The banquet in the imperial palace did not last long. The marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom had been carved in stone. Now there was the last step left: which princess would Crown Prince Xieyue ask to marry? It was different from Princess Caifeng’s marriage. Although Princess Caifeng was also the candidate for marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom, she would be a member of the Qin Kingdom after she got married. Moreover, she was going to marry King Ning, so there would be little chance for her to become the ruler of the country.
Crown Prince Xieyue’s case was different. He was likely to be the future Emperor of the Southern Barbarian Lands, and thus the princess, who would marry him, would be the future Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands and had the right to decide the national affairs of the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom in the future. Therefore, the Qin Kingdom attached more importance to the marriage of Crown Prince Xieyue. And because of this, Emperor Zongwen had no definite candidate to marry him.
After he left the banquet in the hall, Emperor Zongwen did not return to his Qianqing Palace. Instead, he went straight to Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s place.
As soon as he arrived at the door, Imperial Noble Consort Wen came out and greeted him gently and respectfully in front of the imperial carriage.
Emperor Zongwen held Liu Xi’s hand and stepped out of the imperial carriage. He hurried forward and helped Imperial Noble Consort Wen up. Then, he said in a tender manner, “My love, you don’t have to be so polite. Let’s go in and talk.”
“Yes,” Imperial Noble Consort Wen replied softly. There was a hint of joy on her face. Even though she was not as ecstatic as the other consorts when they saw Emperor Zongwen, her look made others comfortable without any pressure.
After being in the palace for so many years, Imperial Noble Consort Wen seemed to have never competed with anyone. She was pregnant before, and the child had an accident when he was about to be born. A little prince did die after being born, which also involved another consort. Although Imperial Noble Consort Wen fainted in pain, she did not say a word when she woke up. She did not force Emperor Zongwen to punish the consort either and even plead for mercy, which made Emperor Zongwen feel guiltier about her.
In this way, he had always admired Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s generosity. Even though she did not have a son, she had also been promoted to imperial noble consort. She and Consort Su became the two imperial noble consorts below the Empress.
“Your Majesty, do you have anything to say to me today?” Imperial Noble Consort Wen took the porcelain teacup from the palace maid and placed it on the table in front of Emperor Zongwen with a smile.
“Isn’t Xuehe here?” Emperor Zongwen looked around and asked.
Usually, the Sixth Princess, Feng Xuehe, was in Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s place to embroider and fiddle with flowers and plants at this time. Compared with the Fifth Princess, who was arrogant and often caused trouble, the Sixth Princess was so obedient. She was gentle when she saw people, as if she was the same as Imperial Noble Consort Wen.
Emperor Zongwen was very satisfied with the Sixth Princess from the bottom of his heart. He had once said that no matter which family she married into, the Sixth Princess would lead a good life, which meant the husband and wife would be harmonious, and they would be filial to the elders and the family would be harmonious.
“Just now, Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands invited Xuehe to walk around the garden. Consort Xuan has always been in poor health, and Consort Yan has just experienced… We couldn’t let Princess Caifeng walk around the garden alone, so I asked Xuehe to accompany her. It’s always pitiful for her to marry far away. Even if she is a princess, she has no one to rely on. Fortunately, Princess Caifeng is a little tough, so she won’t suffer losses. If she were a gentle girl, well, alas…”
Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not finish what she wanted to say. She frowned slightly, and there was a trace of sadness in the corners of her eyes. Even the smile on her lips became bitter, she smartly did not continue.
The people in the palace of the Qin Kingdom knew Princess Caifeng’s temperament very well after these days. With such a strong temperament, she could not even decide her marriage in the end. What if she had a soft temperament? Then if a docile princess married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, where she had no family there, it would be very difficult for her to take root in the Southern Barbarian Lands.
At this moment, Emperor Zongwen hesitated. The Sixth Princess was gentle and kind. If she married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, would she really be able to take care of everything? Furthermore, the battle in the harem had always been a life-and-death struggle. It would not be easy for a woman to be the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Could the Sixth Princess Feng Xuehe really do that?
Emperor Zongwen couldn’t help frowning. In his heart, he was comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess.
In Emperor Zongwen’s opinion, the Sixth Princess had no advantage at all. Although Emperor Zongwen liked the Sixth Princess’ character, wouldn’t she be swallowed up by others with such a character if she married into another country? If she couldn’t even protect herself, how could she show the benefits of the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom?
Or maybe it would cause a war between the two countries because of the Sixth Princess’ suffering.
Thinking of this, Emperor Zongwen made the Seventh Princess as the candidate. The Seventh Princess was a little stronger than the Sixth Princess, but she was not strong enough in general. At this moment, Emperor Zongwen thought of the Fifth Princess. With the Fifth Princess’ character and the status of the Empress’s legitimate daughter, she was most suitable to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands.
Coupled with the fact that the legitimate princess had 100 secret guards, it could be said that nothing could go wrong. With the guards’ protection, and her strong character and the support of the Qin Kingdom, she was almost invincible. However, the Fifth Princess had already gone to the Yan Kingdom. Emperor Zongwen got a headache at this point.
Emperor Zongwen did not reply to Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s words. The hall quietened down immediately. When she saw that Emperor Zongwen was frowning and did not speak, Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not urge him. She walked to the side and ordered her lead palace maid to prepare the sober-up soup. She even ordered to put two spoonfuls of honey inside.
Emperor Zongwen did not like things that were too bitter. He could only drink the sober-up soup when there was honey in it.
Emperor Zongwen’s expression softened when he heard Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s soft and gentle voice. There was a note of care in her concern. He gestured for Imperial Noble Consort Wen to go over. Then, he pulled her to sit down beside him and said gently, “My love, you don’t have to do this. I will leave soon. I have to visit Mother. I heard that something happened at Mother’s place earlier, and she is displeased because of it.”
Imperial Noble Consort Wen obeyed Emperor Zongwen’s word obediently, sat down and looked up. When she heard that Emperor Zongwen was about to leave, a hint of disappointment appeared on her face, but the disappointment was immediately covered by a gentle smile. However, even if her expression grew faster, Emperor Zongwen, who had been staring at her closely, had noticed it, and his expression grew even gentler.
“Your Majesty, no matter how busy you are, you can leave after you drink the sober-up soup. I won’t prepare food for you here. I heard that what had happened in the Empress Dowager’s place was also about the Southern Barbarian Lands. It was said that Princess Caifeng didn’t know that the Southern Barbarian Lands sent a poisonous accessory, and wanted to give it to Consort Xuan. This made the Empress Dowager very unhappy. I also sent someone to inquire about it. The Empress Dowager said that it was nothing.”
Emperor Zongwen had known about this long ago. As such, he was even more determined to marry Princess Caifeng to Feng Yuzhen. The back garden of anyone would not be peaceful with such a vicious woman. As such, Crown Prince Xieyue had brought up the matter and agreed. When he heard that Imperial Noble Consort Wen had already dealt with the matter first and that her behavior was decent, he praised her greatly.
“My love, you are indeed my good consort. Since that’s the case, I shall not go to Cining Palace. I shall have dinner at your palace today,” Emperor Zongwen said with satisfaction.
At this time, the sober-up soup had been sent over. Imperial Noble Consort Wen beamed and brought the soup to Emperor Zongwen. Emperor Zongwen took it and drank it up. It was not bitter and the sweetness was just right in taste. It was his favorite flavor. He was more satisfied with Imperial Noble Consort Wen. When he put down the bowl in his hand, Imperial Noble Consort Wen had already brought him a fragrant handkerchief. After he slightly wiped his lips, Imperial Noble Consort Wen took it and placed it on the tray before asking someone to take it away.
“Your Majesty, I am so happy that you can have dinner with me. Just now, you asked about Xuehe. Do you want me to send someone to ask her here?” Imperial Noble Consort Wen could not hide the joy on her face. There was a hint of joy on her lips, as if she was very surprised that Emperor Zongwen would stay for dinner. She could not suppress the overjoyed look on her calm face.
“No, don’t have to ask her to come back. Let her accompany Princess Caifeng for a stroll.” Emperor Zongwen waved his hand.
At this moment, he was confused and could not make up his mind. He did not intend to ask the Sixth Princess to come here. Originally, Emperor Zongwen had come to sound out the Sixth Princess’s views. Even though it was up to him to decide which princess to marry into another country, it would be better if he could see that his daughter was willing to marry.
Imperial Noble Consort Wen nodded with a smile, as if she did not know that she had made Emperor Zongwen change his mind with a few words. She wholeheartedly asked her lead palace maid to prepare Emperor Zongwen’s favorite dishes. She smiled and persuaded him softly, “Your Majesty, I went to Consort Yu’s palace early in the morning. She is so thin that she is almost beyond recognition. She told me that if you are free, you can go to her palace to have a look. She only has you now.”
Emperor Zongwen’s expression darkened when he heard Consort Yu. He harrumphed coldly and said, “She only has me? She couldn’t even protect the royal child, but focused on fight with others. How could she have the face to say that?”
“Your Majesty…” Imperial Noble Consort Wen wanted to continue persuading him but Emperor Zongwen glared at her angrily. She was so frightened that she could not say a word.
“Leave Consort Yu alone. Now that she didn’t protect my child, what does she want from me. Stop daydreaming!”
Emperor Zongwen’s eyes turned sharp and his expression was glum. It seemed that Consort Yu really could not turn over this time. The corners of Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s eyes twitched slightly and she tactfully did not continue. She timidly changed the topic and said, “What about Consort Zhao? After all, there is no clear proof that she did that…”
Imperial Noble Consort Wen stole a glance at Emperor Zongwen. She did not finish what she wanted to say, but had completely expressed her meaning.
“Leave Consort Zhao alone too. She has been thrown into the Cold Palace. What else does she want? Just let her live in the Cold Palace. Anyway, she has been living a cold and lonely life,” Emperor Zongwen stated lightly.
Imperial Noble Consort Wen did not understand what he meant at the moment. She peeked at his face and did not see any emotion on his face. She could not tell what he meant. However, relative to his firm attitude towards Consort Yu, he seemed less cruel to Consort Zhao. She felt that there was something hidden in his words. Did he mean that she had lived a cold and lonely life in the first 10 years?
For so many years, Consort Zhao had been independent of the people in the harem. She did not need to pay her respects to the Empress or the Empress Dowager, nor could she come out. She was protected by Emperor Zongwen in Mingyue Palace. Up to now, Imperial Noble Consort Wen still did not understand what Emperor Zongwen want. If he was protecting her, it didn’t make sense as he had locked up his favorite consort for 10 years.
If he didn’t dote on her and just wanted to lock her up, what about the guards at the door? She had seen with her own eyes that the Empress was blocked by the guards when she came to the palace.
Imperial Noble Consort Wen had always been confused by Emperor Zongwen’s attitude toward Consort Zhao. In this situation, if Emperor Zongwen really hated Consort Zhao very much, he would not have said so much.
Even though she could not figure it out, Imperial Noble Consort Wen still nodded obediently. The next time she met Consort Su, she would tell her what the Emperor had said. As for what Consort Su would do, it had nothing to do with her. What would Consort Su deal with Consort Zhao? Would there be any fight between the two of them? She would just wait and see.
Since everyone knew that she didn’t have a son, she had better not get involved in these things.
