Neither the emperor nor the empress slept well that night and remained awake all night.
When they woke up the next day, they looked at each other and saw the bruises under each other's eyes.
"Forget it." The emperor sighed deeply. "At today's palace banquet, whether it's true or not, we'll know everything."
Having been an emperor for many years, he has no problem judging people. Today, he only needs to see how these two get along to know their true relationship.
"If it's fake, Your Majesty, will you still grant the marriage?" The Queen was still worried. She didn't think Qi Yuan had really come to his senses.
She was now almost certain that he had asked Xu Lingyi to deal with them and reassure the court officials.
The emperor pinched his brows, his eyes stern. He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke, "Even if it's fake, I will still grant the marriage."
The queen looked at him in confusion.
"After all, she is the only woman Qi Yuan has actively proposed to marry in all these years. Even if it's fake, she is the first one. The fact that she asked Yuan'er to marry her shows that Yuan'er still has feelings for her. Besides, a single man and a single woman living together every day...it's not impossible for them to fall in love with each other in the future."
The queen didn't say anything. She thought that she and His Majesty only communicated with each other after their marriage.
"Forget it." The Queen sighed, "Whether it's true or not, I can only treat it as the truth."
Although they said so, the emperor and the empress were obviously not as excited and happy as they were yesterday.
The anticipation for the palace banquet also diminished a lot.
————
Yesterday at Prince Yan’s Mansion.
Qi Yuan returned home from the palace and saw Xu Lingyi at the gate as soon as he got off the carriage.
She was wearing thin clothes, and her lips turned pale from the cold wind, and her little face was also pale, without a trace of blood.
"Why are you at the gate of the palace?"
Qi Yuan's fierce eyes narrowed slightly, and he guessed that something might have happened.
Qi Yuan took off the heavy cloak from his shoulders with his big hands and wrapped it around Xu Lingyi.
Qi Yuan was a tall and strong man. He had been on the border battlefield for the past few years and had a strong physique.
His cloak was extremely large for Xu Lingyi. Not only did it wrap her tightly, but it was also quite long and dragged on the ground.
"Your Highness, I have soiled your clothes..."
Xu Lingyi lowered her head and looked at the cloak that was dragging on the ground.
"It's just a piece of clothing. Can you go in first and then walk?"
Qi Yuan stretched out his big hand towards her.
Xu Lingyi was stunned, her white jade earlobes turned red.
She lowered her head, pretending to be timid, and stretched out her slender jade-like hand.
The moment their fingers touched, Xu Lingyi's body trembled slightly.
Qi Yuan's hands, like him, seemed to be filled with strength.
His hands were hard and rough, with calluses all over his palms, and he was quite strong.
Her hand was not even half the size of his palm, and was now completely wrapped by his hand.
"This is my princess." Qi Yuan looked at the gatekeeper with a stern expression, "Let her in later."
When the servants heard this, they were so frightened that they immediately knelt on the ground. They had just been shocked by the princess standing in the freezing cold for so long.
“Princess, please forgive me!” The doormen all knelt down at once.
Xu Lingyi herself had climbed up the ranks of the common people to the capital. She had been even worse than these slaves before, so she naturally knew the hardships these people were going through.
"Nothing, Your Highness. I didn't ask the concierge to inform them. It's none of their business."
She knew he had gone to the palace.
Qi Yuan's tone softened slightly, "Everyone, get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Princess."
The servants were grateful.
He led her all the way into the palace. The servants in the palace all knew that the prince had brought back a woman, which had never happened before.
"Add more charcoal." Qi Yuan ordered the steward with a stern face.
In fact, it is already warm enough inside the mansion. Compared to outside, the temperature here is as comfortable as spring.
"Why are you at the gate of the palace today?"
Qi Yuan let go of her hand, and the next second he saw that her smooth hands were covered with light red marks.
Her fingers were white and slender, and her palms were white, so any marks were clearly visible.
He had practiced martial arts for many years and only held her hand with ordinary strength, but it was still too much for her.
Qi Yuan frowned, his deep eyes were extremely profound.
He thought of the dream he had last night. In the dream, her palms were covered with more than just red marks.
Xu Lingyi lowered her head and spoke softly about what happened in the Xu Mansion today.
"At first, I just wanted to pretend to test you, but I never thought that my grandmother and others would kick me out of the house because I rejected your marriage proposal."
Xu Lingyi lowered her head and sobbed softly, her slender white neck exposed to Qi Yuan.
He couldn't help but stare at that hint of white.
"It's my fault that I shouldn't test you or make such jokes."
Xu Lingyi retreated to advance, sobbing.
"It's not your fault."
The temperature in the room rose a little, her face was no longer pale, and her lips returned to their rosy color.
Qi Yuan looked at her red lips, restrained his momentum, and comforted her patiently.
"You are extremely intelligent. The reason you tested them is because you know in your heart that they don't truly regard you as family."
"They wronged you first. It has nothing to do with you."
Xu Lingyi didn't expect that Qi Yuan had already found an excuse for her behavior.
She raised her eyes and asked him tentatively, "Your Highness, can this servant not become the Miss of the Xu family?"
The reason why she did not completely break off her relationship with the Xu family today was because of this reason.
Breaking off relations with them is just to tear off the disguise and confront them.
Otherwise, they are probably still dreaming.
I really thought she was a filial daughter and junior who would bring honor to the Xu family.
After today, they knew her attitude clearly and dared not act rudely in front of her anymore, nor did they dare to use the excuse of being relatives to deal with her.
But she did not completely break off the relationship, but she was concerned about her status.
Qi Yuan is a prince, and if she were just an ordinary commoner, she would probably not be able to become his wife.
"Okay." Qi Yuan didn't hesitate. "If you don't want to be involved with the Xu family, I can arrange a new identity for you."
Xu Lingyi raised the corners of her mouth and knelt down towards him, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Qi Yuan's cold brows curved slightly.
"The Xu family's affairs can be put aside for now. You will have nothing to do with them in the future. If you wish to dispose of the Xu family, just tell me and I will handle it for you."
"But the palace banquet has been moved up. My father and mother want to see you tomorrow."
Xu Lingyi was rarely nervous. After all, she was the empress and had been in a high position for many years.
She was also afraid that her little thoughts would be noticed by the emperor and empress.
"nervous?"
Xu Lingyi nodded slightly, her tone extremely worried, "Your Highness, will His Majesty and His Majesty like this servant?"
Meeting her extremely beautiful eyes, Qi Yuan's Adam's apple moved slightly, and his tone unconsciously slowed down, "Well, don't worry, they will like you."
"Besides, you are my wife. I will protect you and will not let anyone bully or humiliate you."
He knew in his heart that his father and mother would never dislike the woman he liked.
Xu Lingyi's worries were completely unnecessary.
————
Good night, my dears! See you tomorrow. I realized I can only write about the palace banquet and marriage tomorrow. Thank you for your support!
The main theme of this story is [no abuse of women], so except for the necessary villains, everyone will like the heroine.
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