After that, the queen suffered from headaches. Not only did she have trouble sleeping at night, but she also frequently spoke nonsense. She consulted more than a dozen imperial physicians, but none could find the cause.
Even the great doctor Bai Muchen said he had never heard of it. (He knew, but he kept it to himself. He was kind enough not to take the opportunity to secretly implant the ox-hair needle into the queen's head.)
The Emperor saw that the Empress was not up to the task, and that Concubine Mei was vicious, jealous of talented people, and incapable of taking charge. Therefore, he handed the power of managing the harem to the kindhearted Concubine Dong Shu.
Concubine Dong Shu's son was the outstanding Third Prince. His mother suddenly held immense power, directly influencing the politics of the previous dynasty. Everyone speculated about whether the Crown Prince would change. The ministers' positions were also quietly shifting.
If Dong Shufei were in the company, she would definitely be a popular figure. On the surface, she's friendly to everyone, and no one would say anything bad about her. She's liked by both the boss and her subordinates.
They don't seem to be fighting or competing, but they always get a lot of benefits.
She never took the initiative, a paragon of wisdom. Her presence was a boon for Shen Aoshan, a newcomer facing challenges from all sides and pregnant. At the very least, she wouldn't take the initiative. She wasn't harsh or blaming, even forgiving her with greetings. She was incredibly tolerant and kind.
The most important reason for her long-lasting success is that she thinks what her boss wants and never goes against his will. As soon as she saw that Shen Aoshan was the emperor's favorite, she controlled the harem's resources and, based on the principle of not giving away things that would be free, she sent many good things to the Funing Palace.
...
Comfortable days always pass quickly.
In the blink of an eye, summer arrived and Shen Aoshan had been in the palace for a month and a half.
The peaceful and comfortable life of the two sisters was suddenly thrown into chaos by an imperial decree granting them a marriage. To whom was the marriage granted?
It turned out to be Xuanyuan Mingchen and Yan Miaoling.
Before the woman could open her mouth in surprise and make an O, her clone was summoned into the imperial study.
This was the first time Emperor Dazhao had seen Yan Miaoling in her true form. She had come directly from the Women's College, and she was still wearing a light blue student uniform. The delicate girl, in such a color, made the newly arrived peonies in the imperial study seem rather vulgar.
Emperor Dazhao stared with wide eyes.
What should I do if I regret agreeing to King Chen too readily?
His tastes had become rather discerning. Ever since marrying Shen Aoshan, the harem's aging and unremarkable newcomers had failed to pique his interest (why didn't he blame himself for the problem?). But Shen Aoshan was pregnant and couldn't sleep with him, leaving him with nothing but envy.
Now, seeing someone who was equally talented and comparable to him, his heart instantly became restless. He was very kind to Yan Miaoling who was bowing, "Stand up!"
Lust is lust.
But as someone who had been a monarch his entire life, he quickly calmed down and spoke frankly. "I heard that you and your adopted sister... my Concubine Shen are very close, and you'd even die for her?"
Hearing this tone, and considering the imperial decree granting the marriage, Yan Miaoling had already guessed what he was up to. He was using the heroine's safety as a threat to force her to marry into Prince Chen's mansion and continue to work undercover, observing Xuanyuan Mingchen's every move.
Cut~~
You old fool, how little confidence do you have in yourself? You always want to use women to control your royal brother. You are hopeless.
As expected, although Emperor Da Zhao's subsequent words were euphemistic, the meaning was the same.
Yan Miaoling asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, I am willing to monitor Prince Chen, but can I not marry him?"
Emperor Da Zhao laughed heartily, "Hahaha..." This girl had a very straightforward personality. He had been playing tricks on people for decades, and he really liked her straightforward nature. Half-jokingly, "How about... I let you enter the palace and be my concubine?"
Well!
Not as good as the previous option.
Just as he was unsure how to respond without angering the person before him, Emperor Da Zhao ended the conversation prematurely. "Alright, don't let my brother scare you. He's cold on the outside, but he's kind on the inside and will treat you well!" An orphan girl, all beauty. Bringing her to the palace would be nothing more than a novelty. It would be better to give in to his good brother's wishes, so he wouldn't keep complaining about insufficient military pay.
He waved his hand and drove Yan Miaoling away like waving a fly.
On the way back, Yan Miaoling had a toothache.
Suddenly I remembered what Xuanyuan Mingchen said before leaving for the Northern Territory...
Holy shit! Xuanyuan Mingchen!! Wasn't he the one who asked for my hand in marriage?
Otherwise, no matter how many couples Emperor Da Zhao tried to match up, he would never choose an orphan like her!
The original body can immediately feel every move of the clone.
After helping Shen Aoshan fall asleep, the original body Yan Miaoling split out another herself and projected it to the northern border, beside King Chen.
I happened to see him wiping his upper body naked. Our eyes met, and I couldn't tell who was more embarrassed.
Xuanyuan Mingchen sounded surprised. "Ling'er...Miss, why are you here? Did something serious happen in the capital?" Due to limited spiritual energy, Avatar Two was weaker than Avatar One. His face was pale, and his figure was a little limp. Seeing him so haggard, Xuanyuan Mingchen was bound to misunderstand.
"Did you ask for our engagement?" Yan Miaoling didn't want to stay too long, just to get an answer.
Because of her anxiety, her tone was blunt and impatient. This made Xuanyuan Mingchen misunderstand that she was unwilling, or even disgusted. He gave her a way out, "I said I would be responsible for you!"
Yan Miaoling was about to refuse, but then something struck her. The heroine's heart was now set on the Sixth Prince. Only if the Sixth Prince ascended to the throne could the heroine's son inherit the throne. Then, just like in the original novel, the heroine could rule behind the scenes, gradually wielding power and ultimately establishing herself as emperor.
Winning over Xuanyuan Mingchen is obviously the most promising way to push the Sixth Prince to the throne.
Anyway, the engagement is still six months away. Maybe by then she'll have completed her mission and left. If that's the case, what's the point of arguing about this now? What if this big piece of meat gets pushed to the other princes' camp...
Then it would be even more difficult for her to complete the task.
He curled his lips into a smile, "Very good, then I'll wait in the capital for you to take charge."
Xuanyuan Mingchen was surprised by her sudden change of attitude, but he still agreed, "I will keep my word!" Seeing a woman naked was a responsibility. He tried to convince himself that his obsession with her was simply a sense of responsibility.
Yan Miaoling didn't take his words seriously after returning home. Who would have thought that a few days later, Tie Yi would arrive at the academy gate in a luxurious carriage to pick her up. He bowed and said, "Miss Ling'er, the prince said that Concubine Shen has entered the palace, and it is not convenient for you to continue living in Minister Shen's residence. So he asked his subordinates to buy a new five-story courtyard and register it in your name. He said it is for you to live in first, and you can move into Prince Chen's residence when you get married."
A few days later, they were at the gate of the academy again. This time it was the palace's housekeeper who came, "Miss Ling'er, here are half of the palace's assets. There are fertile fields, villas, and shops. The prince asked me to transfer them all to your name, please check! The prince said that whether you want to open a shop or sell it, it's all up to you, you can do whatever you want!" After that, he handed a stack of land deeds, house deeds, etc. to Yan Miaoling.
The surrounding girls were all looking at me with envy. Then there were whispers and some even covered their mouths with their hands and laughed...
Yan Miaoling didn't refuse. This was the overbearing boss, and she had lost face in front of others, just to get away with it. Take it! Why not!
Almost at the same time, the original body in the palace said, "Collect! Sister, didn't you say you wanted to sell rouge, powder, and facial masks? Now we have a shop!"
...
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