As the Prime Minister's wife spoke, a hint of worry flashed in her eyes, but she felt that she was overthinking it, since the Princess had no reason to target a mere lady.
...
The Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Study.
Inside the golden, openwork dragon-shaped incense burner, ambergris filled the room with wisps of smoke, a scent that soothes the soul.
A figure in black was bent over a desk reviewing memorials, with a large vermilion "read" printed on them, quickly piling up into a high layer.
Xiao Jin was engrossed in reading the memorial when he heard some noise outside. A moment later, Eunuch Li came forward to report: "Your Majesty, Her Highness the Eldest Princess has come to request an audience."
Xiao Jin didn't even raise his head, thinking that his good elder sister was pleading for her son: "I won't see her. Tell her to prepare Xiao Heng's luggage for the frontier and not to bother me."
Eunuch Li nodded in agreement, but returned shortly after leaving: "Your Majesty, the Princess said it was for a flower appreciation banquet."
Xiao Jin put down the golden nanmu wolf-hair imperial brush in his hand, pinched the bridge of his nose, thought for a moment, and then let her in: "Summon her."
After receiving the order, Eunuch Li was followed by a woman in a bright red palace dress who stood in front of Xiao Jin. She stood there for a while, and when she saw that Xiao Jin ignored her, she gritted her teeth and knelt down to pay her respects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The princess waited for a while, but Xiao Jin still didn't call her to get up. At first, she was a little resentful, but later, she began to feel uneasy.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."
She had no choice but to greet him again, this time raising her voice and speaking more respectfully, just to remind Xiao Jin.
"Your Highness, please rise. May I ask what brings you here today?"
Xiao Jin spoke, his voice low and unreadable, which also dispelled the Princess's idea of pleading for her son.
The eldest princess was silent for a moment, then pretended to be relaxed and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs and has been worried lately. It just so happens that my residence is holding a flower viewing banquet, and I would like to invite Your Majesty to come and relax."
Xiao Jin didn't even look up, continuing to review the memorials, and said, "I'm not going."
The eldest princess looked at her aloof younger brother, his cold and stern face, and felt a little anxious. If she couldn't get him out of the palace this time, her plans would be ruined.
She lowered her eyes, concealing the calculation in them, and her brain began to work at lightning speed. Suddenly, she thought of a good excuse.
"It's quite a coincidence. When I went to the Song family to propose marriage last time, I happened to run into the eldest daughter of the Song family who was visiting her family. She is now the young mistress of the Prime Minister's mansion."
Upon hearing the words "Prime Minister's Residence," Xiao Jin's brow twitched slightly, and the imperial brush he had been writing with stopped, indicating that he had taken her words to heart.
The eldest princess was secretly delighted. It seemed that her good younger brother was indeed quite interested in the Prime Minister's residence. Then she had a solution. She continued to speak.
"You don't know, the eldest son of the Prime Minister's mansion is very fond of Miss Song. The two of them are a perfect couple. Look, they are a perfect match."
"I heard that you were the matchmaker for this marriage. It seems to be a wonderful match indeed. I am also delighted by this, so I invited them to my residence to enjoy the flowers and have some tea."
After the princess finished speaking, she stood to the side with her hands at her sides, as if waiting for Xiao Jin's reply. She was much more confident this time and believed that the emperor would definitely grant her the honor.
Xiao Jin was indeed intrigued by her words: "How is the eldest son of the Prime Minister's mansion in terms of health?"
The eldest princess nodded, but did not elaborate, only briefly mentioning: "It looks pretty good."
As for how good it was, she didn't go into details, suggesting Zhou Jin see for herself, wouldn't that be better?
"Yes, tomorrow, after the morning court session, I will go and take a look, but there's no need to make a fuss. I'll just stay for a while."
After Xiao Jin finished speaking, he nodded to himself, then opened a brand new document. Suddenly remembering something, he asked, "You said you went to the Song family to propose marriage?"
Before the princess could even express her gratitude, she was stumped by this question: "Your Majesty, I..."
"Heng'er is about to go to the border. I will always be worried about him if he leaves. So I might as well find him a wife so that she can take care of him along the way."
The eldest princess answered cautiously, not daring to say that Xiao Heng liked Song Lingyu, and she hadn't even mentioned his feelings, for fear of being reprimanded by the emperor.
She carefully chose her words before replying, and after she finished speaking, she secretly looked up to observe the emperor's expression. What she saw next was astonishing!
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