"Mother, it's alright." Seeing her mother's somewhat flustered state, Qingyin sighed softly.
“Mother, my marriage to a foreign ruler is an imperial decree already issued by Father. The emperor’s word is law; how can it be easily changed?”
Consort Zheng was not unaware of this principle; she had understood it long before entering the palace. But this was the child she had carried for ten months and endured so much to give birth to. How many princesses who married into the grasslands had a good ending? Consort Zheng's lips curled into a timid smile as she looked at Qingyin: "What if?"
Qingyin smiled faintly and remained silent.
But Consort Zheng had already understood the truth, and looked at Qingyin with sorrowful eyes: "My Zhao'er..."
Looking at the heartbroken Consort Zheng, Qingyin gently embraced her fragile mother: "Mother, don't be afraid. The grasslands are not scary. With my current appearance, do you think the Khan would dislike me?"
Looking at her daughter, who was dazzlingly beautiful even just sitting there, Consort Zheng's tears welled up in her eyes. She said dryly, "But the conditions on the grassland are poor..."
Qingyin smiled gently: "Mother, I don't think anyone would be willing to let me suffer."
The smile made the beauty's face even more captivating. Consort Zheng, overwhelmed by her daughter's stunning beauty, was speechless and her sorrow vanished instantly.
Yes, our daughter is so beautiful now that even she, a woman, can't help but look at her again and again. What man would be willing to refuse such a beautiful wife and would be willing to treat his daughter badly? In that case, it's just that our daughter married someone from a faraway place, so apart from not being able to see her, there's nothing wrong with that.
After much thought, Consort Zheng discovered that there was nothing wrong with her daughter marrying into the grasslands.
Looking at her mother, whose thoughts had been led astray, Qingyin chuckled softly, preparing to deliver a decisive blow to completely dispel her concerns. She grasped her mother's hand, "Mother, I have a grand ambition. Everyone says that only men can become crown princes and ascend to the throne. I feel this is unfair. Why should women only become princesses in political marriages? I don't want that. I also hope to see the view from the summit. The grasslands are my chance."
Consort Zheng was completely stunned by Qingyin's words, which carried a lot of weight. "Zhao'er, you must be joking..."
Qingyin remained silent, simply gazing intently at Consort Zheng.
Consort Zheng was speechless, realizing the determination in Qingyin's eyes.
"Alright, my Zhao'er has lofty ambitions, and your mother will do her best to help you."
As a mother, Consort Zheng did not discourage her daughter from describing how difficult her dream was; her first thought was to support her.
Looking at Consort Zheng, whose only thought was to help her, Qingyin smiled slightly and hugged her: "Mother, I will come to pick you up after I am settled."
Consort Zheng, with tears in her eyes, replied, "Yes."
— — — — — — — — — —
Although Emperor Xuanwu in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was so angry that he didn't care about his daughter who had tried to hang herself, he also neglected his favored Consort Zheng.
But he couldn't just give up on his eldest daughter, whom he had doted on for so many years.
Emperor Xuanwu glanced at the Grand Eunuch He Peisheng, who was leisurely (not actually) grinding ink in the hall. Remembering his displeasure over the past few days, he roared angrily, "He Peisheng, hurry up and hand me the ink!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." He Peisheng respectfully handed the inkstone, which had been ground again and again, to Emperor Xuanwu, his manner impeccable.
Unfortunately, for the emperor, who is high above all others, everything he does is a fault when he is unhappy.
Emperor Xuanwu said angrily, "With such slow work, this month's allowance is gone."
He Peisheng, a eunuch who had served His Majesty for so many years, knew exactly why His Majesty was picking on him. He quickly put on a miserable, utterly devastated expression, and only breathed a sigh of relief after successfully seeing the anger in His Majesty's eyes lessen.
But in his heart, he couldn't help but complain that His Majesty was clearly angry with Princess Shengsheng and Consort Zheng, but he had to take it out on him, a mere servant. It was truly an undeserved misfortune for him.
In just one morning, He Peisheng, who was taking care of Emperor Xuanwu, looked as if he was half-dead from exhaustion.
He Peisheng finally breathed a sigh of relief when his young apprentice could take a break. Unfortunately, Emperor Xuanwu kept him on tenterhooks until he left, asking, "How is the princess doing lately?"
He Peisheng nearly died, his heart pounding in his chest. Fortunately, the chief eunuch, who had served the emperor for many years, was very composed and quickly realized which princess His Majesty was referring to.
He Peisheng bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I heard from the servants that the Princess has recovered very well and can speak again. Moreover, I heard that the Princess is no longer so resistant to the grasslands. It seems that the Princess has understood Your Majesty's intentions. Consort Zheng did not cry as much as usual in the past few days."
He Peisheng recounted in detail the observations his secret guards had made of the Eldest Princess and Consort Zheng over the past few days.
The more Emperor Xuanwu listened, the more relaxed his brow became.
It's good that Zhao'er isn't as willful as before.
"However, the eldest princess has changed somewhat..." At this point, He Peisheng hesitated, unsure whether he should tell His Majesty.
"What change?" Emperor Xuanwu was curious, but he couldn't figure out what his daughter had done. Could it be that she had stirred up some trouble again? Thinking of this, Emperor Xuanwu couldn't help but frown.
Upon seeing His Majesty's expression, He Peisheng knew that His Majesty had misunderstood, and quickly explained, "The secret guards said that the Princess has become more and more beautiful over the past month for some reason."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
