Qiao Zhen asked, "What reward?"
Emperor Qi stroked the small triangular tuft of beard on his chin, "Reward me with gold, silver, and jewels."
Qiao Zhen's eyes lit up for a moment. "Firstly, you and my mother are old friends and still have some affection for each other. Secondly, Lu Yuanchuan is the eldest son of Prime Minister Lu. You divorced me with a letter of divorce. As a remnant of the Li Kingdom and an abandoned woman, I will inevitably be looked down upon. It will be harder than climbing to heaven to find a good husband. In the future, I can only marry Lu Yuanchuan again."
She paused briefly, "But the third point is the most important: you didn't hear me call you 'Father' yesterday."
"Hahahaha." Emperor Qi let out a series of hearty laughs. "None of them are right!"
Qiao Zhen was somewhat surprised. Her mind was sharp when it needed to be, and rough when it needed to be; how could she possibly be completely wrong about all three? "Then could you please enlighten me?"
Emperor Qi raised his hand and stroked his beard again, "Because you are my daughter."
Although Qiao Zhen had the original owner's memories and plot information, she really couldn't find a single clue in the information. She stared wide-eyed at Emperor Qi, "Impossible! My mother only married my father in her life, and my mother has a straightforward personality. She can't keep her mouth shut. How could I be your daughter? If my father knew, why would he treat me like his own daughter?"
Emperor Qi felt a little uncomfortable hearing this, "You and that old man Qi are so close?"
Qiao Zhen said indignantly, "That's right! He must be my biological father!"
Emperor Qi then asked, "Did he treat you very well?"
Qiao Zhen shook her head. "That's not it. It's mainly because he treats me too casually. He beats me when he should and spoils me when he should. He would snatch the things I played with when I was little if he wanted them. If he weren't my biological father, how could he do such a thing?"
Emperor Qi's face flushed red. He slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, "Qiao Xun is truly shameless!"
Qiao Zhen shuddered involuntarily because of the loud noise. The original owner's father, Qiao Xun, had indeed done all sorts of playful things to the original owner, and he was ruthless when beating her, but afterwards he would cede territory, pay reparations, and coax her in various ways.
Emperor Qi coughed twice to ease his anger, and looked at Qiao Zhen with the loving eyes of an old father, "Don't be afraid, I really am your biological father, and your mother and I had a wonderful and passionate night together."
Qiao Zhen had no idea what to say. Was it really appropriate to make such a suggestive joke in front of a junior?
Emperor Qi belatedly realized that Qiao Zhen was still a naive (crossed out) girl, so he consciously omitted this topic. "After your mother died, she had her maid send an envelope to Qi Kingdom, but it was intercepted by Consort Lan's people. I only saw that letter today."
Qiao Zhen boldly made a hypothesis, "Perhaps my mother knew perfectly well that after her death my father would lose interest in politics and the Li Kingdom would perish, so she wanted to leave me a way out, which is why she lied to you?"
Emperor Qi smiled, his eyes sparkling like stars. "I believe everything your mother says."
Qiao Zhen was at a loss for words. It was truly rare to see Qi Yuanlu so devoted to Zhen Zhuxian. Even knowing it was a deception, he still accepted it willingly.
Emperor Qi wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes with his bright yellow sleeve. He told Qiao Zhen to come to the palace more often to talk to him about Zhen Zhuxian when she had free time, and then sent someone to send Qiao Zhen back.
Although Qiao Zhen did not answer Emperor Qi's question correctly, when she left, the old eunuch who served Emperor Qi still presented her with a large box of gold and silver jewelry.
When Qiao Zhen returned, she saw Xu Ruan Kuang wearing silver armor in the princess's residence. She immediately felt a headache coming on. Emperor Qi really went to great lengths to make her fall in love with someone else.
Xu Ruan Kuang cupped his hands to Qiao Zhen and said in a loud voice, "Your subordinate greets the princess."
Qiao Zhen placed the large wooden box in Xu Ruankuang's hands, saying, "Hold on tight, it's full of real gold and silver."
Anyway, she doesn't have to worry about making a living now. She's grateful to the original owner's mother for leaving her such a spacious and wealthy future. Now she only needs to rely on her parents and flirt with Lu Yuanchuan.
"Have Chunzhu come to my room in a little while." Qiao Zhen put her hands behind her back and walked into her boudoir with her head held high.
Chunzhu quickly entered Qiao Zhen's boudoir, where she curtsied and said, "This servant greets the princess."
"Come here." Qiao Zhen beckoned to Chunzhu, who opened the wooden box. "If there's anything you like, feel free to pick it. This princess doesn't need that many."
Chunzhu replied hesitantly, "I have not done anything to deserve a reward. I have not done anything to deserve one."
Qiao Zhen picked out a few hairpins and pearl flowers, but then took them back before handing them over. "These were bestowed by the Emperor himself. You wait here. The jewelry in my dowry is now mine."
She took out some silver notes, pearls, and jade pendants from her dowry and stuffed them into Chunzhu's arms. "You did a good job by not kicking me when I was down on my luck. You deserve all of this. Besides, I heard that your mother is seriously ill and you need money for many things."
Chunzhu was moved to tears. She knelt down and said, "Thank you, Princess. Your Highness is kind-hearted. I will repay your kindness by serving you like a cow or a horse in the future."
Qiao Zhen's black hair twirled around a few times. "No need for later, let's do it tomorrow. Go find a doctor to treat your mother today."
"Yes." Chunzhu went out.
The next day.
The news of Qiao Zhen being conferred the title of Princess Pearl spread throughout Qijing. The young noblemen who had witnessed Qiao Zhen and the Emperor Qi that day were all watching and waiting for someone else to take the lead.
What angered Qiao Zhen the most was that she moved out of the Prime Minister's residence yesterday, and today Madam Lu took Lu Yuanchuan to propose marriage to a sixth-rank official.
"Chunzhu, which official's house did Madam Lu take Young Master Lu to?" Qiao Zhen asked with a cold face.
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