Council Hall
The Duke of Shen knelt on the ground, staring blankly at the severed finger on the tray. He looked up and met the Northern Chu Emperor's grim face, trembling with fear: "Your Majesty..."
"Minister Shen, your investigation is remarkably swift, I am very pleased. Have you found out who is behind this?"
Duke Shen shook his head. He had just stepped into the Ministry of Justice prison when a guard handed him a severed finger, saying it contained the poison of "Beauty's Intoxication".
Before he could even ask any more questions, Eunuch Li summoned him, and he was immediately praised by the Emperor of Northern Chu.
I was still feeling dizzy after leaving the council hall.
Until he went out and met the Prince of Zhennan, he saw that the Prince of Zhennan had a gloomy face. Before he could even greet him, Eunuch Li was already giving a speech in front of the palace.
It was only after a long while that Duke Shen realized what was happening.
The Emperor used his power to punish the mastermind behind the scenes, who is most likely the faction of the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion.
…
The wedding is just ten days away!
Aside from visiting the palace to pay her respects every other day, Song Yue spent most of her time staying indoors at Yuehua Pavilion. Tao Shi put aside her own affairs to prepare her dowry.
This time, she willingly prepared twenty loads of dowry for Song Yue, fearing it wouldn't be enough, and never came empty-handed.
This made Song Huan pout, "My mother hasn't looked at me properly for several days."
Tao couldn't help but tap Song Huan's fair forehead: "Your third sister is about to get married, how can you compare?"
Song Huan gasped and let go of Song Yue's hand, hiding behind her. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Song Yue: "Third sister, I can't bear to part with you."
Song Yue's eyes also reddened.
"You wretched child, I didn't send you here to help so you could make your third sister cry." Tao glared at Song Huan.
Song Huan sniffed and did everything she could to make Tao happy.
At this moment, the maid whispered a few words in Tao's ear, and Tao's smile became noticeably wider. She got up and went to the main courtyard.
This journey took an hour.
"It must be about the Zhuang family girl." Song Huan yawned: "My mother goes to my maternal grandparents' house every day to have my eldest cousin go around the city to apply for a Zhuang family girl."
village?
Song Yue is now certain that her mother was also reborn, and that this Zhuang family girl is no ordinary person who will enter the palace as a concubine and oppose the Duke of Jingguo's mansion.
It was already late at night when Tao left.
In the blink of an eye, another seven or eight days passed.
Everyone in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion was busy.
Princess Jiahua's expression grew increasingly solemn. Tao Shi advised from the side, "A young lady will get married sooner or later. Yue'er is intelligent and will certainly not mistreat herself."
“That makes sense, but I can’t bear to part with her.” Princess Jiahua sighed. Tao Shi continued, “Tomorrow, we will hold a dowry banquet at the manor. All the important people in the capital will come. It will be a great occasion for Yue’er.”
"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."
"Sister-in-law, you've made me feel so ashamed," said Tao Shi, flustered.
On the day of the dowry banquet, many young ladies came to present their congratulatory gifts, and Yuehua Pavilion was almost overflowing with people. Tao Shi brought a lot of people to help.
A stage was set up at the mansion for a theatrical performance.
Everyone watched with great interest.
Song Yue, as the hostess, was also there when suddenly a gaze was fixed on her, making her feel a little uncomfortable. She abruptly looked up and met a gentle gaze.
It is the young Prince Guangjia!
Guangjia Dynasty nodded to her.
Song Yue returned the smile.
"I heard that General Jiang has also returned to the capital. The Imperial Household Department will hold a wedding for Prince Guangjia as soon as General Jiang returns," Song Huan said.
Song Yue pursed her lips. The day General Jiang returned would mean that the Jiang family's military power would change hands.
Yun Dong approached Song Yue with the box in her hands: "Miss, this is a gift from Prince Guangjia to celebrate your wedding."
"Hmm?" Song Yue was surprised. The brocade box in front of her was exquisite, with lifelike peonies carved on it.
It also has a faint fragrance.
Upon opening the brocade box, a jade pendant shaped like a small goldfish was revealed. The goldfish was so cute and endearing that Song Yue couldn't put it down.
"This gift is quite unique," Song Huan said.
Song Yue looked up in the direction of Prince Guangjia, but he was already gone. She looked around and saw only a desolate figure of Prince Guangjia with two servants behind him walking towards the door.
Song Yue caught up with him.
"King Guangjia!"
Prince Guangjia stopped in his tracks, his thin and frail body slowly turning around. His gentle eyes softened with a smile as he spoke humbly and politely: "Third Miss."
"May I ask if Your Highness has ever visited Xingshan Villa?"
She had seen similar jade pendants in other courtyards when she was five, six, and even nine years old. In her vague memory, there was a dark figure whose face she couldn't see, who pulled her out of the mire.
Later, when Zhang Dazhu was drunk, he casually remarked, "If it weren't for someone making offerings every year, you wouldn't have been spared."
At the time, Song Yue only thought that the Duke of Jingguo's mansion was wary of her.
It now appears that this is not the case.
Prince Guangjia's indifferent eyes flickered slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his pale lips: "Never."
"Then this jade pendant..."
"I happened to see it being sold in a shop and found it interesting."
Song Yue clutched the jade pendant tightly, a hint of disappointment flashing through her mind.
"Is there anything else, Third Miss?" Prince Guangjia coughed lightly, his fist pressed to his lips, a hint of anxiety appearing in his gentle eyes.
She shook her head.
Prince Guangjia stepped forward, paused, and glanced back at the bustling crowd of guests behind him. He said gently, "I haven't congratulated the Third Miss yet."
Song Yue snapped out of her daze and stared at the pale and weak face of Prince Guangjia.
His lifespan was short; he had less than five years left. For some reason, subconsciously, Song Yue felt that Prince Guangjia was a good person.
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