Side Hall

Lady Yongning's heart pounded wildly.

This was the first time she had been so close to the Emperor since the day Consort Chen left.

I was so nervous that my palms and back were sweaty.

"Speak! What matter does the Marquis of Yongning's residence require my intervention?" Emperor Rongsheng was surprised by the reason why the Marquis of Yongning's wife had come to the palace.

Lady Hou immediately denied it: "No..."

Princess Xiang hurriedly tugged at her sleeve: "Your Majesty, my sister-in-law has come to beg you to grant a favor to the Marquis's family's savior."

"Oh? His savior? Who did he save?" The Emperor was very interested.

"You saved my son's life." Lady Yongning knelt down: "I beg Your Majesty to give me a chance to repay this life-saving grace."

Emperor Rongsheng's curiosity was piqued.

"As far as I know, Prince Yan is only paralyzed and his life is not in danger."

"Your Majesty, it's just that the doctor didn't diagnose it. In fact, Prince Yan has been poisoned by a Gu curse," Princess Xiang hurriedly explained.

"Gu poison?" The emperor's face turned cold.

Gu poison is strictly prohibited in Daqing. Who is courting death?!

"Who cast the poison? And who cured it?" the emperor asked.

"I am still investigating who cast the curse, but the one who removed it is Miss Jiang from the General Weiwu's mansion."

Lady Yongning replied respectfully.

"You've come to ask for a favor for Miss Jiang?" So that's what they were waiting for here.

At this point, it's obvious what they're up to.

The emperor could not have imagined how arrogant Lady Yongning was to utter such words.

Use the emperor to repay a favor.

Isn't that wishful thinking?

The emperor glared at the Prince of Xiang, as if to say he was being ridiculous.

"Yes! A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude. I beg Your Majesty to grant my request," said Lady Yongning.

"Ha, so you say you want to repay a debt of gratitude? I'll grant your wish. Is it you repaying the debt of gratitude or me repaying the debt of gratitude?" The emperor almost laughed out of anger.

“Your Majesty, I have a way to satisfy my sister-in-law’s desire to repay her kindness, while also demonstrating that Your Majesty is a man of your word,” said Princess Xiang.

"Tell me about it," Emperor Rongsheng said.

The Prince of Xiang also joined in their nonsense. How could they possibly joke around with the emperor?

"Does Your Majesty remember that you once promised Consort Chen something, that is, if my sister-in-law and I appeared together to plead for Heng'er, Your Majesty would grant the request?"

The emperor was taken aback; how long ago was this?

"Is the favor you're asking for the marriage between Prince Yu and Miss Jiang?"

"Yes! His Majesty hasn't forgotten his promise to Consort Chen, has he?"

"What if...I don't agree today!" The emperor tapped his fingers on the table intermittently.

This is a common action he takes when weighing the pros and cons.

Lady Yongning is truly a cunning schemer.

She used the emperor and the deceased Consort Chen to achieve her goal of repaying a debt of gratitude.

Using a promise made more than a decade ago to exchange for the gratitude of saving lives.

The abacus beads all fell onto the emperor's face.

But the emperor had no choice but to agree.

A ruler's word is his bond; it's not just an empty phrase.

If these two women in front of him had come for the sake of court intrigue, Emperor Rongsheng could have kicked them out without hesitation.

They came solely for the purpose of arranging a marriage with Prince Yu.

Among the adult princes, the marriage of Prince Yu is imminent.

As close friends of the Prince Yu's mother, it was quite reasonable for the two to request the Emperor to grant them a marriage.

Emperor Rong Sheng was heartbroken. That old fox Jiang Zhongyong had somehow ended up being his in-law.

Fine, I'll grant their wish.

"You're saying that Prince Yan can stand up again, and that was done by Miss Jiang? Does she have that ability?" Emperor Rongsheng still didn't believe it.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Miss Jiang's medical skills are remarkable," Lady Yongning replied truthfully.

She took advantage of the Emperor's guilt towards An'er, coupled with the Emperor's promise to Consort Chen, to secure a perfect marriage.

It's just not appropriate for an outsider like Miss Jiang to say that she knows medicine.

But after today, the Emperor will definitely investigate An'ge'er's affairs.

Miss Jiang's medical skills cannot be hidden.

For the sake of Prince Yu and Miss Jiang's happiness, we have no choice but to tell them the truth.

Even if the emperor asked, she still wouldn't dare to deceive him.

At this moment, Eunuch Wang came to report that Prince Yu was requesting an audience.

"Let him in."

The emperor's words carried a hint of anger.

Don't think he's a fool who's been completely fooled.

These people had already planned it out beforehand.

Even the timing was perfect.

The emperor had just agreed to these requests when Prince Yu arrived.

And what is the Prince of Xiang doing sitting here? Isn't he just there to support them?

Thinking of this, Emperor Rongsheng glared at Prince Xiang: I'll deal with you later.

The Prince of Xiang felt a chill run down his spine. "I've been worrying myself sick over your son's marriage."

As soon as Prince Yu entered, Emperor Rongsheng said with a dark face, "Kneel down."

Lin Muheng immediately knelt upright.

Do you know you're wrong?

Lin Muheng: "I wonder what fault Father Emperor believes I have committed?"

The Prince of Xiang blinked hard, admonishing him to first go along with the emperor.

But Lin Muheng pretended not to see it.

There's no need to stubbornly insist on doing something you believe is right.

"What wrong have you done? You unfilial son, you've become quite something now, daring to defy even me!" Emperor Rongsheng roared.

He was completely helpless with this son.

Looking at the face that resembled Consort Chen, Emperor Rongsheng felt heartbroken.

The mother and son not only look alike, but their personalities are also remarkably similar.

Perhaps it's because he's getting old, but lately the emperor has been dreaming about Consort Chen quite often.

Was she telling herself, deep down, that she should go along with her son's wishes?

Doesn't she remember that the emperor has long since abandoned her? How dare she come begging to him?

"Do you know that the behavior of the second prince and his companion at the Xiang Prince's residence was like that of a scoundrel in the marketplace? Fighting over a woman has utterly disgraced the royal family." The emperor cursed both the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Yu without changing a single word.

“Brother Jin is the one who is shameful, I don’t feel ashamed at all. I was just saving someone, I never thought of pushing Miss Jiang into the lake. If Father wants to punish someone, he should only punish Brother Jin.”

Lin Muheng refused to budge an inch.

"Fine, you're very good." Emperor Rongsheng was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, but he couldn't refute it.

Who can say Lin Muheng was wrong? He was really just saving people!

Prince Xiang quickly said, "Your Majesty! Heng'er was also worried about Miss Jiang's safety. You weren't there, and the Second Prince chased after her but couldn't save her. Heng'er had no choice."

The Prince of Xiang's favoritism couldn't be more obvious; the Prince of Jin was the second son, and the Prince of Yu was Heng'er.

The Emperor glared at Prince Xiang.

"I beg Father to grant Miss Jiang and me a marriage." Lin Muheng's head slammed heavily to the ground with a "thud".

Princess Xiang was startled upon hearing this.

"Is this the purpose for all of you coming to the palace together?"

Emperor Rongsheng's face turned ashen.

"You've really got a good plan! Don't think I can't do anything to you."