Azi received her gaze and looked in Liu Yiniang's direction. Old Madam Li and Madam Li both skipped a beat and glanced sideways at Liu Yiniang. She kept her head down.
"The Li family."
Madam Li helped Old Madam Li to her feet: "Your Majesty, it is indeed me."
Azi nodded. The two of them were impeccably polite. She glanced at Aunt Liu behind them, who seemed not to have heard anything.
"Is that lady from your family?" Azi asked with a smile. Everyone was startled when they heard the Empress address Consort Liu as "madam." What did the Empress mean by this? They had heard that Consort Liu's son, Li Yannian, and the Princess were in love. Did the Empress want to stand up for the Princess?
Everyone couldn't help but look on with anticipation. Madam Liu glanced at the maid behind her, who then went over to remind Aunt Liu. Aunt Liu had been lost in thought, and the banquet was so noisy that she hadn't heard Azi's voice at all. Now, reminded by the maid, she quickly composed herself, got up, and went out to kneel in the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty, this humble concubine belongs to the Li family."
Azi nodded and said gently, "You don't need to be nervous. Come and offer me and the Princess a cup of tea."
Aunt Liu trembled in disbelief. This was an immense honor; how could it fall upon someone of her lowly status? She couldn't help but glance at Old Madam Li and Madam Li, whose expressions remained composed and dignified, but she knew they wanted to devour her at that moment.
Madam Li smiled slightly: "Aunt Liu, Her Majesty the Empress and the Princess are waiting for you." As soon as she said this, everyone felt that Aunt Liu was impolite. They noticed that her hands were trembling and she was probably sweating profusely. She was really petty.
Aunt Liu hurriedly apologized, but was stopped by Azi: "Neither the Empress nor the Princess are people who stand on ceremony. Qinghe, serve tea."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Aunt Liu tried to calm herself down, offering tea to the two with a smile. Much of her nervousness had dissipated. The Empress was a kind and gentle woman, and the Princess was simple and kind. It seemed her son was right; the Princess was indeed not an arrogant or domineering person.
Azi gave her some gifts, and naturally also bestowed gifts upon the two ladies of the Li family. The others received some jewelry as a reward, which was far less generous than what the Li family had given. However, everyone understood that Aunt Liu was favored by the Empress, and they would probably have to cultivate a good relationship with her in the future. It seemed that Aunt Liu's son was indeed with Princess Changning.
Madam Li and Madam Li were seething with resentment, but dared not blame the Empress. They could only think that Concubine Liu was attention-seeking and scheming, yet she had won the Empress's favor. However, they only used the family rules to restrict Concubine Liu, and dared not do anything to her for the sake of their own family's reputation and out of fear of the Empress.
When Aunt Liu returned home, she saw her son in the courtyard. Her daughter ran over and hugged her, saying, "Mother, did you see the Empress and the Princess? I heard that the palace is big and beautiful, and the Empress is as beautiful as a flower!"
Looking at her two children, Aunt Liu's tense body slowly relaxed. She smiled and touched her daughter's face: "I've seen them! I've seen them! The palace is so big and beautiful. The Empress is the best person I've ever met, and the Princess is very pretty too!"
"I want to go to the palace someday!" Yun'er skipped happily, pulling Aunt Liu inside.
Li Yannian went to her and helped her sit down: "Mother, how are you?"
Aunt Liu nodded: "The palace is truly majestic. My mother is timid, but the Empress and the Princess are very kind. The Empress even gave me a generous reward, which is more than all the allowance I've received in the Li family over the years."
"Mother is very happy."
Li Yannian smiled broadly: "Mother, you've endured so much hardship in the past, but I will take good care of you and my sister from now on."
Aunt Liu patted his broad shoulders; her son had finally grown into a strong and upright man.
Inside the palace, Di Jinghan was talking to Azi about the banquet. She thought that Aunt Liu was a bit timid, but her eyes were still quite innocent. On the other hand, Old Madam Li and that other Madam Li were two people who hid daggers behind their smiles and were very unlikable. Aunt Liu must have been bullied by them quite a bit.
"Jinghan, are you satisfied now?"
"I'm very satisfied, thank you, dear sister-in-law!"
The next day, Li Yannian went to the palace to request Emperor Jingcheng to grant him a marriage decree. Emperor Jingcheng had already prepared the imperial edict. However, he still solemnly warned him: "If Jinghan suffers any injustice in the future, I will make sure you die a horrible death!"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will never let the princess down! I will respect and love her for the rest of my life!" Li Yannian kowtowed three times heavily, raising his hand to swear an oath to the heavens.
Emperor Jingcheng nodded and said seriously, "Also, Jinghan said that your two mistresses are really unlikable. I will issue an edict to have you move to the Princess's residence. Your birth mother and sister can also come with you, but everything must be done in accordance with the Princess's authority. My sister will not allow anyone to set rules for her! Do you understand?"
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!" Li Yannian did not hesitate at all; now he only wanted to marry Di Jinghan as soon as possible.
"You should go back first. The imperial edict will arrive at the Li residence later."
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!"
When the imperial edict arrived at the Li residence, Zheng He and his men personally delivered it. Hundreds of people from the entire household knelt in the front courtyard, listening to the imperial decree bestowing marriage upon them; some were happy, while others were sad.
"General Li, accept the decree!" Zheng He was also delighted that the lovers had finally become a couple.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" The crowd kowtowed in gratitude.
Even though Madam Li and Madam Li were very unhappy, they dared not show it at all. They diligently had someone bring them a thank-you gift and tea, which Zheng He drank politely and cleared his throat.
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