Of course, Yurong didn't know much about these things concerning Prince Qi and Gao Shanru. She only ordered people to arrange for Chang Xiaolang. As for meeting him, it was impossible because Chang Xiaolang was a man and she was a woman, and they would not meet unless it was absolutely necessary.
Yurong didn't care whether Wei Xuanning was hiding something from her or not.
Everyone in this world has their own secrets, not to mention that Wei Xuanning is the heir of the Wei family. Sometimes you don't have to figure out everything too clearly, and knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing.
Therefore, when Wei Xuanning came back, she was still the same as usual and didn't even ask Chang Xiaolang.
It was Wei Xuanning who mentioned that His Majesty intended to choose a wife for the Prince of Qi and wanted to choose a daughter of the Guo family. He said it casually, but Yurong thought it was very reasonable. "This is also a good thing. After all, the Guo family is a new noble family. When Concubine Guo was in the Qian Mansion, she was quite favored. She was the concubine who accompanied His Majesty the longest. When she was still in the Qian Mansion, the eldest daughter of the Guo family was already very well-dressed when she got married, not to mention the second daughter. If she can marry the Prince of Qi, it will be a good thing."
You are a prince who once participated in seizing the throne and is highly valued by the late emperor. It is already good enough to keep you in your fiefdom. Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor. If the principal wife is not happy, then just take a concubine.
Yu Rong didn't think there was anything to say about this matter. She even said to Wei Xuan Ning: "Since you are asking me, is it possible that you have objections?"
If there is no objection, I will definitely not say anything.
Wei Xuanning laughed: "You are indeed very smart. The Guo family is a family of nobles, but they are favored because of Concubine Guo. How can they be the consort of the King of Qi?"
"The king wins and the enemy loses. It is probably the new emperor's mercy that spared his life."
If you don't remove the roots of the weeds, they will grow again in the spring breeze.
This father-in-law in her previous life seemed to be a good-natured emperor. It was said that he could endure even when the spit of a traitor was accidentally spat on his face. Therefore, after his death, he was posthumously named Emperor Ren, and was highly praised in history books and in the eyes of later generations.
But Yurong knew very well that this man was a ruthless character and a very, very qualified emperor. When he was the King of Han, everyone believed that the King of Han only liked the youngest daughter of the Yang family. It was only because Empress Shen liked the second daughter of the Yang family more that the King of Han did not marry his ideal wife in the end. But Yurong lived with them as a couple in the palace, and the King of Han, who later became the Emperor, was clearly the best to the Queen of Han.
I remember that a young concubine took advantage of her favor to provoke the empress. The new emperor just smiled and watched the young concubine fall into the water, and refused to let anyone rescue her.
On that day, the crown prince's eldest son, that is, her son, was also named the crown prince.
This treatment is higher than that of the King of Jiangxia back then.
At this point, the Empress's position became more secure. Before Emperor Feng'an passed away, he stated that only the Empress was worthy of being buried with him.
In other words, in Emperor Bong-an's heart, only Princess Han's wisdom and strategy made her worthy of being his bedside companion.
As Ru Yunniang knew, the empress's sister even gave birth to a princess named Lingbo, but she didn't even receive a title, and Princess Lingbo spent her entire life in oblivion in a corner.
If the new emperor really had true feelings for the queen's sister, how could this happen?
Moreover, he attacked the aristocratic families with great force, expanded the territory, and spared no effort to suppress those with dissent. His methods were more severe than those of Li Xun, and all power in the world was returned to the emperor.
Living under such a person, it would be the best thing to be able to stay alive for one more day. Why would you ask for so much?
It was for this reason that Yurong said these words to Wei Xuanning, intending to prevent King Qi from thinking that he still had room for a comeback.
Wei Xuanning was surprised that she would say that, "Do you think the new emperor is kind?"
"Of course not. Concubine Wei's son was once so loved by the late emperor. Although he later became obedient and went to the fiefdom, the emperor can't be at ease with him having backers like you. If you kill him, you will also kill the Wei family's hopes." If she were in Yurong's shoes, she would have taken action long ago.
"so it is."
Wei Xuanning looked at Yurong and always felt that she was still his wife, yet she seemed superior to him.
This ethereal feeling made him feel like he was in a dream. He was afraid that Yurong would float away and even felt a sense of fear in his heart.
"Rongrong, let's not talk about this. We can't change this anyway. Why don't I ask someone to send you a roasted lamb leg? You know, the kind with the spicy aroma and brushed with honey. It doesn't have any fishy smell at all."
He held her tightly. Yurong was a little confused as to why he wanted to eat again. In fact, Wei Xuanning was not the kind of person who had a greedy appetite.
But he was interested, and Yurong didn't want to refuse him, so she nodded in agreement.
Yurong was full after eating a few pieces of the crispy and delicious lamb leg. She didn't have a big appetite to begin with, and because she was pregnant, she had to be especially careful about what she ate.
But Wei Xuanning had no intention of eating. He accompanied her to finish her meal with a smile, and after coaxing her to sleep, he went to the study alone.
As soon as he left, Yurong actually woke up and felt a little regretful. Perhaps it was because she was too familiar with Wei Xuanning, so she said what was in her heart. Although Prince Qi was in such a situation, he was still his cousin after all.
She understood better than anyone that Wei Xuanning was a human being. He was not a truly heartless and ungrateful person. On the contrary, it was precisely because of his soft-heartedness that she found him reliable.
Even though he knew that what Yurong said was right, Wei Xuanning couldn't really bear to see Gao Shanru and King Qi disappointed. King Qi listened to him and went to his fiefdom. Although his life would not be in danger for the time being, he would be like a forbidden delicacy in the future. He couldn't bear to let such a proud young man live like an ant for the rest of his life.
Besides, he had to help Gao Shanru. After all, he was the one who was sorry for her.
Probably we'll have to use the palace's spies.
Ever since Empress Yang Xianzi entered the palace, she had replaced the servants in the palace with her own people almost without making a fuss, probably because only her own people could do the job well.
Today was the day to go to Ningshou Palace to pay respects to Empress Dowager Shen. She went there early in the morning with Crown Princess Lu Yingying. Lu Yingying was a relative of the Empress Dowager and had always been favored by her. Going to Ningshou Palace to pay respects was probably what she most wanted to do.
But recently, she has been a little anxious. She has been married for almost a year and has not conceived. Now the concubines have all listened to the contraceptive medicine. There are many women in King Jiangxia's backyard, and these women are as numerous as bamboo shoots after rain.
Although the Queen said nothing, she was not very satisfied with her from the beginning, and the Queen Mother was really dissatisfied.
She was chosen by the Empress Dowager, but after entering the palace, she showed nothing. How should the Empress Dowager deal with this?
She had always been in a joyful mood, but now a trace of worry appeared on her brow. The empress saw her in the act, and she looked away calmly.
"I, your son, pay my respects to your Majesty, and may you live a long and healthy life."
Empress Dowager Shen said with a smile, "Your Majesty, come quickly. These are honey dates from Shandong. You have always loved to eat them. I have an extra basket here. It is just right for you to take with your wine."
The Queen couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, you love me, but I am being disrespectful. It's freezing cold today, how are you doing?"
As for the empress dowager's health, it was of course better. Now that her son had become the emperor, she no longer had to live in fear. Her former enemies were either forced to be buried alive with her or sent to barren lands. The empress dowager was in a better mood and her health was even better.
"Okay, I'm in good health. But I heard that you've been choosing a princess for Prince Qi recently. Which girl do you like?" asked Queen Mother Shen.
The Queen smiled and said, "Prince Qi is the younger brother of the Emperor. The late Emperor has always loved him. He needs to choose a virtuous woman. When Concubine Guo learned about this, she specially recommended her niece, whose nickname is Cailuan. It is said that she was born with auspicious signs. Concubine Guo brought her to me and I have seen her. She is indeed a beautiful girl, and she has the same calm character as Concubine Guo."
The niece of Concubine Guo?
Empress Shen smiled meaningfully, "Then the Empress will make the decision. As the saying goes, the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. Your Majesty has been focusing on worshipping Buddha lately, so it doesn't matter if you choose."
"Yes." The Queen and the Queen Mother have always had a tacit understanding. Moreover, the Prince of Qi was once the enemy of the Crown Prince, so they wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a tacit understanding. Empress Dowager Shen wanted to keep the Crown Princess to serve her, so the Empress took her leave first.
Before leaving, he said to Lu Yingying, "Be sure to serve the Queen Mother well."
As soon as the queen left, Lu Yingying was clearly relieved. Empress Dowager Shen glanced at her, dismissed everyone and said, "I have ordered the imperial physician to treat you. You should take good care of yourself. As the crown princess, you must give birth to a legitimate son."
"Yes." Lu Yingying became worried again.
But Empress Dowager Shen was her only support in the palace, so she had to listen to her. Moreover, Zhangsun was indeed a powerful enemy. She was very much favored by King Jiangxia. She was already the Crown Prince's Consort, and her position might be close to hers in the future.
Seeing the unpredictable look on Lu Yingying's face, Empress Dowager Shen was a little disappointed. At first, she just wanted to strengthen the relationship, and the Empress also praised her, so she made the deal. But now, just a few casual words made her lose her mind.
As soon as the Empress sat down after returning to the palace, she heard that Concubine Guo wanted to see her. She made a gesture and the palace maid welcomed Concubine Guo in. As soon as Concubine Guo entered the room, she immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am afraid that I will betray your trust."
The Queen sat up and asked, "Why are you acting like this?"
Concubine Guo hurriedly said, "My niece Cailuan, she...she..."
Concubine Guo was really embarrassed. The Queen frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
"She and the prince of the Duke of Jin were caught having an affair. Although my brother suppressed it, many people saw it. To show his sincerity, the Duke of Jin had already agreed to the marriage with my brother."
The queen slapped the table and said, "What have you done? I have already told the queen mother about this matter, and now it has happened."
She had met Guo Cailuan, who was mediocre, had no scheming at all, and was as timid as a mouse. Yet she dared to have an affair with someone else. It was rare that the Guo family did not want their daughter to marry into the family, so they came up with such a trick in order to stay in Kyoto. This was not impossible.
I didn't expect the Guo family to be so courageous now.
The Empress did not say anything, and Concubine Guo was trembling like a sieve, not daring to look the Empress in the eye.
"Forget it, go down now. I understand." The queen said in an ambiguous tone.
Concubine Guo didn't dare to say anything more and went downstairs immediately.
She fiddled with her fingers and sneered, wondering what went wrong. Was it the Guo family who acted on their own, or was it that Prince Qi was dissatisfied with the news and deliberately caused trouble?
…
The Queen had a very fixed daily routine and remained calm no matter what happened. The marriage of the Prince of Qi could not affect her mood on that day, but if the Guo family did something behind her back, she would not tolerate it.
When I woke up from a nap at noon, I saw Aunt Zhuo come in and said, "My lady, I just inquired about it. It is Concubine Guo who wants to marry Gao Xiang's daughter to the Second Prince. Gao Xiang has always been employed by the Wei family. I have students and friends all over the world, so it is not surprising that she wants to unite with the Wei family."
"Princess Guo is so bold? How can I not believe it?"
Aunt Zhuo whispered, "The daughter of Gao Xiang was Wei Xuanning's fiancée before. I heard that the Wei family has always wanted to marry her as their daughter-in-law, and Miss Rong was sad about it. The daughter of the Gao family is also very ambitious, so it's not surprising that she wants to marry the second prince. Maybe if she marries the second prince, she can make Wei Xuanning his subordinate. Concubine Guo's plan is not a bad idea."
The Queen frowned: "Yurong is still jealous of this? Does she think that she is superior to Yurong just because she is the prince's consort? Humph, if she wants status, then give her a noble status."
At the end, he smiled slyly: "Then let her be the Princess of Qi. Anyway, the King of Qi won't live long. Even if Gao's old friends are all over the world, so what?"