Today's welcoming banquet was basically over after Zhou Wenli presented his gifts and explained Xu Yanyan's situation. The rest was just the Emperor ordering the people from the Imperial Music Bureau to perform in order to please the host. Others either enjoyed the performances in the palace or went out for a stroll.
Liu Shiqi and Li Shun were both sitting in their seats watching the performance. Zhou Wenli had just returned from somewhere, and the Crown Prince hadn't left either, sitting in his seat drinking alone, head down, lost in thought.
The time is almost up, and everyone is waiting for the Emperor to return and say that the event is over. Normally, the Emperor would not need to appear again, but today there are envoys from the Zhou Dynasty, so the Emperor must appear in person to avoid being found out about any mistakes.
Everyone waited for a long time, but the Emperor did not appear. Even the Empress did not return today, which was strange. The ministers in the hall looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
Seeing this, someone went to the Crown Prince and told him. Just as the Crown Prince was about to order someone to find the Emperor and Empress, the Emperor and Empress appeared with their entourage.
The Emperor's clothes were slightly disheveled, and his face was somewhat pale. The Empress's face was equally pale, but she forced herself to maintain a dignified demeanor.
Seeing everyone looking at him, the Emperor's face regained its previous majesty. "It's getting late. Liufeng, arrange for the Fifth Prince and the others to go and rest."
“Yes, Your Majesty,” He Liufeng replied, standing up.
Then the Emperor and Empress turned and left. He Liufeng was responsible for seeing Zhou Wenli and the others off, so Qu Qingxi went back alone in the carriage.
After taking a shower and changing her clothes, Qu Qingxi beckoned to Qingdai, "Qingdai, come here, I have something to ask you."
Qingdai walked up to Qu Qingxi with a hint of doubt. "What does Your Highness want to ask?"
"Qingdai, what happened in the palace just now?" Qu Qingxi blinked. Although she knew what she had done, she was still curious about how things had progressed.
The Empress was helping Qu Qingran before, acting all magnanimous and generous. Since the Empress likes Qu Qingran so much, and now Qu Qingran is about to become her sister, sharing a husband with her, and paying her respects every day, the Empress must be very happy.
Qingdai thought for a moment and then organized her thoughts, “Your Highness, today in the palace, Qu Qingran and the Emperor did that kind of thing in one of the palaces.”
Fearing that Qu Qingxi might not understand her meaning, Qingdai explained again, "It just means we slept together." Since they were in the Prince's mansion, Qingdai didn't need to worry about so much.
"Oh? What happened before?" Qu Qingxi was initially shocked, then looked at Qingdai with curiosity.
"I don't know either. After the Princess and the Prince came back, they asked me to investigate what happened today. I found out that those palace maids and eunuchs were all arranged by Qu Qingran. Then I thought I would also check where Qu Qingran was. After searching for a long time, I found out that the Emperor and Qu Qingran were doing that kind of thing."
After listening, Qu Qingxi nodded slightly, "So that's how it is."
"So, Your Highness, what did that palace maid do when she asked you to go out today?" Qingdai couldn't help but ask curiously. Although she had found out some things, she didn't know exactly what the princess knew, so she could only cautiously probe.
"The palace maid led me to the artificial hill next to the Imperial Garden, where I saw the Prince talking to Princess Anping," Qu Qingxi said without hiding anything.
"Both of them had smiles on their faces and seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation," Qu Qingxi added.
Upon hearing this, Qingdai's face flashed with embarrassment, and she quickly explained, "Your Highness, how could that be? The Prince likes you so much."
"It's alright, you can go and rest." He Liufeng had already explained, and Qu Qingxi was also about to ask Qingdai something, so she waved her hand to signal Qingdai to go.
What Qu Qingran said today was probably a mixture of truth and falsehood. Qu Qingxi wouldn't believe it all, but she couldn't completely disbelieve it either. Ultimately, Qu Qingxi still wanted to investigate this matter herself.
The next morning, just as Qu Qingxi finished washing up and was about to eat, Qingdai ran over excitedly, "Your Highness, news has come from the palace that Qu Qingran has entered the palace as a concubine and has been given the title of Consort Shu."
Before Qu Qingxi could ask any further questions, Qingdai blurted everything out, "Last night, the Emperor and Qu Qingran did that kind of thing, and the Empress discovered it with her men."
"Later, someone sent a message to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister and his wife rushed there. When they saw the scene, the Prime Minister's wife fainted on the spot, and the Prime Minister was also shocked by the scene. He pointed at Qu Qingran and couldn't say a word for a long time."
"After the Emperor woke up, he was also very shocked. After calming down, he dismissed the Prime Minister and his wife and promised to welcome Qu Qingran into the palace and give her a relatively high rank."
"Qu Qingran also quickly regained consciousness and started shouting when she saw the scene. The Emperor was annoyed by the noise. Qu Qingran was knocked unconscious by the Emperor's men. After the Prime Minister and his wife left, Qu Qingran was thrown to the Empress."
"This morning, the Emperor issued an imperial edict, bestowing upon Qu Qingran the title of Consort, with the honorary title of Shu."
"She became a Consort Shu as soon as she entered the palace. With the Prime Minister's mansion as her backer, she is indeed different." Qu Qingxi couldn't help but sigh.
Upon hearing this, Qingdai cautiously observed Qu Qingxi's expression. The princess was also the prime minister's daughter. The prime minister was willing to support Qu Qingran, but treated the princess so badly. The princess must be heartbroken to hear this news.
Qu Qingxi didn't notice Qingdai's unusual expression, and just chuckled, "Qu Qingran likes the prince, but now she has to enter the palace as a concubine, becoming the emperor's concubine and the prince's sister-in-law? I wonder how Qu Qingran feels."
She remembered that the Emperor was already over forty years old, which seemed to be about the same age as Qu Lianhai. Qu Qingran was used to being spoiled in the Prime Minister's mansion, and now that she was in the palace where people were devoured without spitting out the bones, she wondered how she would live.
However, Qu Qingran is Qu Lianhai's most beloved daughter, so she certainly won't lose her life in the palace. But, given her personality, she will inevitably suffer a lot in secret.
"I never imagined that if I ever saw Qu Qingran again, I would still have to address her as Consort Shu," Qu Qingxi sighed.
"Hmph, Your Highness doesn't need to do that. Even if she is now the Emperor's concubine, in the end, she is just a concubine. Your Highness is the Prince's principal wife. At most, the two of them don't need to bow when they meet. Apart from the Empress, Your Highness doesn't need to bow to the Emperor's other concubines at all."
Qingdai snorted lightly, "So what if I marry the emperor?"
"However, there's something strange about this whole thing. It must have been deliberately orchestrated by someone, but we don't know who it is." Qingdai was incredibly curious.
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