"Oh? Why?" The Emperor suddenly became interested.
Qi Guze paused for a moment, then continued, “Your Majesty, Manager Xu first took in the Crown Prince, ensuring he wouldn’t have to wander aimlessly. Later, out of concern for my safety, she went alone to the Kingdom of Mingyue and befriended the little princess, thus preventing the Ninth Princess from being forced into a marriage alliance and war. As a woman, she has made such great contributions and deserves to be rewarded.”
The Emperor nodded in agreement, agreeing that Xu Yuehuai deserved the award, especially since she was also an excellent cook.
When Zhao Min saw the Emperor nod, she panicked and, disregarding all etiquette, immediately said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable."
"Why?" The Emperor never expected there to be another voice among them.
Zhao Min only spoke up because she didn't want Xu Yuehuai to be granted the title of princess. She couldn't think of any problem to use as an excuse.
Unexpectedly, Consort Min spoke first: "Your Majesty, the fact that the Ninth Princess doesn't have to go to the Mingyue Kingdom for a political marriage is not thanks to Xu Yuehuai, but clearly thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"How could a woman like her go to the Kingdom of Dark Moon alone and even get involved with the Kingdom of Dark Moon's little princess? Isn't she a traitor?" She believed that all of this was thanks to Ah Qi and had nothing to do with Xu Yuehuai.
The Duchess of Zhenguo and Qi Guze, who were standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch their lips upon hearing this. This Consort Min was really good at talking nonsense.
Zhao Min was happy to see them get their comeuppance, thinking that her aunt was really something else, and a smug look appeared on her face.
Xu Yuehuai felt displeased upon hearing this. These two, Zhao Min and her companion, couldn't stand to see her doing well, could they? But Xu Yuehuai was no pushover either.
Xu Yuehuai immediately chimed in sarcastically, "I think the real reason His Highness the Crown Prince wants the Ninth Princess to go on a marriage alliance with the Mingyue Kingdom is that."
Hearing this from the side, Ah Qi suddenly felt extremely flustered. He hated Xu Yuehuai and the others for talking nonsense, and he was even more afraid that his identity would be exposed. In an instant, he felt that everyone's eyes were on him, and he became anxious.
He decided to pretend to faint first.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has fainted," Liuli exclaimed immediately upon seeing this.
Just now, Consort Min and Xu Yuehuai mentioned the Crown Prince, and everyone started to think about him. Then they heard from the maid that the Crown Prince had fainted. There must be some connection between these events.
The Emperor had finally regained his peace of mind and found Ah Qi to be very considerate, so naturally he had no suspicions.
Seeing Ah Qi faint, he was naturally extremely nervous and immediately ordered, "Summon the imperial physician."
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly moved aside, waiting for the imperial physician to arrive.
In no time, Imperial Physician Zhang arrived. He first consulted the Emperor, and then noticed the wink given to him by Marquis Ningyuan. After a moment's hesitation, he immediately stepped forward to take the Crown Prince's pulse.
After taking the Crown Prince's pulse, Physician Zhang examined his eyelids and then reported, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince fainted due to exhaustion. He will wake up with some rest."
“Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has always felt that he has been living a life of constant wandering and is different from the other princes and princesses. Therefore, in order to catch up with the other princes, he has not been able to eat and sleep properly for a long time.” Upon hearing this, Liuli immediately knelt down and cried. “I beg Your Majesty to advise the Crown Prince in the future not to belittle himself because of the words of the other princes.”
Her words not only affirmed Ah Qi's hard work these past few days, but also inadvertently reported on the other princes.
The emperor's face immediately turned cold.
Marquis Ningyuan had been observing the situation from a distance, and when he saw this scene, he knew that his opportunity had arrived.
He immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is truly working extremely hard. He will surely achieve great things in the future. Today, he should take good care of his health."
The Emperor nodded in agreement, suppressing his displeasure, and focused all his attention on Ah Qi. Seeing that he was working so hard but was exhausted, he knew that Ah Qi really needed to rest.
"Xia Bingsheng, bring out all the Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng from the storeroom to nourish His Highness the Crown Prince." This one sentence was enough to prove Ah Qi's importance in his heart.
The other princes immediately turned cold upon hearing this.
Although the current emperor has not yet reprimanded them, it is hard to guarantee that he will not say anything more in the future.
But Marquis Ningyuan had a wicked idea in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the Emperor's concern for Ah Qi, he said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Manager Xu's culinary skills are unparalleled, and she understands His Highness the Crown Prince's eating habits. If she were to take care of His Highness the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, it would surely be twice as effective."
Upon hearing this, Qi Guze and the Duchess of Zhenguo frowned immediately. This was clearly treating Xu Yuehuai like a maid, and even subtly diminishing the status of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion.
Moreover, if Xu Yuehuai were to enter the Eastern Palace, no matter what Ningyuan Hou wanted to do to her, they would be unable to stop her in time.
"Your Majesty, this is not appropriate," Qi Guze immediately interjected.
The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo also agreed, saying, "I also think it is against the rules."
The two of them stared coldly at Marquis Ningyuan, wishing they could tear him apart on the spot, knowing he had no good intentions.
"Your Majesty, A-Yue is not only a meritorious official of the dynasty, but also the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. If she were to enter the Eastern Palace to serve the Crown Prince, it would be inappropriate for her status." The Empress had been thinking about how to win the heart of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but she did not expect the opportunity to come to her so quickly.
The Emperor stroked his beard, frowning slightly: "I also feel there's something amiss..."
He had only spoken halfway when Consort Min interjected, "Your Majesty, since Xu Yuehuai took care of the Crown Prince for so long, she must have felt sorry for him. Besides, their past relationship is definitely not something we can explain. Right now, she is just taking care of the Crown Prince. What's wrong with that?"
"The most important thing right now is His Highness the Crown Prince's health. Taking good care of His Highness the Crown Prince is the most important thing. Otherwise, if the foundation of the country is in trouble, who can bear this responsibility?" After she finished speaking, she did not forget to glance at the Empress and the others.
The Emperor remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, while Qi Guze and the Duchess of Zhenguo looked even more displeased.
"Your Majesty..." Qi Guze wanted to say something more, but unexpectedly, Consort Min interrupted him again.
Consort Min glanced at them again and then said, "Your Majesty, we have all witnessed Manager Xu's culinary skills. If she were to take care of His Highness the Crown Prince, he would surely recover quickly."
Zhao Min was delighted to see the situation turn around again. She felt happy whenever she saw Xu Yuehuai and the others suffer setbacks.
"By imperial decree, Xu Yuehuai is hereby conferred the title of Princess, with the honorary title of Heyue." The Emperor immediately issued the decree with a wave of his hand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com