Gao Zhenzhen was startled and the snacks and teacup in her hands fell out with a sharp cracking sound.
Being disrespectful in front of the palace is a serious crime, so Gao Zhenzhen immediately went to pick it up.
Just then, the door opened and the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow robe, walked in.
Gao Zhenzhen was frightened and her hands shook, causing the fragments she had just picked up to fall to the ground again, making a very inopportune sound.
Gao Zhenzhen immediately knelt on the ground where there were no broken pieces of porcelain: "I pay my respects to the Emperor!"
The emperor frowned, sat down in the main seat, and looked down at Gao Zhenzhen.
She is clumsy and timid, not at all like a noble person. I really don't know what Yu'er likes about her that he would give up Ling Xiang for her.
The eunuch beside the emperor winked at the young palace maid beside him. The palace maid picked up the broken porcelain pieces quietly and retreated at the eunuch's signal.
Gao Zhenzhen was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe.
After a while, the emperor's majestic voice sounded: "Miss Gao, I heard that the King of Qin once swore that he would only marry you in this life?"
Gao Zhenzhen really didn't know how to respond to this.
At the beginning, the King of Qin did say that he wanted to marry her and promised her that he would not take a concubine. She spread this news deliberately in order to monopolize Nangong Yu.
But she didn't dare admit it in front of the emperor. If she let a prince marry a commoner like her, the emperor would definitely be angry!
She didn't dare to deny it. Deceiving the emperor is a capital crime!
"How dare you! Why don't you answer the question His Majesty?" the eunuch scolded in a low voice with his unique, shrill voice.
Gao Zhenzhen kowtowed quickly, trying to clear herself as much as possible: "Your Majesty, I was fortunate enough to save His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin. His Highness was so kind that he took me back to the palace and promised to marry me as his concubine."
Listening to Gao Zhenzhen's evasive words, the emperor became increasingly dissatisfied: "Lift your head! I want to see what the woman who made Yu'er willing to take the blood of his future princess looks like!"
Gao Zhenzhen shuddered suddenly, and explained in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, I didn't! I didn't know about it beforehand. When I learned about Miss Ling's bloodletting, I immediately dissuaded His Majesty."
The emperor snorted, "According to what you said, it is only the King of Qin who is wrong!"
Gao Zhenzhen had never experienced such a scene before. She was so frightened that her whole body was shaking. "I dare not! It is my great blessing that the King of Qin loves me! This is all my fault. Please don't blame the King of Qin!"
"Your Majesty, your servant Nangong Yu requests an audience!"
Nangong Yu came home from the morning court session and as soon as he walked to the palace gate, he saw Nanny Gao, who was sweating profusely from anxiety.
After learning from Grandma Gao that Gao Zhenzhen was invited into the palace by the Queen, Nangong Yu immediately turned back and rushed to the Queen's palace.
"It seems that the King of Qin really loves you, and he has come so soon." The emperor said in a cold tone, "Announce!"
Nangong Yu saw Gao Zhenzhen kneeling on the ground and trembling. He retracted his gaze and bowed: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
The emperor looked unhappy and didn't even ask Nangong Yu to stand up. "What's the matter?"
Nangong Yu maintained his gesture of greeting and said, "Your Majesty, Zhenzhen is a commoner. She was brought into the Prince of Qin's Palace because she saved me. She doesn't understand the rules of the palace. If Zhenzhen has done anything wrong, please forgive her, Your Majesty."
The emperor came here today to make trouble: "The Prince of Qin is so protective of him, could it be that I remembered it wrongly? The Princess of Qin I arranged for you to marry wasn't Ling Xiang, but her?"
Nangong Yu immediately explained, "Your Majesty, Zhenzhen has a kind heart. She contracted a heart disease to save me. If she hadn't received treatment from the Dan Palace Master a few days ago, there's no telling how much longer she could have survived. I'm grateful to her and will protect her."
"Didn't I take good care of her? Prince Qin, I haven't done anything yet, and you're so nervous? No wonder you and the future princess Ling Xiang don't get along well. It seems like I was the one who mismatched them and broke them up!"
The emperor asked several questions in a row, and Nangong Yu had already heard the seriousness of the matter.
"Your Majesty, the matter between me and Ling Xiang has nothing to do with Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen and Ling Xiang have a good relationship and have always supported me marrying Ling Xiang as my princess. Ling Xiang has also saved Zhenzhen many times, and they have always gotten along very well. It's just that Ling Xiang and I are not destined to be together. Your Majesty's kindness has been in vain, and I am ashamed."
"Since Ling Xiang is Miss Gao's savior, how about Miss Gao leave the Prince of Qin's mansion immediately and help the Prince of Qin and Ling Xiang be together?"
"Your Majesty..." Nangong Yu was about to refuse, but was interrupted by the emperor's stern voice: "I am asking Miss Gao! King Qin, you have overstepped your bounds!"
Gao Zhenzhen felt like she was being roasted on a fire.
She didn't dare to disagree with the emperor, but if she did, she would lose the King of Qin forever, and the splendor and wealth of the King of Qin's mansion...
Choosing the lesser of two evils, Gao Zhenzhen immediately said, "Your Majesty, I am willing! I am willing to leave the Prince Qin's Mansion and help Miss Ling and the Prince be together."
The emperor's complexion brightened a little, and he took a sip of his teacup. "Prince Qin, what do you say?"
Gao Zhenzhen agreed to leave in order to save her life, but Nangong Yu had experienced a lot and naturally knew that things would not be that simple.
If he really just let Gao Zhenzhen go, it would be fine. He would prepare more things for her and make arrangements for her second half of life.
However, if the emperor was determined to let him marry Ling Xiang and thereby bring the power of Dan Palace into the imperial family, then, in order to win over Ling Xiang and also to be on the safe side, the emperor would definitely not keep Zhenzhen, who once stood between him and Ling Xiang and was a person who was harmful to the emperor.
At this point, in order to save Gao Zhenzhen's life, he had no choice but to marry her.
Nangong Yu knelt on his knees and pleaded, "Your Majesty, a real man standing between heaven and earth should keep his promise. Zhenzhen is devoted to me, and I have promised Zhenzhen to marry her. I cannot break my promise. I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish."
"Your Highness..." Gao Zhenzhen was deeply moved and tried her best to show her understanding and deep affection. "Your Highness, I know all about your kindness. I am satisfied and willing to withdraw. Your Highness, I wish you and Miss Ling a long and happy life together."
"Prince Qin, I can cancel your engagement with Ling Xiang. However, Gao Zhenzhen is at fault! Living in a man's house while unmarried is a violation of etiquette! Knowing that the Prince of Qin was engaged, deliberately breaking it for her own selfish reasons is disloyalty and injustice! Even ordinary people would not want to marry a woman like this, so how could she be worthy of being your concubine!"
Being humiliated by the emperor like this, Gao Zhenzhen was at a loss and looked at Nangong Yu pleadingly.
Nangong Yu closed his eyes, took out a jade pendant, and raised it above his head: "Zhenzhen has no relatives, and I am the only one who can rely on me. I beg Your Majesty to help me and Zhenzhen be together."
The jade pendant was given to the King of Qin specially because he won a battle and did not ask for the emperor's reward. The emperor said that he could exchange the jade pendant for his own reward in the future.
The emperor really didn't expect that the King of Qin would actually use the jade pendant for such a useless woman!
"Oh! King Qin, you are willing to spend a lot of money for this woman!" The emperor waved his hand to take back the jade pendant and crushed it directly. This was the first time he was so disappointed with this outstanding nephew. He looked at Gao Zhenzhen even more displeased.
"In consideration of the King of Qin's years of loyalty to his country, I promise to give Gao Zhenzhen to you as a reward. However, she must kneel at the gate of the Marquis Zhenguo Mansion and beg for Ling Xiang's forgiveness!"
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