713 Grant a Marriage (4)
Consort Dong had always been uninvolved in the matters of the harem. Just like Fu Xiuyi, she watched the other consorts fight to the death. Oh, there was something else about her. She had always been secretly adding fuel to the fire, and that little fuel often pushed the situation to the worst. Using people as knives to achieve her end was her forte.
If Consort Mei was brazen and arrogant, Consort Dong was gentle and innocuous. Therefore, the two of them hit it off at first sight. Consort Dong looked down on Shen Miao, but she admired Consort Mei very much.
Looking at the situation in front of her, Shen Miao knew that the empress was probably used by Consort Dong. After all, Consort Dong was the kind of person who would get benefits for herself no matter what she did.
The empress smiled and gestured for Luo Xueyan to take a seat, but she waved at Shen Miao, indicating for her to come forward.
Shen Miao went forward as instructed, and the empress sized her up carefully. She smiled in satisfaction and said to Consort Dong, “She’s perfect.”
Luo Xueyan was a little uneasy. She wished she could grab Shen Miao and leave the palace. However, as a courtier, she was helpless. She did not know what the empress was up to, but as a mother, she had a natural intuition, especially when it came to people who had designs on her children.
“How old are you this year?” The empress asked.
“Your Highness, I’m sixteen,” Shen Miao replied.
The empress smiled and held Shen Miao’s hand. She said with a smile, “I often heard that General Shen’s daughter is both talented and beautiful. I saw you at the palace banquet last time and found you extremely adorable. I have been wanting to ask Mrs. Shen to bring you to the palace to meet me.” She sighed and said, “You’re already so beautiful and smart at the age of 16. I wonder which young master will be so lucky as to marry you.”
Luo Xueyan’s heart skipped a beat, and she clenched her fists. Shen Miao understood why the empress called them to the palace today.
Consort Dong also smiled. “Indeed. She’s beautiful and obedient, and there’s no arrogance in her at all. It’s rare to see such a girl nowadays.”
“Madam Shen, I wonder if Miss Shen is engaged?” The empress asked with a smile.
Luo Xueyan hesitated for a moment before answering, “Your Highness, I’ve been looking for a suitable young man for my daughter these days.” If this was the reason the empress asked them to come to the palace, she would probably have found out everything about Shen Miao’s current situation. Luo Xueyan didn’t dare to lie.
“I see.” The empress smiled even wider. “Then how about I be a matchmaker for Miss Shen?”
“No!” Luo Xueyan said without thinking. Seeing the empress’s unfriendly expression, she explained, “My daughter is still young. I can’t bear to marry her off and want to keep her for a few more years.”
The empress smiled again and said, “Madam Shen, you’re wrong. If you keep delaying Miss Shen’s marriage, I’m afraid Miss Shen will blame you in the future. Isn’t that right, Miss Shen?”
Shen Miao glanced at the empress and smiled. “I also want to spend more time with my mother.”
The empress’s smile was no longer sincere. She stared at Shen Miao, not knowing if Shen Miao was stupid to be so arrogant or if she was deliberately going against her. At the thought of such a woman becoming her daughter-in-law, the empress immediately felt unhappy.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a little awkward, Consort Dong smiled and said, “Madam Shen and Miss Shen have a deep mother-daughter relationship. It makes people envious. However…” She changed the topic. “Women have to get married eventually. It doesn’t mean that after getting married, you can’t spend time with your mother.”
