After He Yunxiao said he wanted to marry the eldest princess, the princess herself, Meng Qingqian, remained lost in thought.
She picked up a piece of candied fruit from the table with her delicate hand and put it in her mouth. As the fruit was bitten open by her pearly teeth, the sweet juice filled her mouth, and her thoughts were also opened up.
Jian Ling stood silently to the side, watching. In this world, only she had ever seen the Princess so greedy. And it seemed that only at this moment did this powerful princess, who held sway over the court, resemble a young girl of eighteen or nineteen.
At this moment, Meng Qingqian's mind was racing, and she was thinking about something that everyone thought was impossible.
What would happen if I really married He Yunxiao?
Of the six ministries of the imperial court, three belong to me, and three belong to Han. Of the six temples including Dali and Honglu, half belong to me.
In the Great Qi court, I can mobilize most of the civil officials, but it's nearly impossible to find even one general among the military officers. Within the capital, I can still summon generals from the Li clan of Jiangnan and the Yang clan of Hexi, but outside of the capital, there are no generals available.
Three years later, His Majesty will be fourteen, which will be the time the late Emperor spoke of when power would be handed over to him. If I were to relinquish power, what are my chances of success? If I were to seize the opportunity to help His Majesty reclaim power from the Han family, what are my chances of success?
Most of the military generals are in the hands of the Han family. What should I do if he rebels at that time?
Today, the Meng family may seem to be in a high position, but in reality, we are not in control of our own destiny. Having lost our military power, we are like a precarious building in the air, about to collapse.
Today, the He family is proposing marriage. If I accept, will it secure the support of Marquis Wuqing for the Meng family? If he truly supports the Meng family, then we have nothing to worry about. If he refuses, then all is lost.
Assuming Marquis Wuqing is willing to support me, if I marry He Yunxiao, I will become a member of the He family, and I will be unable to touch the imperial seal. Can Mother defend the city for three years and hold out until the Emperor gains power at the age of fourteen?
All of this seemed unsolvable until the words "Southern Pearl" were heard inside the front hall.
Meng Qingqian suddenly realized that if Nan Zhu was willing to marry He Yunxiao in her place, then she would have a chance to stabilize the Meng family's situation and win over Marquis Wuqing.
As long as Marquis Wuqing supports the Meng family, there will be no threat of a mutiny when power is returned to the Emperor three years later.
Meng Qingqian suddenly stood up and said to Jian Ling, "Go to Linxuan Palace."
...
Linxuan Palace is a secluded palace within the imperial palace complex. It is quite different from the palace where the Empress Dowager resides; not only is it remote, but it is also desolate. Even the vegetation and lawns surrounding the palace lack maintenance and appear messy and disorderly.
The palace was quite large, but few people lived there.
Princess Meng Qingrou of the South Pearl Clan, along with three palace maids and one eunuch, made up a total of only five people.
It was late afternoon, a little past four o'clock.
The sun wasn't scorching at this time; the slanting sunlight cast long shadows, making the entire afternoon scene warmer and softer.
Meng Qingrou stood at the entrance of Linxuan Palace, closing her eyes to enjoy this rare moment of freedom during the day. She truly lived up to her title as the daughter of "the most beautiful woman in the world"; even dressed in simple clothes similar to those of a palace maid, her natural beauty was undeniable.
A pretty, oval face, from eyebrows and eyes to the bridge of the nose to the mouth, and finally to the chin. Every part is perfectly natural and flawless, each composed of one or more perfect curves.
Even the most exquisite designer could not have created such a face; this woman seemed to be the last remaining elf among humankind.
After basking in the sun for a while, Meng Qingrou softly called out, "Xing'er, may I go water the plants?"
Although she was speaking very forcefully, her voice was still soft and gentle, which sounded very pleasant.
"Xing'er?"
No one responded.
It's normal that no one responded. Three palace maids were simply not enough to clean up a palace, and they were usually very busy.
Meng Qingrou knew this, so after calling out twice, she blinked her beautiful big eyes, then found the wooden bucket and water ladle used for watering, quietly carried them, and came to the water vat outside the palace courtyard wall.
In the palace, to prevent flooding, a large water vat was placed at intervals.
Medicinal herbs are not people, so they do not need to use clean well water; the rainwater stored in this water tank is just as good.
Meng Qingrou carried the wooden bucket and stepped onto the simple steps made of several stones next to the water vat before she could reach the water inside.
She carried a bucket in one hand and a ladle in the other, pressed her slender waist against the edge of the water vat, bent down, pressed the ladle under the water, and scooped up a full ladle of water.
The clear water reflected her clean and beautiful face. Occasionally, a few beads of sweat would slide down her cheeks and drip into the water, splashing up ripples in circles.
In doing so, even the beautiful face in the water becomes adorable.
Meng Qingrou fetched water and went to irrigate her medicinal herb garden.
This area was originally a decorative lawn, but now it has been cultivated by this medicine fairy to grow medicinal herbs.
Common plants like peonies, star anise, and ginseng are naturally available, but there are also some strange and unusual plants, which are all Meng Qingrou's treasures.
"My Miss Meng! My beloved Princess Nanzhu!"
The palace maid Xing'er rushed over aggressively, snatched the water ladle from Meng Qingrou's hand, and said fiercely, "Your Highness! Look at these branches and stones! If you get hurt again, it will take a long time to heal. It was like this last time, have you forgotten? You are not allowed to do any more work yourself, stand over there."
Meng Qingrou lowered her head and silently accepted the scolding, her little hands clasped together.
Listening to Xing'er, she stood aside and said in a fawning tone, "Xing'er, I was wrong."
Xing'er poured a ladle of water, stood up straight, and said, "It's good that you know you were wrong. You must take good care of yourself and never do this again."
"presumptuous!"
Meng Qingqian, dressed in a long dress, walked briskly, completely unconcerned that the hem of her dress was dirtied by the soil in the herb garden.
The most powerful woman in the State of Qi had somehow ended up in this desolate place, like a cold palace.
She walked straight over and shouted at the palace maid Xing'er, "How dare a servant lecture her master!"
When Xing'er saw Princess Xiaoyue, she was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground.
"Your Highness, spare my life!"
Meng Qingqian showed no mercy, "Drag him away and send him to the brothel on another day."
Jian Ling, who was standing to the side, did not make a move; such a trivial matter was not her place to intervene.
The ones who made the move were Meng Qingqian's personal female guards. Usually, when the princess went out, they would follow her from a distance, and would come to her side immediately if she was summoned.
Two maids grabbed Xing'er's arms and tried to drag her away.
Meng Qingrou quickly grabbed Meng Qingqian's hand and said, "Sister! Xing'er was doing it for my own good; she didn't mean it."
Meng Qingqian remained expressionless. "Nanzhu, this person has so blatantly overstepped the bounds of propriety. If he is not punished, how can we establish our authority? Take him away."
"elder sister!"
Meng Qingrou treated Xing'er like a sister, and was extremely anxious when she saw her in trouble. However, she also knew the personality of her half-sister, Princess Xiaoyue Meng Qingqian, who was strong-willed and domineering. It would be extremely difficult to get Meng Qingqian to retract her decision.
Seeing that Xing'er was about to be taken away, Meng Qingrou simply reached out and drew the sword from the maid's waist, then held it to her own neck.
In the desolate garden, the women's figures stood silently like stone pillars.
A gentle breeze blew, causing Meng Qingrou's long hair and light gauze skirt to sway softly.
At this moment, with a sword held to her neck, she was truly a woman of unparalleled beauty.
"Sister, Xing'er is mine, you're not allowed to touch her."
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