Now that the emperor has issued an imperial edict, their Duke's mansion dares not refuse Zhi'er entry into the palace, or they will lose their heads.

For the sake of the family's honor, losing Zhi'er is a worthwhile trade-off for the Duke's mansion.

Bai Zhiyi covered her head with her hands, took two steps back, and murmured, "Impossible, impossible."

She didn't know what went wrong; the talent had returned to the capital, and everything had changed.

Even if the emperor were to hold a selection of concubines, a daughter born out of wedlock could simply be chosen from among the concubines, but she was planning to marry the crown prince.

If the Duke's mansion doesn't agree to this situation, it would be committing the crime of deceiving the emperor. This is a crime punishable by death.

Her mind went blank, and she shook her head repeatedly: "Impossible, impossible. I will never marry that dying emperor!"

She knew that Emperor Kangping would fall ill this winter and would not attend court for several months, leaving the court largely to be managed by a few senior officials.

Next summer, the south will suffer from floods. The imperial court's ineffective disaster relief efforts will lead to a large-scale rebellion by displaced people.

It was only then that Emperor Kangping allowed the fifth prince to participate in court affairs.

But the Fifth Prince, that brainless fool, only thought about when he could ascend the throne, which infuriated Emperor Kangping to the point that he almost vomited blood and died. After a year, he finally passed away.

How could she possibly marry an old man who only has a little over a year to live!

Seeing the resentment and unwillingness on her face, Bai's mother also felt bad.

As a mother, she softened and gently stroked Bai Zhiyi's head, saying, "Zhiyi, your mother also hates to see you marry His Majesty. But what can we do? There are hundreds of people in the entire Duke's mansion; you're not the only one."

Bai Zhiyi lowered her eyelids and remained silent.

She would rather die than marry the old emperor.

She suddenly looked up and asked her mother, "Mother, the Emperor didn't issue a decree for me to enter the palace, it was just a verbal order. If we send a daughter from a Duke's mansion to the palace, even if the Emperor is displeased, he can't say anything openly, can he?"

She subconsciously touched the jade pendant she had had made as a replica in her bosom.

Perhaps she could use this jade pendant to lure out the family of renowned physicians and make a deal with the emperor.

Mother Bai, unaware of her thoughts, simply sighed, "Zhiyi, I know what you're thinking. But is the Emperor so easily fooled? That would be a crime of deceiving the Emperor."

Bai Zhiyi said, "Mother, I will discuss this matter with Father. But I cannot comply with the request to enter the palace!"

After saying that, she turned and left without waiting for Bai's mother to reply.

The family of renowned physicians enjoyed high prestige during the Three Kingdoms period, and the three rulers treated them with great respect. If the jade pendant could indeed lure out members of the family of renowned physicians, then curing the emperor could be used to exchange for her freedom.

But the risk is that the jade pendant is fake, and it's unknown whether it will work. We can only take a gamble.