"Li Qingchen, you!" Prince Jing angrily pointed at Li Qingchen, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Li Qingchen chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Just now, Eunuch Cao personally invited me over, saying that the Eighth Prince had come to the palace specifically to thank me for saving his daughter yesterday. It turns out that the gratitude was a pretense, and the real purpose was to force me into marriage."
These words were like adding fuel to the fire, making Prince Jing so angry that he almost fainted!
However, Zhu Xian found these words particularly pleasing. It seemed that Li Qingchen had no intention of forming a marriage alliance with the Prince Jing's mansion, which indirectly proved that he had no desire to strengthen his own power.
He was satisfied, but as an emperor, he could not show it. Zhu Xian sighed regretfully, "The goddess is willing, but the King of Xiang is not... Eighth brother, why don't we put this matter aside for now? If it is truly destined by fate, there may be a future together."
Li Qingchen had no intention of bringing them together, and the Emperor had no desire to arrange it either. Prince Jing, naturally, could not insist on it on his own, so he nodded awkwardly, agreeing to leave it at that for the time being.
Just as the two were about to leave, a commotion broke out outside Tianlu Pavilion:
"Your Majesty—I wish to see Your Majesty—"
"Have you servants lost your minds today? Don't you recognize me?!"
...
Today, Consort Wen seemed to have lost her mind. Her usual elegance and self-control were nowhere to be seen. When the eunuchs blocked her at the door, she cried and shouted and refused to give up.
Zhu Xian's brow furrowed. He knew that what was coming would come sooner or later. Rather than letting her shout and make a scene outside and lose face, it was better to let her in. At least Prince Jing and Li Qingchen were still there, so he figured she wouldn't go too far.
With this thought in mind, Zhu Xian said to Eunuch Cao, "Let the Imperial Concubine in."
Eunuch Cao replied "Yes" and hurriedly went out to fetch someone.
When Consort Wen entered, her dress trailed on the ground, her hairpins were askew, and her face still showed signs of illness. In the twenty years she had been married to Zhu Xian, she had never been so disrespectful.
Zhu Xian was furious: "What kind of behavior is this!"
"Your Majesty..." Consort Wen was scolded by him and then realized that Prince Jing and Prince Xiaoqiaochuan were also in the hall. Knowing that she had lost her composure, she knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."
"Then why aren't you going back!"
"But Your Majesty, someone has forged an imperial edict! I had no choice but to come!"
"A false imperial edict?" Zhu Xian was momentarily confused by her.
Consort Wen nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yes, Your Majesty, this morning someone actually came to Yu Cui Palace to deliver an imperial decree, saying that Your Majesty wants to confer the title of Jieyu on Chan'er..." She laughed and cried at the same time, patting her chest with her hand: "Chan'er is my own niece, she should call Your Majesty uncle... Your Majesty, don't you think it's funny?"
Zhu Xian closed his eyes in anger, veins bulging on his forehead.
The emperor was displeased, and no one in the hall dared to offer any advice. The atmosphere became tense, with only the concubine's low sobs continuing.
After a long silence, Zhu Xian took a deep breath and exhaled heavily: "The marriage of nieces and sisters has existed since ancient times. Throughout history, there have been countless instances of aunts and nieces serving the emperor together. Consort Wen has already served the emperor last night, and I have made up my mind about this matter. Noble Consort, please do not make any more trouble."
“Even if we make a fuss, it won’t change anything.” Zhu Xian deliberately emphasized the last sentence.
Consort Wen sat slumped on the ground in a daze, no longer crying or making a fuss, but staring straight at Zhu Xian, making him feel a chill.
"You may leave, Your Highness." He turned away, his back to her, no longer looking at her resentful, swollen eyes.
After the Emperor gave the order, several palace maids came in to help Consort Wen to her feet and take her leave.
Forced to witness this spectacle, Prince Jing and Li Qingchen quickly took the opportunity to bow and leave amidst the chaos.
"Li Qingchen!"
As Li Qingchen strode out of Tianlu Pavilion, he heard the gruff voice of Prince Jing calling out to him. He stopped and nodded slightly, saying, "Eighth Prince Uncle."
“You—” Prince Jing raised his hand, about to continue his angry rebuke from before the Emperor, when he saw Li Qingchen raise his face, looking at him with a smile in his beautiful eyes.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and besides, he didn't really want to make an enemy of the Prince of Qiaochuan's mansion. After holding back, he swallowed his anger and changed his tune:
"You really have absolutely no feelings for Yun An?"
The resentment in those words was clear to everyone; she obviously still wanted Li Qingchen to give in. Li Qingchen smiled helplessly, "Eighth Prince Uncle is overly fond of his daughter, but he hasn't carefully considered the Emperor's intentions."
"His Majesty's will?" Prince Jing frowned. "You mean His Majesty's thoughts..."
"Uncle, be careful what you say," Li Qingchen leaned forward and lowered his voice to remind him.
Prince Jing then seemed to suddenly realize something, and gasped. Yes, he was really getting senile; concern made him confused!
Before entering the palace, he was worried that his elder brother would think he had come to plead for his second son again, so he first asked someone to pass on a message to Eunuch Cao, saying that he had only come to express his gratitude.
After entering the palace, he thought that as long as he didn't mention his second son, he wouldn't arouse his elder brother's suspicion, so he confidently brought up his daughter's marriage. However, he failed to carefully consider the impropriety of this matter!
His son had just been imprisoned for colluding with bandits, and he was already eager to arrange a marriage with the Prince of Qiaochuan. This seemed like a case of someone who had lost his beloved son and was now using his daughter to curry favor with the prince and strengthen his own power!
If Li Qingchen hadn't been clear-headed and rejected the marriage proposal on the spot, he might have gotten himself into serious trouble!
Prince Jing's eyes initially showed sorrow, but then a hint of secret joy appeared. He stepped forward and grasped Li Qingchen's hand, his eyes filled with gratitude: "The younger generation is truly formidable! The young Prince Li, at such a young age, sees things more clearly than I have! We owe you so much just now..."
"Uncle, you flatter me." Li Qingchen smiled, pulled his hand out of Prince Jing's grasp, wiped it lightly on his outer robe, and then put it behind his back.
Prince Jing was still immersed in complex emotions and didn't notice these minor details. Looking at the bright and handsome young man before him, he still felt a sense of regret. If it weren't for this taboo, he would have been truly satisfied with Li Qingchen as his son-in-law.
What a pity, what a pity.
...
Meanwhile, Consort Wen had already been carried back to Yu Cui Palace by Granny Yu and several palace maids. Granny Yu helped her to the phoenix bed, dismissed everyone, and earnestly advised her:
"Your Majesty, why bother? The imperial decree has already been issued, which means His Majesty is determined. What good will it do to make a scene like this, except to destroy the last bit of affection you have left..."
Seeing that the Consort's eyes flickered, as if she had taken these words to heart, Granny Yu continued to advise, "You have served His Majesty for twenty years, how could you not understand His Majesty's thoughts? His Majesty has never been a lustful person. Whether it was Consort Mei and Consort Wan in the past, or Consort Wen now, it was just a temporary novelty. Once the novelty wears off, it is hard to say whether she can continue to stay in the palace."
There was a deeper meaning in Granny Yu's words, and Consort Wen naturally understood it.
Consort Mei and Consort Wan were once favored by the emperor, but they were later driven out of the palace by their own schemes and never had the chance to serve him again.
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