Is this girl a princess?

As far as she knew, Prince Mingyang had no daughters, so this princess must have been personally appointed by the emperor.

He's quite good-looking, and his humble yet respectful demeanor makes him even more likable.

"My beloved ministers, many of you have just said that Tian'er is not fit for the position of Crown Prince. I would like to hear what is wrong with Tian'er?"

The emperor spoke with an air of authority.

The ministers below whispered amongst themselves, especially those officials who had stood up earlier; now they all remained silent.

Consort Qing's heart sank to the bottom upon seeing this. It's all over. The result she had been looking forward to for so long was ruined by Jun Luoli, who was so brainless. Jun Lintian was not a fool. She herself had been demoted to the rank of Consort. How could she fight against the Empress?

Seeing that no one spoke, the emperor said again, "Minister He, you were the one who started this, weren't you? Now, my dear minister, you shall speak!"

Minister He, whose name was called, trembled and knelt down with a thud. “I was just confused for a moment… This Second Prince is the Empress’s son, and his strength is so remarkable, so he is naturally the best candidate for Crown Prince.”

"What do you all think of Minister He's words?"

The emperor looked down at the court officials below, his sharp gaze sweeping over those who had just spoken. The officials stiffened and hurriedly moved to the center of the hall.

"We believe that Minister He's words make sense."

The Empress sneered. These court officials really changed their minds faster than flipping through a book. Her gaze fell on Consort Qing again, her eyes full of sarcasm.

"Alright, all of you, get out of here!"

The emperor waved his hand, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the absent-minded Consort Qing. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. This Consort Qing's ambition was truly extraordinary. This whole commotion was just as good, as it would extinguish any thoughts in her mind. If she dared to make any other moves, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager spoke up again, "Emperor and Empress, now that the Crown Prince has been chosen, you should also carefully consider who the Crown Princess will be."

The young ladies below were eager to participate upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words. The officials with daughters were even more excited, for if their daughters were selected, they would become future dukes, a truly meteoric rise in status!

In the past, these women would never have looked at Jun Lintian, but now, in an instant, all their fiery gazes were focused on him.

Jun Lintian's face darkened instantly, and all he wanted to do was escape from here.

His pleading gaze fell on Ji Jiuying again, but she shook her head, indicating that she couldn't help him with this. Jun Lintian was on the verge of tears.

"Grandmother, your grandson has no plans to marry at the moment..."

Jun Lintian looked at the Empress Dowager and said.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Tian'er, you're not getting any younger. It's time for you to help your father with some state affairs. It's not like you have to marry the Crown Princess right away."

The Empress was deep in thought, but she could see right through the Empress Dowager's intentions. She smiled and said, "Tian'er, your grandmother is right. Tell your mother about your type another day, and I will help you find someone suitable."

Just as Jun Lintian was about to say something, Jun Buhui stepped forward and took the Empress's hand. "Mother, I know what kind of woman my brother likes. He likes someone like Sister Xiao Jiu."

puff!

Ji Jiuying spat out a mouthful of old tea, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.

Even the Emperor and Empress were surprised, but they could clearly see that Ji Jiuying did not have those kinds of feelings for Tian'er.

However, the ministers and women below were disappointed. Since the crown prince liked women like Ji Jiuying, there was no chance for them.

"Bu Hui, you can't say such things carelessly, it will ruin your little sister Jiu's reputation." Jun Lintian glanced apologetically at Ji Jiuying, picked up Jun Bu Hui and said seriously.

"I'm not lying. I just saw you winking at Sister Xiao Jiu."

Jun Lintian choked on his words.

The Empress Dowager was curious about who this "Little Ninth Sister" Jun Buhui was talking about was. Judging from her tone, this Little Ninth Sister should also be present, and she should be the daughter of some minister. If she is of decent character, she could be the Crown Princess. Most importantly, she is someone Tian'er likes.

"Bu Hui, come here to Grandmother."

As Jun Buhui walked over, Ji Jiuying immediately had a bad feeling.

"Tell Grandmother, who is this Little Ninth Sister you're talking about?"

Jun Buhui pointed at Ji Jiuying, "Grandma, the person who just saved Buhui was Sister Jiuying."

Upon seeing this, the emperor quickly explained, "Empress Dowager, this is the title of Princess Anping bestowed by me, and she is also the only first-rank princess in the court."

The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on Ji Jiuying again, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. A first-rank princess? Her rank is even higher than that of the ministers in the court? What merit does this girl possess that the emperor would bestow upon her the title of first-rank princess?

The Empress Dowager asked Ji Jiuying, "Which family does Princess Anping belong to?"

Ji Jiuying stood up. "Your Majesty, I am Ji Jiuying, the eldest daughter of General Ji."

Although she was reluctant to use the title of Ji Chenyuan's daughter, the fact that she was not Ji Chenyuan's daughter was not spread. Now that Ji Chenyuan was dead, it would be meaningless to say those things, and even she might be criticized.

General Ji's eldest daughter? She remembered that this woman was engaged to the Third Prince, Jun Linyu.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager scanned the crowd with her gaze, "Where is General Ji?"

"Mother, General Ji was killed by assassins from the martial arts world and his entire family has already passed away... Princess Anping was at Xingchen Academy at the time, so... she escaped this calamity," the Empress said softly.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, realizing that this was the case.

"Your Majesty, I seem to recall that Yu'er's third prince's wife was the eldest daughter of General Ji."

"Mother, that engagement has already been called off."

The Empress Dowager thought about it and realized that Ji Jiuying was not suitable for Tian'er. If General Ji were still alive, she would indeed be a good candidate.

However, she will soon learn that it is not Ji Jiuying who is not good enough for Jun Lintian, but Jun Lintian who is not good enough for Ji Jiuying, and she will also know why the emperor would give her such a high-ranking princess title.

"Let the Empress handle the matter of the Crown Princess," the Empress Dowager said quietly, her tone so calm that no one could guess what she was thinking.

Jun Lintian and Ji Jiuying both breathed a sigh of relief; they were both quite afraid of being paired up in a random way.

The Empress glanced at the Emperor, who coughed lightly. "The matter of the Crown Princess can't be rushed. Why not leave it to my ministers? If any of you have suitable candidates or your own daughters, please recommend them."

The court officials were overjoyed, especially those with daughters, for it was an immense honor for their daughters to be selected as the Crown Princess.

The following palace banquet was another highlight.

The young ladies began to showcase their talents, performing with great effort. Even if they weren't chosen by the empress, it would be wonderful if they caught the eye of some princes and nobles.

Feeling a bit bored, Ji Jiuying pulled Qingling away and slipped away.