Seeing that she had sheathed her weapon and sat down, Yuwen Minke finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now, she couldn't even muster the slightest thought of competing with Bai Chuxiao anymore. She hadn't truly loved the Prince of Yan in the first place, and it wasn't worth losing her life for him.
Bai Chuxiao spoke again calmly, "Everyone has heard it; it is Princess Minke herself who is unwilling to marry Prince Yan."
Hearing her words, everyone slowly came to their senses. Empress Li straightened her posture and said sternly, "Princess Changning, you've been shouting and threatening to kill in Zhaofeng Palace. Do you even respect me, the Empress?"
Liu Shuyao quickly smiled and said, "Mother, please calm down. Xiaoxiao acted impulsively, but fortunately she stopped in time and avoided a serious mistake."
"What are you saying, Your Highness? Today Bai Chuxiao dared to kill a princess from another country, who knows if she'll kill you or me next?"
Zhang Miaoke spoke coldly, "This Bai Chuxiao is too arrogant, even more arrogant than me. I wish she could be severely punished today."
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow. "This princess intends to kill those shameless women who eagerly seek to become concubines. What are you worried about, Princess Qi?"
Zhang Miaoke sneered, "Bai Chuxiao, are you saying that Seventh Brother will never be allowed to take a concubine again? Your Majesty, you heard it too. How can someone with her character be worthy of being a princess, or even the Princess Consort of Yan?"
"Princess Changning, is that what you mean?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, Princess Qi is right, that's exactly what I mean. If Prince Yan wants to marry me, he is not allowed to take any concubines in the future."
Today she was going to make things clear. She'd already been arrogant enough, so she didn't mind being a little more arrogant to avoid having all sorts of scoundrels chasing after her. She didn't have the time to deal with this kind of trouble all the time. If Chu Tianze had any objections, he could simply not marry her.
Everyone stared at her in horror. In the Great Xia Dynasty, which woman would dare to openly say that her husband was not allowed to take a concubine? Even if she was unwilling, no one would say it openly.
Even Zhang Miaoke was stunned. She hadn't expected Bai Chuxiao to actually admit it. Was she crazy? How could she say such a thing in front of everyone?
Consort Wei looked at Consort Jing and slowly said, "Sister, you have truly chosen a good wife for the Seventh Prince."
Consort Jing seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her voice, smiling broadly, "What the Imperial Concubine says is true. Princess Changning is indeed exceptional; it is our seventh prince's good fortune to marry her."
Bai Chuxiao was still a little surprised to hear her say that. What she just said was indeed quite disrespectful. She thought that Consort Jing might also be dissatisfied with her, but she didn't expect that she would still speak up for her. Why was that?
"My mother is right. It is my good fortune to marry Xiaoxiao."
The Prince of Yan strode in with an icy expression. He hadn't expected Yuwen Minke to cause such a commotion in such a short time. No wonder Xiao Chen had been playing games with him, preventing him from leaving.
Crown Prince Qi, Prince Xiang, and Xiao Chen also came. They had been together, but after hearing about the fight between the two princesses in Zhaofeng Palace, they all rushed over.
Yuwen Minke suddenly felt she had found a pillar of support and quickly stood behind Xiao Chen, while Xiao Chen glared at her fiercely, thinking, "What a useless piece of trash."
Empress Li looked at the group of people who had entered and said in a deep voice, "Seventh Prince, Princess Changning has declared that you are not allowed to take a concubine. What do you have to say about that?"
The Crown Prince and the others stared at Chu Tianze with great interest, wanting to see his reaction. For them, the royal princes, weren't they all surrounded by multiple wives and concubines? Princess Changning's words showed absolutely no respect for him.
Chu Tianze looked at Bai Chuxiao with doting eyes, then said calmly to everyone, "Whatever Xiaoxiao says goes. I only love Xiaoxiao, and from now on, there will only be Xiaoxiao."
Bai Chuxiao was quite satisfied with his words. The Prince of Yan had publicly declared his feelings, and the women present were secretly envious. How many women in the world could do that? Who wouldn't want their husband to be devoted to them?
Zhang Miaoke felt a pang of jealousy and muttered under her breath, "Beauty is a curse."
Bai Chuxiao naturally heard this, a meaningful smile playing on her lips, before slowly speaking, "Princess Minke came here to forge alliances between our two nations, so why insist on choosing the Prince of Yan? The Prince of Qi is also a chosen one of the emperor's sons, and the Princess Consort of Qi is incredibly magnanimous. If..."
Xiao Chen and Yuwen Minke really pondered her words. If the Prince of Yan was no longer a suitable candidate, then replacing him with someone else wouldn't be a bad idea. The Prince of Qi seemed like a good fit.
Seeing that the two from Bei Yan were genuinely considering it, Zhang Miaoke gritted her teeth, "Bai Chuxiao, what nonsense are you spouting? Princess Minke is in love with the Prince of Yan; how can such a matter be treated so lightly?"
If Yuwen Minke were to enter the Qi Prince's mansion, would she still have a comfortable life? She couldn't beat him in a fight, and she couldn't suppress him due to his status.
"What's the big deal? Princess Minke has never even met Prince Yan before, so to say she admires him is a bit of an exaggeration. Does Princess Qi also not want Prince Qi to take a concubine?" Bai Chuxiao pressed on, seizing the opportunity.
Zhang Miaoke was somewhat annoyed. "When did I ever say I didn't want to?" She dared not openly say that taking concubines was forbidden, as Consort Wei and Chu Tianling would clearly not be on her side.
Chu Tianling's expression darkened. "You, Bai Chuxiao! You already married a woman the Crown Prince didn't want, and now you want to marry another woman the Prince of Yan doesn't want? What do you take me for, a garbage dump? This is outrageous!"
"Enough, Princess Changning, you need not trouble yourself with my affairs."
Bai Chuxiao remained calm. She hadn't expected her suggestion to actually happen; she just wanted to annoy them. If I'm not having a good time, you won't be happy either.
"Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."
Empress Li's eyes turned slightly cold. She wanted to punish Bai Chuxiao, but seemed to have no excuse. Yuwen Minke had already said she wouldn't marry, so she couldn't bring it up again. The matter of not allowing concubines had no objection from Prince Yan and Consort Jing, so using that as a pretext for punishment was inappropriate. But simply letting her go was something she was unwilling to do.
Seeing this, Liu Shuyao smiled and said, "Mother, it's getting late."
She knew that Empress Li was definitely dissatisfied and thinking about how to punish Bai Chuxiao, but if she really punished her, the feud would be truly established, and it would be difficult to ease the tension later. She couldn't let things develop like this...
"Shuyao is right, I am also a little tired. You may all leave," Empress Li said calmly, glancing at Liu Shuyao.
As for Yuwen Minke's hope that Xiao Chen would seek justice for her, it was also dashed. After all, it was only wishful thinking on her part from beginning to end. The Prince of Yan and his wife were unwilling, and besides, Princess Changning hadn't hurt her today.
Chu Tianze, holding Bai Chuxiao's hand, followed Consort Jing out of the main hall. After walking for a while and losing sight of the crowd,
Consort Jing turned around and said with a smile, "Alright, you two go have fun, I'll go back to the palace by myself."
Bai Chuxiao said somewhat shyly, "You really don't mind what I just said, sir?"
Consort Jing took their hands in hers and said slowly, "You two are doing very well, I'm very happy," before turning and leaving with a smile.
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