. But when I heard that voice again, she mentioned my elder brother's wedding. Could it be the Junior Tutor?

She looked up and met the eyes of the imperial family members. The Empress immediately shook her head subtly at Lady Feng and gestured for her to be quiet.

Feng nodded immediately, trembling, and then quickly lowered her head to pretend to be a quail.