Upon seeing He Liufeng and Qu Qingxi enter, Yongchang was somewhat taken aback, and then bowed to the two of them.
"Yongchang greets Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt."
"Princess, please get up." Qu Qingxi said, walked to Yongchang's side, and helped her up. She had a good impression of Yongchang; the girl was of good character and not a malicious person.
"Yongchang, is there something urgent that you came here so late?" He Liufeng sat down to the side and began to look Yongchang up and down.
Yongchang also sat down, but he just looked at He Liufeng without saying a word.
Qu Qingxi looked Yongchang over carefully again, assuming that Yongchang couldn't speak because of her presence, so she stood up and prepared to leave.
Yongchang noticed this as well, and forced a smile. "Aunt, no need, please sit down. There's no point in hiding this. We'll find out sooner or later anyway."
Seeing this, Qu Qingxi glanced at He Liufeng and sat down as well.
"Uncle, Yongchang would like to ask you for a favor." Yongchang lowered his head, his voice low and somber.
Then, she recounted the Emperor's plan to send her to a marriage alliance, as well as the reactions of the Empress and the Crown Prince.
Qu Qingxi and He Liufeng were clearly stunned; they hadn't actually received this news yet.
"Uncle, Yongchang doesn't want to go on this marriage alliance. Please, Uncle, save Yongchang!" Yongchang said, tears welling up in her eyes. When she was little, she and He Liufeng had a good relationship.
Later, fearing He Liufeng's methods, she and He Liufeng were not as close as before. However, at this moment, Yongchang regarded He Liufeng as the only person she could confide in.
"Yongchang, don't worry about this. The Zhou envoy didn't ask about our princess being sent to marry a foreign ruler," He Liufeng reassured him.
"Yes, they didn't say it, but Father Emperor was determined to send a princess to marry a foreign ruler. Moreover, to show his sincerity, he chose me." Yongchang kept wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, his voice full of grievance.
"When did this happen?" He Liufeng frowned. He obviously did not expect that the emperor would have a marriage alliance, and the marriage partner was Yongchang, the emperor's only legitimate princess.
"It was yesterday when I went to see my mother that she told me."
"The Zhou envoy has not yet indicated when he will leave, so this marriage alliance is currently just something the Emperor is thinking about. Since no decree has been issued yet, it means there is still room for maneuver, so you don't need to be too anxious."
He Liufeng glanced at the heartbroken Yongchang and said with concern, "In the future, if anything happens, just send someone to let us know. It's so late at night, and it's not safe for a young girl like you to go out like that."
Upon hearing this, Yongchang felt even more distressed. "Yongchang doesn't want to come out so late at night either, but now there are people monitoring my every move around the Princess's residence. It's only under the cover of darkness that I can easily come out."
"Surveillance? Whose people are they?" He Liufeng was even more surprised upon hearing this.
"I don't know either." Yongchang shook his head slightly. Father, Mother, Crown Prince, who else could it be but them?
"I understand about this, and I'll figure something out." He Liufeng waved his hand, signaling Yongchang not to worry.
"It's very late now. Do you want to go back or rest here?"
"No, Imperial Uncle, I'd better go back. As long as you agree to help me, that's enough. I really don't know who else to ask. Father values you so much, as long as you ask, he will definitely agree for your sake."
Qu Qingxi remained silent throughout, but upon hearing Princess Yongchang's words, she merely glanced at He Liufeng. Indeed, this was the Emperor's formidable skill.
Despite clearly disliking He Liufeng, she managed to make everyone believe that the Emperor valued He Liufeng the most.
"Alright, you go back first. I'll send someone to let you know when there's any progress on this matter." He Liufeng nodded, then glanced at Qingdai.
"Qingdai, escort the princess back, and make sure no one discovers your whereabouts."
Qingdai did not immediately answer He Liufeng's question, but turned to look at Qu Qingxi. She was now the princess's person, so why was the prince directly ordering her around?
When Qu Qingxi saw Qingdai looking at her questioningly, she nodded slightly. Yongchang was a princess, but when she first arrived, the guards around her were men. If any special situation arose, it would indeed be inconvenient. Qingdai was a woman, so it would be more convenient for her.
After Yongchang left, Qu Qingxi and He Liufeng returned to their room. The charcoal fire was burning brightly, and the room was warm.
"How could this be? Why would the Emperor suddenly want Yongchang to go for a marriage alliance?" Qu Qingxi found it very strange. This was all out of the blue. Zhou Wenli and the others hadn't made this request. Why would the Emperor suddenly have this idea?
“I don’t know either. I haven’t received this news yet. However, Zhou Wenli probably doesn’t mean that. His main purpose in coming here is probably to discuss something with the Xu family.” He Liufeng was also puzzled. He didn’t understand why the Emperor would do this.
"Moreover, Yongchang just said that when the Empress and the Crown Prince heard that if Yongchang didn't go for the marriage alliance, it would affect the Crown Prince's position, they immediately gave up on Yongchang. That's really a bit cold-blooded," Qu Qingxi couldn't help but sigh.
The transportation here is inconvenient, and everything is inconvenient. Those who are sent to marry foreign rulers have almost no chance of returning. The empress did not hesitate or feel any reluctance at all. The people in this harem are truly cold-blooded.
"That's how the royal family has always been. They'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals. There are plenty of people who have even killed their own children to bring down others." Compared to Qu Qingxi's reaction, He Liufeng didn't seem so surprised.
"Besides, since His Majesty said so, it means that the position of Crown Prince will belong to He Qi'an. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Empress will become the Empress Dowager. What does it matter if one daughter is sacrificed to obtain such a status?" He Liufeng chuckled, but his tone was full of sarcasm.
Qu Qingxi didn't say anything more, but looked at He Liufeng with a hint of heartache, guessing that He Liufeng must have thought of something, which was why he said that.
"Then how can we help Yongchang?" Qu Qingxi asked suspiciously. The Emperor's sudden move left her somewhat at a loss.
"If you want to help Yongchang, you must first find out why the Emperor has the idea of a marriage alliance. I will send someone to investigate this matter and see what is going on."
"Okay," Qu Qingxi replied. Just as the two were about to rest, there was another knock on the door.
The two of them paused and looked outside at the same time.
"Your Highness, Princess Anping requests an audience," Ling Mu's voice came from outside.
Princess Anping? Xu Yanyan?
What could she possibly want so late at night?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com