"The Emperor ordered you to investigate this matter, and you find it somewhat troublesome, so you're unhappy?" Qu Qingxi wasn't surprised to hear this result. However, don't wrong her; she clearly left behind a chamber pot, how could she forget that? How unfair is that?
"No, that's not it. My brother has already handed this matter over to someone else to investigate. But after court, my brother called me to the Imperial Study and told me that the Prime Minister intends to marry his daughter, Qu Qingran, to me as a concubine."
"What? Qu Qingran? A concubine?" Qu Qingxi nearly choked on her own saliva, staring wide-eyed at He Liufeng. "You agreed?"
"What are you thinking about? Nothing, I refused." He Liufeng smiled gently when he saw Qu Qingxi's obviously shocked expression.
"No, what is Your Majesty thinking? At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet last time, so many people saw Qu Qingran like that in the palace. Does Your Majesty still want to marry her to you? Is he your own brother?" Qu Qingxi simply couldn't believe what He Liufeng was saying.
In this era, it was a very serious matter for a woman to lose her chastity. People would look down on her, even if she was the daughter of a high-ranking official or a princess. She would suffer from the strange looks of others for the rest of her life.
No man is indifferent to this, but the emperor actually allowed his own brother to marry a woman who had lost her chastity. Aren't the royal family members supposed to value these things the most?
What was the Emperor doing? At the time, many people knew about this. Was the Emperor going to make his younger brother wear a green hat for the rest of his life and endure the whispers and gossip behind his back?
If He Liufeng weren't a prince, or the emperor's younger brother, but just a young man with no background who had just entered the court as an official, she wouldn't be so shocked if the emperor or prime minister used their power to force him to marry Qu Qingran.
Qu Qingxi couldn't understand it at all, and was even greatly shocked.
He Liufeng didn't speak, but slowly sat down. He didn't know what his elder brother was thinking.
Younger brother? They share the same father and mother, how could they not be brothers?
"No, hasn't the Prime Minister already married one of his daughters to you? Why does he want to marry his other daughter to you as well? What is he planning? Is he trying to play the role of two women serving one husband?"
Qu Qingxi couldn't help but laugh. If it had been anyone else who said those words today, Qu Qingxi probably wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
She clearly saw that He Liufeng was about to die and wouldn't survive, so she pushed her unloved daughter forward. Now that she sees that he is still alive and fine, she is thinking of marrying her precious daughter back to him.
Qu Qingxi really wanted to ask Qu Lianhai on behalf of the original owner: was the original owner really his biological daughter? If it was a pit of fire, he would push her into it; if it was a blessed place, he would think of sending his most beloved daughter over.
How heartbroken would the original owner be if they heard this news?
Qu Lianhai is a real scoundrel!
"I've already refused, don't be angry. I never intended to let another woman into the Prince's mansion." Looking at the indignant Qu Qingxi, He Liufeng was amused.
"Alright, don't be angry about this. It's just a small matter. You see, although the Prime Minister asked the Emperor to ask you, at least the Emperor asked you beforehand, right? If he hadn't asked for your opinion and had just issued the decree to grant the marriage, that would have been really upsetting," Qu Qingxi comforted her.
Perhaps it was because of that incident, and also because the Emperor considered that He Liufeng was, after all, his younger brother, that he asked beforehand. If he had actually issued a decree to grant the marriage directly, Qu Qingxi would have felt a wave of dizziness.
"Mm." He Liufeng nodded with a smile, knowing that Qu Qingxi was trying to comfort him.
Leaving the study and returning to her own courtyard, Qu Qingxi summoned Qingdai.
"Your Highness, you wanted to see me?" Qingdai first carefully observed Qu Qingxi's expression. Seeing that her expression was normal, she was relieved. After all, she had just run off on her own, leaving the princess to go to the study alone, which was indeed a bit unethical.
It wasn't that she was disloyal; it was just that the prince was in a bad mood and easily angered, and she was afraid. Anyway, the prince loved the princess and wouldn't do anything to her.
"Well, Qingdai, I want to ask you something." Qu Qingxi's expression turned serious.
"Please speak, Your Highness. If Qingdai knows the answer, she will definitely tell you."
"Does Qu Qingran really like your prince?" Qu Qingxi looked up at Qingdai. Qingdai was someone close to He Liufeng, so she must know about these things.
"Huh? Uh..." Qingdai didn't expect Qu Qingxi to ask this question, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.
Could she retract what she just said, "I will definitely tell you anything Qingdai knows"?
"It's alright, tell me." Qu Qingxi indicated that she didn't mind. She had heard before that Qu Qingran liked He Liufeng, but she hadn't investigated the matter in detail.
Just now, He Liufeng mentioned that Qu Qingran should marry him as a concubine. Qu Qingxi guessed that Qu Qingran must have said something to Qu Lianhai.
Otherwise, given Qu Qingran's situation, even if Qu Lianhai wanted to ensure his daughter wouldn't be bullied in the future, he would choose to marry her off to someone he could control, rather than someone like He Liufeng, whom he couldn't control.
However, the fact that the Emperor dared to actually question He Liufeng after Qu Lianhai dared to speak out indicates that the Emperor was also considering the possibility of this matter.
If Qu Qingran really marries He Liufeng as a concubine, Qu Qingxi estimates that the biggest winner will be the Emperor. His subject's request has been fulfilled, and the Prime Minister will surely feel that the Emperor played a significant role in his daughter's marriage to a prince as a concubine.
He would surely be even more grateful to the Emperor. He Liufeng was a member of the He family and a member of the royal family, so Qu Lianhai would do his utmost to serve the Emperor.
Tsk tsk, what a clever scheme.
“Before, I heard that Qu Qingran liked the prince very much, but the prince definitely didn’t have any feelings for her at all. It was all her wishful thinking that she liked the prince.” Qingdai nodded and quickly explained for He Liufeng.
"Alright, alright, I know." Qu Qingxi waved her hand, Qingdai's words were as good as nothing.
However, since Qu Lianhai dared to cause her trouble, she shouldn't blame her for being impolite.
And Your Majesty, you really like being a good person, huh? Well then, I'll let you be one to your heart's content!
Seeing Qu Qingxi with her head down, seemingly lost in thought, Qingdai remembered the information she had just received and quickly told Qu Qingxi about it.
"Your Highness, Lingmu just said that something happened at Lord Xu Ding's residence." Qingdai deliberately kept everyone in suspense.
"Oh? What happened?" Even though she knew the truth, Qu Qingxi still asked cooperatively.
"The Xu family mansion was robbed last night. Xu Ding's courtyard, as well as the courtyards of Madam Xu, the eldest son of the Xu family, and the young lady of the Xu family, were all ransacked. Moreover, Xu Ding's treasury was also discovered, and everything inside was gone."
Xu Ding saw this news this morning and was so angry that he fainted. He didn't even attend the morning court session, and the emperor even sent a royal physician for him.
Qingdai spoke mysteriously.
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