An Ke slowly stepped into the pavilion, gradually approaching Xiao Yanzi. "I just wonder how much more affection your mother can afford to give up? Your uncle dotes on you so much, yet you gossip about him behind his back. That's disloyal. On the surface, your uncle is the ruler, and you are the subject. That's disloyal."
After hearing this, Xiao Yanzi retreated step by step, and Ziwei's face also turned ugly. She realized that Xiao Yanzi was overdrawing on her mother's affection, and the more she thought about it, the more alarmed she became, but she forced herself not to think about it.
She stepped forward to explain for Xiao Yanzi, "Miss, that's not what Xiao Yanzi meant. Xiao Yanzi is often outspoken, but she sometimes feels sorry for the concubines in the palace who are all quite young."
"I'm just stating the facts. Even if my uncle favors one woman and only has one wife in the harem, do you think that's possible? If that wife has difficulty conceiving, why should the throne be handed over to someone else?" Even if they spoke eloquently, An Ke felt she was right. The truth was, was the throne something that could be handed over so easily?
At this point, Ziwei didn't know how to defend herself.
“Moreover, if you hadn’t been born in the Qing Dynasty, but in some other small border country, and there were constant wars between the countries, and your father needed you to marry into a foreign power, what would you have done as a princess of that country?” An Ke stared directly into their eyes.
"Is it for love that people are displaced and war rages on? Or is it to sacrifice oneself? You pity those concubines, but you don't know that entering the palace as a concubine was their best choice." There's no need to go into too much detail about politics with them, and An Ke won't tell them too much either.
"But they are so young, would their father bear to separate them?" Little Swallow muttered under her breath, unconvinced.
It's just that An Ke's hearing is too good; she caught those words immediately. "Oh? Did one of the concubines gossip about you, saying they were unhappy?" An Ke's voice was extremely cold, and her imposing aura was directed directly at Xiao Yanzi.
"Do you think their country hasn't thought things through?" Anke asked coldly.
Xiao Yanzi was completely taken aback by An Ke's words and didn't know what to say. Ziwei also felt sorry for the women in the palace. Although the princess's words made sense, who would willingly be separated from their father?
"Little Swallow, are you saying that your uncle forced them to enter the palace?" Upon hearing this, Little Swallow's eyes widened. Before she could refute, An Ke continued, "There are many people in the palace, and there are many troubles. Don't you think your uncle understands this? These princesses all have their own missions and responsibilities. Besides, do you think those small border countries would disagree with a war that can be resolved with just one woman? Yes, no one wants to be separated from their father and daughter."
“But no one would willingly become a prisoner. When someone is used to a life of luxury, and then suddenly has to take it all away, do you think they could bear it?” At this point, An Ke took a few steps closer to Xiao Yanzi. “If you were asked to give up your princess status right now and go back to being an ordinary citizen, do you think you would be willing?”
"Don't tell me you think leaving the palace is so carefree; that's just because your happiness is supported by wealth. All the kings in other countries are the same." Anke finished speaking, then coldly added a warning. "Next time you try to understand me, do it properly. I'm extremely protective of my people. It's best if you don't come here to provoke anyone or anything related to me. Otherwise, you won't be able to get away with things so easily in the palace. Your uncle treated you so well, and you still talk about him like this. What should we call you? Ungrateful wretches? Ha!"
After speaking, An Ke flicked her sleeve, as if brushing off dust. She glanced at everyone present, then walked out without looking back, not wanting to see the reactions of those behind her anymore.
Qing'er witnessed the entire event. She wholeheartedly agreed with An Ke's words. She had felt sorry for these concubines before, but so what if they were pitiful? There were many others far more pitiful than them. Could she possibly sympathize with everyone? Besides, they weren't innocent; they had all come for their country, so they weren't really wronged.
Being a concubine in the palace, aside from lacking the freedom she once had, she lacked nothing else. She had food and drink, and servants to attend to her; that was already considered very good. If they hadn't come to Heqi and their country had fallen, they would have been prisoners. What kind of treatment did prisoners receive? Could it compare to that of a concubine in the palace?
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." Since they had already agreed to the marriage alliance and become empresses in the palace, they had nothing to complain about. Everything was ordained by fate.
In the pavilion
After Anke stormed off, Xiao Yanzi seemed to finally snap out of her daze. She swallowed nervously. "You think she won't go to the master and complain about us soon?" Xiao Yanzi seemed to realize something and start to feel afraid.
Ziwei was also uneasy, but she steadied herself and held Xiaoyanzi's slightly trembling hand. She gently comforted the distraught Xiaoyanzi, saying, "No, since she has already warned us, she shouldn't go to Grandpa to complain about us. Otherwise, he would have arrived long ago."
Little Swallow seemed to have finally found her anchor, tightly gripping Ziwei's soft hands. She murmured, "Yes, yes, Ziwei, you're right."
Fu Erkang stood to the side, his face grim. He had maintained this expressionless demeanor ever since An Ke stepped into the pavilion. He was startled when she first entered, but quickly calmed down. He didn't want to lose face in front of this princess again. His father had warned him many times along the way that he would choose to bide his time until he was fully capable.
He was still slightly worried, concerned that the princess might be petty and calculating. He turned to look at Yongqi beside him; after all, they were siblings. "Yongqi, you'll have to go and mediate with Princess Yong'an today." With that, he looked at Yongqi with a serious expression.
Yongqi didn't want to respond to them. For some reason, their recent actions made him feel completely unfamiliar with them. He knew An'an's personality well; she would never be this kind of person. Yet, they were judging such a wonderful An'an with the utmost malice. This ignited a nameless anger within Yongqi.
He now felt a strange urge to escape them, and nodded absentmindedly. Just to appease them, he turned and left the pavilion; he needed to think things through.
When Ertai saw the princess, his eyes lit up. When he heard the princess rebuke Xiaoyanzi, the first thought that came to Ertai's mind was: Well said, the princess's eloquence is indeed excellent.
After seeing the princess storm off, he wanted to chase after her, but he also wanted to hear what they had to say next. Would they speak ill of the princess? If so, he wanted to give her a heads-up.
Unexpectedly, they didn't even have the guts to say those things. After Yongqi left, Ertai had a sudden thought and immediately chased them out. He didn't want to be around them anymore. Once outside the pavilion, he felt much easier to breathe.
Benjamin looked left and right, unsure of what to say. Was he criticizing the princess? But every word she said made sense. Was he right? But Xiao Yanzi was clearly very downcast. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Why was it always so tense and confrontational when he met the princess? Xiao Yanzi was loyal and innocent, and Ziwei was gentle and virtuous. The princess was also incredibly kind and gentle. Why did they always end up arguing when they got together? This only made the already troubled man's head ache even more.
They then parted on bad terms and went back to their respective rooms.
These words, naturally, reached the Emperor's ears without missing a single one. Also present in the Master's study at the time were Fuheng, Emin, and Fulun. Upon hearing Ying's report, Fulun's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have failed in my duty to discipline my son. I will certainly restrain this rebellious child properly in the future." As he said this, Fulun's heart pounded with anxiety.
He had told him countless times along the way not to go and provoke the princess, but the boy wouldn't listen. Did he really want to drag the entire Fu family down with him before he was happy? He himself was foolish; the family was burdened with a crime punishable by death—treason against the emperor. Thinking of this, he remembered his second son, who had wronged him and was now trying to fight for his rights. He secretly made up his mind: this family had to be divided. He absolutely couldn't let Erkang drag Ertai down with him.
The Emperor was eerily silent, his long, slender hand tapping incessantly on the table. No one knew what this suspicious emperor was thinking. The more silent he was, the more tense they became. After a moment, the Emperor raised his hand slightly, signaling Fu Lun to rise.
Then he left only Fuheng behind and dismissed the others. "Alas, Fuheng, do you think I haven't doted on them enough? How dare you speak ill of my harem?" At this moment, the Emperor didn't seem like a ruler of a country, but rather like a heartbroken old father.
"My lord, would you like to hear the truth from me?" Fu Heng had been with this emperor since he was young and considered himself to know him very well.
"Speak freely." He and Fuheng were outwardly ruler and subject, but in private, they were practically brothers. He had watched Fuheng grow up, and with Rongyin's presence, he considered him family. Since there were no outsiders present, hearing Fuheng's side of the story might ease his confusion.
"Why bother with so much, sir?" Fu Heng chuckled. "At least the princess you've doted on for over ten years is still devoted to you, isn't she? Why dwell on those troubling matters? There's no need to be disheartened by their words. Initially, Mother treated the sons born to concubines as her own. But later, seeing that those brothers weren't grateful, but rather took it all for granted, what kind of world is this? If they weren't descendants of the Fucha family, how could they enjoy such good treatment? It's just a pity they don't understand, so Mother doesn't need to worry about them in every way. Just make sure they have enough to eat and drink." After saying this, Fu Heng picked up a teacup from the table beside him and took a large gulp of tea. He waited quietly for his master to finish his thoughts.
The Emperor was quietly pondering Fu Heng's words. After an incense stick's time, he suddenly understood. Yes, why bother with what they said? As long as An'an was on his side, that was enough.
Seeing that the Emperor had calmed down, Fuheng knew he had struck a chord with him. He then played a game of chess with the Emperor, who was still in a bad mood. To appease the Emperor, Fuheng subtly let him win a few games. The Emperor, thinking he had defeated Fuheng, burst into laughter.
Emin and Fulun, who had just left, didn't look so relaxed. Emin was alright, but Fulun was filled with anxiety. Emin looked at Fulun, her colleague, and patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "You should properly educate Erkang in the future. Don't spoil the children too much. I think your second son is quite sensible." After saying that, she put her hands behind her back and went straight back to her room. Fulun was also full of regret, rubbing his temples. He remained standing there, sighing deeply.
That night, everything was quiet except for one person who quietly emerged from Yongqi and Ertai's room. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Ertai.
Ertai tiptoed to close the door, glanced around, and after confirming that no one was there, quickly walked towards the matchmaking tree.
Upon approaching, one could see that Ertai was tightly clutching a red ribbon in his hand. Then, Ertai clasped his hands together and held the ribbon in his hands as well.
He prayed fervently, "Old Man of the Moon, Old Man of the Moon, if you can see this, I hope the woman I love will live a peaceful and prosperous life, always smiling. I also hope that after I achieve great things, I can be with her. I beg you, Old Man of the Moon. If this can be accomplished, I would gladly give up ten years of my life." With that, he used his lightness skill to leap up and gracefully tied the red ribbon to the highest branch of the tree.
He wasn't idle today either, inquiring with the locals about how to pray for a more effective response. The locals said the higher the prayer is hung, the clearer the Old Man Under the Moon (the god of marriage) can see it, and naturally, he'll understand what he's asking for.
After hanging it on the tree, Ertai bowed to the matchmaking tree again and walked out with a sincere heart.
Little Swallow was in a very bad mood today, so she didn't hang red ribbons all over the tree like in the drama. After comforting her, Ziwei took a red ribbon and quietly went to the Matchmaker Tree. She hung it on the lowest branch. "I hope the Matchmaker knows my request, that I can be reunited with my father soon, that we can get the pardon soon, and that I can spend my life with my beloved." After saying this, she quietly left the Matchmaker Tree.
A little while later, Fu Erkang arrived as well; the two of them were truly in sync. Fu Erkang also hung a message on the tree, roughly the same as Ziwei's, hoping that the God of Love would bless this loving couple.
Benjamin, who had been waiting nearby, watched with amusement as these people came to hang red ribbons. He thought they were all hypocrites; they said they wouldn't come, but one by one they secretly came to hang them.
After waiting for a while longer and making sure no one came, Benjamin went back home with his arm covered in mosquito bites.
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