"Manhuan, please take a seat."
Shen Mingzhuang smiled and ordered someone to bring over brocade stools, inviting Shi and An to sit down.
The two bowed in thanks and then sat down properly.
Both are wives of princes, both are of the highest rank and wear similar imperial robes, yet they possess completely different airs.
One was elegant and poised, clearly someone who was gentle yet formidable. The other, though strikingly beautiful, possessed a certain aloofness. Her oval face, slender, crescent-shaped eyebrows, bright eyes, white teeth, and red lips evoked a sense of familiarity, somewhat like my own youthful self at fifteen, with that kind of proud beauty.
Shi Zhenzhu lowered her head and took a sip of the tea served by the palace maid. Just as she was about to thank the Empress for the tea, she looked up and saw that the Empress was staring at An Wanqing in a daze.
She couldn't help but follow the Empress's gaze. An Wanqing had beautiful features and was looking down with her head slightly lowered. Her thoughts were probably elsewhere, and she didn't notice the gazes being cast over her in the hall.
Shi Zhenzhu noticed that An Wanqing's eyebrows and eyes seemed somewhat similar to the Empress, except that the Empress had a more cheerful and spirited air, and a more experienced and resolute demeanor.
Thinking of this, Shi Zhenzhu couldn't help but glance at the Empress a few more times.
She wore a royal blue phoenix robe, a red gold crown inlaid with kingfisher feathers and South Sea pearls, and round, full gold earrings that vaguely resembled the curtain of the Jiaofang Palace. They were exquisitely carved and could only be made by skilled craftsmen.
What's even more remarkable is her face shape, somewhere between an oval and a heart-shaped face. When she's not smiling, she's stunningly beautiful, but when she smiles, it's like a gentle spring breeze, making people instantly want to get close to her. This reminds her of the painting her sister-in-law once told her about, the painting the young master hid in his study.
Does the young master really like the empress?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Shi Zhenzhu felt a tightness in her chest, an indescribable suffocation.
She had been somewhat hesitant to believe it before, but upon seeing the Empress today and recognizing her true appearance, her ridiculous hope instantly vanished.
Although she considered herself one of the few beautiful girls in the Shi family, she was still self-aware enough to know that she was far inferior to the Empress in both demeanor and appearance. If she were a man, she would probably choose her without hesitation.
Thinking about it, Shi Zhenzhu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. No wonder the Emperor treated the Empress like a precious jewel. No one would be willing to neglect such a wonderful person.
"Lady of the Duke of Wen, where are you from?"
Upon hearing this, An Wanqing raised her head, a look of confusion flashing in her eyes, appearing somewhat surprised, as if she was taken aback that Shen Mingzhuang would ask such a question. After a moment of hesitation, she replied, "Your Majesty, my ancestors lived in Luoyang for generations. Later, my grandfather followed the founding emperor to fight on the battlefield, and that's when we moved to the capital."
Shi Zhenzhu was also somewhat surprised. Did the Empress not even know that An Wanqing was the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan? Why would she ask such a question? Or did she simply want to know where An Wanqing's ancestors came from?
Shen Mingzhuang knew, of course, that An Wanqing was the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan. She just wanted to see what An Wanqing would say. After all, people need to make conversation to understand each other, right?
She not only knew that she was the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan, but also learned that the Marquis of Dingyuan held a large army, controlling 50,000 troops in the South China Sea. Today, Tian Zhong had a total of 200,000 troops. Apart from the 50,000 troops under the Marquis of Dingyuan, there were 20,000 Yulin Cavalry troops in the capital city in charge of the security of the capital region, 10,000 troops in the camp in the suburbs of the capital, and the remaining 120,000 troops were scattered in three other directions, guarding against the attack of foreign enemies.
All things considered, the military power held by Marquis Dingyuan is not insignificant. In recent years, Jiang Wang has been focused on developing the economy and has not made any major changes to the military, so everything is currently maintaining a relatively harmonious situation.
While others might not know Song Yi's wolfish ambitions, she was all too clear about them. Why did Song Yi want to marry the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan? Was it merely because the daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan was beautiful?
There is likely a sinister intention behind this, and it has been less than two years since Song Yi launched that rebellion.
If Song Yi really does proceed with his plan to launch an uprising two years later, then what he's doing now completely confirms her suspicions.
She could have directly told Jiang Wang about Song Yi's ambition, but Song Yi had helped her several times before. If it weren't for Song Yi, she would have died at the hands of the Empress Dowager five years ago. Yet, she was able to ascend to the position of Empress and even give birth to a lovely and healthy son. Much of the credit for this was due to Song Yi. She couldn't bring herself to ask Jiang Wang to deal with Song Yi directly.
She thought, let's try, let's see if we can have a good talk with Song Yi. If Song Yi can agree to be a law-abiding subject, she will find a way to speak on his behalf to Jiang Wang, and he can choose to be promoted or given a higher rank.
"Your Majesty the Empress?"
Shi Zhenzhu smiled and softly exclaimed, interrupting Shen Mingzhuang's thoughts. She then looked up at Shi Zhenzhu with a smile, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things from the past and got distracted for a moment."
Then, smiling, he asked someone to bring out some snacks and invited the two of them to enjoy tea.
Shi Zhenzhu took a piece of cloud cake, covered her mouth with her sleeve, and ate it in small bites. However, after finishing the cloud cake, she couldn't taste any flavor. Her mind was full of all sorts of random thoughts.
An Wanqing held a piece of sweet chestnut cake, but couldn't taste anything.
She was still thinking about her mother's words, "You and the prince have been married for three years. Others your age would already have children around them, but you haven't even started having any. You're going to drive your mother crazy!"
What was she thinking at the time? She didn't remember. She just knew in her heart that her mother was right, but she could only agree in a low voice and couldn't find a single word to refute her mother.
The young master would stay in her room every few days, and it wasn't that she hadn't made love to him. She had taken countless medicines to regulate her body over the years, but her belly still showed no signs of pregnancy. What could she do?
Lost in thought, I finished the piece of chestnut cake in my hand. For some reason, I bit my fingernail with the last bite. It was a real bite, leaving a red crescent-shaped mark on my fingernail.
She quickly covered the back of her hand with her sleeve, her face expressionless as she sipped her tea.
Each of the three harbored their own secrets, and this first meeting felt more like a test of each other's intentions.
As for what they were testing, only they themselves knew.
Shi Zhenzhu was cheerful and outgoing. After eating some snacks, she smiled and told Shen Mingzhuang about interesting things happening around her. She said with a smile, "A few days ago, my sister-in-law and I went to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion together."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
