Chapter 734 Such a woman, such a relative...
The next day, a carriage from the palace stopped quietly in front of the gate of Yongding Palace.
Following the princess's repeated instructions, Princess Jiahe forced herself to cheer up, changed into formal palace attire, and stepped into Kunning Palace.
The palace was filled with calming sandalwood incense. The queen sat upright on the phoenix throne, holding a cup of ginseng tea in her hand. Her expression was graceful and it was impossible to tell whether she was happy or angry.
"Jiahe pays her respects to the Empress." Princess Jiahe suppressed all emotions and bowed respectfully.
"Stand up, and take your seat," the Queen said calmly, her eyes fixed on her as if examining an object. "I heard you had a fright in Qixia Mountain a few days ago. Are you feeling better now?"
Princess Jiahe's heart tightened, and she quickly lowered her head, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine."
The queen gently put down the teacup, making a soft sound that was particularly clear in the silent palace.
"I'm glad you're alright." She changed the subject, her tone still gentle. "I heard that the scholar who bumped into you was named Chen Jing'an. It's a name that suggests some talent, but it's a pity that he took the wrong path and developed thoughts that he shouldn't have."
A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Princess Jiahe's back.
She knew it was a knock.
"Your Majesty, please understand that this subject and that lunatic have absolutely no personal feelings whatsoever."
"Of course I believe you." The Queen smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "It's just that people's words can be scary. Some old stories are better kept to themselves, isn't it?"
Princess Jiahe's face turned pale, her fingertips pinched her palms tightly, and she couldn't say a word.
The Queen was very satisfied with her reaction and then got to the point.
"The marriage between the Crown Prince and Miss Gu was personally arranged by the Emperor. It is crucial to the stability of the court. General Gu commands a large army, and the Crown Prince needs the support of the Zhenguo Mansion."
The Queen looked at her with a look that was both comforting and warning.
"I know you are arrogant and I know your affection for the Crown Prince. The Emperor and I both want you to be the Crown Prince's concubine, a position second only to the Crown Princess. As the daughter of the Yongding Palace, you naturally cannot be wronged."
Concubine?
These two words were like two poisonous needles, piercing Princess Jiahe's heart.
She raised her head suddenly, her eyes full of humiliation and unwillingness.
Why!
Why should she, the precious daughter of the Yongding Palace, become a concubine to Gu Qingchen, a woman who has no idea of the immensity of heaven and earth!
The Queen took in her expression and said in a colder voice, "Why, you don't want to?"
The powerful pressure came overwhelmingly, and Princess Jiahe trembled all over. All her resentment and anger were suppressed and turned into fear that penetrated deep into her bones.
She lowered her head, her voice trembling: "Your Highness... Your Highness will make the decision."
"That's right." The Queen's tone softened again. "Jiahe, you are a smart child. The road to the harem is long. Who laughs last is not determined by who enters first."
These words, like a seed, carried both extreme poison and endless temptation, and fell into Princess Jiahe's heart.
After leaving the palace and returning to her own courtyard, Princess Jiahe could no longer suppress her emotions.
“Crackle!”
She swept the Ru kiln tea set on the table to the ground and smashed it to pieces.
"Concubine! She actually asked me to be a concubine!" Princess Jiahe was so angry that she was shaking all over, her eyes red. "She asked me to be a concubine to that bitch Gu Qingchen! What right does she have?!"
Princess Yongding walked in quickly and frowned when she saw the mess on the ground.
"What are you crazy about! What did the Queen say to you?"
"Mother!"
When Princess Jiahe saw her mother, tears instantly welled up in her eyes and her voice was full of grievance and hatred.
"The Queen said that the Crown Princess can only be Gu Qingchen! She needs the military power of the Zhenguo Mansion! She said... she wants to make me a concubine..."
Upon hearing this, Princess Yongding was silent for a moment.
She walked over to her daughter, pulled her to sit down, and waved her hand to let all the servants leave.
"Why are you crying? The Empress is right." Princess Yongding's voice was calm, almost cruel. "Under the current circumstances, the Crown Prince really needs Gu Junze. We in the Yongding Palace cannot give him military power."
"What about me? What about my reputation? What about the reputation of my Yongding Palace?"
Princess Jiahe screamed, "Am I just going to watch that idiot Gu Qingchen ride on my head and bully me?"
"How short-sighted!" Princess Yongding scolded harshly, "So what if you're the Crown Princess? Do you think you can rest easy just by sitting in that position?"
She looked at her daughter, who was blinded by anger, and analyzed the pros and cons for her word by word.
"You know Gu Qingchen's personality better than I do. She's arrogant and domineering, and she'd rather break than bend. She also has a father who's so successful that he threatens the emperor."
"How long do you think the future emperor can tolerate such a woman and such a relative?"
Princess Jiahe was stunned.
"The Queen's decision to make you a concubine isn't a humiliation, it's a reminder." Princess Yongding's eyes gleamed with shrewdness. "She's telling you to stay out of the spotlight for now. Let Gu Qingchen and the Zhenguogong Mansion be the target for the Crown Prince."
"When the crown prince ascends the throne and the imperial throne is secure, it will be time to sheath the sword of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion." The princess patted her daughter's hand gently, with a hint of a sinister smile in her voice.
"By then, it remains to be seen who will hold the Phoenix Seal and rule the country."
The tears in Princess Jiahe's eyes gradually stopped.
The raging rage of humiliation in his heart slowly cooled down, transforming into a cold, poisonous calculation.
yes.
Mother is right.
The one who laughs last is the winner.
She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. The unwilling humiliation on her face eventually turned into a twisted and determined fierceness.
Gu Qingchen, we’ll see!
Inside the Imperial Study
Zhao Chen'an stood with his hands hanging in front of the huge rosewood desk. His usually gentle face was now covered with an indelible haze.
The anger and murderous intent he brought back from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had been completely suppressed before he stepped into the center of imperial power, leaving only the frustration and unwillingness buried deep in his eyes.
The emperor sitting behind the desk was seven points similar to Zhao Chen'an in his eyes and eyebrows, but with a bit more majesty and depth accumulated over the years.
He put down the red pen in his hand and looked at his son.
"Judging from your expression, have you run into trouble with the girl from the Gu family?" Zhao Yunci's voice showed no emotion.
Zhao Chenan pursed his lips into a stiff straight line, took a deep breath, and bowed.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to issue an imperial decree granting me marriage and assign Gu Qingchen to be my consort." He did not answer the emperor's question, but directly stated his purpose.
He was fed up with this feeling of being out of control. He wanted to use the most direct and unquestionable imperial power to firmly lock the woman who dared to challenge him by his side.
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