Everyone: "..."

I was stunned!

Although these ministers also knew that half of what the dark-faced man said was true, Qi Sichen's power in the court had long surpassed that of these old men.

There are many reasons for this. Qi Sichen was born into the royal family, and as a prince, he was naturally aligned with His Majesty and the royal family. Moreover, His Majesty was still young and trusted his uncle immensely.

But over the years, Qi Sichen had never broken ties with them like this before.

Especially for something so trivial!

They actually let the third-rank general leave!

Those who still wanted to persuade him immediately shut up.

They were afraid that if they continued to speak, they would become another example of making an example of someone.

The more they thought about it, the more alarmed they became, and the more suspicious they became about the little girl's origins.

Just how much bewitching potion did she give Qi Sichen?

"Well..." Qi Yuan sat in the main seat, his eyes sweeping over the faces of the ministers, then glancing at Qi Sichen, before speaking in a childish tone: "Since none of you are speaking, I will take it as your agreement. So let's leave it at that and do not mention it again."

The news that the Regent had a goddaughter and doted on her so much that he treated her like the apple of his eye quickly spread from the palace to the outside world and back again.

The common people outside the palace heard about it but didn't think it was a big deal. After all, these things were too far removed from them. Whether it was the princess or the regent, they were people they couldn't possibly reach.

But for those in the palace, it was not so simple.

The palace is a very large place, and there are many people living there.

Next to the Cining Palace is a grand hall called the Chunqiu Pavilion, where the late emperor's concubines lived. Although they are only in their twenties or thirties now, they are already considered imperial concubines of the current dynasty.

These imperial concubines all bore children for the late emperor. The princes who came before them grew old and left the palace to establish their own residences. Now, only two of them remain, the youngest being only eleven or twelve years old, and they are still being raised in the Spring and Autumn Pavilion.

No one knows how Consort Xie offended Qi Sichen. Even though her sons have grown up and established their own residences outside, Qi Sichen doesn't allow them to live with him. They can only live alone in Chunqiu Pavilion with a bunch of sisters who are only superficially friendly.

Now that gossip about Qi Sichen has suddenly become known, it naturally spreads very quickly.

Under the pear tree at the entrance of the main hall, several imperial concubines sat by the corridor, roasting some fruit over charcoal fire and discussing the matter.

"I don't know what the Regent is thinking. He's so old, and it's one thing if he won't marry a princess! After all, who knows when His Majesty will recover in his sickly state? Although he's an imperial uncle, if he acts disrespectfully, he might have a better chance of ascending the throne than our sons!" a concubine said indignantly.

His son is the second prince, who has long since acquired a residence outside the palace and is living a very comfortable life with his concubine.

But his mother, the only one, remained in the palace and couldn't go out to enjoy a life of luxury with him.

He couldn't help but harbor resentment towards Qi Sichen, and this resentment inevitably surfaced in his conversations.

“Who says that’s not the case? The Regent has never been kind to our sons, it’s only because of His Majesty. I’m afraid His Majesty is only protected by the Regent because of that woman. Otherwise, if it were our sons, the world would probably have changed hands.” The other concubines, who had been friends for over ten or twenty years, knew her thoughts and didn’t spoil the mood, but chimed in.

Another person, more open-minded, exclaimed "Eh!" and asked, "Although we don't know anything about that little girl's background, she's just a little girl after all. The princess title is just a nice name, but she doesn't have much real power. I wonder why he insists on making it known throughout the whole city?"

These imperial concubines were all top performers in the imperial harem selection competitions back then, and they were more shrewd and calculating than others.

After hearing this, they thought about it even more carefully, but they really couldn't figure out why Qi Sichen insisted on promoting a princess.

The one who had spoken earlier, seeing that the sisters had fallen silent because of her words, tried to make conversation by saying, "Where did Sister Su and Sister Liu go? They just went to get a sheep to roast, why haven't they come back yet?"

"Those two have always been like this. They claim their families have some connections with Shanglin Garden, but who doesn't know that given their family background, any connections they have are probably just limited to their brothers being guards who can give them some face. We can forget about getting any barbecue today," someone said sarcastically.

They continued chatting and laughing, but no longer mentioned the two imperial concubines.

On the other hand...

Consort Su and Consort Liu did indeed go to Shanglin Garden and bring back two freshly slaughtered lamb legs.

Both of them came from ordinary families, and their maternal families outside the palace couldn't offer them much help. Instead, they were able to live peacefully in the harem raising their sons and didn't like to cause trouble.

The freshly slaughtered mutton was fresh but had a strong gamey smell, and the palace maids following behind them were carrying the mutton with some difficulty.

"I told you I smelled blood, and I really did!" a little girl wearing a light yellow top and a light green long skirt said with a grin.

"?" When Consort Su and Consort Liu saw her, they frowned. They looked at each other, not understanding why a little maid had suddenly appeared in the palace.

Even the youngest palace maids had to wear clothes according to regulations, and none of them were ever so brightly colored.

"Hey, stop right there!" Consort Liu's personal maid asked the little girl, "Little girl, which family are you from? What are you doing here? It wouldn't be good if you offended someone of importance."

A series of running sounds followed behind them. When they looked up, they saw the emperor, dressed in casual clothes, walking over and standing in front of the little girl.

Consort Liu and Consort Su immediately realized that this little girl might be the princess that had been the subject of much discussion in the palace recently.

They quickly knelt down and bowed to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan ignored them and said to the palace maid, "She won't offend any noble person. She is a princess personally appointed by me, and is a noble person in this palace."

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I didn't know..." The palace maid's knees buckled and she knelt on the ground.

"Empress Liu, Empress Su, don't you agree?" Qi Yuan looked at Consort Liu and Consort Su.

The two women knew that Qi Yuan's words were not directed at the palace maid, but rather a warning to the imperial concubines.

"Greetings, Princess..." The two hesitated for a moment, then bowed to Lin Wanyue as well.