Chapter 43 Prince Lu wants to go back on his word

Omg!!!

It’s so beautiful.

Xia Xue was shocked.

She had clearly taken a look at this Dali woman that day. Without makeup, she looked above average at best. She had never expected that she would be so stunning after putting on makeup.

Prince Lu, who was presenting the gift, was also stunned at this moment, and his saliva flowed from the corners of his mouth to his front lapel.

"Your Highness, Your Highness." Princess Lu pushed Prince Lu.

Prince Lu gritted his teeth and greeted Li Tingting's ancestors hundreds of times in his heart.

He should keep such a beautiful and charming woman in the palace no matter how great the risk was.

It's too late. How could he not be tempted by the beauty and miss such a beautiful woman?

The eunuch next to "Prince Lu presents beauty" reported.

Prince Lu quickly interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "Dance."

The eunuch was surprised, "It says on the list that a beautiful woman is to be presented as a gift."

Prince Lu stood up with his face flushed. Just as he was about to speak, Princess Lu grabbed Prince Lu's sleeve and said, "Eunuch, your statistics are correct. It is a tribute of a beauty and a tribute of a dance. Whatever you say is right."

The emperor smiled refreshingly, "Why is it that the prince is reluctant to part with the beauty?"

Princess Lu's face immediately changed color and she kicked Prince Lu with her foot.

Prince Lu gritted his teeth and said, "Of course not."

"There is nothing I can do even if I am reluctant. Once I am in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I will accept everything. If Your Highness really cannot bear to part with it, then I will have to inconvenience Your Highness."

"Come here, your red outfit makes me happy, so I will give you the title of 'Beauty' and the title of 'Red'."

"Congratulations to the Emperor for having a new beauty." The concubines from various palaces who had made the move stood up and saluted, and the princes, crown princes and ministers who had made the move also followed suit.

The emperor waved his hands.

"There is no difference between conferring one title or conferring several titles. The emperor's harem should be enriched. The heads of these noble families are all here, so why not let the emperor take in a few more wives?" said the empress dowager.

"I will obey you, mother."

After the hypocritical politeness, the mother and son called out the names of the women who had been notified in advance.

The youngest daughter of the Minister of Revenue, Mr. Chen, was given the title of Baolin; the legitimate daughter of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Su Yan, was given the title of Yu Nu; Xia Lu was given the title of Cai Ren; and Li Pingting was also given the title of Mei Ren, but she did not have a title.

Xia Xue was very satisfied with this rank. The emperor gave her a neither high nor low rank out of consideration for the Xia family and the Chu family, and perhaps out of some affection for Xia Lu. She would not stand out nor suffer any loss. After all, compared with the legitimate daughters of other aristocratic families, Xia Lu and Li Pingting's status as illegitimate daughters was already a disadvantage. However, the emperor conferred this rank to tell everyone that he did not care about legitimate or illegitimate daughters.

As for Li Pingting, it was a little unexpected. Xia Xue originally estimated that Li Pingting was at most Baolin, but she didn't expect to give her to a beauty. In this way, except for the Dali woman, Li Pingting was the highest grade among the four women.

Does this also mean that Concubine Rong is really going to fall out of favor?

Xia Xue glanced at Concubine Rong. There was a faint smile on the corner of Concubine Rong's mouth. Although her makeup was heavy, it could not hide her tired expression. She was completely different from the aggressive Concubine Rong in Prince Lu's mansion a few months ago.

At this time, the newlyweds performed the final ceremony and were formally led into the harem by the eunuchs.

Finally, the Queen Mother suggested that, considering Master Qian's many years of service, could Qian Jiaojiao also be brought along?

The emperor refused directly, "I have already issued an order that Qian Jiaojiao cannot marry within a year. If I marry her now, wouldn't I become a laughing stock in the world?"

The emperor spoke righteously, and the empress dowager did not insist too much. She just said that after one year, the emperor should consider Qian Jiaojiao again.

The emperor neither agreed nor objected.

This little episode ended magnificently with a stunning dance by a Dali woman, and then the princes and ministers continued to offer gifts.

There is no doubt that there will be something interesting to watch when you arrive at the Chu family.

Chu Zhenxuan first took out the first treasure in the three-foot box, the Taishan Stone.

Everyone gasped.

In Daan, naturally formed stones are considered a gift from the gods. Ordinary people often go to temples to ask for one or two stones to worship at home, and place a few branches under the stones to pray for themselves and their families to be healthy and safe.

Although Chu Zhenxuan's piece of Taishan stone is just a piece of stone, the natural texture formed on the stone itself is nine dragons, and the texture is clear and easy to identify.

"It is truly a rare treasure." Master Qian was the first to speak, not knowing whether he was trying to please or was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

Several other ministers also gathered around.

There were many compliments.

The Emperor nodded slightly after reading it, and the Empress Dowager became even more satisfied.

"If your Majesty likes it, please send it to the Cining Palace for your viewing."

"Since it is a dragon pattern, it should be placed here with the emperor. When the queen mother wants to see it, she can come and have a look."

"You and I are mother and son, there is no need to discuss such matters. Come, send this gemstone to Ci Ning Palace."

After hearing the imperial decree, the Ministry of Internal Affairs registered the matter and began to take action.

"One of Prime Minister Chu's treasures is so amazing, I wonder what the other box contains?" Master Qian asked.

"This box is a vulgar thing."

After he finished speaking, Chu Zhenxuan turned around and saluted the emperor. "This year, there is a severe drought in the north and floods in the south. As a prime minister, I should set an example, so the Chu family will donate two thousand taels of gold."

The box was opened, filled with golden glitter.

Prince Lu was so angry that his teeth itched. These two thousand taels were obviously the money of the Prince's Mansion!!! He just went and acted like a good person!!! Humph!!!

"Very good! This is the example of a court official, and the righteous spirit of the officials of Da'an! On behalf of all the people affected by the disaster, I thank Prime Minister Chu for his generosity!"

With Chu Zhenxuan's help, the following four embroidered pictures are naturally a sideshow.

However, as a representative of the Chu family's gifts, they were still displayed well.

"Very well, thank you for your kindness, Madam Chu and Madam Chu." The Emperor had just finished speaking when the Queen Mother said, "Su Ji has been staying with me these past few days and I have no time to prepare gifts. It is the young people who are thinking about it."

Su Ji is the nickname of Old Madam Chu.

When Xia Xue heard this, she understood. The one who tampered with the embroidery must be the Empress Dowager.

"That's it. I will appreciate Madam Chu even more."

"Your Majesty, I heard that the embroidery of the Chu Mansion is the best among all gifts every year. It is always seen as auspicious. Why not let the eunuchs display it in a different position so that we can also broaden our horizons." The speaker was Wei Chongyuan.

Xia Xue's face darkened. The Wei family and the Xia family have always been on good terms. Is this Wei Chongyuan crazy to dare to harm her?

The emperor was stunned for a moment, then looked at Chu Zhenxuan with a questioning look.

Chu Zhenxuan looked calm.

His gaze turned to Xia Xue's face.

Yang Junyi seemed to sense the elegance of the woman behind the veil, and his red lips slightly raised under the veil.

Suddenly, the emperor chuckled.

"Since my beloved concubine wants to see it, please change the position."

The eunuchs quickly put up a few stools and put together the four embroideries.

It is a more perfect picture of dragon and phoenix.

Wei Chongyuan's face suddenly changed color and she looked at the Queen Mother inquiringly.

There was a flash of impatience in the Queen Mother's eyes.

"Wow, this is really good embroidery."

"Looking at it horizontally and vertically, it has different styles. It looks more impressive when viewed vertically."

"Sister Wei has a good eye. After just one look at the embroidery pattern, she knew that it would be better if it was embroidered vertically."

The concubines sighed, but Old Man Chu looked normal, and it was unclear whether he was involved or not.

The emperor also praised him repeatedly and gave a lot of rewards to the Chu family, so that other ministers could see what loyalty should look like.

Xia Xue tugged at Chu Zhenxuan's sleeve under the table and said, "Prime Minister, you have been well used by the Emperor."

Chu Zhenxuan:......