Empress Jiahe took out the letter, unfolded it and looked down at it. The angry expression on her face eased.

The content on the letter made her happy, and even a smile appeared on her lips.

Her heart finally felt at ease.

The seventeenth prince raised his eyes tremblingly, glanced at his mother, and finally asked timidly, "Mother, is this a letter from grandpa?"

Empress Jiahe was in a good mood. She called the palace maid to bring a candlestick and burned the letter.

She looked at the burning flames of the letter paper, and then she said to the Seventeenth Prince slowly, "This letter is from General Xi."

Some people in Huaizhou, located on the southern border, colluded with foreign tribes and started a rebellion. Two months ago, Emperor Zhaowu sent Xi Zimo, who was stationed in the south, to lead troops to suppress the rebellion.

The seventeenth prince's eyes lit up when he heard this, "Is the war settled?"

Queen Jiahe shook her head.

The seventeenth prince was stunned in astonishment. He looked at Empress Jiahe's joyful smile and thought that the war was settled...

Xi Zimo's father used to be a member of his grandfather's gang. There were less than a thousand people rebelling this time, and Xi Zimo led nearly ten thousand soldiers to fight. If he couldn't win, he would have no chance of being promoted to a higher position, and might even be punished. Why would the queen mother be happy?

Empress Jiahe lowered her voice and said, "Xi Zimo sent a letter to me and your grandfather first, asking us to help him think of a solution."

The seventeenth prince straightened his posture, looking as if he was thinking carefully.

Seeing him thinking seriously, Empress Jiahe was amused and tapped his forehead with her finger, "The method General Xi wants is not the method to win a battle."

"Then do I need mother's help to send people there to cure illnesses and save lives?" asked the seventeenth prince.

The letter was burned.

Empress Jiahe brushed off the ashes on her golden finger guard and answered the question without any haste, saying, "Xi Zimo sent a letter to me and your grandfather first. Huaizhou is far away from Jinling, and your father doesn't take the barbarians who invaded Huaizhou seriously. He didn't pay much attention to the news over there. Now we are the only ones in the capital who know what the situation is there. Xi Zimo will listen to our arrangements and send a letter to your father in a few days."

Rong Ting could shake some of their power in the capital, but those people were just chess pieces. Even if they were defeated, it would not affect the overall situation.

The Xu family had built up a foundation over decades and had established itself deeply. How could he destroy it in an instant?

Empress Jiahe was reassured, and An Yi said, "The people who raised troops in Huaizhou are not scary. They are just troublemakers. They will be quiet after a few beatings. What is scary is the epidemic that is gradually spreading. Since it is an epidemic, whoever goes to Huaizhou will die. This is an opportunity God has sent to me."

The seventeenth prince suddenly came back to his senses as if he had been awakened, "My Queen Mother wants General Xi to ask for permission to call for reinforcements, and find a way to ask my ninth brother to go there?"

Empress Jiahe was finally satisfied and nodded to the Seventeenth Prince. Her smiling face showed a hint of viciousness. "Even if the epidemic doesn't kill him, we have General Xi instead."

…

The Seventeenth Prince took a deep breath. He was instinctively afraid of the plague that could kill people.

If the Queen Mother makes such arrangements, she will miss the opportunity to save people.

But if I could defeat Rong Ting...

The seventeenth prince lowered his head and said, "Mother, you are right."

He went into the inner room and brought back the ink set, and came before Empress Jiahe, "Then write a reply to General Xi and ask him to send a letter to my father as soon as possible."

Seeing that her son knew her feelings, Empress Jiahe chuckled softly, but stopped him, "It won't be too late to write a letter after the palace banquet is over."

She warned slowly, "You must remember, when your father finds out about this, you must feel sympathy for those soldiers who died of illness and persuade him to posthumously honor them."

The seventeenth prince nodded and put down his wolf-hair brush.

Queen Jiahe gently touched his head and asked, "Why do you want to come to the flower viewing banquet today?"

"I heard that the emperor will come, I want to see him."

Empress Jiahe was delighted.

It would be great if the son could take the initiative to show his willingness to his father.

After she had dressed up, she took the sedan chair and took the seventeenth prince to meet Emperor Zhaowu.

If Emperor Zhaowu wanted to attend a palace banquet, he would be accompanied by the Emperor and Empress.

Even if Emperor Zhaowu loved Qin Yun very much, he would still put courtesy first and would not let his favorite concubine lose the Empress's face.

Only at this time did Empress Jiahe feel proud.

She looked at the Seventeenth Prince, and all her thoughts about the future rested on him alone.

Now that she has secured her position as queen, as long as her son works hard, she will be the most honorable woman in Dazhao for the rest of her life.

It doesn't matter even if my son doesn't live up to his expectations.

She has her own way to help him get the throne.

She will remove all obstacles one by one, even if it means sacrificing some innocent people.

Empress Jiahe closed her eyes and dozed off.

The seventeenth prince glanced at Queen Jiahe carefully, and when she finally stopped looking at him, he seemed to have lost all his energy and his shoulders slumped.

Because of Empress Jiahe's words, he felt a little excited about the fate of Rong Ting being sent to Huaizhou, but he was also worried that Rong Ting might not be able to come back alive.

He should have died in Yecheng long ago.

But with General Xi...

No matter how lucky he is, there is no way he can come back alive.

The seventeenth prince calmed down and accompanied Empress Jiahe to meet Emperor Zhaowu.

After leaving the Golden Palace, he walked towards Changyi Garden.

The palace banquet was held in Changyi Garden.

The eunuchs behind him tried to keep up with him, but it was quite strenuous.

He followed the Seventeenth Prince breathlessly and asked curiously, "Your Highness, are you in a hurry to meet someone?"

The Seventeenth Prince slowed down his pace upon hearing this. He shook his head and said, "No."

The breeze blew up his hair, revealing a tired look.

He looked more like the Xu family, except for his eyes.

It's not that the shapes are different, it's just that the look in the eyes is different that makes them look different.

He is very young, but the spirit in his eyes is not bright, even less than that of his grandfather who is nearly sixty years old. At his age, his pupils should be clear, but they hide a sense of fatigue.

When the eunuch saw that the Seventeenth Prince was walking towards Changyi Garden, he looked anxious.

He was the person arranged by Empress Jiahe to be by the Seventeenth Prince's side to prevent him from causing trouble and to advise him on everything.

He chased after the Seventeenth Prince and reminded him, "Your Highness, although the Queen did not ask you to go to the banquet, she still did not want you to go. You should listen to me and go back to the academy, so as to avoid being blamed by the Queen in the future."

The seventeenth prince turned around and gave him a vicious look, "I know what's going on."

It seemed that he was dissatisfied with the discipline of the eunuchs accompanying him. After the Seventeenth Prince finished speaking, he cursed in a low voice, "Dog slave."

Although his voice was low, he asked the eunuch accompanying him to listen.

His face turned awkward for a moment, but he dared not say anything. He was holding back a feeling of resentment. When he saw the Seventeenth Prince turning around and looking at his back, he spat in his heart.

He was a coward in front of the Queen and the Emperor, stammering and not daring to speak easily, but he could show off his power in front of his servants.

He felt wronged by his master and was angry, but he dared not show it on his face. He just thought secretly that when he returned to Queen Jiahe and said that the Seventeenth Prince was in a hurry to go to the banquet and indulge in fun, Queen Jiahe would inevitably teach the Seventeenth Prince a lesson, and he would also feel relieved.

The seventeenth prince walked towards Changyi Garden.

The laughter and joy he could hear in his ears became clearer and clearer, and his eyes looked lonelier and lonelier.

Men and women sat at separate tables, and he paused when he passed the East Courtyard where the women were.

He looked past the hanging flower gate and looked inside, and found the person he wanted to see, with a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

At the same time, he caught a glimpse of the eunuch behind him staring at him.

So his eyes only fell in for a moment, and then he withdrew them like a dragonfly skimming the water.

The seventeenth prince hid all his emotions, his face sank with displeasure, and he quickly went to the West Garden.

…

Just at this moment, Jiang Rao looked outside. Apart from the occasional palace maid passing by, she did not see any other people outside the door. She retracted her gaze and looked to her side.

Beside her, besides Hu Tang, Hu Li was also there.

The two sisters have a natural rapport that allows them to easily make each other laugh.

Hu Li was not as bright and lively as her sister. After she was promised to someone, she dressed much more conservatively. When she mentioned her lover, her face was shy and she even covered her face with a fan when she laughed. Looking at her now, Jiang Rao found it hard to imagine what she looked like when she first met her and Hu Tang.

Hu Tang is still the same as before and now. When sitting at the same table with other noble ladies, she still doesn't tie her hair up, but just puts it in a simple bun.

She ignored the nasty words people around her were saying about her and sat next to Jiang Rao. She laughed so hard that she fell on Jiang Rao.

The fan that was used to cover the face was thrown away long ago.

Jiang Rao didn't understand why they were laughing so hard, but from time to time she would hold Hu Tang, who was laughing so hard in front of her sister, to prevent her from falling.

The palace maids came in one after another and served the dishes. It was the autumn harvest season, and there was no shortage of delicacies and seasonal fruits. Just one look at them was enough to whet one's appetite.

Jiang Rao has always been cautious and doesn't like to eat too much outside. She peeled the pomegranates one by one and piled them on the porcelain plate in front of her.

Seeing that she didn't eat much, Hu Tang thought she was in a bad mood. He thought that Jiang Rao felt left out because he was talking to Hu Li, so he peeled a pomegranate and handed it to Jiang Rao, looking at it flatteringly, "Niannian, why don't you say anything?"

Jiang Rao was looking outside. When she heard Hu Tang's voice, she came back to her senses and took the handful of pomegranate seeds. Each one was a delightfully red color. She smiled and said, "I noticed that Xie Xi was not at the palace banquet today."

Hu Tang was careless and seldom considered others. After hearing what Jiang Rao said, he looked around and said in surprise, "He's really not here."

Hu Li came closer and said, "Xie Xi is not feeling well. It's autumn now and the weather is getting colder. Many people in the capital have caught a cold. Maybe she has caught a cold and it's inconvenient for her to attend the banquet."

"More than once." Jiang Rao shook her head, "Xie Xi has never been here."

Naturally, she wouldn't make a fuss because Xie Xi didn't come once.

In the past six months, whenever she had the opportunity to attend a banquet, she would look for Xie Xi. She had seen Xie Xi and Princess Xiang several times at other banquets, but she had never seen them at palace banquets or imperial banquets.

It is clear that Princess Xiang and Empress Jiahe are blood sisters. With such a close relationship, they would not forget to send an invitation to the Xiang Palace.

She suddenly felt a chill all over her body, and when she looked up, she saw Empress Jiahe taking her seat. She glanced at her as she passed by her.

Even though she discovered her, Empress Jiahe did not avoid her gaze.

Instead, he smiled at her and then looked away.

The color of Empress Jiahe's lips, painted with rouge, was even redder than the pomegranates in her hand, as red as blood and the setting sun. Jiang Rao looked at them and felt a shock as if a needle had fallen in her heart. She always felt that there was something wrong with Empress Jiahe's gaze.

The smile was too wide, carrying a sense of complacency, as well as pity and sympathy for her.

That kind of pity and sympathy from a high position.

This made Jiang Rao suddenly feel uneasy.

After Empress Jiahe sat down, she never looked in her direction again. Jiang Rao still felt uneasy. Hu Li looked at Jiang Rao and saw that she looked sad. She smiled and said, "Don't you have to get married in a few dozen days every year? Why do you look so unhappy?"

Hu Tang and Jiang Rao were close, so Hu Li naturally paid extra attention to and cared for Jiang Rao.

Jiang Rao glanced at Empress Jiahe, who was at the top of the group. She couldn't say bad things about Empress Jiahe to her face in such a crowded place, so she shook her head and said it was okay.

Hu Tang had already come over, his eyes fierce, "Did His Highness the Ninth Prince bully you?"

Jiang Rao laughed and said, "No."

After returning to the Ning'an Earl's Mansion, the female official from the clothing department was waiting in her courtyard with the finished wedding dress lining, and asked her to try it to see if it fit.

Jiang Rao's anticipation for the beautiful wedding dress was even greater than that of the wedding itself. She always liked to dress nicely and neatly. She would not have the chance to wear a wedding dress many times in her life, so she was curious about what her wedding dress would look like. She was so curious that she wished the wedding date would come as soon as possible.

While the female official was measuring her, Jiang Rao quietly asked, "Aunt, have you ever seen my wedding dress?"

“Yes.”

"Does it look good?" Jiang Rao blinked, looking very curious.

The female official laughed and said, "Miss, you always ask me this every time I come back. Aren't you tired of it?"

"The wedding dress can only be seen the night before the wedding, otherwise it will ruin the luck." The female official put down the ruler in her hand and said, "You are beautiful, so you will look good in anything."

It seems that there is nothing more to be said.

Jiang Rao pursed her lips, and the female official smiled and said, "The divorce period is only two days away. Miss, you should spend more time with your parents, otherwise in the blink of an eye, your days of waiting to be married will be gone."

Jiang Rao laughed and asked the maid to give the female official a handful of gold leaves. "I know. Thank you for your advice, aunt."

After Jiang Xingzhou inherited the title, he became increasingly busier.

Jiang Qinshi had an easier time than him, but she was not idle either, as the entire burden of household chores fell on her shoulders.

Jiang Rao couldn't help with much in the officialdom, so she could only help Jiang Qin with household chores.

But although she wanted to help, Jiang Qinshi did not want her daughter to be busy with these things. In her opinion, when her daughter got married, she would be in charge of the household chores most of the time, and she could just be a lazy girl who did not have to do any work at home. This made Jiang Rao laugh and sad. After getting married, many things would be really different.

Only she and Rong Ting knew what this marriage was about. Others would regard them as a legitimate couple, and then she would not be able to live in the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion for long.

Jiang Rao suddenly remembered the look Queen Jiahe gave her at the banquet.

The thorn in my heart has not been removed yet, and I still feel uncomfortable when I think about it.

This discomfort finally became a reality half a month later.

Half a month later, Xi Zimo's letter was sent to Emperor Zhaowu.

He asked the court to send troops for support, and Emperor Zhaowu agreed to all the requests in Xi Zimo's letter. Rong Ting led the troops and food to Huaizhou.

On the day the decree was issued, Emperor Zhaowu invited Jiang Xingzhou into the palace.

Huaizhou and Jinling are thousands of miles apart. Even if one travels all night and kills four or five horses, one still cannot reach the destination. If Rong Ting leaves, the wedding date will inevitably be postponed.

It would be great for Jiang Xingzhou if his daughter could stay at home for a few more days.

But he also knew that if Jiang Rao knew this news, she would be very sad if he told her to postpone her wedding date since she had been looking forward to it so eagerly.

He looked at Emperor Zhaowu and frowned slightly, "Can't we transfer troops from other places?"

"The cableway in Huaizhou was washed away by the rain, causing great trouble for the transportation of grain and grass. It is most appropriate to let Ting'er handle this matter. The Queen also helped me find a master to predict the future. My arrangement is in accordance with the will of heaven." Emperor Zhaowu said with a little guilt, "This time, I have wronged your Ning'an Marquis' Mansion. I will give your daughter another 100 dan of betrothal gifts."

Jiang Xingzhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He prepared more than a hundred loads of dowry for his daughter, but she still thought it was too little, so how could he be greedy for such a small betrothal gift?

He glanced at Emperor Zhaowu and found that he could not understand what he was thinking.

How could it be so easy for someone who has sat on the throne for so many years to let others see what he is feeling?

Jiang Xingzhou stood up reluctantly, thanked the emperor and accepted the order.

He often went in and out of the palace to paint, and knew that Emperor Zhaowu seemed gentle and generous, with a mild style, but was actually very arrogant and conceited in his bones.

But he had never seen Emperor Zhaowu believe in such weird and superstitious things, and for a moment he felt that the emperor's mind was hard to predict.

Jiang Xingzhou was led out of the palace by the palace maids. As he walked, he was thinking about how to tell Jiang Rao the news.

Changing is tricky.

He has broken up couples many times. If it happens again, no matter how well-behaved his daughter is, she will probably get angry with him and annoy him as an old father.

Jiang Xingzhou stopped and looked at the wisps of clouds above his head.

He pursed his lips and confirmed in his heart that there was someone more suitable than him.

After Jiang Xingzhou left, Emperor Zhaowu went to Jinxiu Palace.

He usually only stayed with Empress Jiahe on the 15th and 16th of every month and never stayed longer.

Recently, he often takes the initiative to look for Queen Jiahe.

Empress Jiahe counted the days and found that Emperor Zhaowu had stayed at her place more times this month than at Qin Yun's place. She was flattered but also slightly proud.

In the past, Qin Yun had always stolen her limelight. Now, she holds the Phoenix Seal and has the favor of Emperor Zhaowu. She is much stronger than Qin Yun.

After extinguishing the candle, the queen glanced through the darkness at the man lying flat beside her.

Her body was boneless as she leaned softly against his shoulder. Just as she was about to call "Your Majesty" softly, Emperor Zhaowu turned over and turned his back towards her.

The queen's face darkened.

Although Emperor Zhaowu stayed at her place, he had no intention of getting close to her.

She frowned, lay down as well, and gritted her teeth in annoyance.

Although he was a little angry, the annoyance in his heart quickly dissipated when he heard the breathing sound beside him.

As long as Emperor Zhaowu was willing to come to her more often, even if he was not close to her, it would always show that he was tired of Qin Yun.

She was not only the mistress of the six palaces, but also the most favored concubine of Emperor Zhaowu. Therefore, the position of crown prince in the future would only fall into the hands of her son.

She slowly closed her eyes, not noticing that the man sleeping next to her had his eyes open all the time. His eyes were as cold as water, so cold that if someone saw them, they would definitely be frightened.

…

During breakfast, Jiang Xingzhou told Jiang Rao that she had to go to the palace to meet Concubine Yun today.

Jiang Rao didn't know what was going on yet, but her heart was beating fast and she had some little thoughts.

If I could enter the palace and go to the clothing bureau under the name of my aunt, maybe

I had the chance to see her wedding dress.

Jiang Rao was very interested and went there happily. When she arrived at Shuxiang Palace, Concubine Yun came forward and held her hand.

Concubine Yun's palms felt a little cold as she thought about what she was going to say to Jiang Rao later.

Jiang Rao was not surprised by this intimate action, and gently shook Concubine Yun's hand, "Aunt, is there any way for you to ask the palace maid to get my wedding dress from the clothing bureau? I want to take a look."

"It's just a glance, it doesn't count as breaking the rules." Jiang Rao emphasized.

The carefree behavior of the little girl made Concubine Yun feel annoyed. Jiang Xingzhou had thrown her a hot potato, but she gritted her teeth and said to Jiang Rao, "Niannian, I'm afraid your marriage cannot go on as scheduled..."

Jiang Rao was slightly stunned.

"Why?" she asked.

"Huaizhou was invaded by barbarians, and General Xi led troops to suppress the invasion. However, an epidemic broke out there, and the emperor... asked the ninth prince to lead troops to provide support."

Jiang Rao's face turned pale all of a sudden, "I don't want to."

Concubine Yun doted on her and obeyed her in everything.

But she couldn't change the imperial decree, so she could only persuade Jiang Rao, "The wedding date will just be postponed. When he comes back, you can get married again. Don't worry. If you want to see the wedding dress, I will ask someone to bring it to you, okay?"

"I'm not worried about the wedding." Jiang Rao frowned, "I don't want to look at wedding dresses either."

An inexplicable panic crept into her heart, causing her pale face to take a long time to regain its color, and even her beautiful lips turned pale. "I don't know what the epidemic situation is in Huaizhou, and he is not a doctor. I am afraid that he will die if he goes there."

Her fingers tightened inadvertently and she felt extremely panicked.

Seeing that she was anxious, Concubine Yun also became anxious.

"I'll help you find the emperor," the words just came to her lips, but she swallowed them back.

Emperor Zhaowu often accompanied the Queen during this period and neglected her.

She could feel the man's indifference towards her, but unfortunately she couldn't figure out the reason. She tried several times to show her courtesy to Emperor Zhaowu, but failed to win the man's heart back.

She just refused to do it.

The dog emperor pampers whoever he wants. As long as he doesn't treat the Qin family badly because he doesn't like her, she would be happy and at ease even if she was demoted to the cold palace.

But now I couldn't find a way to save my niece, and I felt powerless.

If I had known earlier, I would have tried harder to win your favor.

"Is there no way to change it?"

Concubine Yun shook her head, "The imperial edict has been issued."

Jiang Rao's breathing rhythm was messed up. She wanted to see the wedding dress before entering the palace.

The joy in my heart was shattered by the sudden bad news. "Why did it have to be him?"

"General Xi asked His Highness the Ninth Prince to go to Huaizhou to repair the plank road. If he refused in person... he couldn't refuse. General Xi's letter only left him one way. Either he led his troops to go, or he would be regarded as a coward. Otherwise, the Queen went to the temple to ask someone for divination. Huaizhou is the only option. His Highness the Ninth Prince must go. Nian Nian, don't think too much. Stay in Jinling and wait for him to come back."

Jiang Rao felt as if a stone had fallen from his heart, and it became heavier and heavier.

She recalled the look Queen Jiahe gave her.

There was a smile on his lips, and in the corners of his eyebrows and eyes, there was sympathy and compassion that was condescending and piercing.

Jiang Rao was finally annoyed by the stab, and her pretty face sank in anger.