"Really? Qing'er woke you up so early this morning?" An Ke teased, winking at Qing'er as she spoke.
"Alright, alright, the Empress Dowager is still waiting in the palace. Let's all go inside and talk." As Qing'er spoke, she tried to pull An Ke inside. Xin Rong chuckled softly behind her and followed them in.
As expected, the Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table, eagerly waiting. The moment she saw An Ke, she immediately stood up and went to greet her. She held An Ke's hand tightly and complained, "You, even if you want to leave the palace, don't you at least inform me before returning home for a few days?"
"This is a real injustice! An'an clearly asked Xingxing to inform you. Didn't Xingxing say anything?" An Ke really thought that Xingxing hadn't said anything, so she prepared to go find Xingxing to ask her clearly.
Unexpectedly, Qing'er stopped her with a smile, "Alright, don't you know the Empress Dowager? The Empress Dowager is saying that you didn't come back to inform her in person. Besides, you've been staying here for so long, the Empress Dowager must miss you." Since the Empress Dowager didn't respond, it meant that what Qing'er said was true.
Anke immediately stuck to the Empress Dowager's side like a piece of candy. "Isn't the New Year coming soon? During the New Year, An'an will definitely go to the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager. Mother hopes that I can stay at the mansion for a while before I get married. I'm sure my understanding grandmother will agree."
These words completely silenced the Empress Dowager. She reached out her unarmored hand and poked An Ke's head. "You should spend more time with your father and mother before you get married, but don't forget to visit the palace often and see me."
"Yes, An'an will certainly obey the Empress Dowager's orders." As she spoke, An'an took the Empress Dowager's arm.
Everyone sat down and chatted together with smiles.
"The dates set by the Imperial Observatory are too rushed. I hope you will all find good partners and be happy." As she spoke, tears welled up in the Empress Dowager's eyes.
An Ke quickly picked up her handkerchief and wiped away the Empress Dowager's tears. "Even if An An gets married, it will still be in the capital. She will still have time to visit the Empress Dowager." As An Ke spoke, she winked at Qing'er.
Qing'er quickly expressed her opinion as well. Xinrong looked left and right, and chuckled, "Alright, Your Majesty, it's alright. But Qing'er and An'an are both in the capital. If they want to see each other, let the Prince Consort bring the Princess and Qing'er to the palace more often."
"Oh, Xinrong, you're starting to tease people now. It seems it's time to have the Imperial Observatory pick another auspicious day so you can quickly become my fifth sister-in-law." Anke teased Xinrong as she spoke, and Xinrong blushed with embarrassment.
"Oh dear, weren't we discussing your wedding? How did this bring me into it again?" Xinrong playfully flicked her handkerchief.
"Alright, alright, we should all pick a good day and live happily ever after." The Empress Dowager quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
The group chatted warmly for a while, and then the Empress Dowager brought up another topic.
"This envoy from the High Region clearly knows that the New Year is just around the corner, yet he still comes to the Great Qing to ask for the princess's hand in marriage at this very moment." As the Empress Dowager spoke, she became somewhat discouraged, not knowing who to vent her anger on.
“Alright, Grandmother, hasn’t the Emperor already decided on the bride for the marriage alliance? You don’t need to worry too much.” As An Ke spoke, she tugged at the Empress Dowager’s sleeve and shook it. The Empress Dowager immediately understood what An Ke meant.
The Empress Dowager was actually worried that the Emperor might regret his decision later, as he still felt guilty towards Xia Yuhe. She feared that the Emperor's decision was impulsive and that he would regret it after Xia Ziwei married into the Gao Yu region.
“An’an just came from the Hall of Mental Cultivation. I heard that the Imperial Uncle will be having lunch here soon.” An Ke smiled and changed the subject with the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager hurriedly instructed her small kitchen to prepare more dishes that An'an and the Emperor liked.
When lunchtime arrived, the Emperor indeed came over, and everyone enjoyed lunch together in harmony.
"Has the Emperor made a decision? Is he really going to send Xia Ziwei to the High Domain?" The Empress Dowager was still a little worried. After the younger generation went to rest, she kept the Emperor behind for a private talk.
"It is Your Majesty. My son has already issued an edict to bestow upon Ziwei the title of Princess Heshuo, and she will marry Gao Yu on the fifteenth day of the first month." The Emperor calmly picked up his teacup and spoke these words with a composed expression.
The Empress Dowager naturally wouldn't say anything more. "It's fine for the Emperor to decide this matter himself. If An'an is to marry out of the Prince's residence, then Qing'er must marry out of my Cining Palace."
When the topic of happy events came up, the Emperor was naturally overjoyed. "It's natural that Qing'er lost her father and mother at a young age and was raised by the Empress Dowager. Now she's getting married in Cining Palace." How could the Emperor not understand the Empress Dowager's thoughts? He went along with her words.
"Hmm, the date is set quite tight. Has the Ministry of Rites started preparations yet? It's best to make plans for these things early, and then check them carefully a couple of times later." As the Empress Dowager spoke, she wished she could personally handle the wedding arrangements for the two of them.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, your son has already instructed them to begin preparations." The Emperor and the Empress Dowager spoke for a while, and finally parted ways, citing the Emperor's presence at the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the need to attend to memorials.
banquet
The envoys from Gaoyu sat to one side, not daring to look around, after all, they were just envoys, not princes or ministers of the Great Qing.
The envoy was also puzzled. The Qing Dynasty had just resolved the civil war between the Dzungars and Burma, so why were its own people now courting death by demanding to marry a princess of the Qing Dynasty?
He sat there trembling, not daring to utter a word, and his eyes didn't even dare to dart around.
Once everyone who was supposed to be seated had taken their seats, the envoys began to bow along with the Qing officials.
The emperor made some polite remarks, and then began to play coy with the ministers of the high realm.
"I heard you've come today to ask for the hand of my Great Qing princess?" Lord Wang spoke first, his muscular frame glaring at the high-ranking envoy opposite him.
Finally, a slightly older envoy stood up and earnestly told the emperor that this was a good thing that could promote friendly trade between the two countries.
The emperor, of course, could not speak easily. He only stepped in to smooth things over after the civil officials began to criticize the ministers of the high-ranking officials.
"I already know your purpose in coming. I have already bestowed upon my daughter the title of Princess Heshuo, and she will be married to your Gaoyu on the fifteenth day of the first month." The Emperor raised his cup, dismissing the events that had just occurred.
"His Majesty is indeed a man of great wisdom and righteousness." The envoy from Gaoyu, despite suffering all kinds of humiliation, could only grit his teeth and accept it.
"I wonder which princess will rule our High Domain?" One of the envoys, perhaps drunk, stood up unsteadily and said this, his eyes constantly glancing at the group of princesses and noblewomen.
"Oh, does that mean my precious daughters need to be examined by you all here?" The Emperor's face darkened immediately, and he slammed his wine cup heavily on the table.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
The minister who had just spoken on behalf of Gao Yu stood up again, trembling, and apologized to the Qing Dynasty on behalf of the envoy.
The drunken minister seemed to have sobered up as well, and stood frozen in place, afraid that he might say something that would make people dislike him even more.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Gao Yu have no intention of seeking marriage at all. On the contrary, they seem to be toying with us." Lord Wang slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily.
The Emperor's expression darkened slightly, and he did not express his opinion. The envoys from Gaoyu trembled with fear, lest the Qing people tear them apart on the spot.
The other envoys from the higher realms glared resentfully at the envoy who had stood up for them, but dared not say anything, after all, this was their little prince, and the king especially doted on him.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so reckless as to ask the Qing Dynasty for a wife, and even had the prince come along so he could be the first to see the princess who was going to marry him.
Anke, sitting at the head of the table, saw the resentful look on the face of the envoy from Gaoyu and knew that the envoy was not as simple as he appeared. As for his identity, it would probably only be revealed when they were about to leave.
In the end, the emperor reluctantly forgave them, and the envoys from the High Region breathed a sigh of relief. The subsequent banquet passed peacefully.
The envoys also returned to their post stations.
"If the prince wishes to remain in the Great Qing, he must heed the words of this old minister. This is not our domain, and you must not act rashly." The elderly minister could only earnestly advise their prince.
But the prince, young and impetuous, had no interest in listening to their lectures and merely agreed superficially. Taking advantage of their inattention, he secretly slipped out of the inn, wanting to see the sights of the Qing Dynasty.
Just as I reached the top of the city wall, I saw a stunningly beautiful woman walking past below.
Judging from their imposing presence, they must be people of high rank and great power. But the prince thought that this woman was so beautiful and delicate, she could not possibly be a concubine of the Qing emperor.
He came down directly from the city wall, walked up to the woman, and politely bowed.
“An envoy from the High Region? What are you doing up on the city wall instead of at the post station?” An Ke frowned as he looked at the envoy in front of him, who had a flippant manner. He recognized him as the one who had spoken flippantly in the main hall.
"When I was in the High Territory, I heard that the scenery of the Great Qing was as beautiful as a painting. I couldn't contain my excitement and ran out. If I have offended you, it is my fault." The prince thought that his words would surely leave a gentle and refined image in front of the woman.
"Your Excellency should return to the post station as soon as possible. I don't know how you managed to escape the guards' watchful eyes. But I'll say it one last time: there can be no other men in the harem." After saying this, An Ke left.
The prince from the high realm wanted to say something more, but seeing that the person had already walked away, he could only clench his fists in frustration. "This palace? Could that person be the emperor's concubine? Never mind, I'd better go back and ask that corrupt Lord Gao."
“Lord Gao, I don’t understand why you agreed to let the prince come along. Isn’t that just causing us trouble?” The other envoys surrounded Lord Gao’s room, their emotions running high.
"Alas, what can this old minister do? The king says the prince must follow, so the prince must follow," said Lord Gao, stroking his white beard with a worried expression.
"Well, we can't just stop the prince from going out, can we?"
"What can we do if we don't restrain ourselves? If we offend someone, we won't even know how we died. This isn't our High Domain."
"Yes, the prince survived, but we envoys are at their mercy."
Only when the servant came in to announce the prince's return did the ministers take their seats, all regaining their calm demeanor. There was no trace of their earlier agitation.
The prince entered and unceremoniously sat down on the soft couch, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it down.
Before the prince could even ask, their own people asked first.
Where did the prince just lose his footing? Has anyone seen him?
“Prince, this is not our Gaoyu, but the Great Qing. Our post station is very close to the Emperor’s harem, so we must not cause any trouble.”
The prince, looking impatient, said, "I know, I know. I just went out for some fresh air. Do you need to lecture me? I have something to say to Lord Gao. You may all leave." Before they could react, the prince had already kicked them out the door.
The crowd, who were guarding Master Gao's house, all sighed and, having no other choice, could only leave.
"I wonder what Your Highness wishes to ask this old minister?" Although Lord Gao also felt that the prince was unruly, he was entrusted by the king after all, so he could only take good care of him.
"Lord Gao, do you think that in the Qing Dynasty emperor's harem, those who can refer to themselves as 'this palace' are the emperor's concubines?" the prince whispered in Lord Gao's ear.
Lord Gao stroked his beard. "The rules of the Qing Dynasty are different from those of our Gao Domain. This woman could be either the Emperor's concubine or a princess of noble birth. But why is Your Highness asking this? Did you perhaps run into someone just now?" After explaining this to the prince, Lord Gao felt that it didn't seem to fit the prince's usual temperament. He could only inquire further.
"Just now, when I reached the top of the city wall, I saw a beautiful woman passing by below, so I went up to her and bowed. She introduced herself as me. I wondered what her identity was." Upon hearing Lord Gao say that the woman might be a princess, the prince couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
Could this be the princess the Qing emperor wants to marry? She's much prettier than his concubines. If she really marries him, it wouldn't hurt to pamper her.
Seeing the prince's lewd grin, as if he were suffering from some kind of nightmare, the high-ranking official could only wave his hand in front of the prince's face and ask, "Prince, Prince, what's wrong with you?"
"Oh, did Lord Gao just call me, the prince?" The prince looked displeased at being interrupted.
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