Chapter 62 "A Substitute Bride, Making the Best of a Mistake." (...)
Chapter Sixty-Two: The Main Hall ==
The inner palace was silent. The Emperor silently accepted the memorial. It was Nanqiong's fault for choosing the wrong person for the marriage alliance, and Nanqiong would have to bow down. The Emperor was not surprised. However, when he saw the quantity of precious cloths, agate jewelry, and other valuables listed in the memorial, a moment of surprise appeared in the Emperor's eyes. The quantity listed in the memorial was already ten times the amount that a small country would pay in a year. As the ruler of a country, he could not refuse such sincerity.
Seeing this, Qin Jue put down the jade cup in his hand. He had a handsome appearance and continued to press on while the iron was hot, "In addition, before leaving the capital, Father and Mother had already bestowed upon the Crown Princess the title of First-Rank Princess Dingguo, granting her the title of Princess and her fiefdom. Father and Mother said that the marriage was a mistake on their part, and that time was of the essence. At the time, they had no other choice but to make the best of a bad situation. They hope that Your Majesty will not take offense. Father and Mother said that this matter was entirely caused by my younger sister, Weiyang. If Your Majesty still finds it insufficient, Father and Mother are willing to send Weiyang over."
Eunuch Zhou secretly glanced at Prince Qin of Nanqiong. He was surprised that Prince Qin could come up with such a comprehensive plan in less than a month. The plan was so perfect and complete, and with the Crown Princess already pregnant, they should be able to get through this crisis safely.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. According to his spies, Princess Zilu of the Southern Prince's Mansion, Su Wanyue, was quite famous in the capital. Even Princess Weiyang paled in comparison to her. Since the woman married into Beili, the Emperor was quite satisfied with this daughter-in-law. At least she was the woman most capable of being the future Empress. His initial concerns were twofold: first, Nanqiong's concealment and unauthorized replacement of the marriage candidate; and second, although the woman's status was noble, it was still inferior to the only princess of the Nanqiong royal family. Now that the Nanqiong Empress had bestowed upon her the title of First-Rank Princess Dingguo, this status was already quite high. The Emperor had nothing to say. He twirled the book in his hand. The choice was not intentionally made by the Nanqiong Empress, but rather came from the Nanqiong princess herself. Now that the Nanqiong Empress had shown sufficient sincerity, it would be unseemly for him to continue to fuss over it, and it would also be unbecoming of a monarch.
As for whether or not to have Empress Nanqiong send Princess Weiyang over, if it were before, His Majesty would have wanted Empress Nanqiong to send Princess Weiyang over so that the two women could share one husband. Now His Majesty has completely given up on this idea. Princess Weiyang is simply not suitable to be a prince's wife. There are plenty of beautiful women in this world. No matter how beautiful Princess Weiyang is, His Majesty no longer has this idea.
Well then, since my son only has eyes for his Crown Princess, it's obviously inappropriate for Princess Weiyang to become the Crown Prince's concubine. The best way to save face for both Nanqiong and Beili is to just go with the flow.
The Emperor's well-maintained face turned ashen, and Qin Jue's heart tightened at the sight. The Emperor's mind was unpredictable, and he wasn't entirely sure the Emperor would compromise. He was just gambling. While continuing like this would certainly damage Nanqiong's reputation, it also involved the Crown Prince of Beili, and the impact wouldn't be limited to Nanqiong. After a long while, the Emperor placed the memorial on his desk and said in a voice as loud as an ancient bell, "[…], draft an edict."
Qin Jue's sweaty palms were tucked into his moon-white sleeves. Fortunately, he had protected Wanwan and his little sister, and had not let down his uncle and Lu Er. No one knew that when his uncle learned that Wanwan's identity had been exposed, he was overcome with rage and perhaps because he missed his daughter so much that he remained unconscious.
Qin Jue lowered his eyes slightly. This time, it was truly one wave after another, but fortunately, things took a turn for the better.
Within a day, everyone in the capital knew that the Crown Princess was not only the Princess Zilu of the Nanwang Mansion in Nanqiong, but also the First-Rank Princess Dingguo of Nanqiong. This was because the portrait brought by the Nanqiong envoy who came to Beili at the beginning was wrong, which led everyone to believe that the one who married into the family was Princess Weiyang of Nanqiong, when in fact she was Princess Dingguo of Nanqiong.
As soon as these words were spoken, many rumors began to circulate about His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess, especially about the Crown Princess. Most people thought that the Crown Princess was very legendary, while a few heard that the Crown Princess seemed to have had a fiancé before marrying into the family. Many people even wrote stories about the love-hate entanglement between His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the Crown Princess, and the Second Young Master Lu, for their own reading.
As for the major families of Beili, the civil and military officials obviously knew that the Crown Prince of Nanqiong had come to the capital. At this critical juncture, the Crown Prince of Nanqiong came for his cousin, the Crown Princess. This news must have been the result of discussions between the Crown Prince of Nanqiong and the Emperor. However, the Crown Princess's status was not low to begin with, and she was perfectly capable of being the Crown Princess. Moreover, the Crown Prince was so fond of her. Even if she could not become the Crown Princess today, she would become the Empress in the future. What difference would it make? The major families only felt that everything had settled down.
The most resentful people were the Empress and the First Prince. The Empress felt that if she didn't severely punish Consort Qin's arrogance this time, it would be difficult to find another opportunity in the future. Moreover, when she thought about Xiao Yu ascending the throne in the future and Consort Qin sitting on equal footing with her as Empress Dowager, the Empress felt as if she had swallowed a fly.
Meanwhile, the eldest prince, Xiao Ruofei, smashed everything he could in the Crown Princess's palace. His eyes were bloodshot with rage. He never expected that Xiao Yu and his Crown Princess would commit such a grave mistake, yet his father would let it go so lightly. When he made a mistake, why didn't his father treat him so leniently? The more Xiao Ruofei thought about it, the angrier he became, and he wanted to vent his anger on Lin Ruohan. However, Lin Ruohan completely ignored Xiao Ruofei and went about her business, saying, "Your Highness, I still need to arrange Zhao Ning's marriage. If Your Highness wants someone to comfort you, you can go to Consort Xu's place."
Seeing her attitude, Xiao Ruofei was instantly furious. He grabbed her chin and said, "Are you disgusted that I've lost my position as crown prince, so you're not even going to keep up the act anymore?"
Since losing her child, Lin Ruohan's complexion has never been the same as before. At this moment, her face is extremely pale. She smiled and said, "Is it that I don't want to act, or that Your Highness doesn't want to act? When Your Highness asked me to use the child as bait to take one concubine after another, you didn't even consider my feelings."
Mentioning this matter, Xiao Ruofei immediately felt guilty, "Incomprehensible."
Anyway, as long as Xiao Yu has not ascended the throne, he still has a chance. These people are always opposing him, which may be a test from God. Once he passes the test, he can become the emperor. The more Xiao Ruofei thought about it, the more he felt that this made sense. With a smile on his lips, he went to Consort Xu's place.
Upon learning that all the difficulties had been resolved, Consort Qin burst into tears of joy. She grasped the hand of Granny Gui, who had served Consort Qin for many years and was seeing her so excited for the first time. Granny Gui quickly patted Consort Qin's shoulder, saying, "Now Your Highness can finally rest assured?"
"As long as Wanwan is alright, I am at ease." Consort Qin pressed her chest, feeling excited. For the royal family, switching the beams and pillars was no small matter. It was possible that this was not the woman's intention, but in the end, she would have to bear all the blame. Consort Qin understood the current emperor's character, which was why she had been so worried. Fortunately, the arrival of Prince Qin from Nanqiong resolved all the difficulties.
“Yes, our Crown Princess is still Princess Dingguo of Nanqiong.” Granny Gui smiled.
As Consort Qin and her servants were talking, Eunuch Zhou entered from outside the palace with a smile and said that the Emperor would be coming to Chengqian Palace tonight. Granny Gui gave Eunuch Zhou a silver ingot before going to see Consort Qin. This time, the Emperor would probably refuse to see the Consort for more than ten days.
Consort Qin showed neither joy nor displeasure. "Granny Gui, go and fetch Xiao Qi for me. I have something to instruct her to do."
"Yes, this old servant will go right away."
Bei Li and Nan Qiong made up, and the Emperor invited Qin Jue to dine in the palace. Qin Jue cooperated fully and then took the opportunity to bring up Bai Shuang, saying, "Your Majesty may not know, but Miss Bai is the only disciple of Abbess Jinghui. Abbess Jinghui was very worried about Miss Bai's accident. Miss Bai was not involved in this matter. I hope Your Majesty can spare Miss Bai's life."
"I had this intention long ago," the Emperor said with a smile.
After having dinner with the Emperor, Qin Jue prepared to go to the Prince Cheng's residence. Just as he arrived at the southern palace gate, Bai Shuang, dressed in white, appeared. Her face was filled with undisguised guilt. "This commoner greets Crown Prince Qin. Everything that the Crown Princess encountered this time was because of my carelessness, which allowed bad people to seize the opportunity. I am sorry to the Crown Princess and Crown Prince Qin."
She really liked Sister Zilu. After accidentally learning Sister Zilu's true identity, Bai Shuang decided that she must not let anyone else know Sister Zilu's identity. For this reason, she didn't even tell Brother Xiao Yi. Who knew that Yan Wushuang was so cunning? Not only did she follow them all the way, but she also stole the painting. She was simply a lackey of the Eastern Palace. She wondered how Brother Xiao Yi was doing.
The thought of the huge trouble she had caused made Bai Shuang wish she were dead.
"This matter will be discovered sooner or later. The longer it is discovered, the more days your sister Zilu will have to live in fear. It was also your sister Zilu's idea to rescue Miss Bai. The Seventh Prince should still be waiting for you. Miss Bai, why don't you contact the Seventh Prince first?" Qin Jue's expression was calm and his voice was clear.
Bai Shuang gradually calmed down. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. The Prince Qin in front of her was really the same person as Sister Zilu, with the same good temper and the same gentleness. But she had failed their expectations and was plotted against.
Bai Shuang wanted to thank Su Wanyue, but was afraid of causing her trouble, so she decided to go find Brother Xiao Yi first. "Then please ask Crown Prince Qin to help me say hello to Sister Zilu."
"I will convey Miss Bai's message to Wanwan, Miss Bai, please rest assured." Qin Jue smiled slightly and agreed.
"Your Highness, please." After a brief delay at the palace gate, the eunuch hurriedly helped Qin Jue into the carriage.
When Qin Jue arrived at the Prince Cheng's residence, he was a distinguished guest, and the steward hurriedly welcomed him inside.
"His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are waiting for Prince Qin in the side hall of Zixia Palace. This old servant will take Prince Qin there."
"Thank you for your trouble, Steward." Qin Jue, with his elegant and refined demeanor, said with a gentle smile.
"Your Highness." Soon, Qin Jue was ushered to a pavilion in the Zixia Palace. Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu were both there, showing that they were always by his sister's side. Qin Jue raised an eyebrow and walked towards them. "Wanwan."
“Crown Prince Brother.” Su Wanyue’s eyes sparkled, and her smile was gentle.
"Is my little sister planning to distance herself from her brother? Father and Mother have already bestowed upon her the title of First-Rank Princess Dingguo, granting her a fief and a fief. From now on, little sister, just call me 'brother'." Qin Jue smiled indulgently. When he mentioned Princess Dingguo, Qin Jue gave Xiao Yu a meaningful look. It has to be said that he saw things clearly; this idea certainly shut the Emperor up.
Wanwan was already quite resolute, but the man before her was even more enigmatic.
But the other party truly cares for Wanwan, and that's enough.
"Brother." Su Wanyue hesitated for a moment, her eyes sparkling, before calling out.
The word "brother" made Qin Jue want to touch her head, but in an instant, he suppressed the smile on his face and the folding fan in his hand, and said slowly and deliberately, "His Majesty has accepted the fact that my sister is not the real Princess Weiyang, and Weiyang does not have to marry into this family. On behalf of myself, on behalf of Weiyang, on behalf of Father Emperor, Mother Empress, and all the people of Nanqiong, I thank my sister."
Su Wanyue was still a little unaccustomed to Qin Jue's behavior. She gently shook her head, her expression gentle and graceful, and said, "This is what I should do."
Qin Jue's eyes flashed with relief, but what in this world is something that should be expected? Even though Wanwan had been granted the title of First-Rank Princess Dingguo, Qin Jue still felt it wasn't enough. They owed her too much, especially her royal uncle.
Qin Jue frowned deeply, thought for a moment, and then said, "Wanwan, your brother has something to tell you. You are pregnant, so don't get too excited after hearing it."
Su Wanyue's eyebrows twitched, her intuition telling her that this was not a good thing. She involuntarily clenched her fingers. "Brother, please speak."
Qin Jue explained to her in a concise and gentle tone, "Wanwan, you don't know this, but ever since the Imperial Uncle learned that you married into Beili, his health has been poor. He was almost fully recovered last year, but ten days ago, when the Imperial Uncle learned that your identity had been exposed, he was so angry that he fainted and has been unconscious ever since."
The King of the South had fought on the battlefield for many years. The conditions on the frontier were harsh, and he developed health problems in his early years. Later, he experienced the death of his loving wife and the marriage of his daughter to a foreign country. He worried that his delicate daughter would fall ill.
Su Wanyue's face turned pale instantly, and a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, causing cold sweat to pour from her forehead.
Xiao Yu's expression suddenly darkened, and Qin Jue also stood up. "With the imperial physician here, Wanwan, you don't need to worry too much. If you are really worried, why don't you go back to Nanqiong with His Highness the Crown Prince and visit your uncle?"
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