The emperor laughed heartily and said, "Sit down quickly. Can father punish you?"
The Queen Mother also chuckled and joked, "You two are so inseparable even before you've even gotten married. I'm really envious. And Xue'er, you're so beautifully dressed today."
Cui Mixue was naturally very proud to receive the praise from the Queen Mother.
Looking at Su Mengyan, Cui Mixue found that although Su Mengyan had put on some light makeup, it still couldn't cover up the paleness of her face. In order not to appear to be in a bad complexion, she also wore some simpler colors.
"Your humble servant thanks the Empress Dowager for the praise. I'm afraid my dress has stolen the Crown Princess's limelight. The Crown Princess's dress is a bit too plain. Xue'er almost didn't recognize her!" Cui Mixue said, covering her lips and smiling.
It was as if she was really that naive little girl who felt somewhat smug because she had stolen the limelight from others.
The Emperor disliked this situation very much, so he said, "Although the Crown Princess's dress is a bit plain, it is simple and generous, and does not lose the dignity of a member of the royal family."
He would never like others to mock his daughter-in-law, even if that person is his future daughter-in-law.
Seeing this, Cui Mixue didn't dare to say anything more. With the emperor protecting Su Mengyan, anything she said would only annoy the emperor and would not cause any loss to Su Mengyan.
After this little incident, the banquet began.
The ministers gathered in twos and threes, toasting each other, singing and dancing, and the singing girls, dancing girls, and musicians each performed their duties, making the scene quite lively for a while.
At the moment, Su Mengyan is in a good mood and she hasn't found anything wrong.
Just as one group of geishas had left and another group had not yet arrived on stage, the emperor suddenly spoke.
"I remember that the Seventh Prince and Miss Cui are getting married soon!"
As soon as this question was asked, everyone looked at the emperor, wondering what he meant.
Originally, Situ Zhao and Cui Mixue should have been married a long time ago, but because Situ Zhao was imprisoned and escaped during this period, he was cleared of suspicion.
A lot of time had been wasted, so their wedding day had actually long passed.
But now no one can explain why the emperor brought up this topic?
So no one took the initiative to say anything.
It was Situ Zhao who stood up and said, "Father, my wedding date has passed."
As if reminded of something, the Emperor immediately said, "I was confused. Since the wedding date has passed, let's choose another one."
"The past is over. Now, those of you from the Ministry of Rites must make good preparations for the Seventh Prince's marriage."
Originally, during this period, Situ Zhao's performance had disappointed the ministers who had always followed him. But now that they knew the news, they began to feel complacent again.
So many things about Situ Zhao had been exposed, but now the emperor still wanted to hold a grand wedding for him, which made everyone feel a little unbelievable.
No matter whether it was Situ Zhao's side or Situ Yao's people, they all felt that the emperor seemed to favor the seventh prince more. Perhaps the emperor was planning to pass the throne to the seventh prince!
Situ Yao and Su Mengyan immediately looked at the person in the upper position in disbelief, as if they felt that they had moved too much, and then lowered their heads as if they had not heard anything.
The Queen Mother observed all these little movements, drank a glass of wine, and said, "I am old, and I am a little drunk after just a few more drinks."
The emperor spoke at the right moment: "Come, help the Queen Mother to rest."
But the Queen Mother specifically asked Su Mengyan to accompany her, and Su Mengyan had no choice but to accompany the Queen Mother.
She felt that the Empress Dowager, who disliked her, would definitely come up with some tricks to deal with her again!
However, she couldn't refuse in public. Otherwise, someone might say she didn't understand filial piety and wasn't worthy of being the Crown Princess.
When she arrived at the warm room, the empress dowager no longer looked dazed. Seeing this, Su Mengyan knew that the empress dowager must have something to say to her.
She was not in a hurry. As soon as the empress dowager sat down, a palace maid brought tea. The empress dowager picked up the tea, blew on the tea leaves on it, and then took a few sips.
"Alright, Crown Princess, please sit down too. I asked you to come here because I have something to tell you. I think you should have figured it out by now!"
Su Mengyan felt that the Queen Mother's next words should be related to Cui Mixue. After all, it was only after the Emperor talked about Cui Mixue's wedding that the Queen Mother asked her to leave.
As expected, the Queen Mother was heard saying, "Regarding the wedding of Zhao'er and Xue'er, are you satisfied with the Emperor's actions?"
Su Mengyan was very curious about what Situ Zhao and Cui Mixue’s wedding had to do with her, and why the Queen Mother asked this question?
She found it very funny. What was there to be satisfied with if it was not in her own interest?
"What the Empress Dowager said is that how could a granddaughter-in-law be dissatisfied with the Emperor's decision? The Empress Dowager should ask Cui Mixue if she is satisfied!" Su Mengyan said with a smile, but she was being sarcastic.
How could a shrewd person like the Queen Mother not hear the dissatisfaction in her words?
Her expression immediately changed: "Don't be so ungrateful! Do you think the Emperor really doesn't know what's going on? Or do you think I'm too old?"
Su Mengyan felt that the empress dowager changed her expression too quickly and could only say that she didn't think too much about it.
The Queen Mother's expression finally recovered a little. She sighed and said, "From ancient times to the present, an emperor must never be accused of killing a sibling. After Zhao'er and Xue'er get married, they will need their own residence. If you want him to leave, you naturally have to give him some benefits first."
Su Mengyan immediately understood the hidden meaning.
He immediately understood that the Queen Mother and the Emperor had arranged for them to get married and strengthen his power just so that he could leave the palace and become a king.
This also shows that, in the minds of the emperor and the empress dowager, Situ Yao's position is already very stable, and the throne belongs to him.
After figuring this out, Su Mengyan still had nothing to be dissatisfied with.
He immediately laughed: "So that's why it's all because of my granddaughter-in-law. It's really the Imperial Grandmother and the Emperor who are so thoughtful."
Isn't it just a nice thing to say? Su Mengyan thought she was flexible and since she had seen the situation clearly, there was no need to argue with the Queen Mother.
Besides, the matter of Situ Zhao was the result of a discussion between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. On the surface, it seemed that Situ Zhao had gained all the advantages. However, the Emperor and his mother were both people who had experienced many ups and downs. How could they not see that Situ Zhao was not a person who could accomplish great things!
Therefore, he deliberately elevated Situ Zhao's position in order to see how Situ Zhao would react. On the other hand, he also wanted to see whether Situ Yao had the ability to become the emperor.
If we can't even deal with a small matter like Situ Zhao, then how can we govern this country well?
"These South Sea pearls are of really good quality. Here, take them to the Queen Mother."
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