Chapter 124
At the foot of the high red wall, Prince Ning'an squinted and looked around. Qin Sang saw a figure flash by and was about to tiptoe to chase after it when Prince Ning'an grabbed her arm: "Someone is chasing you, don't rush."
At this moment, the palace guards, as expected, lined up and ran over. Under the incoherent instructions of the head eunuch, they quickly surrounded the scene and sent some men to escort Prince Ning'an and his future princess to another place to wait.
The new palanquin was quickly brought over, and the two of them climbed back in and headed towards the main hall.
Qin Sang was filled with emotion and said in a low voice, "The security in this palace is terrible. Someone actually dared to openly assassinate you."
Prince Ning'an: "How do you know it's not about assassinating you, but about breaking our marriage alliance? Assassinating me is far more risky than assassinating you."
Qin Sang was slightly taken aback: "..."
This time, there were no further mishaps, and the two arrived smoothly at the entrance of Xuanwu Hall to await their summons.
Perhaps due to the delay caused by the affairs of the previous dynasty, the two stood for a long time before they heard the eunuch's summons, and the sky changed from a hazy blue to a bright white.
Xuanwu Hall was a side hall used for handling miscellaneous affairs, but its decorations were still extremely magnificent. Upon entering, a middle-aged man with a relatively kind and gentle face sat at the head of the table, and the woman sitting there, whose heavy makeup could not conceal her haggard and sickly appearance, was presumably the rumored Empress.
In addition, there was a graceful and dignified woman sitting below the emperor's throne.
If we hadn't met before at the birthday banquet, we might have mistaken Princess Yuanzhao for a favored imperial concubine.
Of course, these were just fleeting glimpses, and soon she was led by Prince Ning'an to perform the grand ceremony. She had practiced this set of movements repeatedly for two days, and she had a very precise grasp of how to bow, how to stand up, how to smile, and how to pray.
"Raise your head and let me see you."
Qin Sang heard a deep, warm voice coming from the empty hall. She raised her chin, but still didn't dare to look up—this was the rule. Although she had already cursed the country's ridiculous rules in her heart, she had no choice; when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
Then the empress at the head of the table let out a soft hiss.
The old emperor didn't say anything, but seemed to remain silent for a while before finally speaking: "Not bad, a very good child. How old are you this year?"
Qin Sang replied, "Your Majesty, I am sixteen years old this year."
"Sixteen..." The emperor spoke slowly, with noble composure, "Sixteen is good, a good age. Sixth brother, you must treat her well, and keep a close eye on the family, so that no more messy things happen."
Prince Ning'an solemnly agreed.
But the empress finally hesitated before speaking, "Your Majesty... um, I don't know if it's because I'm old and my eyes are failing me, but this girl looks quite like an old friend..."
The emperor's expression seemed unchanged, but the smile in his eyes vanished instantly. The empress, who had served the emperor for many years, naturally understood quickly. She chuckled and sighed that she might have indeed misjudged him, but her gaze drifted to the eldest princess diagonally opposite her, her expression quite meaningful.
Sure enough, the eldest princess quickly chuckled and replied, "Now that the Empress mentions it, I also feel that you look somewhat familiar, but I can't quite remember where I've seen you before. Girl," she smiled slightly at Qin Sang, her eyes crinkling, bright and captivating, "I heard that you are the daughter of an old friend of the late Right Chancellor, but I wonder what your parents did?"
Qin Sang looked up and stared back at him with a bright smile, saying, "My parents were both landlords in the countryside, but they both passed away from illness last year. Before they left, my father told me that my grandfather and the Prime Minister had known each other since they were young, which is why he entrusted me to the Xie family."
"Landlord?"
"Yes." Qin Sang nodded obediently, then stretched out her fingers and began to calculate: "One hundred acres of land, two seasons a year, growing rice, wheat, vegetables, and fruits. If the harvest is good, the surplus can be sold to exchange for cloth. Although we are not rich, we are well-off. That's why my grandfather sent me to a girls' academy to learn to read and write a long time ago. Your Majesty and Empress, please rest assured, I am not illiterate!"
Empress: "..."
Princess Yuanzhao: "..."
The Emperor chuckled and said, "Farmers, that's not bad. Food is the most important thing for people. Although we live in high positions, everything we eat and wear comes from the fields. You are very good. You have entered a high family but have not forgotten your origins. Sixth Prince, the Prime Minister has arranged a good wife for you."
Prince Ning'an bowed and agreed, but before he could speak, Qin Sang beside him said crisply, "But some people probably don't agree to this marriage."
Everyone looked at the girl with surprise.
Qin Sang said, "Just now when we came from the palace gate, the sedan chair bearers were poisoned to death on the spot, and we almost fell so that we could not see the emperor."
Prince Ning'an knew this young woman was bold, but he never expected her to be this bold. Yesterday she came to negotiate the annulment of the engagement, but today she's displaying remarkable lightness skills and acting coquettishly to complain before the emperor.
The emperor and empress at the head of the table said in unison, "Is that so?" Then they both looked at Prince Ning'an.
Prince Ning'an could only cough weakly twice, looking frail and unable to withstand the shock, and said, "It is indeed true. The Imperial Guards have already gone to investigate. They probably wouldn't want to bother Father with such a trivial matter."
As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor glanced at the chief eunuch beside him. The eunuch understood and withdrew. He then exchanged a few words with the guard standing by, and the guard turned and left.
Qin Sang, however, noticed with keen insight that the Empress at the head of the table was glancing at the Eldest Princess with obvious guilt, and immediately made a decision in her mind—this was undoubtedly done by the Crown Prince's faction.
She was somewhat indignant. If it weren't for her strong will and superb light-footed skills despite her disability, she might have actually fallen and been injured, and then died of poisoning like the sedan chair carrier.
Although the methods were a bit clumsy and childish, they worked. She truly was a winner who had risen from the ranks of women in the imperial harem; her methods were numerous and sophisticated.
The hall fell silent for a moment, then Princess Yuanzhao smiled and smoothed things over: "You see, our royal family is never short of these strange and unusual things. Did it frighten you? But this is also a reminder to you that once you enter the Prince's residence, there will be even more jealousy and rivalry. Especially since you are of low birth, many people are eyeing you covetously, ready to take your place at any time. Their methods are even more unpredictable than this."
Qin Sang thought to herself that this person was indeed formidable, as he attributed the assassination attempt on the prince to jealousy and rivalry among the women in the harem in just a few words.
She nodded obediently: "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. It seems that Your Highness is very experienced in this area. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely ask Your Highness for advice."
The eldest princess smiled faintly, lowered her head, and sipped her tea: "No need for that. Let's talk about it another time."
Seeing that the other party had lost interest in her, Qin Sang stopped talking. Those childish remarks were deliberately made to lower their guard and make them forget about her insignificant status. The current situation—the enemy in the open while she remained in the shadows—was good and should be maintained.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries in the hall, the Emperor casually mentioned some matters concerning refugees in the disaster area, and then bestowed a blessing upon Qin Sang.
Qin Sang was dazzled by the two plates of gleaming gold, her face beaming with genuine joy. As she left the palace, she confirmed with Zhao Kun again, "Are these all for me?"
When the other party nodded, she clicked her tongue in admiration: "The royal family is indeed wealthy and generous. It would take me two years to earn this much gold..."
Prince Ning'an: "If you behave well as Princess Ning'an, my household will send you a considerable amount of tribute every year."
Qin Sang casually asked, "Can they all be ordered around by me?"
Prince Ning'an was taken aback: "No."
Qin Sang: "..."
Prince Ning'an: "But you can command most of them."
Qin Sang had recovered from the dazed state of being hit by gold and laughed, "Let's forget it. You wealthy families have too many troubles. I see that the matriarch of the Xie family is busy every day. Even if she can manage money, what good is it? She has no time to be happy. Let's just forget it."
The two were led by a eunuch to see Consort Xian, as instructed by the Emperor earlier in the hall, so that Prince Ning'an could bring his prospective bride to meet his birth mother. The two continued walking along the long corridor of the palace.
Although Prince Ning'an was speechless, he didn't discuss the ownership of the gold with her anymore. He suddenly asked in a low voice, "Your skills are quite good. You also performed well when facing the Empress and the Eldest Princess. You must have had a master guiding you."
Qin Sang thought to herself that the expert was herself, and she said, "I have divine assistance."
Prince Ning'an did not continue the topic, but said only, "My mother prefers peace and quiet. When you see her later, you'd better keep quiet."
Qin Sang didn't care about that; she just wanted to finish quickly, as her formal dress and gold and silver jewelry were incredibly heavy. She casually replied "I understand" and followed the others through the alley towards Consort Xian's palace.
It seems that Consort Xian is indeed not favored. The palace garden is quite far away, and it took a long time to finally reach the palace gate.
A palace maid was already waiting at the gate, and upon seeing her, she turned and went inside to announce her arrival. In earlier years, Qin Sang had seen the inner palace of the imperial palace, but the scale and layout of the palace gardens of each country were not quite the same. Some were lavishly decorated and inlaid with gold and jewels, while others featured strange mountains and times, and exotic flowers and plants.
The Kingdom of Namo has been continuously repairing its palaces for many years, so they should be quite nice. However, Consort Xian's palace is rather simple and elegant.
It wasn't exactly a place of rare flowers and exotic plants, nor was it particularly luxurious. In fact, it wasn't even as well-maintained as the Xie family's newly acquired residence. It was roughly the courtyard of an ordinary household in the capital, with a grape trellis, a stone table underneath, and a kind-faced woman standing under the table—that was Consort Xian.
Qin Sang thought to herself, "To be able to turn things around in such an environment, this mother and son are no ordinary people!"
As soon as they entered, Consort Xian pulled Qin Sang over and smiled gently: "I never imagined that we would have such a connection. Are you tired? Come, sit down."
Qin Sang was moved to tears, bowed, and then sat down.
Consort Xian: "Feng'er, please sit as well."
Qin Sang thought to herself that this must be the nickname of Prince Ning'an, so she wasn't surprised and didn't ask any further questions. Then she heard Consort Xian ask, "I heard that the Eldest Princess also entered the palace today. Did you see her just now?"
Prince Ning'an nodded: "I have seen him."
Is there any difficulty?
"Fortunately, they didn't say much."
Consort Xian nodded: "That's good."
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