Chapter 536: Afraid of Surprises Turning into Shocks
Lu Xiang followed Yun Lu to the side hall.
Shaohua was holding the copper water. Queen Song was washing her hands. When she saw Lu Xiang coming in, she smiled and called her, "Xiangxiang is here. Come and sit down. Mulberry leaves, make some tea."
Sang Ye responded with a smile, bowed and went back to make tea.
Lu Xiang bowed to Queen Song and then sat down beside her.
The table was filled with account books, so densely packed that it was dizzying to look at.
"Has a new batch of gold brocade been sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Queen Song wiped her hands and let Shaohua apply ointment on her hands to protect them.
Lu Xiang nodded: "Yes, Furong Pavilion has just hired an embroiderer who made several paintings using the kesi technique. I brought them to the palace and gave them to Eunuch Wei, asking him to show them to the head nanny of the Needlework Bureau."
Eunuch Wei is the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.
Upon hearing this, Queen Song raised her eyebrows with interest and said, "I have heard of and seen kesi before, but the craftsmanship is mediocre. The one that caught your eye and was sent to the palace must have excellent craftsmanship. I would like to see it for myself."
"I guarantee that Her Majesty will be astonished when she sees it." Lu Xiang said without any modesty.
Furong Pavilion has to do business in the palace. Even though it has the protection of the Queen, it has to deal directly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Lu Xiang cannot rely on Queen Song for everything. Although the eunuchs and maids are servants, if they use some tricks, it will be hard to guard against.
After all, she is not the master of the palace.
Moreover, most of the communication between Furong Pavilion and the palace is handled by Mu Jin, so things must be done according to the rules.
After hearing this, Queen Song turned to Shaohua and said, "Shaohua, tell Nanny Sun from the Needlework Bureau to bring the things to Jingren Palace for me to see as soon as possible."
"Yes, your majesty." Shaohua responded respectfully.
Sang Ye entered the hall and served tea, gently placing it in front of Lu Xiang, and said softly, "Miss San, this Biluochun is a tribute just delivered this year. Please try it. If you don't like it, I can change it for you."
Lu Xiang picked up the teacup, took a sip, and smiled: "It tastes fresh and fragrant, very delicious."
Sang Ye retreated happily.
Queen Song waved her hand and asked all the palace staff to leave.
"The Imperial Astronomical Observatory has already calculated an auspicious date. We will go to the Lu Mansion to propose marriage in three days. Because the emperor attaches great importance to Chu Jinyan, the Ministry of Rites has been very busy these days. I want to tell you in advance so that you won't be too busy and make mistakes on that day."
Lu Xiang was completely stunned after hearing this and stared blankly at Queen Song.
"Propose...propose?" After a long while, Lu Xiang finally found his voice and said in disbelief, "He didn't mention it to me."
Before leaving Beijing, she went to see him off, and Chu Jinyan said that she would ask the emperor to grant them marriage when he returned to Beijing.
But didn’t he just return to Beijing a few days ago?
"Has the emperor agreed?" Lu Xiang asked again after a pause.
Queen Song smiled and nodded, "Yes, otherwise the Ministry of Rites wouldn't have taken it so seriously. The Eighth wanted to give you a surprise, and specifically asked me not to reveal any news to you. But I thought about it and realized that this is a big deal, and I don't want you to be shocked instead of surprised."
There were so many people in the palace and the Ministry of Rites, and she didn't want Lu Xiang to be laughed at.
This should be a day that people envy and hate.
Lu Xiang looked at Queen Song with gratitude: "Your Majesty still loves me."
If the queen didn't say it, she would definitely be frightened. Wouldn't she have any face if she made a fool of herself?
"I am still not very willing to marry you to him. If he dares to bully you in the future, just tell me. Even if I have never given birth to him, I am still his nominal mother. I will definitely teach him a lesson." Queen Song gritted her teeth and said with a look of regret, as if "her own juicy cabbage was eaten by a pig."
Lu Xiang was touched: "Thank you for your kindness, Madam."
Queen Song looked at Lu Xiang lovingly and said, "I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse for you to marry Chu Jinyan at this time. If he fails, you will also have to pay with your life. Otherwise, there is still a glimmer of hope."
Lu Xiang looked at Queen Song, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he smiled charmingly: "Your Majesty, I am willing."
She had been prepared since she rescued Chu Jinyan at Hua'an Temple and planned to cling to his power.
She wants revenge, and no matter which path she takes, it will be difficult.
To this day, this road is still difficult to travel, but it has spawned infinite possibilities.
What's more, the network of connections behind Chu Jinyan is much stronger than in his previous life.
Queen Song smiled and said, "Since you have made up your mind, then I have nothing to hesitate about. From the beginning, the emperor only wanted to enthrone Chu Jinyan as the crown prince. This is his greatest support. I can't guess how many people in the court are at his service, but since the Song family is tied to him, they will use all their power to help him ascend to the throne. His greatest enemies are the second and fifth brothers, but the fifth brother is no longer a threat. I guess the emperor will take action when he returns to the capital."
"I heard from His Highness that it's no wonder that I haven't heard any orders from the Emperor."
"We finally won a victory at the border. Although we asked the second and fifth sons to go and not take any credit, we were afraid that it would affect the morale of the army, so we only waited for the fifth son to return to the capital to deal with it. As for Concubine Xian, she has been imprisoned in Tongxin Palace."
When she heard the word "Xianpin", something flashed through Lu Xiang's mind like lightning, but it was so fast that she couldn't catch it, so she couldn't help but frown.
"What's wrong?" Queen Song asked when she saw this.
Lu Xiang shook his head and said, "The Concubine Xian is imprisoned, and the palace seems to be very peaceful."
"She is guilty of murdering the prince and should be put to death. Concubine Xian refused to plead guilty and believed that the Eighth Prince deliberately framed the Fifth Prince. But the Emperor was unwilling to argue with her. He still had mercy on the Fifth Prince. So Concubine Xian had to plead guilty to this crime even if she didn't want to. She could ignore the Fifth Prince's life or death, but she couldn't ignore the hundreds of people in the Ji family..."
As Queen Song spoke, her expression became slightly dazed.
The emperor was ruthless because he did not love any woman in the harem.
But he had a soft heart and had deep love for Queen Yao. Even if he was furious, he couldn't bear to kill his own children.
After hearing this, Lu Xiang nodded in understanding.
The Emperor wanted to leave Chu Shi'an a chance to live, so whether the assassination of Chu Jinyan was ordered by Concubine Xian, this crime must be borne by Concubine Xian. I'm afraid that the day when the Fifth Prince returns to Beijing will be the day of Concubine Xian's death.
As for the Pingliang Marquis Mansion.
The Marquis of Pingliang will certainly not survive, but the emperor will spare the lives of the rest of his family.
Kill two people to save the whole family.
"Everyone in the harem only knows that Concubine Xian made the emperor very angry, but they don't know the real reason why she was confined." Queen Song said again.
As the two were talking, Shao Hua suddenly came in and reported, "My Lady, the Thirteenth Princess is here."
Queen Song quickly stopped talking to Lu Xiang and said, "Spread it."
Soon, Chu Ying'er led the palace maids into the side hall.
"Your son greets you, mother. May your majesty live forever." She knelt down and saluted.
Queen Song raised her hand and smiled, asking her to stand up.
"Greetings to the Thirteenth Princess." Lu Xiang bowed to Chu Ying'er.
Chu Ying'er nodded to indicate that she didn't need to be polite.
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