Upon seeing who it was, Cui Yudie stood up and bowed, "Father!"
The visitor was none other than Cui Jing, the Right Chancellor, who had changed out of his official robes.
Upon seeing his daughter, Cui Jing's sharp eyes softened instantly. "Die'er, did your mother tell you about the talent show?"
Cui Yudie responded, "We're talking right now."
"My lord, I was just talking to Die'er when you arrived. Let's discuss it some more and think about who else knows the exact time Die'er was born." Meng Shi stood up and pulled Cui Jing to sit down.
There were no maids serving her in the room. Cui Yudie was about to pour tea when Cui Jing stopped her.
"Father isn't thirsty, Die'er, sit down and listen to what happened in court today."
Cui Yudie sat down opposite her parents and obediently said, "Father, please speak. I am listening."
Cui Jing and Meng Shi exchanged a glance and then recounted in detail what had happened in the court and the contents of the proclamation.
Cui Yudie was terrified. "Father, we're deceiving the emperor. If we're found out, we'll be punished."
Cui Jing looked at Cui Yudie calmly and said, "Your father has already told everyone about this, and His Majesty heard it with his own ears. Remember, from now on, you are the one with the destiny that Master Huiyuan spoke of."
He paused and said, "Only heaven and earth know about this. If we don't tell anyone, no one will know."
A fierce glint flashed in Meng's eyes, but in the blink of an eye, her gaze softened as she looked at Cui Yudie.
“The concubines in the back courtyard entered the mansion after you were born. They don’t know your birth date and time. If any of them dare to make wild guesses, I will not let them off easily.”
"Die'er's marriage is the most important thing. All matters in the inner quarters are left to Madam. If anyone causes trouble, I will never protect them." Cui Jing said, pulling Meng's hand into his palm.
The couple looked so loving that Cui Yudie was extremely envious.
Father never favored either of his two concubines and spent most of his time in Mother's room.
Cui Yudie's former wish was to find a husband like her father, someone who knew what was important and always paid attention to maintaining the dignity of his wife in any situation.
Until that day, when the new emperor entered the city, she happened to be returning to the city from her summer retreat at a manor outside the city.
A troop of cavalry descended from the sky, led by an exceptionally handsome man who led his soldiers toward the palace gate.
On the chestnut-red horse, a man dressed in a black outfit stood with his black hair flying in the wind.
Just seeing his profile made Cui Yudie's heart flutter.
How could there be such a handsome man in the world? His ethereal profile exudes nobility, captivating all who see him.
From that day on, Cui Yudie returned home and often closed the door to draw the man's profile.
About a month later, Meng noticed something was wrong with her daughter and assumed that her daughter had developed feelings for someone else.
When questioned, Cui Yudie told the truth.
Looking at the dragon and phoenix patterns on the paper, Meng decisively consulted her husband.
Those days happened to be the time when Cui Jing was appointed as the Right Chancellor. When Cui Jing saw the profile in the painting, he was overjoyed.
The woman's heart belongs to the new emperor.
It turned out that the alms-begging monk was right; his daughter's destiny was exceptionally noble, and she was destined to become the empress.
After discussing it with Meng, Cui Jing decided to groom his daughter to be a candidate for empress and invited an old nanny from the palace to teach his daughter manners and etiquette.
When Cui Yudie learned that the ethereal man was the Emperor, she studied the rules with exceptional seriousness.
All she ever thought about was entering the palace to serve the emperor, but now she never imagined that she would have to deceive the emperor to enter the palace.
Cui Yudie felt uneasy. "Father, does Grandmother know about this too?"
Cui Jing released Meng Shi's hand and stood up. "Die'er, there's no need to worry. Your grandmother has already given the elders around her a gag order. The Emperor hasn't set a date for the imperial selection. You can just wait patiently."
After Cui Jing left, Madam Meng talked with her daughter for a while before leaving as well.
After returning to her courtyard, Madam Meng sent her trusted confidante back to her parents' home.
When she gave birth, her family sent a midwife.
The incident happened so suddenly that she had to send a message back to her parents' home to prepare them.
...
Inside the government office.
When Prefect Lu received Su Jin's petition, he was shocked. The Emperor had once sent the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the yamen to look for the case file, but he returned empty-handed.
What even the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn't accomplish, a young talent who had just entered officialdom achieved.
Prefect Lu immediately ordered the arrest of the man, and the officials obeyed and left.
After seeing Su Jin off, Prefect Lu hurriedly went to the palace to meet the Emperor.
In the imperial study, Xiao Jingzhao pondered as he looked at the evidence sent by Prefect Lu.
No wonder, Yue Niang doesn't believe in herself.
Seeing the Emperor's furrowed brows, Prefect Lu dared not speculate on the Emperor's intentions any longer and stood bowing without moving.
A moment later, Xiao Jingzhao looked up at Prefect Lu and said, "Handle this matter impartially and without leniency."
"Your humble servant obeys!"
Prefect Lu breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the Emperor valued this case and treated Lord Su differently.
After carefully considering the Emperor's words, Prefect Lu cupped his hands and asked, "Your Majesty, what should be done with the victim, Su Huai Ren?"
That was an old case from the previous dynasty. The changes in court officials had brought about tremendous changes. According to the law, he should be reinstated to his original position.
Prefect Lu was unaware of the Emperor's plans, so he requested permission to speak first.
Xiao Jingzhao parted his thin lips slightly: "You are to be reinstated to your original position. Just focus on thoroughly investigating the case. I will personally send out the official documents to reinstate you."
Before dusk, Liu Yuantao was imprisoned.
Before the trial could even begin, Prefect Lu ordered the Liu residence to be sealed off.
...
The bell rang to signal the end of the semester at the Imperial Academy, and Chang Le sprinted out at the speed of an 800-meter dash.
Ignoring the astonished look in the gentleman's eyes, Jing'er quickly bowed and followed.
"Master, slow down."
"If you're any slower, that bastard Su Nan will bring Sui Sui home again."
This time, Chang Le was smarter and ran straight towards the main gate.
Last time I went to the entrance of the corridor, I found nothing.
Xiang Yang, dressed in ordinary clothes, stood guard outside the gate of the Imperial Academy.
Seeing Chang Le running towards him, he quickly went to meet her.
"Princess, please don't worry. The young master hasn't come out yet. I've been keeping watch here."
"you……"
Chang Le paused for a moment before recognizing Xiang Yang.
"Why are you dressed like this? Why didn't Aunt Cai come today?"
Xiang Yang cupped his hands in greeting, "This humble servant is unaware. It was Fu Gui who relayed the message to me, instructing me to come and fetch the young master to the palace at this hour."
"Deputy Commander, you go back first. I will take Sui Sui back to Cining Palace by myself via a shortcut."
Xiangyang could not disobey the princess's orders. After hesitating for a moment, he cupped his hands and said, "This humble servant will go back to report to the Emperor first. The sedan chair is waiting outside."
As soon as Xiang Yang left, the scholars came out in groups.
Chang Le and Jing Er craned their necks to search through the crowd, afraid of missing that little figure in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, not every scholar went home, and soon there were very few people at the gate.
"Master, will the young master also be staying at the academy tonight?"
Chang Le shook her head firmly, "No, Sui Sui told me that he only stays at the academy when it rains heavily or when it suddenly snows heavily; otherwise, he stays at the Su residence."
At this moment, a handsome scholar walked over.
Hey! Girl, why aren't you going home?
Chang Le looked at Jing'er, "Do you know this person?"
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