Yierha accepted the pair of jade lions, feeling somewhat moved. She had thought that her mother, the Empress Dowager, would scold her as soon as she arrived, but she hadn't expected her mother to remember her birthday. Her heart softened instantly, filled with gratitude.
"After this birthday, Yierha will be fifteen, and she will have reached the age of marriage. Your mother will prepare more hairpins and jewelry for you tomorrow so you can dress up nicely."
Yierha nodded gently: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
“His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and there are too many matters concerning the court and the harem. He has neglected you all recently.” Changning sighed softly. “It’s also my fault for not keeping a close eye on you.”
Yierha hurriedly shook his head, his tone somewhat urgent: "Empress Mother, it's all my fault, please don't say that. You and Father are already very busy, yet you still have to inquire about our daily lives. This matter is my fault, I was blinded by greed and didn't consider the royal family's reputation, I've brought shame upon you."
Changning disagreed with her: "Yierha, do you really think we're so angry because we're ashamed of what you did?"
Yierha was a little stunned; she didn't know how to answer.
"The Emperor is preparing to bestow a marriage upon you and Xingde. A few years ago, to prevent you from marrying into the Mongol tribe, he chose this person and also discussed it with your mother beforehand. You should know about this, right?"
Yierha nodded.
"This matter is already a done deal. The Ulanara clan has been keeping a close watch on Xingde. The backyard is very clean, without a single woman. They have been waiting for this imperial decree for so many years."
"What about Bayan? You like him, but do you know anything about him?" Changning asked Yierha in return. She had already guessed that this silly girl had no intention of having anyone investigate Bayan's background.
Yierha replied with some suspicion, "He...he told me that he only fell in love with me at first sight...and could not look at any other woman."
Changning shattered her illusions: "Bayan already has four maids serving him."
...
Yierha was completely stunned.
She suddenly felt like a fool.
Changning continued, "Bayan and Xingde have never gotten along. He is the late Fujin's nephew and considers himself to be the next successor of the Ulanara clan. He is also very competitive. You can ask Honghui to confirm this."
His family had already arranged a marriage for him, but the man's family was of low social standing; his father was only a fifth-rank official. Bayan knew about this marriage and that he was already engaged.
Knowing that you two were engaged, he still took the initiative to contact you, and even tried to win over you and the palace servants who served Honghui.
Yierha, think about it from another perspective. He's managed to pull these strings, and now he's just passing on messages and things. What if one day he harbors malicious intentions and wants to harm you?
The people around you are his informants; do you think you can escape?
Yierha broke out in a cold sweat.
The Empress Dowager's meaning couldn't be clearer.
Bayan was jealous of Xingde's marriage to him and wanted to sabotage it, trying to steal what he considered an "excellent marriage." After all, everyone knew that marrying the emperor's eldest princess was a better prospect than marrying the daughter of a fifth-rank official.
But a faint thought lingered in her mind: what if?
What if Bayan really likes me and is willing to overcome all these obstacles to be with me?
Although she knew her idea was ridiculous, she was genuinely unwilling to give up.
Is it possible that my first genuine feelings will be betrayed like this?
It wasn't that she didn't understand these intricacies; she had witnessed such sycophancy and climbing the social ladder in the palace since childhood. However, she truly refused to believe it and didn't want to accept that she had been so poor at judging people.
Changning expressed his understanding, saying that no one would be willing to accept this situation.
She suggested to Yierha that they try it on Bayan.
"How do we try it?" Yierha asked, puzzled.
Changning sneered, "Just say that your affair has been exposed and the Emperor is going to issue an edict to execute him. Let's hear what he has to say."
Yierha pursed his lips, and finally nodded in agreement.
Yinzhen had prepared a box of birthday gifts and instructed someone to send them to Yierha. He also planned to go and spend the evening with his daughter, but unexpectedly, he saw Changning waiting at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the afternoon.
"It's getting windy, why did you come here?" Yinzhen quickly took her hand, and seeing that her hand was a little cold, he immediately became displeased. "How are the people around you serving you? You didn't even announce the Empress's arrival. What if she catches a cold?"
Su Peisheng hurriedly bowed and admitted his guilt: "It's my fault, I didn't have time to inform them."
Changning laughed: "Alright, it has nothing to do with Eunuch Su. I just arrived and you came out."
"Come on, let's go inside and talk." Yinzhen hurriedly ordered someone to bring hot tea.
Changning told Yinzhen everything that had happened that morning, what Zhao Fuhai had found out, and her conversation with Yierha.
Yinzhen was initially taken aback upon hearing this, but later flew into a rage. He picked up the teacup beside him, intending to smash it, but then he noticed that Changning was still there and, fearing that the hot tea might hurt her, he stopped himself.
"This Bayan is a wolf in sheep's clothing! He actually dared to do such a thing in the palace! He's courting death! What, is he using my daughter as his ladder to heaven?"
Not content with just scolding him, Yinzhen immediately wanted to summon Honghui. After all, this whole affair was caused by Honghui bringing Haha Pearl to see the eldest princess. Moreover, Bayan was Honghui's cousin, and the two had always been close. Yinzhen wanted to find out whether Honghui knew anything about this.
However, before Su Peisheng could be called in, Changning stopped him.
“It’s pointless to pursue Honghui’s responsibility now. Yierha is still thinking about Bayan. It’s better to deal with Bayan first and then deal with Honghui later. If you call Honghui over and berate him now, won’t you be alerting him?”
Moreover... Changning didn't say the rest.
She had barely entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation when Honghui was summoned and scolded. No matter how she looked at it, she was starting to resemble a treacherous concubine.
Being a stepmother is difficult, and she was unwilling to get involved in this mess.
Let's deal with Bayan first, and as for Honghui, let Yinzhen handle him himself.
After being persuaded by her, Yinzhen calmed down considerably. After pondering for a while, he ordered someone to summon Bayan and Yierha. He also placed a screen nearby and soon had Changning and Yierha sit behind it to observe how Bayan would act.
In the Imperial Study
Today is Yierha's birthday, and Honghui has specially prepared a carved ornament and some trinkets that girls like that he found outside the palace for his older sister, which he plans to give to her.
But then he saw Bayan peeking around, and when asked, he chuckled and said, "I was just curious because I saw you preparing so many things for girls."
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