She had already planned it all out. As soon as Xu Yuehuai agreed, she would immediately keep him in the palace to continue accompanying her, and then bring her nephew into the palace as well. In this way, the marriage would proceed smoothly.
Xu Yuehuai was about to speak when she was stopped by the Duchess of Zhenguo.
She quickly gave a wry smile: "What's so good about it? It just means she can go out again. The doctor said that she's the type to overthink things. If she doesn't get sick, it's fine, but once she does, it's hard to get better. There's nothing we can do but pile up precious medicines."
Her words effectively shut down the Empress's argument, and the Empress's face immediately turned somewhat ugly.
Just then, Amber immediately came to report: "Your Majesty, the Cui family's son has arrived. He said he passed the imperial examination and ranked fifth in the second class. He came specifically to tell Your Majesty so that Your Majesty can be happy too."
"Oh? Quickly let him in," the Queen said with a smile.
She had been thinking about how to bring up the marriage proposal, but she never expected the opportunity to come so suddenly.
She immediately turned to the Duchess of Zhenguo and smiled, "My nephew is the most filial, and even I, his aunt, benefit from it. I wonder which family's daughter he will marry in the future; perhaps she will be a considerate one as well."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right." The Duchess of Zhenguo agreed on the surface, but in her heart she was deliberately playing dumb.
She had long understood that since the Empress had failed to establish relations with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion through Xu Yuehuai, she had set her sights on marriage.
The Empress was very displeased upon hearing this and couldn't help but purse her lips.
However, she was still unwilling to give up so easily: "Has A-Yue's marriage been settled yet?"
"It hasn't been decided yet," Xu Yuehuai replied.
However, after listening for so long, she naturally understood the unspoken meaning in their words and immediately spoke up: "His Majesty said earlier that he wanted to marry my daughter to the newly appointed top scholar, so my parents could no longer arrange marriages for me. However, my godfather has already inquired and found that the newly appointed top scholar, Xu Cheng, comes from an excellent family, has a good background, and is good-looking. He is a person worthy of entrusting one's life to. My father said that he will ask His Majesty and then finalize the marriage."
Her words once again silenced the Empress.
Fortunately, Cui Zige walked in at that moment.
"Your Majesty, my aunt." He quickly bowed.
When the Empress saw the only capable male member of the Cui family, her eyes crinkled with laughter. She quickly pointed to the Duchess of Zhenguo and Xu Yuehuai and said, "Good, good, first greet the Duchess of Zhenguo and Princess Heyue."
Upon receiving the message, Cui Zige immediately looked at the two people beside him.
The moment he saw Xu Yuehuai, his eyes widened in surprise: "This must be the owner of Tianxiang Tower. I visited her a few days ago but did not get to see her. However, I have heard of her abilities and admire her greatly. Seeing her today, I can see that she is indeed different from ordinary women."
The Empress was very pleased to hear this.
Even though the Emperor had previously promised Xu Yuehuai a marriage with the newly appointed top scholar, the top scholar had not yet been determined, so it was not valid at all. As long as Cui Zige made an effort, he would surely win Xu Yuehuai's heart.
"Young Master Cui, you flatter me," Xu Yuehuai said, forcing a smile.
For a moment, she couldn't tell whether the man's words came from the bottom of his heart or had been pre-arranged with the Empress.
The Duchess of Zhenguo looked Cui Zige up and down and thought he was quite handsome.
However, she had already heard that the inner quarters of the Cui family were very chaotic, and that the young ladies from the cousins and other relatives were used to associating with the young master of the Cui family. Before Cui Zige took the imperial examination, he even got a maid pregnant.
If her daughter, A-Yue, were to marry someone like that, she'd have endless messes to clean up in the future.
Thinking of this, she immediately gave Xu Yuehuai a wink.
Xu Yuehuai nodded quickly.
The Empress, always quick to seize an opportunity, spoke up immediately: "Ah Yue, look at my nephew's appearance. He's even more handsome than the newly appointed top scholar!"
"Your Majesty is just teasing me. I've never met the top scholar, so naturally I don't know anything about him," Xu Yuehuai immediately tried to cover it up.
As expected, her words immediately turned the Empress's face cold.
But Cui Zige didn't mind at all, and instead said frankly: "When I was in the examination hall, I had the honor of meeting Brother Xu. His appearance is beyond my reach."
Xu Yuehuai was immediately surprised. She had thought this person must be a hypocrite, but she was wrong. Being able to openly admit that he was not as good as others was a rare quality.
For this reason, her opinion of Cui Zige gradually changed, and her eyes fell on Cui Zige several times, thinking that this person was not bad.
Lady Zhenguo saw this and couldn't help but sigh. She knew that Cui Zige's behavior was purely an act, but she dared not say it directly in front of the Empress. She could only find an excuse and leave with Xu Yuehuai.
Before long, the two were on their way to Fukang Palace.
"Don't be fooled by Cui Zige's appearance. He even got his own maid pregnant before," the Duchess of Zhenguo said in a low voice after looking around.
"Such a thing happened? What happened to that maid afterwards?" Xu Yuehuai was shocked and hurriedly went to her side to ask as well.
Upon hearing this, the Duchess of Zhenguo shook her head, and Xu Yuehuai's heart skipped a beat. This head shake had two meanings: either she didn't know, or the person was already gone.
Xu Yuehuai naturally hoped for the first interpretation, since no news was good news nonetheless.
But no matter which outcome it is, it proves that Cui Zige's previous demeanor was completely an act.
Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but tremble all over. If it weren't for the Lady of Zhenguo holding her tightly, she would have rushed back to expose Cui Zige's hypocritical mask.
On the other side, after Xu Yuehuai and the other person left, Cui Zige immediately reverted to his carefree attitude. He sat cross-legged on the table, picked through a plate of fruit, and threw the ones he didn't like onto the ground.
Finally, taking a bite of an apple, he said to the Empress, "Aunt, what kind of people have you picked? Who are you putting them up for? Me? I prefer women with a more alluring figure, who can serve me well in bed. Can someone like that serve me well?"
"Try spouting another load of nonsense!" The Empress nearly choked with rage upon hearing this.
“I’m telling you, Aunt, you’re old, your taste is outdated,” Cui Zige said, rolling her eyes without a care in the world.
"Get him out of here!" The Empress was furious and immediately ordered her men to throw Cui Zige out.
She was so angry that her head started to ache. Seeing this, her maidservant quickly stepped forward and massaged it a few times, which eased her furrowed brows a little.
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