The brocade curtain leading to the outer room had already fallen down, swaying gently. All those beautiful girls had gone out, and the warm room was empty and especially quiet.
The corners of Empress Dowager Yuan's rosy lips curled higher, a cold light flashed across her eyes, and she nodded slightly: "Given the Gu family's family background, she is an orphan, so she is suitable to be a concubine for the eldest prince."
"As for the eldest prince's consort, I should choose someone from an aristocratic family, so that outsiders won't think that I have treated the eldest prince unfairly."
"How could that be!" The old nanny complimented with a smile on her face, "The Queen Mother has always loved the eldest prince very much, and she even took the trouble to choose a noble lady from an aristocratic family as his principal wife."
"The eldest prince will surely understand your majesty's painstaking efforts."
As she spoke, she took a cup of fresh tea from the palace maid and respectfully handed it to Empress Dowager Yuan.
Empress Dowager Yuan slowly used the tea lid to brush away the few leaves floating on the tea soup. The corners of her lips curved up in a smile and sighed, "Who made the emperor not appoint a queen? I can only work harder."
"In the blink of an eye, the eldest prince is already eighteen years old. He has grown up and it's time for him to start a family."
These words sounded very high-sounding, and the old nanny responded repeatedly.
Empress Dowager Yuan took a sip of tea, put down the steaming teacup, and said, "Madame He, what do you think of those girls just now? Please give me some advice."
Mrs. Yuan smiled, her tone was casual, and there was a hint of nonchalance between her brows.
The Queen Mother said so, but Nanny He didn't dare to really discuss it. She just responded in a perfunctory manner: "I think these girls are all the best. They are good-looking and have good temperaments. I am simply dazzled by them."
"I am old and my eyesight is dim. I am not as discerning as the Empress Dowager. The ones she has chosen must be the best of the best!"
Nanny He seized the opportunity and complimented Empress Dowager Yuan again.
Empress Dowager Yuan had not really counted on Nanny He, and continued, "I think the young lady from the Yu family is good, dignified and chaste, and speaks appropriately. Whether it is talent, family background, temperament or appearance, she is extraordinary."
"The Zhang family's daughter is not bad either, gentle and elegant, and proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
"Also, Miss Fan is a well-educated, well-mannered, and kind-hearted girl..."
Empress Dowager Yuan praised three or four girls from noble families in a row. Nanny He beside her nodded repeatedly and praised all the girls eloquently.
The master and servant sang in unison and talked freely.
Next to him, a thin eunuch in blue clothes walked silently towards the incense burner in the corner, holding a wooden box. He paused for a moment and then walked to the incense burner as if nothing had happened.
The blue-robed eunuch turned his back to Empress Dowager Yuan and frowned tightly.
The Yu family of Yuzhou is indeed a noble family that has been passed down for more than two hundred years and has quite a reputation in the local area, but it is no longer as glorious as it was in the previous dynasty. Now the entire family can only barely maintain some dignity by relying on the Duke of Ying's Mansion.
What's more, Yu Chaoyun was not even the eldest daughter of the royal family.
In addition, the Qingzhou Zhang family has been declining in recent years. The children of the family are self-reliant and have failed to be either civil or military. Only one Zhang Dun was highly valued by the late emperor and was appointed as the governor of Yanzhou. Now Zhang Dun is old and retired last year. There is no successor to the Zhang family...
Not to mention the Fan family, the next generation may not even be qualified to stand on the throne.
The Queen Mother really picked some "good" families for the eldest prince!
As he thought about it, a gloomy emotion flashed in the eyes of the blue-robed eunuch. His hand trembled, and the sandalwood in his hand was broken into pieces and fell to the ground.
In the back, Empress Dowager Yuan was still commenting: "...The third daughter of the Liu family is also beautiful and intelligent. She likes calligraphy and painting. I think she will get along well with the eldest prince."
"besides……"
The green-robed eunuch could no longer hear what the Empress Dowager Yuan said next. His thoughts involuntarily turned back to the girl from the Gu family whom the Empress Dowager had mentioned at the beginning, and he chewed over them carefully.
Although the Queen Mother and Nanny He did not say it directly, their words and actions clearly implied that the eldest prince had taken a fancy to the girl from the Gu family.
There are two Miss Gu present today. Naturally, they are not the third Miss Gu that King Kang has his eyes on. So, it must be the other second Miss Gu.
Thinking of this, the green-robed eunuch's heart couldn't help but beat wildly.
Thinking back to the interaction between Gu Yanfei and Empress Dowager Yuan just now, he suddenly tasted a different feeling.
The blue-robed eunuch's eyes sparkled, and he thought: He must go and report this to the Emperor quickly. The Emperor has been waiting for this for so many years, he must be happy.
The blue-robed eunuch smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed into slits. He swiftly took out another plate of sandalwood and replaced the remaining incense in the incense burner.
Another wisp of green smoke rose up, interweaving with the original sandalwood, and the fragrance in the air became even stronger.
After the blue-robed eunuch closed the lid of the incense burner, he quietly retreated from the warm room.
After walking out of Shou'an Palace, the blue-robed eunuch happened to see the girls in front of him walking out of the palace gate of Shou'an Palace. He couldn't help but search for Gu Yanfei's figure, thinking: The second Miss Gu is dressed too thinly, he had to ask someone to put two more charcoal basins in Tinglan Water Pavilion.
Not everyone was as fearless as Wei Jiaoniang and the others towards the Empress Dowager. Several girls were so nervous that they didn't even know what to do with their hands and feet.
"Girls, please come this way." The palace maid Liushuang walked in front to lead the way for the girls, walking along the bluestone road towards the imperial garden in the northeast.
These people are still clearly divided, the nobles belong to the nobles, the aristocratic families belong to the aristocratic families, and they each run their own camp.
The snow seemed to be gradually decreasing, and snowflakes as light as catkins were floating in the air, making the surroundings hazy, as if there was a thick fog filling the air.
Looking up, you can see that the bright yellow glazed tiles on the roof are covered with a thin layer of snow.
Several girls who were afraid of the cold huddled themselves in thick cloaks, wishing to hide their entire bodies inside.
Wei Jiaoniang was in high spirits, not afraid of the wind and snow at all, and her cheeks were flushed like rouge.
"Yan Fei," Wei Jiaoniang held Gu Yan Fei's left arm affectionately, leaned close to her ear and whispered to her intimately, "Do you know what the Queen Mother asked us to do?"
Wei Jiaoniang just wanted to start a conversation, and she didn't really want Gu Yanfei to answer anything, so she continued, "Fortunately you are here, otherwise I would have to find a way to call you into the palace."
She lowered her voice very low, and her warm breath almost blew onto Gu Yanfei's ears.
"..." Gu Yanfei tilted her face and blinked in confusion.
Why ask her to enter the palace?
Want to watch the fun?! Thinking of this, Gu Yanfei's eyes were full of energy.
Lu Qin watched them whispering with their heads leaning against each other, so she put her arm around Gu Yanfei's right arm and came over to listen.
She also had a lot of doubts.
The Queen Mother was so strange today. First she urgently summoned them to the palace, and now she sent them to visit the Imperial Garden in the heavy snow. It was simply inexplicable! Wei Jiaoniang looked around, fearing that someone would eavesdrop.
The howling wind and snow around them became the most natural barrier, and there was no one within ten feet in front or behind them.
Wei Jiaoniang whispered as if she was a thief: "My mother told me that the Queen Mother is going to choose a princess for the eldest prince."
“So that’s how it is.” Lu Qin clapped his hands gently.
Thinking back to how Empress Dowager Yuan had asked so many questions in the warm room, Lu Qin suddenly understood.
The wife of the Prince of Weiguo knew that her daughter was a straightforward person, so she analyzed the current situation and the Empress Dowager Yuan's little tricks with her daughter in the carriage, for fear that her daughter would accidentally fall into the trap of the Empress Dowager.
"My mother said that the eldest prince and Prince Kang are of similar age, only two or three years apart, and both are of marriageable age."
"If the Queen Mother casually said that she wanted to arrange a marriage for the eldest prince, it would inevitably lead to gossip. Now that Prince Kang's marriage has been arranged, the Queen Mother can use the excuse of not being able to focus on one thing and half-push and half-force the Emperor to arrange a marriage for the eldest prince as well."
Empress Dowager Yuan was determined to make Prince Kang ascend to the throne, so she would naturally not find a powerful Yue family for the eldest prince. She would definitely set a trap for the eldest prince, just like she had just embarrassed Gu Yanfei in the warm room! Thinking about what happened just now, Wei Jiaoniang looked at Gu Yanfei with pity in her eyes, as if she was looking at a beautiful flower that was almost destroyed by someone's cruel hands.
"Oh, it's true that the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is."
The eldest prince's marriage is the concern of the emperor, why does the empress dowager need to meddle in it! Wei Jiaoniang held the umbrella in one hand and held Gu Yanfei's hand in the other, and promised solemnly: "Don't worry, Yanfei, I will help you."
The eldest prince and her Yan Fei are the most suitable match, and she will never let anyone else snatch them away.
She said she would help Yan Fei!
"I will help you too." Lu Qin took Gu Yanfei's right arm and patted her chest happily.
Lu Qin and Wei Jiaoniang had been close friends for more than ten years, and she understood immediately and exchanged a clever look with her, meaning that she understood everything! Gu Yanfei, who was sandwiched between the two, only understood half of it, which was that Empress Dowager Yuan wanted to choose a prince consort for Chu Yi, and she would definitely not choose well.
But why did they all help her? The wind and snow around her were sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and a few snowflakes drifted under the umbrella with the wind.
Before Gu Yanfei could figure it out, Wei Jiaoniang blew out a breath of white air from her lips, blowing away the snowflakes. She sneered sarcastically and said, "My mother also said that the Queen Mother might have taken a fancy to me and wanted me to be the concubine of Prince Kang."
Really?! Lu Qin's eyes widened, as if she was struck by lightning, and her jaw almost dropped.
The next thought was: Is the Queen Mother crazy? ! "Humph." Wei Jiaoniang curled her lips and snorted, and said to the two of them arrogantly, "You wish!"
She spoke word by word, her cheeks puffed up with anger.
It was precisely because she knew what Empress Dowager Yuan was thinking that she had been so ruthless in the warm room just now. She didn't want to be anyone's concubine!
(End of this chapter)
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