Everyone was surprised and puzzled when they saw Bai Chuxiao appear there. Who was the person inside?
Empress Li also asked in surprise, "Chu Xiao, weren't you just going to..."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I did indeed go to Consort Jing's quarters to change clothes. What's inside?"
Upon seeing Bai Chuxiao appear, Consort Wei's expression darkened, and she inwardly realized something was amiss.
Emperor Wenxuan was furious. He wanted to see who dared to act so recklessly today. "Go, bring the person inside out!"
Upon hearing the order, his personal eunuch, Eunuch Jinzhong, immediately opened the palace gates.
Everyone peered inside. The man's figure looked remarkably like Prince Qi, and the woman also seemed somewhat familiar. However, no one dared to look too closely. They glanced at the Emperor and Consort Wei, then quickly lowered their heads and remained silent.
Consort Wei suddenly called out "Your Majesty," as if she wanted to say something, but Consort Xian interrupted her, saying loudly, "Your Majesty, the person inside looks so much like Prince Qi! Sixth Prince is truly confused, how could he..."
However, Emperor Wenxuan glared at her, preventing her from saying anything more, and ordered, "Jinzhong, tell the people inside to get dressed and get out for me."
A moment later, Prince Qi emerged with a livid face. He hadn't expected Bai Chuxiao to know martial arts; caught off guard, he had been outmaneuvered. The woman behind him kept her head bowed low, and only then did everyone realize that she was none other than Princess Changyun.
Bai Chuxiao was also slightly surprised, and couldn't help but glance at the Prince of Yan. Noticing her gaze, the Prince of Yan gave her a reassuring look.
"Father, your son..." Before Prince Qi could finish speaking, Emperor Wenxuan roared, "You scoundrel, look at the mess you've made!"
This was not a matter that could be discussed in front of the female relatives of the officials, so he ordered everyone to leave and not to make a fuss about it. However, Bai Chuxiao did not leave, after all, she was now considered a member of the royal family.
Seeing that only members of the royal family were present, Emperor Wenxuan angrily shouted, "You insolent fool! What on earth is going on? And you, Changyun, how could you do such a ridiculous thing?" He had always doted on Changyun, yet now he had done something like this.
The Prince of Qi said with a grim expression, "Father, someone plotted against me. I received a message from a palace maid saying that Miss Bai was waiting for me here and had something to tell me, so I came here, and this is what I found when I woke up."
Princess Changyun was also weeping, her face streaked with tears. "Uncle, I only came because I heard the Crown Prince was here, who knew... You must stand up for me!" She was truly heartbroken. She loved the Crown Prince dearly, but now he was with Prince Qi. What would become of her?
Seeing Emperor Wenxuan looking over, Bai Chuxiao said indifferently, "Your Majesty, I have been in Consort Jing's palace the whole time, and I am not familiar with the palace. How could a palace maid have listened to me and relayed my message? Does Prince Qi remember which palace maid it was? Why don't you call her out and question her again?"
"Father, what Sixth Brother is saying! Xiaoxiao is my future princess consort, how could she pass on a message to him? And how could Sixth Brother so easily believe the words of a mere palace maid? In my opinion, Sixth Brother is clearly making things up out of nothing..." Before the Prince of Yan could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Consort Wei.
"Seventh Brother, be careful what you say, this is your sixth brother," then forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, there's something fishy about this matter, but now that it's happened, why not bestow a marriage upon these two children? It would save face for the royal family."
However, to everyone's surprise, as soon as she said this, Prince Qi and Changyun exclaimed in unison, "No!" Changyun was devoted to the Crown Prince and did not want to marry Prince Qi. She looked at the Crown Prince pitifully and said, "Brother Crown Prince, Changyun..."
Empress Li quickly retorted, "Changyun, now that you've done such a thing, what more do you want?" She was already under the control of Prince Qi… how could she possibly still covet You'er? A hint of displeasure appeared on her face.
"Your Majesty, why not follow the suggestion of the Imperial Concubine? After all, Changyun is the daughter of Zhaoyang, and her status is a good match for the Sixth Prince."
Upon hearing this, Prince Qi said unwillingly, "Father, no! Changyun's appearance here is suspicious to begin with. I cannot marry her." This woman still has her eyes on the Crown Prince. Why should he marry a woman the Crown Prince doesn't want? Wouldn't that make him a laughingstock?
Consort Xian, however, seemed undeterred by the situation and laughed, "Sixth Prince, how can you be so irresponsible? Changyun is practically your own sister. You've taken liberties with her and yet you refuse to marry her. How are you going to explain this to Princess Zhaoyang?"
Emperor Wenxuan felt a surge of anger. "Shut up, both of you! You two scoundrels have done such a thing, disgracing the royal family. And you still dare to have other wicked thoughts?"
Regardless of the truth, this was his sixth son, whom he had raised with great care, yet he had been so easily outmaneuvered and hadn't even tried to make amends. He felt a growing disappointment and resentment towards this son.
"As the Empress and the Imperial Concubine have said, Changyun will be made the Princess Consort of Prince Qi. I will also send a letter to Zhaoyang to inform her. You two should get married as soon as possible, and don't cause any more trouble for me."
He then instructed, "As for this matter, I will leave it to Consort Xian to investigate. I will know what happened after today." This matter concerns the sixth and seventh princes, and the Empress and Consort Wei are likely implicated. It is best to entrust it to Consort Xian. Consort Xian nodded upon hearing this.
Meanwhile, in the Taiji Hall, it was getting late, but the Emperor and Empress had not yet arrived. The ministers began to suspect something was amiss. The ladies, however, remained composed. They knew what had caused the delay, but being in the palace, they dared not tell their husbands.
Bai Chuxiao and Chu Tianze took their leave and walked ahead into the Taiji Hall. Bai Chuxiao smiled and asked, "How did you know?"
Chu Tianze chuckled, "I have to thank Miss Kong for that. She was worried when you didn't return, so she came to me. I also heard about what happened at the palace gate, so I used this opportunity to lure her there."
"Does your mother know medicine? We'll have to rely on her more this time." She hadn't expected Consort Jing to know medicine, and it seemed quite good. Considering she was able to safely give birth to a prince as a palace maid and raise him well in the palace, how could she not have some skills?
Chu Tianze smiled and nodded, "Right now, only the two of us in the palace know about this."
"Isn't today to welcome the envoys from the Southern Frontier? Do you know who His Majesty intends to give Princess Lingxiang to?" Bai Chuxiao asked疑惑地问道.
"I initially guessed it was for Sixth Brother, but now it's hard to say."
Bai Chuxiao nodded upon hearing this. His guess was probably correct. Emperor Wenxuan was so angry just now, probably because Prince Qi's actions had disrupted his plans. Although the Southern Frontier was small, Princess Lingxiang was still a princess of a country. She would either become the principal wife of a prince or the concubine of the crown prince.
They quietly entered the hall. Prince Xiang had arrived before them, seemingly out of nowhere. Bai Chuxiao found a seat next to Bai Chuwan. Kong Xihan looked at her worriedly, and she returned a reassuring smile.
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