Has Mother returned?
Song Yue frowned. Although she had been mentally prepared, she was still very excited to hear the news from others.
The Emperor of Northern Chu was even more excited than her.
When the Emperor of Northern Chu saw Song Yue, his eyes filled with tears: "Sister Yue, your cousin is coming back."
In terms of seniority, Princess Jiahua is the cousin of the Emperor of Northern Chu.
The Emperor of Northern Chu sat on the steps below the dragon throne without any regard for his image, clutching a letter in his hand. The letter was so tightly squeezed that it was clearly something he had read many times.
After the Northern Chu Emperor calmed down, he slowly stood up and gradually regained his imperial aura. He smiled at Song Yue, but saw that Song Yue was cautious and dared not approach him. He frowned and looked at Eunuch Li.
"Your Majesty, when I went to fetch the Third Miss, something happened at the Duke of Jing's mansion the day before. Yesterday, the eldest son of the Duke of Jing presented a betrothal gift to the Shen family's daughter. All sixty-six loads of betrothal gifts were fake. It's strange, though, because those betrothal gifts were all part of the princess's dowry. Back then, the princess's dowry was a ten-mile-long red procession. Given how much the princess doted on her, how could the dowry be fake?"
Eunuch Li shook his head, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
The Northern Chu Emperor's expression changed slightly: "Nonsense! How could my cousin's dowry be fake? Where is Song Kaifeng? Someone, go and summon Song Kaifeng!"
"Your Majesty!" Song Yue sniffed and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, please send me back to my villa."
The Northern Chu Emperor was startled by Song Yue and quickly helped her up. However, Song Yue stubbornly threw a tantrum and shook her head: "The Duke of Jingguo's mansion insists on falsely accusing me of compensating for the betrothal gifts. They found some fabricated witnesses and said that I knew some shady people outside and exchanged them for sixty-six loads of dowry."
"Isn't this nonsense? The Third Miss is too young to have such abilities. If she really knew someone, how could she have almost died in the villa? This servant still remembers the first time the Third Miss entered the palace, she spoke up for the Duke of Jingguo quite a bit. Seeing all those wounds and medicines on her body, this servant felt sorry for her." Eunuch Li said angrily.
These words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire for the Northern Chu Emperor, instantly igniting his anger.
The thought of Song Yue suffering in the villa filled the Emperor of Northern Chu with remorse for not taking good care of her and for failing his cousin. His face showed sadness and anger.
"Your Majesty, my mother is about to return. I have a request for your permission." Song Yue knelt up and kowtowed to the Emperor of Northern Chu: "Since you ascended the throne, you have recruited soldiers and horses for my mother's sake, causing many people to complain. Once my mother returns, she will surely be criticized."
Before he could finish speaking, the Emperor of Northern Chu flew into a rage: "Who dares!"
"Your Majesty, you can protect Mother for a while, but you can't withstand the rumors and gossip. Besides, Mother is a strong-willed person."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Northern Chu softened his temper.
Seeing this, Eunuch Li quickly said, "Third Miss, what do you want to do?"
"I beg Your Majesty to issue an order to donate half of my mother's dowry to the court in the name of her donation, and send it to the frontier to appease the soldiers. Find another temple and declare to the public that my mother has been praying for the court in the temple all these years and has never gone anywhere else. This time she has returned at the time set by the founding emperor, and her merits have been fulfilled."
She had thought about these things long ago. If her mother were to return after her marriage, rumors would surely spread.
She wanted her mother to return with dignity.
We also need to silence those who slander my mother.
The Emperor of Northern Chu's eyes lit up, and he bent down to help Song Yue up: "As expected of my cousin's daughter, she is indeed very intelligent."
In his moment of joy, he only wanted people to come back, without considering the consequences.
"The third daughter is intelligent!" Eunuch Li praised, giving her a thumbs up.
At that moment, the voice of the Duke of Jingguo coming to pay his respects could be heard from outside the door.
Song Yue shuddered involuntarily. The Emperor of Northern Chu noticed this, his brow furrowed, and he was furious: "Were you bullied at the Duke of Jing's residence?"
Song Yue shook her head in a panic.
“Your Majesty, the Third Miss is of low status and not well-liked. Even the matter of the betrothal gifts has been falsely accused. How can she not be bullied?” said Eunuch Li.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Northern Chu angrily shouted, "Let Song Kaifeng get in here!"
Even from a great distance, the Duke of Jingguo heard these words. His eyelids twitched, and he braced himself to follow the little eunuch into the room, bowing and kneeling on the ground: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."
The Northern Chu Emperor gave a cold snort and did not tell him to get up. It was only after Song Yue gave him a wink that the Northern Chu Emperor said, "Alright, for the sake of Yue'er's filial piety, get up."
"Your Majesty, I thank you." Duke Jingguo slowly stood up. He glanced quickly at Song Yue and saw her standing calmly beside the Emperor of Northern Chu. His brows were furrowed so deeply they were almost knotted together.
"Father, I heard that the border war is intense and has caused great hardship and financial loss over the years. As a member of Northern Chu, I have donated all of my mother's dowry on her behalf." Song Yue ran up to the Duke of Jingguo with a big smile on her face.
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Jingguo's mind went blank for a moment, and he hadn't even reacted yet: "You, what did you say?"
“Father, I have donated my dowry to the court in my mother’s name,” Song Yue repeated, her mocking smile infuriating the Duke of Jingguo.
Just as Duke Jing was about to lose his temper, Eunuch Li said, "The Third Miss is truly thoughtful and filial. Duke Jing is very fortunate."
Only after being reminded did the Duke of Jingguo suddenly realize where he was. When he looked up, he saw a pair of sinister eyes, which frightened him so much that he forced a smile: "Yes, yes, Yue'er is intelligent and considerate. She is my greatest blessing."
Seeing the Duke of Jingguo suffer a setback, Song Yue felt secretly pleased.
She wanted to see what the Duke of Jingguo's mansion would offer as dowry!
"Your Majesty, there is no time to lose. I will go back with my father this morning to prepare the dowry and sell it as soon as possible to send it to the border," Song Yue said.
The Emperor of Northern Chu nodded, and before leaving, he bestowed ten Imperial Guards upon Song Yue as his bodyguards. Before Jing Guo could openly refuse, Song Yue readily agreed: "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty."
When he came out of the palace, Duke Jingguo was still soaked to the bone, as if he had been pulled out of the water. Today, he clearly felt that the emperor had murderous intentions towards him.
He only came to his senses after he got into the carriage.
Song Yue was sitting opposite her.
The father and daughter exchanged a glance, and the Duke of Jingguo could no longer contain his anger: "Why didn't you tell me you were donating your dowry?"
“I am doing this for the sake of the Duke of Jing’s reputation. Yesterday’s betrothal gifts have caused a stir, and the Duke of Jing’s mansion has been ridiculed. If I donate the dowry, the Emperor, the people, and the soldiers on the border will all praise the Duke of Jing’s mansion. What’s wrong with that?” Song Yue asked in return.
"You!" Duke Jingguo was bound to be driven mad by Song Yue sooner or later. He asked again, "Do you know what the Embroidered Uniform Guard does? How dare you bring people into your residence? Go to the palace in a couple of days and return the Embroidered Uniform Guard to their residence."
Song Yue raised her eyebrows: "Father, don't you know that I am walking on thin ice in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion? A mere fabricated charge could take me away. Without the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep peacefully at night."
Once again blocked, the Duke of Jingguo's breathing became rapid.
“When Father gives his daughter a peaceful life, she will naturally return the Embroidered Uniform Guard to her.” Song Yue grinned.
She's not stupid.
They can distinguish between good and bad, and they are even less likely to be fooled by the Duke of Jingguo.
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