Su Jingyao lowered her head, feeling helpless and aggrieved.
This is the ancient imperial palace. The fault lies with the women.
"I have called you here today and have two requests of you. You must take good care of your health, refuse the Crown Prince's favor, and actively persuade the Crown Prince to favor someone new."
"This is what truly reflects the refinement of a noble lady from the Su family. What do you think, Concubine?"
The Queen leaned forward slightly, her eyes blazing, her voice tinged with menace.
If Su Jingyao dared to refuse, the daughter of the Su family would be labeled as a seductress or a jealous person because of her.
Ling Yue sat aside, with a smile on his face and eyes full of pride and mockery.
Looking at Su Jingyao at this moment, I felt a sense of pleasure in my heart.
In her previous life, she was also favored by Jun Zechen, but because the queen was dissatisfied with her, Jun Zechen did nothing for her.
Su Jingyao has been acting recklessly in this life because of Jun Zechen's favor. Without the Queen's support, perhaps the outcome would be no different from her previous life.
Su Jingyao knelt on the ground with her back straight, like a pine tree standing proudly against the snow and frost.
She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, concealing the emotions in her eyes. Miaoxia also knelt with her.
"Empress, my most important duty after marrying Your Highness is to serve Him. It would be against my husband's teachings to refuse Your Highness. However, I will do my best to persuade Your Highness to treat me equally."
Su Jingyao raised her head, her eyes were firm, her voice was neither humble nor arrogant, and her expression was stubborn and unyielding.
The Queen scoffed.
She still doesn't know her son? If the prince could be persuaded, the queen wouldn't have left the Eastern Palace almost vacant for two years, with only one princess.
Su Jingyao said that she would persuade the prince to treat everyone equally, but in reality the prince still looked for her every day.
Then her purpose of calling Su Jingyao here today would naturally not be achieved.
But the Queen had plenty of patience.
"Since Concubine can't figure it out, then I will kneel in Kunning Palace until Concubine figures it out."
The Queen leaned back in her chair again, her expression cold.
"My requirements are not strict." The queen's voice came slowly.
Su Jingyao pursed her lips, clenched her teeth, and said nothing.
Time passed minute by minute, and the Queen and the Crown Princess chatted from time to time with relaxed smiles on their faces, as if Su Jingyao's presence had no effect on them.
After kneeling for a quarter of an hour, Su Jingyao felt a sharp discomfort in her knees.
Her skin was delicate to begin with, and her knees were probably bruised by now.
Miaoxia, who was kneeling behind, had a worried look on her face. She stared at her master with eyes full of heartache.
Ling Yue glanced at Su Jingyao from time to time. Seeing that her brows were tightly furrowed and her face was getting paler, she couldn't help but lower her head and curl the corners of her mouth in contempt.
After about a quarter of an hour, Miaoxia felt that the time was about right, so she suddenly asked the Queen for help.
"Empress, it's time for the Master to take her medicine today. Imperial Physician Li has instructed that the Master must take the medicine on time and in the correct dosage every day. This is the only way to recover as quickly as possible. Please, Empress, allow the Master to return to the East Palace."
Miaoxia's voice was filled with urgency and pleading.
"Miaoxia, shut up and stop talking nonsense."
Su Jingyao turned her head and glared at Miaoxia, her eyes full of warning.
Then he looked up at the queen weakly, his pale face showing only persistence.
"Empress, I do not wish to disobey Your Highness, nor do I wish to disobey you. I kneel here today to satisfy both. Thank you, Empress, for your assistance."
After saying that, Su Jingyao folded her hands on the ground, bent down, and gently knocked her head on her hands. Her movements were meticulous and it was a very standard court kneeling etiquette.
When Jun Zechen came in, he saw Su Jingyao performing an extremely standard yet heartbreaking kneeling ceremony.
The Queen Mother sat high on the phoenix chair with an expressionless face. Ling Yue sat beside her, with an expression of gloating on her face that she did not hide at all.
Jun Zechen's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.
"It's really lively here today, Queen Mother."
Jun Zechen's voice was low and suppressed, revealing a strong sense of dissatisfaction, and he strode to the side of Su Jingyao.
Then he bowed to the Queen and said, "Your son pays his respects to the Queen Mother."
Ling Yue stood up nervously, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
"What crime did my concubine commit that my mother punished her by forcing her to kneel before her?"
The Queen didn't answer, but instead asked calmly, "Why did the Crown Prince come to Kunning Palace today? Did the Concubine send someone to invite you?"
"It was time for the concubine to take her medicine. I went to Shui Ning Palace to check on her, but she wasn't there. Then I learned that my mother had sent her to Kunning Palace."
As Jun Zechen spoke, he bent down and gently helped Su Jingyao up.
"My queen mother is very tolerant and generous. I have only been in the palace for a short time. If there are any shortcomings in etiquette, I hope you will understand. She is not in good health, so please do not kneel for too long."
Su Jingyao stood up with the help of Jun Zechen, but after kneeling for two quarters of an hour, not only did her knees hurt a lot, but her legs were also numb. She was shaky and could not stand at all.
Seeing this, Jun Zechen quickly stretched out his arms and put his arm around her waist, and the two of them instantly stuck together.
Then he shifted his cold gaze to Ling Yue, like countless ice knives, chilling her to the bone.
Ling Yue was frightened by this look and trembled all over. The color on his face faded a little in an instant and his eyes became a little flustered.
The Queen's face turned pale with anger at Jun Zechen's open attitude of favoring his concubine over his wife.
When she looked down on Ling Yue at the beginning, he insisted on marrying her. Now he acts like he is crazy about his concubine. Does he still have the calm demeanor that a prince should have?
After all, Ling Yue is the Crown Princess whom he married in a formal ceremony!
"Your Highness, the concubine doesn't understand the palace rules. I will teach her personally. I'm sure she will benefit a lot, right, concubine?"
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