Chen Ziyun felt utterly disgusted by Shang Xiche's selfishness, arrogance, and cold-heartedness.
If it weren't for that person's important matter, she wouldn't want a man like Shang Xiche, who is all bark and no bite, even if he were given to her for free!
"Yes, Your Majesty does indeed have skillful hands." Shang Xiche was in his most comfortable moment, and the praise came out of his mouth without any sincerity.
Chen Ziyun's slender fingers, which were resting on Shang Xiche's head, paused slightly. She barely managed to resist the urge to crush his head.
"Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince already has a principal wife. Wouldn't it be too unfair for Zhaoping to enter the Ninth Prince's residence again?" The Empress's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a calculating glint. "Actually, the Crown Prince is quite old as well, yet the Crown Princess has remained childless. I am deeply concerned..."
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Shang Xiche suddenly opened his eyes and said solemnly, "Princess Zhaoping, only the Ninth Prince can afford to be in this world. If the Empress truly cares for the Crown Prince, she should not entertain such thoughts."
The Empress's eyes flashed, her mind racing; a mixture of disbelief and delighted surprise appeared on her face: "Your Majesty means..."
"This matter is the Empress Dowager and Zhaoping's own idea, and I cannot go against the Empress Dowager's wishes, so please do not mention it again," Shang Xiche said, then closed his eyes again.
The Empress was overjoyed.
She originally thought that the Emperor and Empress Dowager married Zhaoping to the Ninth Prince in order to curry favor and bring the Ninth Prince and the Emperor closer together;
But judging from the emperor's words now, that's not the case at all!
Upon hearing this news, the Empress's mood, which had been weighing heavily throughout the New Year holiday, instantly brightened, and she felt completely relaxed.
The Crown Prince entered the palace in the afternoon.
The Empress told the Crown Prince, who had become so thin he was practically skin and bones, the news.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince showed a long-lost smile, but it instantly collapsed again: "Even if Father Emperor doesn't truly intend to ally with the Ninth Prince, we're afraid we can't clean up this mess anytime soon. All my savings over the years..."
Speaking of the stolen valuables, the Empress's face twitched several times with heartache.
Finally, she comforted the Crown Prince: "My son, don't worry. We still have the Chen family. The Chen family has accumulated a considerable fortune over the years, which can be used for emergencies. I will take care of the rest. You just need to take care of the present matters and appease people's hearts."
"When will the Chen family's funds be available? I will be disbursing the funds next month. If the funds are not disbursed in time, all our hard work over the years will be wasted." The Crown Prince was pale and looked sickly, unable to be optimistic.
"I have already written to the Duke, and we should receive a reply soon," the Empress said.
What the Empress didn't know was...
At this moment, the three men, including the Duke of Chen, who were far away on the border, were almost in tears.
The father and his two sons endured hunger throughout the entire Lunar New Year holiday.
The letter from Lady Chen, who had just delivered the news that her home had been looted by bandits from Tongyou, was like the last straw that broke their psychological defenses, bringing tears to the eyes of the three (self-proclaimed) tough men.
"Father, we've been attacked by bandits one after another here, and all our supplies have been stolen. Our home in the capital has also been looted by bandits. We can't continue this war. If we stay here any longer, we might even lose our mansion to those bandits when we go back!" Chen Xiaoyi cried so hard that he blew snot bubbles from his nose.
Chen Shiyu's eyes also reddened with anger. He thought he had never suffered such humiliation before, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Father, Xiao Yi is right. We are on a military expedition, but the Emperor does not care about our Duke's Mansion at all. Why should we guard the border for the Ninth Prince?"
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