freenovelworld Chapter 348 Made up!
Chapter 348 Made up!
"Yes, I know you love this daughter very much, just as I love Jing'er."
As the Empress spoke, she seemed less hurried. She picked up the ginseng tea presented by the lady-in-waiting, took a few sips, and then said calmly, "I intend to betroth her to Chen'er. What do you all think?"
Upon hearing this, Lady Wang became anxious and immediately stood up and knelt down before the Empress.
"Your Majesty, please have pity on Xinyan this once, and do not let Xinyan become someone's concubine. Your Majesty, I only have this one biological daughter, how can I bear to let her become someone's concubine?"
The Empress's brow furrowed, her face showing displeasure. Prince Shu, who was standing nearby, naturally noticed the Empress's bad mood and quickly reprimanded her in a low voice, "What nonsense are you spouting? How can you be so disrespectful in front of Her Majesty the Empress?"
Madam Wang's eyes were already red, and hearing her husband's reprimand made her feel even more wronged, and tears streamed down her face.
The Empress glanced at them and leaned back slightly.
The lady-in-waiting understood and quickly stepped forward to help Madam Wang up.
"What's wrong, Madam Wang? Her Majesty didn't say anything. Besides, Her Majesty just mentioned the betrothal, how come you immediately thought of becoming a concubine? Madam Wang, please don't be like this. If Miss Wang comes back in a while, she might think that Her Majesty has bullied you."
Lady Wang understood the implied meaning in her words, quickly fell silent, wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and curtsied to the Empress, saying, "This humble woman has been disrespectful, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
"Fine, I'd like to ask, who said that Xinyan marrying Chen'er means she'll become a concubine?"
Lady Wang was taken aback and looked at the Empress with a hint of disbelief. Seeing the Empress's dignified expression and a hint of anger in her eyes, she immediately lowered her head again. "Your Majesty, I had heard before that a young lady from the Crown Princess's family is already the chosen consort of His Highness the Grandson."
"Oh? Who said that?" The Empress's tone was calm and indifferent, but it subtly revealed anger, a fact that Prince Shu believed he could detect.
Lady Wang hesitated for a moment, knowing that things had come to this point and she had no choice but to tell the truth. She could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, it was the Lady of Anguo who said it. There were several other ladies present at the time."
When did you say that?
"Your Majesty, it was just recently, around the Double Ninth Festival, when I and several other ladies went to Princess Zhaoyang's residence and said this."
The Empress's eyes darkened. Lady Wang turned her head and saw that Prince Shu had given her a wink. She knew that she couldn't say anything more today, otherwise, she might really get into trouble.
Meanwhile, Duanmu Jing took Wang Xinyan to the Imperial Garden to admire the chrysanthemums, and also had some pitch-pot equipment prepared. Then she invited several princesses born out of wedlock to join in the fun.
Just as they were starting to play, they saw Duanmu Chen arrive with the Crown Princess.
"Greetings to Her Highness the Crown Princess, and greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Wang Xinyan and the others naturally knelt down to pay their respects, while Duanmu Jing simply asked with a smile, "What brings you here, Sister-in-law?"
The Crown Princess naturally saw Wang Xinyan. A glint flashed in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and returned to normal.
"I had nothing to do today, but I was feeling a bit down, so I asked Chen'er to take me out for a walk."
Duanmu Chen looked up and saw Duanmu Jing looking at him with a leisurely expression. He immediately felt a headache coming on, but he knew Duanmu Jing's temper. Helpless, he could only reluctantly step forward, bow and say, "Greetings to Aunt."
"Ah Chen's manners were impeccable today. However, they were still not as good as my Xin Yan's."
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Chen looked at Wang Xinyan, who was his cousin, and naturally recognized her. He chuckled and asked, "How is Cousin Xinyan?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am well."
A hint of displeasure flashed across the Crown Princess's face. "Why does Xin Yan have time to come to the palace today?"
"Your Highness, the Empress summoned my father and mother. Considering that I haven't been to the palace for a long time, and that Princess Jing has been complaining that I rarely spend time with her, she brought them to the palace together."
The Crown Princess nodded slightly upon hearing this. She had naturally known about the Duke and Duchess of Ying's arrival at the palace long ago.
It's impossible that my visit to the Imperial Garden today was truly unintentional.
However, the Crown Prince is still just the Crown Prince, so even if she doesn't want Wang Xinyan to become Duanmu Chen's legal wife, she can only keep it to herself and dare not offend the Empress.
"Since you're here, spend some more time with Jing'er. To be honest, Jing'er is indeed a bit lonely."
"Would you like to play pitch-pot with me, Your Majesty?"
"No, I'm too old to keep up with you all. You can play by yourselves. I'm going to Kunning Palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, and also to my uncle and aunt."
"Alright, Duanmu Chen, are you coming along too?"
Duanmu Chen was taken aback. She wasn't sure what the Crown Princess was planning, but she could guess some of what the Empress was thinking.
I glanced up at Wang Xinyan, who was looking down slightly. She was beautiful and had a refined air about her, and she reminded me a bit of Mu Xin Nuan!
The moment this thought popped into his head, Duanmu Chen was startled! How could he suddenly think of Mu Xin Nuan? That girl who was about to become his fourth aunt?
Duanmu Chen's face darkened slightly, but he managed a weak smile. "Auntie, you all go ahead and have fun. I'm going with Mother to pay my respects to Grandmother, so I won't disturb you any longer."
The Crown Princess was very satisfied with Duanmu Chen's performance. If she couldn't do something openly, then doing it secretly was fine too!
As long as Duanmu Chen herself is unwilling, the Empress will not blame her for these things!
The Crown Princess didn't miss the hint of disappointment in Wang Xinyan's eyes, and sneered inwardly. So, she really had taken a liking to her Duanmu Chen. However, whether he could become her daughter-in-law was still uncertain.
Inside the main hall, Lady Wang had already had someone help her cleanse her face and reapply makeup before gracefully returning to the hall. At this time, the Empress was talking to Prince Shu about Duanmu Chen.
"With me here, there is absolutely no way Xinyan can become a concubine." After saying this, the Empress immediately ordered people to prepare writing materials, and prepared to personally write the imperial edict.
Prince Shu hesitated slightly, "Your Majesty, shouldn't we discuss this matter with His Highness the Crown Prince before making a decision? After all, he is the Crown Prince's eldest son."
Lady Wang also thought about the future. If they were to agree to the marriage in this way, there was no guarantee that the Crown Princess would not find an excuse to make things difficult for their daughter in the future.
"Yes, Your Highness, let's discuss this with His Highness the Crown Prince before making any plans."
The Empress frowned, thinking that although the Crown Princess was gentle and generous, her methods of punishing people were not to be underestimated. Otherwise, she would not have chosen her to be the mistress of the Eastern Palace.