74 Establishing Authority
◎Of course it was Cui Rumei, An Shi would never have the guts to do that◎
"No, I don't agree!"
Bai Yi was the first one to stand up and oppose it. She had never thought that Fu Hua would actually want to marry Fu Tao off as a foreign princess. This was something she would never agree to.
Fu Hua talked for a long time, but in the end it was just the same few reasons.
Xia possessed cavalry technology, while Great Zhou lacked it. Great Zhou was closer to Qianbei and therefore needed more solid external support. Although General Lu had suffered a crushing defeat at Qianbei, he still needed to be prepared for danger. Great Zhou also needed to practice cavalry techniques.
To do this, he could even sell his own sister.
After the court meeting was over, in order to show solemnity and formality, Fu Hua did not even have time to change into court clothes, and hurriedly brought the concubines and ministers, more than a dozen people, to Ci'an Palace, as if forcing them to submit.
The few people were deadlocked. The emperor wanted a marriage alliance, and no one dared to object.
The few of them were at a stalemate, and Bai Yi refused to agree no matter what.
Cui Rumei supported her waist and knelt before Bai Yi's bed. She looked extremely pitiful and said with a mournful face, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is not the place for me to speak, but for the sake of the Great Zhou's eternal prosperity, there are some things I must say. The Great Zhou is currently in crisis. If Your Highness could do a little to help the Great Zhou, it would be a blessing for the Princess. The Princess is now an adult, and it is her duty to do something for the country and its people."
"Shut up!" Bai Yi knew that she was shameless, but she never thought she would be so shameless. She seemed to be begging but was actually threatening, putting her, the queen mother, in a difficult position.
Her anger burned like a flame, spreading outward uncontrollably. Her face was ashen, her fists were clenched, and she seemed to have lost her mind and could not calm down for her daughter.
He didn't care about the ministers and servants around, pointing at the two of them and cursing, "Is this your idea, or your idea? Let me, Tao'er, go and marry. You've made up your mind, but don't even think about it. Dream on!"
She dragged her exhausted body to her feet, staggered to Fu Hua, and slapped him in the face with a bittersweet slap. "Selling my sister, was this your idea?"
No one expected Bai Yi to hit her son. She was a virtuous queen and had never been so angry with anyone, let alone hitting someone. She was really angry today.
She screamed at the top of her lungs, wanting only to protect her beloved daughter, and for this, she disregarded the empress dowager's demeanor. She was extremely disappointed with Fu Hua, and she couldn't bear to think that this was her good son, this good emperor, who would sell his own sister in exchange for the so-called eternal peace between the two countries.
"My Tao'er is not something you can just mess around with. You can give her to whoever you want. Even a kitten or a puppy cannot be treated so casually by you! She is my sweetheart. From childhood to adulthood, I have never let her suffer the slightest injustice. She is your biological sister, my only daughter. Now you want to send your biological sister away to marry!?"
She no longer had any extra tears to cry. On the other hand, Fu Hua, after being slapped, just stood there blankly and could not say anything.
If he was truly decisive and capable of protecting Fu Tao, and if he had a plan, it would be fine. However, he had no idea at all. He just wanted to make it sound good to others, and traded women for peace. Without sacrificing a single soldier, he only needed to sacrifice a sister to avoid the cavalry of other countries and keep himself safe for a while.
She knew her son too well.
Rong Qianyu also did not advocate a marriage alliance. She understood Bai Yi's helplessness and roar. If her mother were here, she would probably argue in the same way.
Therefore, for Fu Tao's happiness, she is willing to stand with Bai Yi and fight for Fu Tao and her former self.
She supported Bai Yi and asked, "Let's think of another way. Why do we have to marry into a foreign alliance?"
Bai Yi nearly fainted. Holding on to her exhausted body, she pointed at Cui Rumei and cursed, "And this bitch, you're relying on your pregnancy to threaten me. You don't even have the right to speak here!"
"Mother, mother, don't worry. There must be another way. Why let Tao'er go? There must be a way." Rong Qianyu kept comforting her.
"No one of you is allowed to tell Tao'er about this, no one is allowed to tell anyone!" In order for her daughter to stay by her side and grow up well, she didn't care about many things and changed her gentle appearance.
"Tomorrow, Tao'er will return to the palace. Anyone who lets the Princess know will be killed without mercy. Emperor, you can handle it yourself. I really don't believe that a group of men can't govern the country, but on the one hand they say women shouldn't interfere in politics, and on the other hand they want women to devote their lives to this country. Why?"
Coming out of Bai Yi's bedroom, everyone was worried. On one hand, there was the country and the people, and on the other hand, there was the empress dowager's selfish desires.
Fu Hua didn't expect his mother to react so strongly.
Cui Rumei, on the other hand, was dismissive of this and even kept complaining to herself after returning to the palace, "Look how anxious the Queen Mother is. She can't even bear to give up a daughter. What about a marriage alliance? Is she waiting for disaster to come to her own door?"
Hua Xue replied, "The eldest princess will come to visit the Empress Dowager tomorrow. I'm afraid this matter won't be kept secret for a few more days."
Cui Rumei touched her belly, which had not yet bulged, and thought, "How can I not tell the princess about such an important matter? Someone has to tell her."
Hua Xue was a little apprehensive, "My beauty, you are pregnant with a prince, so be careful."
"If you're afraid of such a small storm, don't give birth to your child and let him be my son."
She had other plans in mind. If things got more chaotic at this moment, would it irritate that crazy woman Bai Yi and make her feel sad too?
Everything returned to calm the next day. Rong Qianyu went to Ci'an Hall to serve medicine as usual, as if the quarrel yesterday had never happened.
"Your Majesty, take the medicine. You will definitely find a way. Qianbei is also a threat to the Xia Kingdom. There is no need for them to shoot themselves in the foot. We just don't agree. Do you think they can rest easy? Besides, you love Tao'er so much. How could His Majesty bear to do that? You just need an excuse to refuse."
She was wearing a headband, and it was obvious that she was sick from worrying too much. Only Rong Qianyu was relieved, "You are sensible. Those people are just bullying me because I am a woman."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were just talking privately when suddenly they heard crying outside.
It was Fu Tao.
"Mother, Mother, I won't marry..." She ran in crying, obviously having heard the news of the marriage. "Mother, please don't marry me to Xia Country. Please, Mother, I don't want to marry!"
Bai Yi pretended to be ignorant and tried to hide it, "That's not true, Tao'er, where did you hear such nonsense?"
Fu Tao was so scared that she was trembling all over, tears welling up in her eyes. She buried her head in Bai Yi's arms, her body trembling constantly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The sobbing became weaker and weaker, leaving only sobs and sniffles. The fear and helplessness in her eyes were like a sharp sword, piercing people's hearts and causing them great distress.
"It was a palace maid who said that the condition for the Xia Kingdom to unite was marriage with the Great Zhou. They said they specifically wanted a legitimate princess, so wasn't that me?"
She cried so hard that her eyes were filled with tears. Bai Yi's originally calm emotions were aroused again, and the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly.
Rong Qianyu's nerves quickly tensed up, "Do you know which palace that maid belongs to?"
"She just said she was in a hurry to give… winter clothes to Consort An," she cried. "Mother, please go and beg my brother, the Emperor. I… I won't marry. I'll die for my country even if it means I die for you…"
Rong Qianyu probably knew the situation, and this time she was going to be the bad guy again. "Aunt Sun, please take good care of the queen and the princess. I will go and ask first." After that, she left.
For Fu Tao, she would never tolerate it this time.
"Yuanqing, first take your men and arrest all the people in An Cairen's Yixiang Palace and don't let them go out. Send someone to the Imperial Household Department to call Xue Ji and search the palace."
She reacts quickly, and many emergencies have honed her composure, and her careful planning does not allow for any mistakes.
Rong Pan asked, "Who do you think did this, Madam?"
"Of course it's Cui Rumei. How could An have the guts to do that?"
This move was a good one, killing three birds with one stone. Not only did she lose her good reputation as a kind person in An's eyes, but she also cleared herself of the charges and put the blame on others. An would definitely trust her even more because of this palace search.
I'm afraid An will hold a grudge against her. It is said that a woman becomes stupid for three years after pregnancy, but she has become smarter.
When Rong Qianyu rushed to Yixiang Palace, Xue Ji had already surrounded the courtyard with his men. The eunuchs and palace maids in the room looked at each other, completely unaware of what was going on.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen."
Rong Qianyu nodded, then walked straight to the chair in the center of the main hall. "Thank you for coming here, Master Xue. The Queen Mother has ordered a thorough investigation, so I invited you here to help us make a clear judgment."
An Moru was a little anxious. After all, she was also framed and it was her first time encountering such a thing, so she couldn't help but feel a little panicked.
"Your Majesty, everyone in Yixiang Palace is here. We are at your command."
"Who met the eldest princess today?" Rong Qianyu asked.
Everyone lowered their heads and no one responded.
"say!"
She had only been in the palace for a few days when she was favored by the emperor and became a concubine inexplicably. Today, she was inexplicably implicated again.
As the head of a palace, she was the master and wanted to defend her subordinates. "My Lady, is there any misunderstanding about this matter?"
Rong Qianyu remained silent, so Xue Ji spoke for her, "What objection does Concubine An have to the Empress Dowager? You were present at the time, and it's your fault for not being able to control the servants. There's no need to make things more complicated."
After hearing this, An Moru felt relieved. Rong Qianyu didn't want to involve her at first, but things had come to this point and both of them were framed. There was no way to avoid being involved.
"Master Xue, you are the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department. Logically, my time in the harem has nothing to do with you, but you are also the head of the Eastern Depot. This is a matter of royal dignity, so I hope Master Xue will share my concerns. Today, we must find this lowly servant who is disrupting state affairs."
She asked again in a gentle voice, "I'm asking again, who saw the eldest princess today, and who told her those gossips?"
The palace maids and eunuchs were still crawling on the ground, their bodies bent very low, but no one spoke.
"If you don't want to say anything, let's go to Zhaoyu together." Rong Qianyu was just trying to establish her authority, and let Xue Ji do and say all the bad things and bad words.
"Yes...your servant..." A trembling female voice was heard from the crowd.
She stood up. She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pale face and thin body. It was obvious that she was a child from a poor family.
An Moru was very nervous. She didn't want Rong Qianyu to be like this again. She was completely different from the gentle person she was when she said she came to her if she had anything to do.
From this perspective, Sister Cui is easier to get along with and more kind.
"Did anyone give you any instructions?" Rong Qianyu asked.
She lowered her head and did not answer.
"Pan'er, slap her." Then a loud slap landed on the palace maid's rough face.
Everyone present, including Xue Ji, was shocked. He had seen Rong Qianyu being unreasonable and acting like a spoiled child, he had seen her begging for comfort with a wronged look, he had even seen her with a flushed face and a submissive look.
He had never seen her so angry and scolding anyone before. It was completely different from the way she usually got angry at him.
And a touch of...fun.
Rong Qianyu asked her again, "Did anyone... give you any instructions?"
The palace maid looked at her, then immediately dodged and looked at An Moru, "It was...it was Concubine An. It was Concubine An who instructed me. She told me to say it."
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