"Zhen'er, serve tea to Miss Amber." Xu Yuehuai gestured for her to sit down, then asked, "Did Her Majesty summon Miss Amber today just to bring me some tonics?"
Amber nodded, then asked, "Princess, how are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"
Xu Yuehuai forced a smile and replied, "Much better."
"That's good. Her Majesty the Empress always thinks of you," Amber said to herself with a smile. "By the way, Princess, have you heard of Cui Zige?"
Xu Yuehuai paused for a moment.
She had never heard of Cui Zige before, but the surname Cui seemed familiar, as it appeared to be the Empress's maternal family.
She shook her head.
Amber deliberately kept everyone in suspense before saying, "This young master Cui Zige is truly proficient in both literary and military arts."
"Princess, let me tell you about this young Master Cui. He is truly a remarkable young man." She became more and more excited as she spoke. "Moreover, he is the Empress's own nephew."
Upon hearing what Amber said, Xu Yuehuai instantly understood what she meant.
The empress is preparing to bring the two of them together.
However, she was unwilling.
Seeing Amber like this, Xu Yuehuai felt extremely irritated and decided to pretend to faint.
Lady Zhenguo noticed something amiss and immediately went forward to cover Xu Yuehuai with a blanket.
"Go quickly and fetch the doctor," the Duchess of Zhenguo called out in a serious manner. "Aunt Amber, please come to the front hall first."
The Duchess of Zhenguo's meaning was very clear: she wanted to get rid of Amber, but she wouldn't give up until she achieved her goal.
She stood at the door and brought up Cui Zige's matter again, nothing more than praising how wonderful the Empress's nephew was, or how great the marriage between Cui and Xu was.
"Madam, you must have heard of this young Master Cui; he's truly a promising young man," Amber said to the Duchess when Xu Yuehuai remained silent. "So many young ladies are lining up to marry him."
She deliberately raised her voice so that Xu Yuehuai could hear her too.
"Yes, young master Cui is indeed a handsome man." The Duchess of Zhenguo naturally understood the Empress's meaning; she was intentionally trying to matchmake A-Yue with her nephew.
She couldn't afford to offend the Empress's people, so she could only join in the praise. Seeing this, Amber added, "Madam of the Duke of Zhenguo, since you think so too, then please persuade Princess Heyue more."
"If this matter succeeds, it will be a great joy, and you will be able to get closer to Her Majesty the Empress," Amber said with a smile.
Lady Zhenguo thought to herself, "Aunt Amber, I am only the princess's godmother. I think it's best for A-Yue to make her own decision about this important marriage."
After she finished speaking, Amber's expression changed immediately.
Well, it seems the people of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion don't respect the Empress.
Fearing that Amber would continue her nagging, the Duchess of Zhenguo simply quoted the Emperor.
“Aunt Amber, it seems that the Emperor also intends to arrange the princess’s marriage to the newly appointed top scholar. If Young Master Cui is truly capable, why not get first place and ask His Majesty to grant the marriage? It would be better than you and me arranging it privately.”
As soon as the Duchess of Zhenguo finished speaking, Amber began to persuade her again, "Duchess of Zhenguo, you are, after all, the Princess's godmother. You should at least help her look after other people's children."
Amber began her analysis: "You said that the new top scholar for this year has not yet been decided, and Lord Cui is a well-known and talented man. Why do you want the princess to take the risk?"
Amber's words immediately angered the Duchess of Zhenguo. What did she mean by taking a risk?
"Someone, see Aunt Amber out." The Duchess of Zhenguo actually ordered someone to see the guest out, which was a clear sign of her displeasure.
Amber was naturally unhappy on the way back. "What's there to be proud of? The marriage alliance between Cui and Xu is a huge reward, and they actually dared to refuse it?"
...
As Amber was pondering this, the sedan chair arrived at the palace gate, and she immediately went inside to report back to the palace.
"Your Majesty, they refuse." Amber stated simply and clearly, and indeed, that was the outcome.
The Empress originally thought that Xu Yuehuai and the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would be extremely grateful, but she did not expect them to be so arrogant as to refuse.
"What happened?" the Empress asked, wondering how things had turned out this way.
"I first went to deliver the gift to the princess, and when I mentioned Lord Cui, she fainted. Then the Duchess of Zhenguo asked me to leave."
Amber said, her anger rising, "I told her outside that the Duchess of Zhenguo initially didn't express her opinion, but later said she would listen to the Princess."
“When I talked to her again, she brought up the Emperor and eventually had the guests sent away.”
Amber sounded extremely aggrieved; it was indeed a perfectly good job, but it ended up like this.
"Very well, it seems the people from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion are openly going against me?" The Empress said, her face turning cold.
"Since they are all so ungrateful, and Xu Yuehuai is even more so, then let's just get rid of her." After the Empress finished speaking, she gestured for him to come forward and massage her back.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Amber said, and quickly stepped forward to serve the Empress.
...
On another note, Consort Min naturally also learned about Xu Yuehuai's departure from the palace. She came to the palace but didn't have a chance to take her life before Xu Yuehuai left again.
Then all her planning over the past few days would have been for nothing, and Xu Mingzhi has been in her palace the whole time; just looking at him is disgusting.
She always felt that the Empress was deliberately going against her.
She was already in a bad mood when Xu Mingzhi came again: "Your Majesty, could you please give me some more food and drink?"
He forced a smile onto his face, but to Consort Min, it only made him look even more disgusting.
Moreover, Xu Mingzhi has gained a lot of weight since he arrived.
Consort Min didn't even want to look at him; she simply waved her hand, signaling Pingping to deal with him.
Pingping immediately summoned a palace maid and led him to a nearby hall for a meal.
"Your Highness, I have a method, but I don't know if it will work?" Pingping said while massaging Consort Min's shoulders.
Consort Min felt better, and she also wanted to hear what good ideas were available: "Go ahead."
"Your Majesty, we can have His Highness the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister bribe the examiners to ensure Xu Mingzhi is selected as the top scholar." Pingping had barely finished speaking when Consort Min was about to lose her temper.
“Pingping, I think you’ve gone mad. You know perfectly well that I get upset just looking at Xu Mingzhi, yet you still want him to be the top scholar.”
Pingping quickly comforted Consort Min: "Your Highness, listen to what I have to say, if this matter fails, we can simply push it onto Xu Yuehuai."
“If he succeeds, Xu Mingzhi will become the top scholar and he will remember the Empress’s kindness. At that time, won’t he follow your lead?” After Pingping finished speaking, Consort Min also showed a satisfied smile.
“Okay, this is feasible.” The two exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly at each other.
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