The Marquis of Jiangning's residence?
"Oh dear, is this the cousin the Empress wanted to give to my godfather?" Jiayin was the first to react, and asked, "Second Uncle, what's this girl's name?"
Li Lao Er thought for a moment and then said, "The Marquis was in a bad mood because of the care of the wounded soldiers, and he wasn't very polite to the girl. The girl seemed sad, and I felt sorry for her, so I offered a few words of advice, but the Marquis didn't budge."
"When I was about to leave and came back, I asked the head steward a question. The head steward said that the girl's surname was Wu, her name was Bilian, and she was the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Marquis of Jiangning's mansion."
Bilian, Wu Bilian?
Jiayin froze for a moment, then rolled around on the mat clutching her stomach, "Hahaha, Bilian, Wu Bilian! Who gave this girl such a name? It's so careless!"
Everyone stared at the chubby girl rolling around on the ground, completely baffled as to why she was laughing like that.
Is there something wrong with this name?
The lotus is a flower of nobility, rising from the mud unsullied; this word is often used to describe women.
Jiayin got up, rubbed the tears from the corners of her eyes, and looked at everyone's expressions, then her face fell. "Am I the only one who knows this joke? Waaah, life is so lonely."
Grandma Li patted her granddaughter, picked her up, and helped her straighten her clothes and hair, scolding her playfully, "This girl is getting crazier and crazier. It's just a name, how can it be so funny?"
Jiayin hugged her grandmother's neck with a grin and pleaded, "Grandma, when my sisters-in-law have little nieces in the future, please don't name them with words like 'lotus' or 'tea,' okay?"
"Alright, alright, you can name your little niece, is that alright now?" Old Mrs. Li had no choice but to give a perfunctory reply, having no other option but to do so with her granddaughter.
By this time, it was late at night, and after exchanging a few words, everyone went back to sleep.
But deep within the palace, the Emperor and Empress, the most honored couple in the land, were still awake.
The emperor was not a lecherous man; the entire harem consisted of only a dozen or so concubines.
As the empress's principal wife, she would have two opportunities to serve the emperor each month.
Today is a rare occasion to welcome the Emperor. The food is of course what the Emperor likes, the tea is what the Emperor is used to drinking, and even the potted flowers in the room are peonies, which the Emperor likes.
The Emperor was in a good mood. The Duke of Zhenguo had shared the country's burdens and donated 100,000 taels of silver, most of which was allocated to the Ministry of Works to repair the river.
He originally intended to use the remaining tens of thousands of taels as compensation for the deceased.
But in the imperial court, those old foxes came up with a bunch of excuses to obstruct it.
All government offices were submitting memorials requesting money.
Previously, they were still mindful of the Marquis of Xinting's expression, but these past few days, perhaps seeing that the Marquis of Xinting had not spoken, they have become even bolder.
Some even went so far as to say that the northern expedition was not a victory due to the heavy casualties.
Little did they know that the more joyfully they jumped around now, the harder they would fall later.
Just thinking about how the emperor could laugh at the sight of the conscription announcement and the resulting expressions on the faces of these people, as if struck by lightning.
The Empress sat opposite the Emperor, watching him hold a teacup, a smile playing on his lips, and felt a little strange.
There seems to be no good news in the imperial court lately, is there?
But whatever the reason, the emperor's good mood is a good opportunity for her.
She thought for a moment and then sighed, “Your Majesty, today my mother came to the palace and told me that Lian’er is unwilling to marry the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo and is trying to kill herself in the mansion. My grandparents are so old and they are also worried about her and almost fell ill.”
"I'm not saying that Your Majesty's bestowal of a marriage was wrong, but... the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo is really too incompetent. He's neither good at literature nor martial arts, and spends his days frequenting brothels..."
The Emperor's face turned cold. He put down his teacup and asked indifferently, "Are you saying that the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo is not good enough for the daughter of your Marquis of Jiangning? Then who is good enough?"
The Empress couldn't tell if the Emperor was angry or not, and she seemed hesitant, but after a moment's hesitation, she still forced herself to say, "Your Majesty, you have met Lian'er yourself. She is gentle, intelligent, and beautiful. She is truly a good girl, and what's rare is that she is also lively."
"The Marquis of Xinting is busy with military affairs all day long, and there is no one in his mansion to take care of his food, clothing and lodging. He should marry a girl like Lian'er. At least when he comes home after a busy day, he will have someone to talk to and eat with, and it will be more lively."
"Your Majesty, could you please rescind the decree and not let Lian'er marry into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but instead marry the Marquis..."
She was interrupted by the Emperor when she was only halfway through her sentence.
The Emperor sneered, "Since Lian'er is such a good girl, why don't we bring her into the palace?"
"No!" The Empress immediately objected, but seeing the Emperor's cold expression, she hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I didn't mean you're not good enough for Lian'er, no, no, it's Lian'er who's not good enough for you..."
The Emperor stood up abruptly, gave a mocking smile, and said, "Empress, tell your family not to be greedy! Otherwise, it won't be a problem for me to replace the Empress!"
After saying that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
Steward Yi, who was guarding the door, glanced hurriedly at the terrified and stunned Empress and couldn't help but curse her in his heart as a "fool"!
The Emperor's rare good mood was ruined just like that.
Everyone thought that Marquis Xinting was only focused on recovering half of the country and had no intention of getting married. Some even said that Marquis Xinting had been bewitched by the Li family and that's why he gave the Marquis's mansion to a young maid in the Li family.
In fact, if you ask him, the Marquis of Xinting was the truly intelligent one.
The reason why all emperors trusted lone ministers more was because lone ministers were loyal only to the emperor and would not be affected by anything.
The Marquis of Xinting was the most ruthless; he not only intended to be a lone minister, but also planned to live a solitary life.
The only people he was close to, besides the emperor, were a group of peasants from humble backgrounds.
These farmers were even more loyal than the wealthy and powerful families; they would happily send the first fruits and vegetables they grew to the emperor.
How could the Emperor allow the Empress's maternal family to try and win over the new Marquis of Xinting?!
Leaving aside how Steward Yi managed to please the Emperor, the Empress, in a fit of anger, smashed the teapot and teacups and then lay on the soft couch, weeping.
Her dowry maid quickly had the door closed, then whispered words of comfort, "Your Highness, don't be sad. The Emperor was probably busy with state affairs and had just returned. He will surely come again in the future. You are the principal wife; no one can surpass the Emperor's favor towards you!"
The Empress tore off her handkerchief and wiped her face angrily, saying, "What is a principal wife? When has he ever respected me as his principal wife?! In this harem, he speaks kindly to everyone, but he only treats me with cold indifference."
The old woman sighed inwardly. Men all like gentle and kind women who are on the same page as them.
It's no wonder the Emperor is unhappy that the Empress has repeatedly quarreled with him over the sake of her family.
After thinking for a moment, she advised, "Your Highness, although the Marquis's family is your maternal clan, you shouldn't interfere too much. You've already done your best for Miss Lian's marriage."
"Your Majesty should think about yourself. For example, you should take care of your health as soon as possible and give birth to a prince. This is the Emperor's legitimate son. Even if he is not the eldest son, he is still the legitimate heir. In the future..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the Empress already understood.
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