Chapter 7: Be the principal wife, not a concubine
"Your humble servant is terrified!"
Yu Nian feigned a panicked expression, but inwardly she scoffed.
Good grief, your son broke off the engagement in the street and slapped me across the face, and you still want to question my crimes.
"Fearful? You were quite the smooth talker in court yesterday."
The Empress originally favored Yu Nian to be Li Mingjin's Crown Princess, as the Prime Minister's family was powerful enough to protect her son.
What was originally a very solid game of chess has unexpectedly taken an unexpected turn.
"This humble woman dares not."
Yu Nian spoke, sincerely placating the Empress. The inner palace was not like the outer court; yesterday, in front of so many people, even the Emperor had to consider many factors. But in this Phoenix Palace, the Empress held absolute power; openly offending her would certainly not end well.
"You don't dare, Yu Nian? The Crown Prince may be a bit willful, but how can you be so insensible? Even if you have grievances, you can't drag the Regent into it. Do you know how much damage this has done to the Crown Prince's reputation?"
According to the Empress, if the Crown Prince's reputation is reputation, then Yu Nian's honor is not honor!
In this era, a girl's reputation is of paramount importance, and the Crown Prince's actions yesterday left Yu Nian no room for maneuver whatsoever.
"I have admired Lord Chunyu for many years, but due to my status, I have kept my feelings hidden in my heart. I not only do not resent it, but I am also grateful to the Crown Prince for giving me this opportunity to express my feelings."
Although Yu Nian kept her head down, her voice was steady and clear, and she showed no fear whatsoever.
The Empress looked down at Yu Nian and felt that Yu Nian was very different from usual these days.
But Yu Nian's words sounded like she was just being stubborn to the Empress. Even a lowly palace maid wouldn't marry a eunuch as a concubine, let alone the legitimate daughter of a high-ranking official from a wealthy family.
"Today, the Crown Prince requested the Emperor to grant him a marriage, asking you, his cousin, to be his Crown Princess, but I stopped him for the time being."
I'll give you another chance. Even if you don't become the Crown Princess, becoming a concubine is a good option, and you'll have a similarly prestigious status in the future. As long as you're obedient, I'll help you.
If you continue to be so stubborn, don't blame me for turning my back on you.
The Empress is using a conciliatory approach, subtly forcing Yu Nian to become a concubine. In the past, Yu Nian would have been more than willing, but now she is genuinely "thank" the Empress for her kindness.
Yu Nian really didn't want to get involved with that precious prince of their family.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kindness, but His Highness the Crown Prince has someone else in his heart. Since he is unwilling to marry me, why force him? A forced marriage will never be happy."
As Yu Nian was speaking, a palace maid from the Empress's side walked in from outside and whispered a few words in the Empress's ear. The Empress's expression changed instantly.
Are you telling the truth?
"Such a big matter, this servant dares not act rashly. It's all over the palace now."
Yu Nian lowered her eyes and secretly rolled her eyes. "Can't you two at least let me get up before you start chatting? I'm still kneeling..."
"Yu Nian, I ask you, did you go to the Regent's residence last night?"
This sudden change of topic caught Yu Nian completely off guard.
But Yu Nian's reaction had already given the Empress a direct answer to a large extent.
"How dare you! What a fine daughter the Prime Minister has raised! A young lady from the inner chambers openly meeting with an eunuch at night! Where do you place the Crown Prince?"
Yu Nian: ? ? ?
Yu Nian was a little confused, but she quickly came to her senses.
No wonder Chunyu Han insisted that she go back to the Prime Minister's residence through the main gate last night. It turns out he was waiting for her here. The gate of the Regent's residence must be full of spies from all walks of life in the court.
The title of "big villain" is truly well-deserved; you really have no humanity.
"Your Majesty the Empress..."
Before Yu Nian could explain, a high-pitched eunuch at the door announced the arrival of the Crown Prince, abruptly cutting off Yu Nian's words.
Tsk, even one-on-one situations are troublesome, and yet another one has come along.
The Crown Prince stormed into the Phoenix Palace, his face clearly grim. His gaze swept across the crowd, and for a moment, Li Mingjin was taken aback when he caught sight of Yu Nian.
Is that Yu Nian? Does she... look like this?
Those peach blossom eyes, which Li Mingjin used to hate the most, suddenly seemed charming and captivating today.
No, Li Mingjin shook his head, shaking off the distracting thoughts that had arisen in his mind. Yu Nian was a woman who was good at disguising herself. Her sudden change of clothes and wandering around Fengyi Palace today must be to attract his attention.
In this life, he will definitely not fall for Yu Nian's tricks again.
"Did you instigate this again, Mother, to stop my and Rou'er's request for a marriage today?"
Although Li Mingjin's words were phrased as a question, his tone was already quite certain.
Yu Nian lowered her eyes, ignoring Li Mingjin, but glanced at the Empress.
You should ask your own mother about this; it has nothing to do with me.
“Mingjin, I asked Niannian to come and chat. You’ve come at the right time. I’m tired too. Please escort Niannian out of the palace for me.”
The Empress is the head of the six palaces, a champion of palace intrigue, and her ability to change her expression is as swift as turning the pages of a book. One look at her son and you know what he's up to; his sudden arrival must be about marrying Yu Zhirou.
Her son is good in every way, except he's a stubborn person. That woman is at most a distant relative with some connection to the Prime Minister's mansion. How can her status be compared to the Prime Minister's legitimate daughter? It's utterly ridiculous.
"But Mother..."
As soon as Li Mingjin entered, he was asked to leave by the Empress before he could even say two words. The fact that he had to go with Yu Nian made the Crown Prince's already bad mood even worse.
After the two left, the Empress summoned the chief eunuch of the Phoenix Palace.
"I don't care what methods you use, make the rumors about Yu Nian disappear immediately."
The Empress narrowed her eyes, took a deep breath, and declared that the Prime Minister's eldest daughter must become her son's Crown Princess. She would eliminate all obstacles and help the Crown Prince obtain this support.
Outside the Phoenix Palace, on the road leading to the area where carriages and sedan chairs were parked, Li Mingjin had a stern face and looked extremely grumpy.
"Yu Nian, I really underestimated you, but don't be smug. Don't think that just because you've bewitched my mother, I'll marry you. My Crown Princess can only be Rou'er. Don't even think about stepping into my Eastern Palace."
"oh."
Yu Nian gave a perfunctory reply and followed beside Li Mingjin, maintaining a safe distance of more than a meter. Was this guy trying to show off his love to her?
"What kind of attitude is this? You've stopped being persistent and started playing hard to get, so you're now resorting to this 'playing hard to get' approach?"
Li Mingjin stopped and turned around to stare sternly at Yu Nian.
Yu Nian, adhering to the principle of staying away from the male lead, actually didn't want to pay attention to him, but that didn't mean Li Mingjin could arbitrarily accuse her every time they met.
“Your Highness, there is something you may not know: I, Yu Nian, will only ever be a principal wife, never a concubine.”
Yu Nian glanced at Li Mingjin, her tone cold, her clear eyes showing no fear.
However, Yu Nianshuai heard the system notification in his mind after only three seconds.
[Note: Chunyu Han's happiness value -10, total happiness value: -20]
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