Now that he sees He Liufeng gradually recovering, he realizes that Qu Qingxi's identity is inappropriate, so he prepares to make things difficult for Qu Qingxi.
Having figured this out, Qu Qingxi probably knew what the Empress wanted to see her about.
Upon arriving at the Empress's Phoenix Palace, Granny Yang went in first to report, while Qu Qingxi waited at the entrance with Qingdai.
Granny Yang quickly came out and said, "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress invites you in."
Qu Qingxi nodded, understanding what the Empress wanted to see her about, and felt much calmer.
When Qu Qingxi went in, besides the Empress, there was a little girl sitting inside. That girl was Qu Qingxi's half-sister, Qu Qingran.
Seeing Qu Qingran suddenly enter the palace and appear here at this time and place, Qu Qingxi roughly knew what was going on.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress." Qu Qingxi bowed respectfully to the Empress.
"Qingxi, get up quickly. We're all family here, why be so polite? Please sit down." The Empress smiled gently and gestured for the palace maids behind her to help Qu Qingxi up.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress." Qu Qingxi stood up, but did not sit down. Instead, she turned around and looked at Qu Qingran with a half-smile.
When Qu Qingxi was in the Prime Minister's mansion, she was often bullied by her stepsister Qu Qingran. At that time, it was rumored that the Emperor wanted to find someone to marry He Liufeng as a bride to bring him good luck. Qu Qingran had always liked He Liufeng and wanted to marry him. Qu Qingran tried her best to persuade the Prime Minister to let her marry He Liufeng, but she was sternly rejected by the Prime Minister and his wife.
Later, Qu Qingran kept causing trouble, so the Prime Minister placed her under house arrest in the courtyard, fearing that his daughter might do something outrageous. After all, how could he bear to let his most beloved daughter marry a dying man?
Seeing that Qu Qingxi had become the Princess Consort of Nanqing, Qu Qingran almost cried herself blind. Now that He Liufeng's health was gradually improving and the Emperor was dissatisfied with Qu Qingxi's status, the flame of hope began to burn again in Qu Qingran's dormant heart.
"Who is this young lady? How can she be so unruly? She doesn't even bow to me, the Princess Consort? How can she not respect the royal family?" Qu Qingxi looked at Qu Qingran and asked with a surprised expression.
"You!" Qu Qingran was about to explode in anger, but then she remembered that she was in Fengyi Palace, so she restrained herself. "Sister, I am Qingran. How come you don't remember your younger sister after you became a princess?"
Qu Qingran was initially very happy, but seeing Qu Qingxi becoming a princess and putting on airs, she spoke in a sarcastic tone.
"Qingran? Impossible. The Prime Minister's Mansion has always valued rules and regulations. How could a young lady from the Prime Minister's Mansion be so unruly and not know how to greet people?" Qu Qingxi looked incredulous.
"Qu Qingxi!" Qu Qingran's anger, which she had just suppressed, was instantly ignited.
"Qingran, I have no complaints about how you bully and suppress me at home, but we are in the Empress's Phoenix Palace now. The Empress always values rules. Although we are sisters, there must be rules. How will others view Father and the Empress if you act like this?"
Qu Qingxi looked at Qu Qingran disapprovingly, acting like an elder sister, and started mentioning rules in every sentence. She was also doing this to show the Empress. No matter how arrogant and domineering Qu Qingran was, she wouldn't dare to do this without the Empress's support.
Seeing Qu Qingxi's appearance, the Empress's face was also very unpleasant. To reprimand someone in her own palace was clearly a slap in her own face, but she couldn't say anything because Qu Qingxi had indeed given her a proper salute when she first entered.
Qu Qingxi is now a princess. Even if Qu Qingran is favored by the prime minister, she is still just the daughter of a minister. She must pay her respects to the princess.
"Look, I thought you two were sisters, so there was no need for such strict rules." The Empress glanced at Qu Qingxi, her eyes flashing with displeasure, and gave a perfunctory explanation.
Qu Qingxi didn't tolerate her. She was the Princess Consort of Nanqing, not a concubine in the palace, and didn't need to be mindful of the Empress's feelings. "Your Majesty is joking. Even if they are sisters, they still need to follow the rules. Without rules, there can be no order. If everyone broke the rules because of their relationship, wouldn't it be chaos?"
The Empress choked, gradually removing the disdain on her face and carefully examining the person in front of her. She had originally thought that Qu Qingxi was not favored in the Prime Minister's residence and must have long since developed a humble and timid personality, making her easy to manipulate. She never expected her to be so sharp-tongued.
"Indeed, Qingran. Since your sister has said so, you should pay your respects to her according to the rules." The Empress picked up her tea, took a sip, concealed the anger in her eyes, and glanced at Qu Qingran indifferently.
Since the Empress had spoken, Qu Qingran had no choice but to bow, even if she didn't want to.
Qu Qingran glared at Qu Qingxi, then reluctantly bowed to her.
Seeing Qu Qingran's stiff and awkward bow, Qu Qingxi sneered inwardly, but put on a kind smile on her face, "Qingran, please rise quickly. There is no need for such formalities between us sisters."
Upon hearing this, Qu Qingran glared at Qu Qingxi with uncontrollable rage. It was she who said that not bowing was impolite, and it was also she who said that there was no need for excessive politeness. What a hateful little bitch.
Seeing Qu Qingran jumping up and down in anger, Qu Qingxi leisurely sat down and looked at the Empress with a puzzled expression, "I wonder what Your Majesty wants to see me about today?"
Seeing that the Empress's complexion had returned to normal, Qu Qingxi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "As expected of the Empress, look at her ability to control her emotions, how amazing!"
"Qingxi, there are indeed some things I wanted to discuss with you today. You and the Prince have been married for some time now, but there has been no good news yet. The Prince is not young anymore, and it's time for him to have an heir," the Empress hinted.
"That's true." Qu Qingxi nodded with a smile, seemingly not understanding the Empress's meaning at all, but instead nodding earnestly.
The Empress couldn't tell whether Qu Qingxi was truly foolish or pretending, but that didn't affect what she was about to say.
"His Highness's health is gradually recovering, so His Majesty hopes that His Highness can have an heir as soon as possible. Although this is a private matter between you, His Highness is still a member of the royal family, and it would be better for him to have more children." The Empress's words were full of talk about having children, hoping that Qu Qingxi would be sensible and admit that it was Qu Qingxi's fault for bringing this up.
Qu Qingxi certainly understood what the Empress meant, but she was unwilling to say those words herself.
"Your Majesty the Empress is absolutely right," Qu Qingxi said innocently, continuing to play dumb.
The Empress was taken aback by Qu Qingxi's reaction. She had originally wanted Qu Qingxi to say that she wanted to take a concubine for He Liufeng, but she did not expect Qu Qingxi to pretend to be stupid in front of her.
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