The Empress wanted to say something, but at this moment all the court officials and their families were present, and the Emperor was sitting next to her. She could only keep giving the Crown Prince meaningful glances, signaling him to take back what he had just said. However, the Crown Prince seemed not to see her signals and just looked firmly at the Emperor.
The Emperor fell silent, glanced at the Crown Prince for a moment, and then looked down at the hall below, asking, "Where is the Fourth Miss Ren of the Marquis of Dingguo's residence?"
Ren Nuanyun quickly stood up, walked behind the Crown Prince, and knelt down. "Your subject, Ren Nuanyun, greets Your Majesty."
"Ren Nuanyun, daughter of the Marquis of Dingguo, is gentle and graceful, exceptionally talented and beautiful, and of noble character. She is hereby granted the title of Princess Mingxiu and bestowed the title of Crown Princess. The marriage will take place next March." The Emperor looked at the two kneeling below and spoke slowly.
"Your subject, Ren Nuanyun, thanks Your Majesty." Ren Nuanyun was overjoyed. She hadn't expected that the Emperor would not only grant her a marriage but also bestow upon her the title of Princess. So she looked at the Crown Prince with delight.
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for bestowing this marriage upon you." The Crown Prince was also beaming with joy. He turned to look at Ren Nuanyun, and the moment their eyes met, it was as if fireworks were exploding in their eyes.
None of them expected that the Emperor not only did not object, but also specially elevated Ren Nuanyun's status.
The Empress sat above, her right hand gripping the cup tightly, almost grinding her teeth to powder. She hadn't expected the Emperor to agree to the Crown Prince's request. Ren Nuanyun was clearly of no help to the Crown Prince's position, so why did the Emperor agree? Why!
Qu Qingxi and He Liufeng exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
Qu Qingxi raised an eyebrow slightly, sighing inwardly. Ren Nuanyun was indeed formidable. This trip with the Crown Prince had actually made him willing to give up other people who could help him for her sake.
Crown Prince, Crown Princess, not bad, not bad, Ren Nuanyun is indeed amazing!
Ren Nuanyun's face was full of joy, and she even glanced smugly at Qu Qingxi. So what if she was a princess? She was a county princess herself, and she would have plenty of opportunities to get rid of Qu Qingxi in the future.
Qu Qingxi must die, and He Liufeng can only ever be her male supporting character. This time when she comes back, she will definitely not let Qu Qingxi go.
Qu Qingxi noticed the calculation in Ren Nuanyun's eyes and scoffed. So what if she was a princess? She didn't take her seriously at all. Their contest had only just begun.
She won't let me go, so how could I let her go?
At the same time, Qu Qingxi also noticed that Qu Qingran was staring at her with a resentful look.
After the incident, the emperor issued a special decree to silence the lady who witnessed the scene that day, and all the palace maids and eunuchs present, except for Laifu who was by the emperor's side, were executed.
The matter was suppressed. It was said that the man was someone from Consort Chen's maternal family, and that the incident occurred because he was drunk. The man was also secretly executed. Anyone with eyes could see that he was just a scapegoat.
Although the matter was suppressed, how could those ladies really keep their mouths shut? The story still spread in secret, and when people looked at Qu Qingran, their faces carried an indescribable meaning.
The young masters who were vying to marry Qu Qingran all disappeared within a day.
With Qu Lianhai's power, even if the emperor tried to cover up the news, he still found out that the empress was behind it. If it weren't for the empress's scheme, his precious daughter would never have suffered such a calamity. Wei Shuqin and Qu Lianhai hated the empress because of this.
However, they also knew that Qu Qingxi must have been behind this, because this game was originally set up for Qu Qingxi. If Qu Qingxi had been involved, Qu Qingran would not have been in trouble. They also hated Qu Qingxi very much.
However, since marrying the Prince of Nanqing, Qu Qingxi has hardly returned to the Prime Minister's residence. The Prince of Nanqing's residence is heavily guarded, so even if they wanted to take action against Qu Qingxi, they couldn't.
Even when Qu Qingxi goes out on ordinary days, she is always protected by experts arranged by the King of Nanqing, so they have no way to make a move.
Today's palace banquet has brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
Ever since the Empress heard the news of the arranged marriage, she had been forcing a smile on her face. When she returned to Fengyi Palace, she threw a huge tantrum and was about to smash things, but was stopped by Yang Mama.
"How dare you!" The Empress was even angrier when she saw Yang Mama blocking her way.
Yang Mama immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, please calm down. His Majesty is in a great mood today, and the Crown Prince has also made a contribution. His Majesty will definitely come to Fengyi Palace tonight. Your Majesty must be patient. If His Majesty comes in and finds that Your Majesty is throwing a tantrum and smashing things, it will inevitably anger His Majesty again, and it will be a loss!"
Seeing that the Empress seemed to have taken her words to heart, Yang Mama continued, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has only bestowed the marriage upon you. The Crown Prince's wedding date is set for March next year. Anything can happen during this time. Why should Your Majesty harm your health over something so unfounded?"
Hearing what Yang Mama said, the Empress's body immediately went limp. Yes, it was only September now, and the wedding wouldn't take place until March next year. There was still a long time. In these six months, everything was unknown. If she wanted to do something, it would be a piece of cake.
Thinking of this, the Empress immediately grabbed Yang Mama's hand, "Yang Mama, you're right. Anything can happen during this time. Everything is still uncertain. We still have a chance."
"Yes, Your Majesty, she is just a young girl from the Marquis of Dingguo's household. You are the Empress, why get angry over such a person?"
"Granny Yang, you are so thoughtful. I almost lost my composure because of this."
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has rendered a great service. The Emperor will surely be coming to Fengyi Palace soon. Your Majesty, why don't you change your clothes and dress up nicely?"
The Empress nodded, then walked to the dressing table and sat down. Looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror, she couldn't help but sigh, "Granny Yang, I'm already old, my beauty is gone. There are plenty of young and delicate girls in the palace, so how could the Emperor still like me?"
"Your Majesty, you are the mother of the nation and the head of the inner palace. Who in the palace does not envy you? What does it matter if those young girls are beautiful? They rely on their looks to serve others, but when their beauty fades, their love will be lost. They will only ever be a lowly concubine in their entire lives."
Besides, in the harem, having a prince is the key to success. Your son is the crown prince, and he will eventually sit on the throne. Why bother arguing with them?
Forgive my bluntness, but the emperor's favor is like willow catkins in the wind; it will dissipate with the slightest breeze. Only those with power can do whatever they want.
After Yang Mama finished speaking, she noticed that the Empress was staring intently at her. She suddenly realized what she had said and quickly knelt down. "This old servant has spoken out of turn. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The Empress suddenly grabbed Yang Mama's arm, "You're right, I was narrow-minded."
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