"Your Highness, rest assured, the craftsman I hired specifically for this matter will absolutely not have any problems. Your Highness, what should the inscription on the plaque be like?"

"At that time, I will personally inscribe the words."

"yes."

Ling Mu left quickly, He Liufeng leaned back in his chair, and the room became quiet again.

After the fire at the Qu residence, He Liufeng personally led a group to find a place to build a house for Qu Qingxi. He personally designed the entire house, including the main courtyard, side rooms, rockery, stream, garden, and so on, all based on his observations of Qu Qingxi's preferences during this period.

He knew that Qu Qingxi had suffered a lot in the Prime Minister's mansion since childhood and had no feelings for Qu Lianhai and his wife. Qu Lianhai also acted as if he didn't have this daughter and never asked Qu Qingxi how she was doing in the Prince's mansion.

The Prime Minister's residence could hardly be considered Qu Qingxi's maternal home, and Qu Qingxi felt very insecure. That's why Qu Qingxi spent a lot of money to buy a house outside. In He Liufeng's eyes, Qu Qingxi treated that place as her maternal home.

Therefore, He Liufeng redesigned the house as a gift for Qu Qingxi. It would be a place exclusively for Qu Qingxi. In order for Qu Qingxi to receive this gift as soon as possible, He Liufeng specially asked Ling Mu to arrange for several hundred people to build the house.

At this moment, however, the Phoenix Palace was deathly silent.

The Empress stared at the man sitting on the throne with a grim expression. The Emperor had just imprisoned her nephew, and now he actually wanted to send her only daughter to marry a foreign ruler.

"Your Majesty, I disagree with this. I only have one daughter, and she is also your daughter. How can you bear to send her away for a political marriage?" The Empress's face was full of resistance.

"Besides, Yongchang is still so young, and Zhouchao is thousands of miles away. If we send her there, we will never see her again."

"Your Majesty, Yongchang is a princess. She enjoys honors and status that others have never enjoyed, so she must bear the responsibilities that come with it." The Emperor's attitude was cold, and he did not change his mind just because Yongchang was his daughter.

"Your Majesty, I beg you, even if you marry Yongchang to a nobody in the capital, I will do it. I don't expect her to marry someone outstanding or powerful. I just want her to stay in Ling Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, you have so many princesses, why did you choose Yongchang in particular?"

The Empress simply could not imagine what kind of suffering her daughter would endure if she were sent to marry a foreign ruler.

“Zhou Wenli’s visit this time is undoubtedly because he needs a princess of sufficient stature to marry into the royal family. In this palace, only Yongchang is a legitimate princess, and only she has the most noble status.” The Emperor remained unmoved, as if Yongchang were not his own daughter.

"Your Majesty, I..." The Empress wanted to say something more, but the Emperor stood up and interrupted her, "Alright, I came here today to inform you that if you really love Yongchang, spend these few days with her and prepare her dowry properly."

"Your Majesty!" The Empress stared in disbelief at the disappearing figure, then slumped to the ground, her once dignified gaze now filled with helplessness.

Why is the Emperor so cruel? Her Yongchang is so innocent. She has never done anything wrong. There are several other princesses of marriageable age in the palace. Why did it have to be her Yongchang?

Caiqiu quickly helped the Empress up. "Your Majesty, please don't be sad. We still have other ideas. Please get up and let us think about it carefully. There must be other ways."

The Empress stood up with Caiqiu in a daze and sat on a small couch to the side. She regretted it. If she had known that the Emperor intended to send Yongchang to marry a foreign ruler, she should have chosen a suitable husband for Yongchang earlier. Even if they did not get married, it would have been good to have an engagement.

"Mother." Princess Yongchang was unaware of what had happened at Fengyi Palace. Holding a box in her hands, she excitedly entered Fengyi Palace and first gave the Empress a proper bow. "Yongchang greets Mother."

"Get up." The Empress forced a smile, but the moment Yongchang raised her head and the Empress saw her face, a wave of heartache washed over her.

Yongchang also noticed that the Empress was acting strangely and asked in confusion, "Mother, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or has someone upset you again?"

"No." The Queen shook her head, her face pale, then noticed the box in Yongchang's hand and changed the subject, "What is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is a century-old ginseng that I specially found. I heard that Your Majesty has been having trouble sleeping at night recently, so I specially asked someone to find this and asked the people in Your Majesty's palace to give it to Your Majesty to help you recover." Yongchang raised the item in his hand.

"Good, my daughter is so sensible." Hearing this, the Empress felt a warmth in her heart, patted Yongchang's head affectionately, and then gestured to the maid beside her to accept the gift.

Seeing that the Empress was unharmed, Caiqiu took the box from Princess Yongchang's hands and withdrew.

"Mother, what happened? Why do you look so unwell?" Yongchang noticed something was wrong as he looked at the Empress's face, so he asked tentatively.

"Yongchang, your mother has a question for you. Don't be shy, you must answer me truthfully." The Empress reached out and pulled Yongchang to sit down, affectionately touching Yongchang's little face.

"What? Mother, please tell me." Yongchang looked suspicious.

"Yongchang, in this capital city, is there any young master you find to suit your taste?"

"Mother?" Yongchang's eyes widened in surprise, then her pretty face flushed, she lowered her head, and said coquettishly, "No, Mother, I want to spend more time with Father and Mother."

"Yongchang, don't be embarrassed. Your mother isn't joking with you. If you really have something to say, tell your mother as soon as possible." The Empress looked earnestly at her beautiful daughter. She simply couldn't imagine what kind of life Yongchang would lead after being married off to the Zhou Dynasty, thousands of miles away, and facing the ruthless Zhou royal family.

"Mother, really no, I haven't met anyone I like yet." Sensing the seriousness in the Empress's tone, Yongchang shook the Empress's arm coquettishly.

"Then do you think any young master is a good person?" the Empress asked tentatively. The Emperor had not yet issued an edict, so there was still time. If she could arrange Yongchang's marriage before the Emperor issued the edict, she might still be able to save Yongchang.

"Mother, what's wrong with you today? Why are you suddenly asking me this question?" Yongchang was somewhat surprised to hear this. The Empress's eyes were very strange, and her tone seemed anxious. Yongchang sensed something was amiss.

Has something happened that makes Mother so anxious to ask me about this?