Before leaving, Zhao Zhiyan couldn't help but ask, "Does Your Majesty show any bias towards your younger brother, and also towards Yunke, because of your cousin Jia Hua?"
He felt a little resentful if he lost his position because he didn't marry Song Yue.
The two locked eyes.
The Emperor of Northern Chu frowned: "Eighth Prince, are you so concerned about this matter? Putting aside the throne, have you ever cared about A-Yue? If it weren't for Dongying and Nanjiang coming to arrange a marriage three years ago, would you have married A-Yue as planned?"
Having said that, Zhao Zhiyan's expression turned slightly unpleasant: "Of course I will!"
He will marry her.
They were destined to be together.
"My brother was ordered to go to the northern frontier for three years. When he returned, the little girl changed. Yunke took advantage of his vulnerability..."
He was furious when he talked about this.
If Yunke hadn't taken advantage of his moment to seduce Song Yue, given Song Yue's temperament, how could she have so easily agreed to marry Yunke?
He fought desperately to defend against the enemy, only to be betrayed by those close to him. How could he possibly feel good about that?
The Northern Chu Emperor heard the resentment in his words and asked in return, "Three years ago, you brought the Eighth Princess into the Eighth Prince's mansion without any regard for anything. Did you ever think about A-Yue's feelings? She was ridiculed by everyone. You took the Eighth Princess to the northern frontier, where she almost never left her room and never mentioned annulment. If it weren't for the Eighth Princess returning with a pregnant belly and being a princess sent for a political marriage, she wouldn't want things to get too ugly, so she proposed annulment. What did A-Yue do wrong?"
Zhao Zhiyan suddenly fell silent, his fingertips paused, and he felt a pang of unease.
The Emperor of Northern Chu rebuked her again: "Did you consult with A-Yue before using your military merits to exchange the Eighth Princess for the position of Consort Ping?"
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Zhiyan's lips trembled with bitterness.
"A-Yue is proud and has broken off two engagements. Back then, many people laughed at her for being stubborn. Did you ever stand up and say a word in her defense?"
The Emperor of Northern Chu raised his voice, his heart pounding, his disappointment barely concealed.
Zhao Zhiyan raised his eyes: "Even if this little girl marries Yunke, she won't be happy."
Having said that, he turned and left.
Yun Ke has been frail since childhood. Even if Song Yue knows medicine, she may not be able to help him live to be a hundred years old. There is bound to be a rift between the two.
The Emperor of Northern Chu, enraged to the point of laughter, closed his eyes to suppress his raging anger.
Princess Jia Hua emerged from behind the screen, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "The Emperor has lost again."
Two hours ago, Princess Jiahua entered the palace to play chess with the Emperor of Northern Chu. They talked about attacking the Southern Frontier, and Princess Jiahua suggested making a bet.
Let's see if this Eighth Prince will agree to his personal command of the expedition.
"Eighth Prince has always disapproved of war, unless absolutely necessary. I bet he will try to dissuade him." The Northern Chu Emperor believed that one thing was one thing, and that Zhao Zhiyan still cared about the people.
Zhao Zhiyan might not care much about the throne.
Sometimes, due to circumstances, it was just a matter of one Consort Rou and one Princess Consort interfering.
Princess Jia Hua confidently assured him, "I bet the Eighth Prince will not utter a single word of objection and will certainly congratulate His Majesty on his triumphant return!"
The Emperor of Northern Chu was skeptical.
After testing the waters, my anxiety finally died.
He sighed helplessly.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager is coming this way!" Eunuch Li rushed over in a panic.
The Northern Chu Emperor's eyelids twitched.
Nine times out of ten, they're here for the talent show.
Princess Jia Hua raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a moment before wanting to retreat, but was stopped by the Emperor of Northern Chu: "Cousin, are you going to leave me alone?"
Empress Dowager Xu is sure to have no kind words this time.
Lost in thought, Empress Dowager Xu entered, hairpin pressed against her neck, her face contorted with rage and her eyes red.
Upon seeing Princess Jia Hua, her anger flared even more: "Jia Hua, you clearly promised me that you would be selecting concubines for the new emperor!"
"Your Majesty, I have only tacitly approved of the imperial concubine selection, but I have never said that I would select concubines for the new emperor. Moreover, the emperor is in good health and free from illness and disaster, and he will surely live to be a hundred years old. There is no sign of a new emperor yet. Can the imperial relatives and nobles wait in a hurry? Wouldn't a few beautiful young girls be wasted and become old maids?"
Princess Jia Hua said confidently.
"You!" When Empress Dowager Xu heard that it was a selection of candidates for the Emperor of Northern Chu, and that an imperial decree had already been issued, with even the titles already determined, her anger flared up.
She knew perfectly well that the Northern Chu Emperor was infertile, and entering the palace would make him a dead end, destined to die alone.
"Is the Empress Dowager cursing me?" The Emperor of Northern Chu raised an eyebrow, his tone low, his gaze falling on the hairpin in Empress Dowager Xu's hand: "Empress Dowager, you'd better be careful, lest the hairpin pierce your neck and there's no cure!"
Empress Dowager Xu angrily lowered her hand and said, "That's not what I meant. It's just that the Emperor hasn't held a selection of consorts for so many years. It's really surprising that he's suddenly doing so."
"I am a normal man. As an emperor, shouldn't I be selecting candidates for the imperial concubine selection?" the Emperor of Northern Chu retorted.
Empress Dowager Xu was speechless after being rebuked, but looking at the Northern Chu Emperor standing there with a rosy complexion, he did not appear to be seriously ill at all.
She asked suspiciously, "Has His Majesty truly encountered a miraculous physician?"
The Emperor of Northern Chu put one hand behind his back, lifted his foot and walked towards the throne, saying without turning his head, "I wouldn't call myself a divine physician, I'm just a master from Han Guang Temple."
Empress Dowager Xu suddenly choked up, and there was even a hint of guilt in her eyes.
In the end, they had no choice but to give up.
The draft has been finalized.
The next day, the Imperial Concubine, the Virtuous Concubine, the Gentle Concubine, the Good Concubine, and two Noble Ladies, a total of seven people, were all carried into the palace and lived in the East and West Six Palaces respectively.
That night
The Emperor of Northern Chu then issued an edict announcing his personal expedition.
The concubines in the six palaces could no longer sit still, especially Consort Li, who fainted on the spot in a fit of anger. After being woken up by a palace maid, she quickly led her people to the Hall of State Affairs.
Before they could even get close, they were stopped by a young eunuch.
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