Chapter 120
The honor and prestige of the imperial family might be a blessing to others, but to Wei Ling, it was worthless. While the Emperor would have trusted Yi Ning more if she had married the Third Prince, it wasn't impossible for her to be promoted to the position of principal consort if she had gained favor and given birth to a grandson. However, if she truly was a neglected concubine, such a fate was beyond her reach.
But after he brought Meimei back from Baoding, he doted on her in every possible way. For Wei Ling, this only daughter was the apple of his eye. He didn't care about whether she was a legitimate daughter or a concubine's daughter. After all, she was the only daughter of the Duke of Ying. How could he let her marry into the royal family, let alone as a concubine!
The third prince was adopted by the queen and might inherit the throne in the future. Should Yining be forced to compete for favor with more than ten women in the deep palace?
Wei Ling broke out in a cold sweat when he thought about it, and thought to himself that this was absolutely not possible!
This palace is a den of wolves and tigers. Underneath the vibrant blossoms, there are countless festering sores. Yi Ning hasn't even reached the age of marriage yet, so how could she enter this place?
Wei Ling's mind raced with thoughts as he watched his daughter slowly rise and walk before the Emperor, kneeling and bowing. The jadeite on her body shone with a crisp sound. She raised her head, her clear, almond-shaped eyes like apricot blossoms in March under a spring sun, delicate and fragrant. Though clearly possessed of a spirit, she shone with a subtle allure. Yet, she remained unaware of this, her every move unpremeditated. This evoked a constant stream of ambiguous and alluring feelings.
Such beauty is really dangerous. If it weren't for the British Duke protecting her, I'm afraid she would have grown so big...
The emperor was stunned for a moment and coughed, "I didn't know you had a daughter."
Yi Ning simply lowered her eyes and remained silent. She absolutely couldn't stand out at this moment. She kept silent if possible. She could sense how many eyes were on her. She even saw Cheng Lang's anxiety, the scrutiny in Xie Yun's eyes...
She sighed secretly in her heart, Third Prince!
It was rumored that the Third Prince had died unexpectedly, but anyone with a discerning eye knew he was killed by the First Prince. Later, when the Queen failed to give birth to a son, she made the First Prince the Crown Prince...
When the Emperor was still a prince, the late Emperor doted on the eldest prince and was determined to make him the crown prince. However, the dynasty had a rule that the legitimate heir should be the heir, and not a concubine's son, so the ministers opposed this. Later, Lu Jiaxue shot the eldest prince to death on behalf of the Emperor, and then imprisoned the old Emperor to launch a coup, which allowed the Emperor to inherit the throne. However, he still loved the eldest prince, born to his favorite concubine, the Shufei, more, and rarely paid attention to the third prince, who was adopted by the Empress.
It can be seen that men’s bad habits are difficult to change, no matter when.
The Empress should have known that she was weak and could not compare to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager had at least given birth to the Emperor, but she hadn't even borne a child. So she sought Lu Jiaxue's support. But who was Lu Jiaxue? Without complete certainty, would he arbitrarily support which prince to inherit the throne? He had everything: power, wealth, and beauty. Nothing could tempt him.
It was probably after the Queen learned that she was Lu Jiaxue's adopted daughter that she really started to think about this.
Lu Jiaxue also supported the idea of enthroning the legitimate heir over the illegitimate son. Between the eldest and third princes, he leaned more towards the third prince. If the two families could be brought closer together at this time, he would be able to gain his support.
Yi Ning subconsciously looked at Lu Jiaxue.
Lu Jiaxue sat in the first seat of the prince, drinking his tea with his eyes downcast. He seemed neither to support nor to oppose.
Lu Jiaxue certainly knew what the Empress was planning, but she was too obtuse to grasp his relationship with Wei Ling. Wei Ling had achieved military success, and the Emperor had held a special palace banquet in his honor, but he was late, clearly showing that their relationship had become strained. So, who Yi Ning married was none of his business. Even the status of adopted daughter was of little use. Furthermore, the Empress didn't even realize how much Wei Ling loved her, demonstrating her lack of scheming.
This made him even less willing to support the Third Prince. His adoptive mother was too stupid, and the Third Prince probably had no future.
As for this mess, Lu Jiaxue didn't want to wade into it. He'd already intervened once, just to honor Yi Ning's unintentional remark about burying loyal bones in green mountains, and he owed the Queen a favor. If he intervened again this time, he'd be foolish.
Yi Ning saw his hands gripping the teacup, steady, their joints slightly protruding. She remembered the countless times she'd grasped those hands, feeling for calluses and bruises, and how he'd let her play with them. She remembered the countless nightmares in which those same hands had coldly pinched her. She closed her eyes slightly, suddenly feeling like she was on a small boat, swaying in the wind and rain. She could only drift with the current, letting the outside world's winds and rain control her.
"Your Majesty—my daughter is only fourteen this year." Wei Ling knelt beside his daughter and said, "I would like to keep her by my side for a few more years."
"I was just thinking of what reward to give you!" The emperor smiled, walked down the carpeted steps, and walked step by step to Yining. "I think your daughter is indeed outstanding. She kneels before me neither servile nor arrogant, graceful and quiet. You have done such great service for me, why don't I make her a county lady!"
Yi Ning felt a chill in her heart. The emperor didn't mention granting her a marriage, but instead mentioned giving her a title?
She immediately stopped caring and said, "Father is a general. It is his duty to defend our country. He defeated the Oirat tribe. I am very happy for him. But I have no achievements in this regard. I really don't deserve the emperor's reward..."
"Listen, who has such awareness as her?" The emperor's eyes lit up slightly, and he looked at Yi Ning with a smile that was surprisingly gentle. "I think you are truly worthy of the title of Country Lord! If all the generals in the world had the awareness of this little girl, then there would be no need to worry about the stability of my country."
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