Chapter 107 The Empress Dowager's Imperial Edict
Shen Qingci was really too tired. Her mind was sluggish and she gradually couldn't keep up. She soon fell asleep again.
When Shen Qingci opened her eyes again, she saw Wan Qing peeking in through the gap in the bed curtains.
Seeing that Shen Qingci was awake, Wanqing immediately came in: "Miss is awake?"
"Hmm," Shen Qingci replied, "What time is it?"
It's almost noon.
Wanqing lifted the bed curtains and hung them up, her eyes full of curiosity as she stared intently at Shen Qingci.
Her gaze fell on the marks on Shen Qingci's body, and her eyes flickered slightly before she finally couldn't help but speak up: "Miss, didn't the matchmaker say that the prince is impotent?"
"You and the prince last night..."
She was right outside the door, and naturally she heard a lot of what was going on inside the house last night.
But she was a little worried.
The matchmaker said that Chu Jichen's leg was crippled, and because of the injury, he was unable to have sex.
But she knew that there were many ways to torture women in the palace, and it didn't necessarily have to involve... sexual intercourse.
She was afraid that Chu Jichen might have that kind of fetish.
Shen Qingci knew Wanqing too well; he could tell what she was thinking just by looking at the expression on her face.
Shen Qingci reached out and squeezed Wanqing's hand: "Don't worry, it's not what you think."
"Chu Jichen is normal."
Shen Qingci bit her lip. Although she didn't know why the matchmaker had lied, but...
"It is true that Chu Jichen is disabled. If I am unwilling, he cannot force me."
Wanqing's eyes widened, and the anxiety that had been hanging over her all night finally subsided: "That's good."
Although she didn't know anything else, as long as Shen Qingci was acting voluntarily and wasn't forced, that was fine.
After Shen Qingci finished breakfast, she saw the steward rushing over: "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has issued an imperial decree summoning you to the palace for an audience."
Empress Dowager?
Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes. This Empress Dowager was the birth mother of the current emperor and could be considered Chu Jichen's sister-in-law.
But she had never crossed paths with the Empress Dowager in either her past or present life. The reason she was summoned to the palace was because of her marriage to Chu Jichen.
Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes. Logically speaking, in an ordinary family, if there is only one elder sister-in-law left, she, as the new bride, should indeed pay her respects on her first day of marriage.
But... she didn't know much about royal affairs, nor did she know what the Empress Dowager's attitude was towards Chu Jichen.
But the emperor is her own son. Although her own son sits on the throne, real power is held by Chu Jichen. She guesses that the empress dowager probably won't treat Chu Jichen very well.
However, since she was only a princess consort, she had no right to refuse the summons from the Empress Dowager.
"Did the Empress Dowager summon only me?"
The butler nodded: "Yes, only the princess was summoned."
Shen Qingci narrowed her eyes. Even if it was to pay respects to her elder sister-in-law, the newlywed couple should be together. What was the meaning of summoning her alone?
"Where is the Prince? Is he in the manor?"
The steward shook his head: "Something happened in the court. The prince went out, less than half an hour ago."
"This old servant has already arranged for a secret guard to go and deliver a message to the Prince."
"His Highness should receive the news soon."
Shen Qingci understood; this was specifically targeting her.
They deliberately lured Chu Jichen away before issuing an imperial decree to summon her to the palace.
Although the steward sent someone to inform Chu Jichen, whether Chu Jichen would receive the message, and whether he would be able to leave after receiving it, was another matter entirely.
The steward lowered his voice slightly: "With the prince not in the manor, this old servant believes that this imperial decree is most likely aimed at the princess."
"If Your Highness does not wish to go, you are free to do so."
"His Highness is the Regent; he will find a way to handle this."
Shen Qingci shook her head. She refused to enter the palace, and Chu Jichen might indeed be able to handle it for her.
But as a newlywed, she so blatantly defied the Empress Dowager's decree. It's likely that within today, the rumors of her and Chu Jichen's disregard for imperial authority will become common knowledge in the capital.
And since she married Chu Jichen, she naturally couldn't rely on him to ignore everything.
These are things that we will have to deal with, manage, and face sooner or later.
If she wants to use the title of Regent's Consort to deal with Prime Minister Liu and the Huo family, then she must also fulfill her duties as Regent's Consort to Chu Jichen.
"It's alright, I have nothing to do at home anyway." Shen Qingci stood up: "It won't hurt for me to go to the palace."
The steward nodded: "Then this old servant will arrange a carriage for the Princess."
The steward paused before continuing, "Originally, there were no maids in the manor, but after the princess entered the manor, the prince specially arranged for some maids."
"These maids are maids on the surface, but in reality they are secret guards. Each of them has their own strengths. Some are good at disguise, some are good at making poisons and treating diseases, but they are also quite skilled in martial arts."
“When the princess enters the palace, she should bring two or three with her.”
"As for the palace..." the steward's voice lowered even further, "There's no need to fear the princess in the palace; there are many of the prince's men there."
Shen Qingci nodded, "That's excellent."
The steward quickly prepared the carriage, and Shen Qingci left Wanqing at the mansion, taking the two maids prepared for her by the steward with her to the palace.
The two maids were named Qin Yun and Yun Lan. Qin Yun was skilled in medicine and could also identify and prepare poisons, while Yun Lan was adept at disguise.
Because they were traveling in the Regent's carriage, the carriage drove directly into the palace and finally stopped outside the Empress Dowager's Cixi Palace.
A palace servant went to announce the arrival, and soon Shen Qingci was brought inside.
However, the Empress Dowager was not the only one present in Cixi Palace.
Emperor Yongming was also there.
There were even a few women dressed as imperial concubines.
As soon as Shen Qingci entered the main hall, several pairs of eyes focused on her.
Shen Qingci remained calm, slowly walking in despite the scrutinizing gazes around her. She knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
As for the other two concubines, she did not recognize them and did not pay her respects.
She is now the Regent's wife, and apart from the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager, she is not required to pay her respects to anyone else.
The Empress Dowager, sitting at the head of the table, squinted at Shen Qingci for a long time before laughing: "The Regent's wife is indeed a stunning beauty. No wonder the Regent is so determined to marry her."
"Yes," Emperor Yongming agreed verbally, but he couldn't help but grit his teeth secretly, his face looking rather unpleasant.
He felt that Chu Jichen was doing it on purpose!
Chu Jichen must have known that Shen Qingci had the order to mobilize the private army, and that he knew it before Chu Jichen, so he took the initiative to strike.
Chu Jichen...
He murmured the name to himself, his hatred surging within him.
"I still remember it. That night, the Regent suddenly rushed into the palace in the middle of the night, saying that he wanted to personally draft an imperial edict to bestow a marriage. I was also surprised and asked him several times who his beloved was. In the end, the Regent kept me in suspense."
"So it was you all along."
Emperor Yongming looked Shen Qingci up and down and said, "It's a pity that the Regent acted too quickly. Otherwise, I was planning to summon you to the palace and make you a concubine."
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