Chapter 53 is about a son's status rising with his mother's.

The atmosphere at the Honglu Guest House, the upper courtyard where the Northern Princess resided, was completely different from that at the Guanju Palace, carrying a tense and urgent feeling.

The envoy from Wuzhu had just brought news. With a hint of seriousness on his face, he said to Helian Mingzhu, "Princess, the Emperor of Great Zhou will be hosting a banquet in the palace tomorrow, ostensibly to welcome us, but in reality, it is a rare opportunity for us."

Helian Mingzhu sat in front of her dressing table. Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes: "Opportunity? The way he humiliated the ministers in court today was clearly a warning to others, a show for me! What opportunity could there be?"

Wuzhu lowered his voice: "That's precisely why it's such an opportunity. The more the Emperor of Great Zhou shows favoritism towards Consort Chen, the more you, Princess, must display the demeanor and bearing of a princess of the Northern Kingdom at tomorrow's banquet. If you can outshine the sickly Consort Chen on such an occasion, even if it's just to get the Emperor of Great Zhou to glance at you and plant a seed in the hearts of the officials, that would be our success. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight; we must proceed gradually."

Helian Mingzhu remained silent for a moment, her fingertips tracing the cold surface of the counter. She knew Wuzhu was right. A direct confrontation was clearly not going to work; that man wouldn't listen to that. Perhaps… she really needed to try a different approach.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the humiliation and fear of being treated coldly again tomorrow, and looked at herself in the mirror again. This face was her greatest weapon.

“You’re right.” She stood up, her tone regaining its usual pride and decisiveness. “How could I possibly back down before the battle even begins?”

She turned to the maid standing beside her and commanded, "Go! Bring out all the clothes and jewelry I brought! They must be the most magnificent and best reflect the grandeur of my Northern Kingdom! Also, summon the hairdresser who accompanied me. I want her to use all her skills to create a hairstyle that conforms to the aesthetics of the Great Zhou Dynasty while retaining the characteristics of my Northern Kingdom!"

"Yes, Princess!" The maids responded quickly, seeing that the princess had regained her fighting spirit, and hurried off to prepare.

Soon, several huge chests were set up in the room, containing exquisite clothes and ornaments carefully prepared by the Northern Kingdom's court. These were characterized by their vibrant colors and fur decorations, a stark contrast to the refined and graceful style of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Helian Mingzhu picked up each item and tried them on, but his brows furrowed more and more.

"This is too heavy and looks clumsy."

"Although the colors of this garment are vibrant, the embroidery is rough and cannot compare to the exquisite work of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

“This one… is too northern in style; I’m afraid the Zhou people will find it strange.”

For the first time, she doubted her own attire. In the Northern Kingdom, these clothes were top-notch, but now she worried that they wouldn't meet that person's standards, or even... be outshone by that Imperial Concubine Chen.

"Princess, how about this one?" A maid presented a crimson brocade dress with gold phoenix patterns embroidered on the hem, which shimmered under the lamplight, making it magnificent and dazzling.

Helian Mingzhu's eyes lit up, and she took it and compared it to herself. The color was perfect, dazzling enough, and the phoenix pattern was noble enough.

"This one will do." She made up her mind and then personally selected a set of headdresses inlaid with rubies in red gold. The dazzling red gems complemented her status as a princess of the Northern Kingdom.

She sat before the mirror, watching the headdresser carefully comb her hair, arranging it into a high bun and adorning it with dazzling headdresses. The woman in the mirror was radiant and flamboyant, like the most intense flame on the grassland, possessing an exotic allure.

"Yuwen Che..." she murmured to herself in the mirror, her eyes filled with complex emotions, a mixture of resentment and determination. "Tomorrow, I will make you see clearly who is truly worthy of standing by your side!"

Inside the Guanju Palace, the selection process was filled with tenderness, fueled by a fighting spirit to avoid losing face and prevent him from being snatched away; inside the guest house, preparations were in full swing, driven by an ambition to conquer and prove himself.

Two women, two dressing tables, both harboring their own thoughts and preparing for a war without gunpowder, all for the same man and for tomorrow's palace banquet. At the heart of this war, the young emperor is currently with his beloved concubine, completely oblivious to the undercurrents swirling around him.

Having finalized her dress and jewelry for tomorrow's banquet, Su Luoxue seemed to relax a bit, and her spirits lifted considerably. She tugged at Yuwen Che's sleeve and gently shook it.

"Ah Che, lying down for too long makes me feel uncomfortable all over. Would you like to come for a walk in the yard with me? Just for a little while." Her eyes were full of expectation, making it impossible for anyone to refuse.

Yuwen Che naturally responded to her every request. He carefully draped a thick fox fur coat over her, put his arm around her shoulder, and slowly walked out of the palace gate. They strolled leisurely along the warm, spring-like inner courtyard corridor of Guanju Palace.

Before half an incense stick had burned out, Fuling brought over the warmed medicine to help prevent miscarriage.

Su Luoxue looked at the bowl of medicine, her face falling again. But thinking of the banquet tomorrow, she gritted her teeth, took the bowl, held her breath, and drank it down in one gulp. It was so bitter that her whole face scrunched up.

Yuwen Che immediately fed her the candied fruit and handed her warm water. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she had recovered.

After drinking her medicine, Su Luoxue refused to return to her bed to rest. She pulled Yuwen Che back to the inner hall and went straight to the huge full-length bronze mirror, looking at herself from the left and right, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"Ache, do I look ugly?" She touched her cheek, her tone unease. "Doesn't my complexion still look terrible? There's no color in my skin at all."

“Nonsense,” Yuwen Che stood behind her, holding her shoulders, looking at her face in the mirror, which, though thinner, still had beautiful features, and said with certainty, “My Xue’er is always the most beautiful.”

Su Luoxue wasn't so easily appeased. She turned to the side, looking at her waist and slightly protruding belly in the mirror, and asked worriedly, "Then... then have I gained weight? Is my belly very obvious? Will I look bad in the dress I wear tomorrow?"

Before Yuwen Che could answer, she hurriedly turned to Fuling and an old nanny beside her: "Fuling, Granny Zhang, tell me the truth, am I uglier than before? Have I gained a lot of weight? Does my complexion look terrible?"

Fuling quickly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, what are you saying! You are carrying twins, so your belly is naturally bigger than that of an ordinary woman, but that's a sign of good fortune! Your complexion is a little pale, but it's not bad at all; on the contrary, it makes you look even more beautiful!"

Granny Zhang chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness, in all my years in the palace, I've never seen anyone more beautiful than you. Pregnant women have their own unique beauty, and His Majesty sees you every day and praises you as the most beautiful."

Hearing this, Su Luoxue felt a little relieved, but after a while, she couldn't help but lean closer to the mirror and tug at her hair: "My hair doesn't seem as shiny as it used to be... I'll have to be more careful when combing it tomorrow..."

Yuwen Che looked at her anxious and hesitant expression, repeatedly asking for confirmation, and felt both amused and heartbroken. He knew this was a common anxiety for pregnant women, especially since she was so concerned about tomorrow's occasion.

He stepped forward, gently embraced her from behind, rested his chin on the top of her head, looked at the two of them nestled together in the mirror, and said in a deep voice with a reassuring power: "Xue'er, listen to me."

He turned her around so she faced him, his gaze focused and earnest: "In my eyes, you are always the most beautiful. And now that you are pregnant, you have gained a tenderness and radiance that I have never seen before, a maternal glow that is more dazzling than any jewel."

He gently brushed his fingertips across her eyebrows and eyes, and continued, "You have borne me children and endured hardship. I feel only gratitude and tenderness in my heart. How could I think you are ugly? At tomorrow's banquet, you don't need to compare yourself with anyone. Just be yourself, and you will be the most dazzling presence in the entire venue. Because my gaze will only fall on you alone."

He spoke slowly and solemnly, and every word struck Su Luoxue's heart.

Looking into his deep, unfeigned affection, Su Luoxue's unease and anxiety gradually subsided. She leaned into his arms and said in a muffled voice, "I just... don't want to embarrass you, don't want others to think... you chose the wrong person."

Yuwen Che tightened his arms, his tone carrying a hint of domineering laughter: "My choices are never wrong. Tomorrow, you will stand peacefully by my side and let everyone see clearly just how elegant my Consort Chen is."

With his patient reassurance and firm promise, Su Luoxue finally stopped worrying about herself in the mirror and obediently let him coax her to rest and recharge for the palace banquet the next day.

Yuwen Che gently pulled Su Luoxue, who was still somewhat uneasy and unable to sleep, into his arms and patted her back rhythmically like he was soothing a child.

"Alright, Xue'er, close your eyes." His deep voice was particularly clear in the quiet hall. "Go to sleep obediently and don't let your mind wander."

Su Luoxue snuggled closer to him, finding a comfortable position, and mumbled softly, "I'm a little nervous, I can't sleep..."

Yuwen Che chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head: "With me here, what's there to be nervous about? Tomorrow, you just need to sit peacefully beside me."

He paused, tightened his grip on her arm, and spoke in a gentler yet more solemn tone: "Xue'er, after the New Year, when you are feeling better and the pregnancy is stable, I will issue an edict to formally confer upon you the title of Empress."

Su Luoxue's body stiffened slightly, and she raised her head in surprise, meeting his deep eyes in the dim light: "The Empress? But... there's the Empress Dowager, and the court officials..."

“No buts.” Yuwen Che interrupted her, his tone leaving no room for doubt, carrying the decisiveness of an emperor. “If I say it’s okay, then it’s okay. I want you to be my rightful wife, my only empress.”

The only wife, the only empress. These words struck Su Luoxue's heart heavily, making her nose sting with tears.

Yuwen Che continued, each word crystal clear: "When our child is born, he will be the most noble legitimate prince or princess of the Great Zhou, with a status that no one can match."

He changed the subject, his fingertips gently stroking her slightly protruding belly, his voice carrying an almost proud certainty: "However, Xue'er, remember this, in my eyes, you have never been valued because of your child."

He lifted her chin, allowing her to clearly see the seriousness and affection in his eyes: "It's not that the child's status depends on the mother's."

Su Luoxue's breath hitched, and she stared at him blankly.

"It is because they are your children, the flesh and blood of me and you, that I cherish them like treasures and bestow upon them the most honorable status in this world." Yuwen Che's voice was deep and powerful. "It is because of you that I so eagerly awaited their birth. Do you understand?"

It wasn't because she was pregnant with the emperor's child that she was precious, but because she was his beloved, so the child she gave birth to was born noble.

This starkly different logic, like the most intense flame, instantly burned away all of Su Luoxue's unease, anxiety, and self-loathing. She had never heard such sweet words before; they were more moving than any vow of eternal love.

Tears welled up unexpectedly. She nodded vigorously, her voice choked with emotion, "I...I understand, A-Che."

Yuwen Che gently wiped away her tears, pulled her back into his arms, and said softly, "So, don't worry about those pointless things anymore. Take good care of yourself, give birth to our child safely, and then become my empress in glory. I will present you with everything the best in this world."

Su Luoxue buried her face deep in his warm chest, feeling his strong heartbeat, her heart filled with immense happiness and a sense of security. All the anxiety brought on by pregnancy and the worries caused by external pressures seemed insignificant at this moment.

“Mmm,” she replied obediently, her voice thick with a nasal tone, “I’ll do whatever you say.”

With his promise and gentle comfort, Su Luoxue finally relaxed and fell into a deep sleep, a sweet and reassuring smile on her lips.

Yuwen Che gazed at her peaceful sleeping face, his eyes softening. The path to becoming Empress might still have obstacles, but his mind was made up, and even gods and Buddhas could not stop him. He not only wanted to give her the utmost favor, but also to grant her the most honorable status among all women in the world, and to ensure their child was born in the most glorious manner.

A son's status depends on his mother's—this was the most solemn promise Yuwen Che made to his beloved.