The night wind comes suddenly, the flowers wither and the wine becomes turbid.
Inside the East Palace, the lights had been extinguished, leaving only one lamp in the inner hall, flickering dimly.
Xiao Lingyu sat at the table, his eyes deep as he looked at the maid kneeling in front of him.
The maid's voice was a little hurried: "Master, what should we do next? I see that Marquis Anle has obviously become suspicious of you because of what He Yanting said."
Xiao Lingyu tapped the tabletop intermittently with his fingertips.
The maid's voice was filled with a hint of cruelty: "Master, now that Lü Daizong is dead, and His Majesty has already made up his mind to get rid of them, we might as well take advantage of the situation and take action directly!"
The knocking sound on the table suddenly stopped, and the maid lowered her head obediently. After an unknown amount of time, she heard a burst of laughter from above.
"Okay, go ahead and do it."
maid:"???!!!"
Did the master just agree? Did he not stop her?
The maid tentatively raised her eyes to look at his expression. Xiao Lingyu's face was a mixture of light and dark under the light. Although there was a smile on his face, his eyes were extremely cold.
The maid's heart suddenly turned cold and she dared not make another sound.
"I hope you'll think about what you're going to say next time before you speak," Xiao Lingyu said in a chilling voice. "How is the Anle Marquis' Mansion doing now?"
"Preparations are underway for Emperor Lü Daizong's funeral. Judging from the current situation, they still believe Jiang Zhiyu is the murderer. The wife of the Marquis of Anle has mentioned more than once that she wants to assassinate Jiang Zhiyu privately."
Xiao Lingyu chuckled without comment.
"This has diverted our attention." Xiao Lingyu looked at her eyes and moved slightly. "Marquis Anle must have realized that I treat you differently and will definitely not attack you. He must be thinking of a suitable time to send you to me. In the meantime, keep an eye on their movements and check if there are any strange people in Marquis Anle's mansion."
The maid answered yes and stood up to leave when Ji You was walking forward.
The maid saluted him, and Ji You returned the greeting with a bow. He stepped into the hall and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has been thoroughly investigated. Tomorrow, the Fifth Prince will lead 30,000 elite troops to personally attack the Oirat Mongols."
Xiao Lingyu looked up and saw Ji You standing straight. He didn't look like he had been whipped at all. Only the faint smell of blood was brought by the breeze blowing across his body.
Xiao Lingyu stood up and stood in front of him, smiling gently, "Sir, I was just angry today, I hope you don't mind."
"Your Highness has gone too far. What I said today was indeed a bit inappropriate. Your Highness should have punished me."
Xiao Lingyu looked at him and saw that his eyes were sincere and his words were indeed from the heart. The smile on his face also had some real feelings.
Ji You's words truly came from the heart. He had previously volunteered to help the Crown Prince out of a desire to repay the Queen's kindness. After spending several months together, he realized that while the Crown Prince had a good personality, he was too indecisive and tepid. It would have been fine if he had simply been a leisurely prince, but he was destined to be the Emperor, the future ruler of the world. How could he possibly achieve anything if he was so weak?!
Today he got to see another side of the prince. If the prince's descendants are like this, then he, as the master, has made the right choice.
Xiao Lingyu nodded with satisfaction and motioned him to sit down at the table. The maid serving beside him poured tea for them.
Ji You rubbed the teacup with his fingertips: "Your Highness, I have also heard a piece of news. The emperor is interested in granting a marriage for Princess Qingwu."
…
The next day at court, the fifth prince Xiao Siyuan was wearing armor and kneeling in the center of the hall.
The emperor waved his hand, and Fuping stepped forward with a sword in both hands.
"This sword is the one I used often when I followed the late emperor into battle. I never left it. Today, I will give it to you."
Xiao Siyuan raised his hands above his head and took it, his voice calm.
"Your son, I will surely defeat the Wala, pursue them to the northern desert, exhaust their territory, chase them north, and seal off the Wolf's Lair!"
He spoke with great force, but the emperor's face showed no emotion at all, he just nodded slightly.
Everyone in the court had different expressions, Jiang Zhaorong especially.
He glanced at Xiao Siyuan, not knowing what he was thinking.
After leaving the court, Xiao Siyuan rode his horse straight to the city gate without even saying goodbye to Xiao Qingwu.
Outside the city gate, 30,000 elite soldiers were waiting.
Xiao Siyuan nodded to the deputy general, turned his head to look at the imperial palace hidden behind the heavy doors and windows, closed his eyes, turned around and left, as if he had made some kind of decision.
Within a few hours of his departure, the emperor's imperial decree granting the marriage was delivered to Yilan Palace.
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: Princess Qingwu, my youngest daughter, is the daughter of Consort Duan, and of noble birth. She has been intelligent and perceptive since childhood, enjoying the caress of the Empress Dowager and myself day and night, and we both dote on her with deep affection. Now that the princess has reached the age of 18, it is time for her to marry. By the benevolent command of the Holy Mother Empress Dowager, I shall select a suitable husband from among my ministers for my beloved daughter's hand in marriage.
I have heard that Qu Xingchun, the third son of the Minister of Works, is a man of noble character, handsome appearance, and unmarried. He is a match made in heaven for the princess, and I am delighted. To fulfill her beauty, I hereby betroth Princess Qingwu to Qu Xingchun. All etiquette will be handled after consultation between the Minister of Rites and the Imperial Observatory.
Announce it to the whole world, so that everyone can hear it."
Fu Ping put away the imperial edict, looked at the pale Xiao Qingwu, and sighed softly: "Princess, accept the edict."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xiao Qingwu's slender figure falling forward weakly.
"Princess!"
The palace maids serving in the room were all startled and rushed to help her in a hurry.
"Quick! Go get the doctor!"
Concubine Duan spoke anxiously as she took Xiao Qingwu from the palace maid.
Fu Ping had been in the palace for so long that he had seen many people pretending to be unconscious in an attempt to avoid punishment.
He could tell at a glance that Xiao Qingwu was pretending to be unconscious.
"Your Highness, Princess, please don't blame me for saying a few more words. The Emperor's marriage proposal came so suddenly. If you don't want to lose his favor, you should accept it honestly. Don't do anything tricky. The Emperor's power is unpredictable now."
Concubine Duan's eyes moved, and she was about to thank him when she saw Xiao Qingwu in her arms suddenly open his eyes and scolded him harshly: "What do you know, eunuch?! My father loves me the most. He will definitely not marry me off to the son of the Minister of Works!"
Concubine Duan's face changed slightly, but it was too late for her to reach out to cover her mouth.
Fu Ping narrowed his eyes slightly, and when he heard Xiao Qingwu mention eunuchs, the corners of his mouth even curled up into a smile: "Then the princess refused the imperial order? This refusal of the imperial order is a capital crime..."
Before he could finish, Concubine Duan pushed Xiao Qingwu away, stood up, and said with a smile, "Don't be angry, Eunuch Fuping. Qingwu is a child at heart. She is just worried that she will have to leave the palace after receiving the imperial decree and won't be able to see the emperor, so she is so impulsive..."
As Concubine Duan spoke, she took Fuping's hand with her slender fingers, placed a pair of earrings on his rough hand, and said softly, "Don't blame me, Eunuch Fuping."
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