The farce came to a hasty end. The emperor rubbed his forehead wearily, and the prime minister, seeing this, quickly and respectfully saw the emperor off at the horse racing track.
Before they had taken more than a few steps, Consort Zheng, who had been by the Emperor's side, turned her gaze to the Prime Minister and said meaningfully, "Why is Prime Minister Meng so concerned about the Ninth Prince's matter? He even asked Miss Meng to help arrest him. Could it be that Miss Meng is fond of the Ninth Prince and that's why she asked the Prime Minister for help?"
Upon hearing these seemingly baseless words, Meng Ruqiao paused, then said in a deep voice, "It's all untrue. Please, Consort Zheng, refrain from making unfounded speculations."
"What do you mean 'nothing'? Is the young lady just shy?" Consort Zheng covered her mouth, looking at Meng Ruqiao with the same gaze one would give a young girl in love. "I was once your age too, I understand your feelings, but what do you have to hide from the Emperor?"
“This humble woman is not…” Meng Ruqiao frowned, about to retort, but Consort Zheng deliberately interrupted her.
"Miss Meng, there's no need to explain. The Emperor and I both understand what we need to understand."
Consort Zheng took the emperor's arm, leaned close to him, and said with a charming smile, "Your Majesty, Miss Meng seems to have feelings for the Ninth Prince. Why don't you grant them their wish? It would be a good thing to help others achieve their happiness, wouldn't you say, Your Majesty?"
As she spoke, she casually shook the small bell on her wrist.
A distant, ethereal bell sound rang out; the sound was not loud, but it still clearly reached the emperor's ears.
The emperor's head was spinning. He pondered what Consort Zheng had just said, then turned to stare at Meng Ruqiao. At that moment, Meng Ruqiao's speechless expression appeared to him as a shy young girl.
If they were to "grant" their wish, just like Consort Zheng did, it would surely be a wonderful thing, wouldn't it?
The emperor's thoughts were wandering. Suddenly, he raised his hand, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly, saying, "Good! Since Miss Meng is willing, then let her marry the Seventh Prince as well, so that Prime Minister Meng can assist the Seventh Prince with peace of mind!"
"Emperor!" Meng Ruqiao's face turned pale, and she immediately knelt down. But she only called out "Emperor" once, and then remained silent, not daring to say anything else.
She knew perfectly well that as the daughter of the prime minister, whose marriage was being used as a bargaining chip, she had no right to refuse.
Everyone present, except for the Emperor and Consort Zheng, had dark expressions. The Prime Minister, like Meng Ruqiao, remained silent, observing the situation. Su Qingcai clenched his fist, knowing that this was inappropriate. He wanted to refuse, but he didn't know what words would be appropriate in this situation.
Seeing that no one spoke up, the emperor was relieved and nodded in satisfaction.
"Since everyone agrees, then..."
"I disagree!"
Suddenly, a thunderous sound rang out, and Su Xiaoning stood directly in front of the emperor, looking proud and imposing.
The emperor frowned, somewhat displeased, and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't even said who will be the principal wife yet. According to the Ninth Prince's wishes, you will be the principal wife, and Miss Meng will be the secondary wife. Are you still not satisfied with this?"
"This humble woman is indeed dissatisfied. As long as someone else becomes the Ninth Prince's concubine, this humble woman will never be satisfied!" Su Xiaoning said fearlessly, making a startling statement.
She stared directly into the Emperor's eyes and said resolutely, "Your Majesty, I and the Ninth Prince are deeply in love and only wish to be together for life. I cannot bear to see anyone but me by the Ninth Prince's side. Although Miss Meng is wonderful, I believe she is not suitable to be with the Ninth Prince! Only I am fit to be with the Ninth Prince!"
"How dare you!" The emperor's face darkened, and he trembled with rage. "As a person and a wife, one should be magnanimous. This is the behavior of a jealous woman. Have you even absorbed the teachings of 'Instructions for Women' and 'Rules for Women' that you've read?!"
"Your Majesty, I have never read 'Instructions for Women' or 'Rules for Women,' and I know nothing of those things. I only wish to stay with the Ninth Prince and be with him." Su Xiaoning said frankly, seemingly not caring at all about the disrespectful words she had said.
Everyone else was shocked, but Su Qingcai looked deeply at Su Xiaoning, feeling a surge of joy from the bottom of his heart.
That's great. Su Xiaoning is just as committed to the purity of this relationship as he is, and he certainly can't let her down.
Su Qingcai knelt down decisively and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I am of one mind with Su Xiaoning. I will marry no one but her in this life, and I have no desire to take any concubine. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"
Hearing his resolute words, a smile involuntarily appeared on Su Xiaoning's face. She knelt down with Su Qingcai, seemingly determined to force the emperor to retract his decree.
"You..." The emperor was so angry that he wanted to punish the two, but when he received the clear gazes of Su Qingcai and Su Xiaoning, he immediately stopped.
He shuddered, and his consciousness, which had been being led astray, suddenly returned to his body, and his eyes gradually cleared.
Consort Zheng's expression changed, realizing that things had already changed due to the short time available. She secretly turned her bracelet, about to ring the bell again, when the Emperor suddenly pushed her away and said indifferently, "It's getting late, my dear consort, go back and rest first. Everyone else, please leave as well. Prime Minister Meng and the Ninth Prince, please stay. As for the matter of marrying Miss Meng, we will discuss it later."
At the emperor's command, the guards immediately came forward and escorted Consort Zheng and Su Xiaoning away, giving Consort Zheng no further chance to make a move.
Only the Emperor, Su Qingcai, and the Prime Minister remained in the horse racing track. The Emperor personally helped Su Qingcai up and said with some annoyance, "Little Jiu, don't blame me. I was just confused for a moment..."
"It's good that His Majesty is willing to retract his decree." Su Qingcai cupped his hands in greeting, indicating that he didn't care.
The emperor sighed. Seeing that Su Qingcai seemed completely unconcerned, he glanced at the silent prime minister beside him and tentatively asked, "But... are you really not going to reconsider? You know how important Prime Minister Meng is. Marrying Miss Meng would be entirely beneficial."
"Your Majesty, my mind is made up." Su Qingcai stated his thoughts clearly without even changing his expression.
The emperor was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say, but the prime minister cast an approving glance his way.
"As I have said before, I admire the Ninth Prince's character. Your Majesty, please rest assured that even if the Ninth Prince does not wish to marry my daughter, I will still do my utmost to assist him and will have no other intentions."
He was a smart man and knew what to say in what situation. Since the emperor was interested, he should express his loyalty at the right time.
As expected, the emperor showed a satisfied expression: "The prime minister is indeed magnanimous."
The three exchanged silent glances, as if they had reached some kind of secret agreement in the exchange of their eyes.
...
Meanwhile, in the Ninth Prince's mansion.
With the truth revealed, Su Xiaoning no longer needed to stay at Baishige. She went straight back to the Prince's Mansion and intended to go to sleep, but her arm suddenly became itchy and burned.
Su Xiaoning couldn't take it anymore, so she covered her arm and ran to shake Bai Hua awake, asking him to take a look at her.
Bai Hua rubbed his sleepy eyes and casually lifted Su Xiaoning's arm, but the moment he saw her arm, he suddenly woke up.
The koi fish mark on Su Xiaoning's arm was slowly fading and gradually disappearing!
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