Chapter 772, Signal
The scandal between Jiang Wanying and the eldest prince of Western Liao added a widely discussed topic to the Empress Dowager's birthday.
No matter how much people feared the power of the Queen Mother and the Jiang family, they could not help but talk about it in private.
With such a stain, the situation where Jiang's daughter was sought after by hundreds of families has become a thing of the past.
Cining Palace.
The Queen Mother looked at Jiang Wanying, who was kneeling on the ground and sobbing, with an indifferent expression: "Go back and prepare for the marriage to Western Liao."
"No, I don't want it." Jiang Wanying looked at the Queen Mother in horror.
Madam Jiang II quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "Empress Dowager, Western Liao is remote and impoverished. Wanying has been weak since childhood. How can she endure this? I beg Your Majesty to revoke your order."
The Empress Dowager no longer wanted to talk to Madam Jiang Er and her daughter. She waved her hand and signaled Madam Jiang Da to take the people away.
After everyone left, the Queen Mother smashed a cup with a gloomy face.
Duke Cheng'en: "Queen Dowager, things have come to this. Wanying is the blood of the Jiang family after all. Please have mercy on her and strive for some benefits for her so that she will not be too sad after marrying into Western Liao."
The Queen Mother calmed down her anger before speaking, "Xi Liao came here this time to ask for the princess' hand in marriage. All I can do is to secure a princess status for Wanying."
As he spoke, he looked at Lord Cheng'en and Prince Jiang.
"Okay, you guys go back too. Keep an eye on that mother and daughter and don't let them do anything stupid."
Jiang Wanying was so stupid as to offer herself to him, and the person Jiang Tangshi could do such a shameful thing in front of everyone was her own daughter. She no longer wanted to mention this mother and daughter.
Just when everyone thought that Jiang Wanying would marry into the Western Liao Dynasty, the emperor did not respond.
The eldest prince of Western Liao was smart enough to know that he could not marry a real princess. Yelu Qianhua could not marry Xiao Yeyang because she lost to the Princess of Shengping in the ring. Xiao Yeyang was the son of a prince, and the princes naturally would not marry someone he didn't want.
In this case, he could only settle for the second best and take the initiative to make his marriage with Jiang Wanying come true.
The Jiang family is the most aristocratic family in Daxia. The Jiang family's legitimate daughter is only one level lower than the princess in status, and there is not much difference in other aspects.
He asked for marriage on the pretext of establishing friendly relations between the two countries, thinking that the Empress Dowager and the Queen in the palace would ask for a princess status for Jiang Wanying, who had made love with him that night.
However, reality slapped him hard in the face.
The eldest prince of Western Liao asked to see the emperor several times, but was rudely turned away every time.
As a result, people began to talk more and more about the matter between Jiang Wanying and the eldest prince of Western Liao.
The Yan family is also paying close attention to this matter. The Jiang family was so bold as to frame Daohua in the palace, so naturally everyone in the Yan family hopes that the Jiang family will be in trouble.
"Miss, Prince Ping's Mansion has sent us a few pots of top-quality peonies and peonies, saying that they are for you to use to entertain yourself in your free time." Bishi led several maids to Daohua, and each maid was holding a pot of blooming flowers in her hands.
Daohua signaled the maid to place the peony on the stone table, lowered her head to sniff the fragrance of the flower, and then asked with a smile: "Is it Huai En who sent it this time?"
Bishi nodded: "Huai En said that he almost hurt the girl that night, and both the prince and he felt very guilty. Huai En also said that the prince said that as long as you like, you can move any flowers in Prince Ping's mansion."
Daohua smiled and said, "Go tell Huai En that since the prince is so generous, it is difficult for me, a junior, to refuse. It just so happens that I want to build a greenhouse in Pingxi Hall, and I will use the flowers grown by the prince to decorate it."
After hearing this, Bishi immediately laughed and said, "Huai En will be very happy when he hears this." After saying this, he ran off to pass on the message.
Prince Ping's Mansion.
Princess Ma and Xiao Yechen looked at the craftsmen from the East Courtyard coming to the Hundred Flowers Garden from time to time to transplant flowers, and their expressions changed a little.
No one knew better than them how much Prince Ping loved these flowers and plants. Normally, they would be scolded if they damaged even one of them. But now, Prince Ping was willing to use these beloved flowers and plants to embellish the East Courtyard which was still under construction.
Because the land to the east of the palace was allocated to Xiao Yeyang to build a new house, the people in the palace simply called it the East Courtyard.
"Chen'er, you should think of a solution quickly. Right now, the girl from the Yan family hasn't even entered the palace yet, and your father is like this. If she does, won't your father's heart return to Xiao Yeyang? If that happens, there will be no place for us mother and son to stand in this palace."
Princess Ma said anxiously.
Xiao Yechen looked calm as he consoled Princess Ma: "Mother, please be patient. The Queen Mother and the Jiang family have suffered such a great loss this time, they will not let Princess Shengping go."
Princess Ma looked regretful and asked, "Why wasn't she Yan Yiyi the one in Chonghua Palace that night?"
"Mother!"
Xiao Yechen quickly stopped Princess Ma: "Mother, even if you dislike Xiao Yeyang and the Yan family girl in your heart, please don't say such things that your father doesn't like to hear in the future."
Princess Ma glanced at Xiao Yechen and said, "How could Mother not know this? Don't worry, Mother understands how you and Father get along better than you do."
Princess Ma and her son were discussing the matter, and the servants in the palace were also undercurrents.
"The prince usually doesn't want to give away even a single flower, but now he's using it to decorate the East Courtyard. This shows how much the prince values the young prince."
"Alas, the days of the princess and the eldest prince being the exclusive favorites are probably coming to an end."
"Originally, the young prince is the legitimate son of his first wife. Even if the princess is promoted to the first wife, she will still be the second wife."
Princess Ma and her son had no idea that the servants in the palace whom they had won over for more than ten years had unknowingly become biased towards the East Courtyard just because of the transplanting of flowers in the Hundred Flowers Garden.
In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager had intended to slow down and improve Jiang Wanying's status. After all, it was not easy for Daxia to go to war with Western Liao at the moment, and the Emperor also hoped to be on good terms with Western Liao.
The simplest and most convenient way for two countries to establish friendly relations is through marriage.
The emperor was unwilling to marry his daughter, so Wanying happened to take his place.
In this case, the emperor would have to beg the Jiang family for help.
However, several days had passed since the birthday, and there was no response from the emperor, which made the empress dowager feel a little uneasy.
The emperor took the initiative to speak, so the daughter of the Jiang family was married to Western Liao for the sake of Daxia, which was a contribution to Daxia.
But if she spoke first, the meaning would immediately change.
After waiting for another two days, the empress dowager could no longer sit still when she saw that the Western Liao delegation was already discussing returning home.
Everyone saw what happened between Wanying and the eldest prince of Western Liao. It would be most beneficial for the Jiang family if she married into Western Liao.
Palace of Heavenly Purity.
The Emperor was discussing important matters with Yang Chenghua and others when Eunuch An hurried in and said with his head lowered, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is here."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chenghua and other officials couldn't help but look at the emperor, then stood there silently, looking at the emperor's eyes and nose, and not saying a word.
The emperor glanced at Eunuch An and continued to discuss what had just happened casually.
Several officials did not dare to keep the empress dowager waiting for long, but since the emperor wanted to discuss something with them, they had no choice but to go along with it.
Only after the matter was discussed did the emperor wave his hand and signal everyone to leave.
Yang Chenghua and others breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and quickly left the hall. Before leaving, they glanced at the empress dowager who was sitting in the side hall drinking tea and waiting.
Seeing this, several people looked at each other silently, and then left quickly.
The emperor deliberately left the empress dowager out in the cold, which had never happened before.
It can be seen that the scandal between the girl from the Jiang family and the eldest prince of Western Liao in the harem really made the emperor angry.
"I am very busy with official duties. I am sorry to have kept the Queen Mother waiting for so long."
The emperor walked into the side hall with a smile and calmly sat down opposite the empress dowager.
The Queen Mother glanced at the Emperor, suppressed her anger, put down the teacup in her hand, and looked at the Emperor with a smile: "Your Majesty is very busy, so it's okay for me to wait. By the way, I hope my coming here doesn't disturb Your Majesty?"
The Emperor laughed and said, "What are you talking about, Queen Mother? If you want to see me, I would have to put down my urgent business and come to see you, right?"
The Queen Mother tried her best to restrain herself and not show any unhappiness on her face.
The Emperor picked up the tea and asked, "What do you think of this tea, Your Majesty?"
The Queen Mother forced a smile and said, "The things that the Emperor uses are naturally the best."
The emperor smiled and chatted with the empress dowager about family matters, but he did not ask her what she was doing there. Seeing that the empress dowager was trying her best to endure, he felt relieved and happy.
Back then, when he first ascended the throne, he had to consult the Queen Mother and Duke Cheng'en on all military and political matters. What he has returned with now is just a drop in the bucket.
The Queen Mother knew that the Emperor was waiting for her to speak. Thinking of the Jiang family and Jiang Wanying, she took a deep breath and chose to compromise: "What is the Emperor going to do about Wanying and the eldest prince of Western Liao?"
The Emperor was surprised. "Jiang Wanying is the daughter of the Jiang family. If the Empress Dowager wants to ask about her relationship with the eldest prince of Western Liao, she should ask the Jiang family. Why is she asking about me?"
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager could no longer maintain her composure and asked in a questioning tone, "What does your Majesty mean? Are you not going to intervene in the affairs of Wanying and the First Prince of Western Liao?"
The emperor's smile faded a little. "Empress Dowager, your question is really unreasonable. Jiang Wanying and the eldest prince of Western Liao committed a scandal in the palace. I didn't order a punishment. This is already enough to give you and the queen face."
As he spoke, he looked directly at the Queen Mother.
"The Queen Mother came to question me. Clearly, she doesn't think Jiang Wanying did anything wrong. Could it be that the Queen Mother thinks the Imperial Palace is the Jiang family's backyard, and that they can do whatever they want?"
The Queen Mother's breath hitched: "Isn't what the Emperor said too serious?"
The emperor scoffed, "Is it serious? I can't see it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be that scandal in Chonghua Palace."
The Empress Dowager frowned and looked at the Emperor. After a moment of silence, she said, "Western Liao has come this time to establish friendly relations between the two countries. I don't think the Emperor is willing to marry Le Kang to Western Liao. So, why not let Wan Ying take over? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
The emperor smiled and shook his head: "There is no need for a marriage alliance between our two countries. I have never intended to marry the princess."
"emperor!"
The Empress Dowager suddenly raised her voice, "Wanying marrying off to Western Liao is definitely a good thing for Daxia. Your Majesty, please recognize her contributions to Daxia and confer her the title of Princess."
The smile on the emperor's face completely disappeared: "Empress Dowager, there are some things I don't want to say too bluntly, but why do you force me to say it? I tell you clearly now that I will not make the daughter of the Jiang family a princess."
"Jiang Wanying married into Western Liao because she herself committed a shameful act. This has done nothing for Daxia. On the contrary, I feel that she has brought shame upon the people of Daxia."
The Queen Mother stood up suddenly and said, "Your Majesty, must you be so ruthless?"
The emperor said indifferently, "Empress Dowager, do you still remember your identity? You are the Empress Dowager of Daxia, yet you allowed the eldest prince of Western Liao to commit adultery in the harem. It was you who lost your identity first."
As he spoke, the emperor also stood up, put his hands behind his back and looked out the window.
"I have thoroughly investigated what happened that night. Queen Mother, have you and the Jiang family ever considered the dignity of the Great Xia royal family for your own selfish reasons?"
The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "Your Majesty is really..." She shook her sleeves halfway through her words and left in an unbearable atmosphere.
Looking at the empress dowager's departing back, the emperor curled his lips.
Not bad, this time we cleared out some of the Jiang family's spies planted in the palace.
Everyone waited until the Western Liao delegation left Beijing, but no emperor issued an imperial decree to confer Jiang Wanying the title of princess and marry her to the Western Liao. Only the empress dowager issued an imperial decree to give Jiang Wanying to the eldest prince of the Western Liao.
Thus, when the eldest prince of Western Liao came to Beijing this time, he took away a county lady from Daxia.
Although Jiang Wanying's dowry was generous, the eldest prince of Western Liao had no smile on his face. He could already imagine how his other brothers would laugh at him after returning to Western Liao when they knew that he only married a county lady.
In particular, the hundreds of fine horses brought this time were stolen quietly without even making a splash, and no profit was gained at all.
This mission to Daxia was completely fruitless.
At the same time, through the fact that the emperor did not confer the title on Jiang Wanying, some experienced and shrewd officials clearly saw some signals, and it was obvious that the emperor was unwilling to tolerate the Jiang family any longer.
(End of this chapter)
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