She was actually asked to kneel before Ling Xiang? Gao Zhenzhen was so angry. She didn't want to embarrass that person, especially not in front of Ling Xiang.
She silently waited for Nangong Yu to reject the emperor.
However, after weighing the pros and cons, Nangong Yu bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
He agreed? He agreed to go to the gate of the Marquis of Zhenguo Mansion and kneel down to beg Ling Xiang for forgiveness?
Gao Zhenzhen couldn't believe it. Nangong Yu had completely disregarded her dignity. She hated him so much! She hated the emperor for meddling in her affairs, hated Ling Xiang for stealing her master, and hated Nangong Yu for his inaction.
But no matter how much hatred she felt in her heart, she dared not show it at this moment. Gao Zhenzhen leaned forward and kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Gao Zhenzhen was already extremely desperate, but the matter was not over yet. The emperor continued:
"Prince Qin, since Gao Zhenzhen once saved you, you can marry her. However, a woman like her can never be your consort, not even a concubine! If she wants to marry you, she can only be a concubine!"
Concubines were playthings, things that could be sold at will. Furthermore, the Dajing Empire had laws that prohibited concubines from becoming legitimate wives. In other words, once a concubine, always a concubine. Gao Zhenzhen would remain lowly for the rest of her life, never having the chance to become the Princess of Qin.
"Your Majesty!" Nangong Yu was determined not to let Gao Zhenzhen lose face for the rest of her life, so he said firmly, "I have already agreed to marry Zhenzhen as my concubine, and my mother also agrees to this. I beg Your Majesty to revoke your decision!"
"The King of Qin's deep affection truly moves me. Therefore, I will appoint Gao Zhenzhen as his concubine."
To put it bluntly, a concubine is still a concubine, it just sounds nicer.
Nangong Yu still wanted to fight for it, but the emperor didn't give him a chance: "Prince Qin, if you are still dissatisfied, I will sentence Gao Zhenzhen to death and then give you his body as a reward!"
"I dare not!" Nangong Yu knelt on the ground and compromised, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
Gao Zhenzhen couldn't accept this result. Her heart ached and she fainted.
…
On the other side, without waiting for Concubine Shu to come, Xuanyuan Qi took the initiative to come to Concubine Shu's palace, "Mother, your son is here to have breakfast with you."
Concubine Shu placed Xuanyuan Qi's favorite dish on his plate and asked, "Qi'er, tell me honestly what you want to do."
Xuanyuan Qi raised his head and put the food into his mouth, eating it very happily: "What else can I do? Of course, I can help my father and mother share their worries."
Concubine Shu said worriedly, "Do you know that just because you praised Ling Xiang alone, your father wants you to marry her?"
Xuanyuan Qi raised his eyebrows: "Oh? That would just fulfill my mother's wish of finding me a wife."
Concubine Shu was surprised: "Qi'er, are you serious?"
Xuanyuan Qi's eyebrows curved: "What else, doesn't mother want a daughter-in-law?"
Concubine Shu opened her mouth wide, thinking for a long time, and finally figured it out: "It seems that you have planned it from the beginning, to guide your father to let you marry Ling Xiang, so that I can act with you?"
Xuanyuan Qi still smiled: "Mother, if you meet Ling Xiang, you will definitely like her."
"Good, good, good!" Concubine Shu was overjoyed. Her son's iron tree had finally blossomed! If they held the wedding this year, they would have a grandson next year!
Xuanyuan Qi smiled and said, "Let me make it clear first, this matter was proposed by my father, and I haven't agreed yet."
"Mother understands. When your father asks me later, I will tell him that you don't have such intentions. Marriage is a matter that should not be rushed. Your father wants to force a wife on you to win over the Dan Palace. He must feel more guilty. This is better for you and Miss Ling."
Xuanyuan Qi walked around the table and gave Concubine Shu a big hug: "Mother, you still understand me! I love you!"
After breakfast, Concubine Shu took out a large box filled with goodies suitable for girls: "Thank you, Miss Ling, for sending so many Jade Skin Creams. This is my thank you gift to Miss Ling. Please deliver it in person."
"Thank you, mother." Xuanyuan Qi accepted the box, put away the happy smile on his face, and left the palace as usual.
After dealing with Prince Qin and Gao Zhenzhen, the emperor was extremely disappointed with his nephew whom he had always relied on the most. He felt very upset and disliked everyone. Several vases in the imperial study were smashed, and none of the palace servants dared to step forward to offend him.
Fortunately, the eunuch came back to report and brought Yuan Zhengqing with him, who rescued the palace maids in the imperial study in time.
The emperor had not lost his temper like this for a long time. After venting his anger, he calmed down, ordered people to clean up the imperial study, and summoned Yuan Zhengqing.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" Yuan Zhengqing bowed.
The emperor glanced at Yuan Zhengqing's empty hands and frowned slightly: "Master Yuan, where is the deed I want?"
"Your Majesty, the deed is sealed by His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin and Miss Ling. It can only be opened by their combined efforts. Furthermore, the deed is sealed with a self-destructing seal. Forcible opening will only yield a pile of ashes. It will be useless to anyone else."
Such caution must have meant that the contents of the contract were extremely important, but he couldn't summon the King of Qin and Ling Xiang to open it together. The emperor rubbed his brows and gave up. "Minister Yuan, please step aside. No one else should know about this."
"Yes, sir." Yuan Zhengqing left the imperial study.
Everything was going wrong, and the emperor was filled with frustration. He called in a palace attendant and asked, "Where is Prince Huai?"
The palace maids trembled with fear, fearing they would provoke the angry emperor. "Your Majesty, Prince Huai left the palace after having breakfast with Concubine Shu."
Thinking about letting Prince Huai marry Ling Xiang, the emperor put away his anger and went to Concubine Shu's palace.
"Shufei, have you told Qi'er about what I mentioned yesterday?"
"Alas..." Concubine Shu sighed, "Just as I mentioned it to Qi'er, he immediately ran away..."
The emperor frowned: "Qi'er doesn't want to?"
Concubine Shu was also helpless: "Your Majesty, you know that Qi'er, when it comes to marrying a princess, he slips away faster than anyone else."
The emperor frowned, "You're being too indulgent with Qi'er. Ling Xiang is now the only disciple of the Dan Palace Master. Letting Qi'er marry her will only benefit Qi'er. This matter must be handled with caution. Qi'er's temper cannot be indulged any longer!"
Concubine Shu leaned gently on the emperor's shoulder and whispered softly:
"Qi'er is indeed a bit willful, but fortunately he still listens to us. I used the excuse of returning the gift to Miss Ling to ask him to go find Ling Xiang, and he agreed. By now, Qi'er should be in the Marquis Zhenguo Mansion. Since the two children have no feelings for each other, we can slowly cultivate them, and maybe things will work out."
Finally hearing something happy, the emperor took Concubine Shu into his arms and said, "Concubine Shu, you understand my heart the best."
Concubine Shu naturally hoped to marry her son as soon as possible. "I'm worried that because of the marriage between Prince Qin and Miss Ling, the two children won't be able to develop a close relationship..."
The emperor also felt that this matter could not be delayed: "I will issue an order immediately to cancel Ling Xiang's engagement with the King of Qin."
Concubine Shu reminded her, "After all, it's a girl whose engagement is broken off, and it will damage her reputation..."
"That's easy. I'll issue another imperial decree to confer the title of princess on Ling Xiang, and then have the culprit, Gao Zhenzhen, kneel down and admit her mistake in front of the Marquis Zhenguo's Mansion. Then, when the marriage between Prince Qin and Ling Xiang falls through, people will only think it was Gao Zhenzhen's fault." The emperor was very thoughtful and had found someone to take the blame.
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