Cheng Qiang looked puzzled. He had placed all the hopes for the future of the Cheng family on his daughter, but the position of Noble Lady did not satisfy him.
Since Consort Wan was not the apple of Yun Beiye's eye, the Cheng family naturally would not receive any special treatment because of her.
"Father, I am not the most favored daughter. His Majesty has always been very cold towards me."
"To be favored is nothing more than His Majesty favoring a newly entered woman once in a while. As for being able to conceive Dong'er, that is a blessing from heaven." Consort Wan looked at her father. In all the years she had been in the palace, her father had said these words every time he came to the palace.
Why doesn't Father understand?
"Not to mention me, His Majesty treats all the women in the harem in roughly the same way. If it weren't for the imperial heir, I reckon His Majesty wouldn't have set foot in the harem at all."
Yun Beiye was indeed different from other emperors. He never indulged in the beauty of the harem, but instead treated the imperial offspring as his job.
"His Majesty only cares about the country and its people; the rank of a concubine is merely determined by the number of years she has served in the palace."
“My daughter has been in the palace for a short time, so naturally she cannot be made a concubine.”
"And the Empress, Consort Chen, and Consort De have all served His Majesty for many years, as well as the former Consort Zheng." Speaking of the people in the palace, Consort Wan couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Nowadays, there aren't many who are still alive and normal.
All she asked for was for her and Dong'er to live a peaceful life in the harem.
“If you don’t make her a concubine, then what will happen to Dong’er in the future…” Cheng Qiang sighed.
"Father, have you not yet given up on the idea of having Dong'er compete for the crown prince?!" Consort Wan looked at her father in shock and said in a low voice.
"Not to mention that Dong'er is in poor health and has a stutter, she is absolutely incapable of being an emperor."
"Moreover, the current Second Prince has quite the demeanor of His Majesty back then. In my opinion, the Crown Prince will most likely be the Second Prince."
Yun Yizhong was the most outstanding among all the princes. He had never made any mistakes. The eldest prince was given a separate residence and was only granted the title of Prince Rui. People in the palace were speculating that the second prince was His Majesty's choice for crown prince.
"Wouldn't it be better for Dong'er to live a carefree and peaceful life as a prince?"
Cheng Qiang sighed. Although his Cheng family was a scholarly family, no one had ever become a high-ranking official in the past generation. His daughter had finally entered the palace, but she couldn't even become a concubine.
In that case, he can't be counted on.
"Oh well, as long as you're doing well in the palace."
Cheng Qiang knew that, given the current situation, Dong'er had no chance.
After a while, Cheng Qiang met with Yun Yidong, and the group chatted for a bit longer before he left the palace with Cheng Fushun.
Consort Wan watched her father leave, then instructed the maid beside her: "Juan'er, pack up some of the food that Fu Shun brought me. Tomorrow, I will be going to Fu Shuang Palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...
Inside the Zichen Palace, Yun Beiye looked at the invitation in his hand and nodded in satisfaction: "Hmm, Old Zhao, this invitation is quite good, it's luxurious and grand, befitting Duoduo's status!"
"Have all the orders been sent to each country?"
"Your Majesty, I began preparations as soon as Your Majesty gave the order, and the invitations have already been sent over!"
"Judging by the days, the royal families of Beiliang and Shu should have already received the invitations," Zhao Zhongquan said, counting the days on his fingers.
"The Wusun, Loulan, and several other royal families are quite far away, so they probably haven't received it yet."
"This old servant has seen that Your Majesty has been so busy these past few days that you haven't been able to sleep, which is why I didn't bring this invitation to bother Your Majesty."
Yun Beiye nodded: "Yes, the palace should also start making preparations. The palace walls and gates should be repaired as needed. We can't let outsiders laugh at us."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant understands."
...
Inside the Yiqin Hall of the Northern Liang Imperial Palace, Miao Nanyan was sitting at a table copying scriptures.
The incense in the hall was very refreshing. Miao Nanyan took a sip of tea and continued copying the scriptures.
Xiangling walked slowly to Miao Nanyan's side and said softly, "Your Highness, I heard that the Ninth Princess of Nanyang has invited us to her coming-of-age ceremony!"
Miao Nanyan put down her pen, did some calculations with her fingers, and nodded in surprise: "Time really flies. I didn't expect that when I last saw that little girl, she was so young, and now she's already of marriageable age."
"I still remember how small and chubby that child looked back then." Miao Nanyan smiled lovingly and affectionately as she said this.
So, it's been many years since the three of them, mistress and servant, traveled from Hongxiu Kingdom to Beiliang.
"Didn't Her Majesty say that she wanted our Prince to marry the Princess?" Xiangling said, glancing at Baili Mingwen, who was copying scriptures at another table.
Baili Mingwen also put down his pen. Hearing that the topic was about the coming-of-age ceremony of the Ninth Princess of Nanyang, he became somewhat curious about her.
Originally, he was the least concerned about his marriage, but his mother and the people in Yiqin Palace often mentioned the Ninth Princess of Nanyang, so he remembered her.
"Mother, shall you take me with you on this trip to Nanyang?"
"Mingwen wants to go?" Miao Nanyan looked at Baili Mingwen in surprise. In the past, he had been very resistant to her mentioning his marriage.
Baili Mingwen nodded. "Your subject has read about Nanyang in the 'Eastern Records,' but has not yet been there in person."
It is said that a man should travel to all corners of the world and know the world before he can govern the world.
"Moreover, and most importantly, the journey will inevitably be bumpy, so Mingwen must stay with Mother and protect her safety!" Baili Mingwen said, picking up the copied scriptures and placing them aside to wait for the ink to dry.
“Okay, I’ll go talk to your father later.” Miao Nanyan nodded with a smile.
She really liked Yun Duoduo, that smart child, and she would be very willing to be paired with Baili Mingwen.
"Tomorrow is your mother's birthday. Let's go check if everything is ready."
Tomorrow is the birthday of Baili Mingwen's birth mother, Miao Nanyan's elder sister, Miao Nanchen.
Miao Nanyan, along with Baili Mingwen and several palace maids, went to check if the offerings for her elder sister were ready.
"We've almost finished preparing this scripture, and it's ready to be used during the worship ceremony."
...
The royal family of Shu, inside the Eastern Palace.
"Your Highness, an invitation has arrived from Nanyang."
He Feng, the personal guard of the Crown Prince of Shu, presented the red invitation card with both hands.
"An invitation?"
Lian Jiucheng waved his hand, indicating that today's discussion was over, and the ministers bowed and left the council hall one after another.
When Lian Jiucheng saw the red invitation, his heart skipped a beat, and for a moment he thought it was Yun Duoduo's wedding invitation.
Then he thought again, she's still so young, it's impossible for her to receive wedding invitations so soon. With that thought, a huge weight was lifted from his heart.
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