When leaving, Bai Peiqiu saw Hua Bolin. She seemed to have forgotten that she had seen her before at the market. She bowed gracefully and left without looking away.
"Her current situation is not good. I thought she would ask me for help." Hua Zhi stood up and sat down after the emperor sat down. "If she asks, I won't refuse. After all, I have owed Uncle Bai a favor in the past."
The emperor held his chin in his hand, thinking about something. He didn't speak for a while. Hua Bolin knew all about the past. He nodded and said, "I'm afraid she has been tossed around a lot. Logically, her marriage should have been arranged long ago. I think it's because Uncle Bai and my eldest sister have a past, otherwise..."
"As far as I know, her mother became ill because of the Bai family."
"No matter how angry she is, she can't do anything as long as the Bai family doesn't give in."
That's right, although Hua Zhi came here with a purpose, she also felt sorry for the girl. Sometimes people suffer because they are too sensible, and only the crying children get the candy.
There were many kinds of banquets hosted by aristocratic families. Hua Zhi took the two of them to attend several of them, selecting and choosing. Now everyone in the capital knew that she was choosing a wife for the Hua family's eldest grandson. All attention was on Berlin, and no one paid attention to the emperor who was dressed as a servant and was very inconspicuous.
"Master, do you think highly of the girl from the Bai family?" The emperor asked with a smile after seeing Bai Peiqiu again.
"I like girls who are responsible." Hua Zhi said in a relaxed tone, "Such girls may not be charming and gentle enough for men, and cannot win your hearts, but in my opinion, they have the courage to take on things and the brains to think about things. Only such girls can make you worry-free. Besides, who says such women can't be charming and gentle? As long as you win their hearts, she will give you all her softness."
Just like the Grand Tutor? The emperor swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth, and he had already circled out the candidate in his mind. Just as the Grand Tutor said, a queen with brains and responsibility is what Daqing needs.
After sending the emperor back to the palace, Hua Zhi took Berlin back home.
"Have you thought it through?"
"Yes, elder sister." Hua Bolin said frankly, "The eldest daughter of the Xu family can be the wife of the Hua family."
Hua Zhi nodded. She was impressed by the girl who knew when to advance and when to retreat, had the wit to remain calm and the ability to extricate herself from muddy water. The Xu family was in charge of the Censorate and was considered the emperor's direct line both in the past and now. Although they were a step behind the Hua family, it was just right for them to marry a daughter-in-law from a lower-class family.
However, "putting aside these external factors, do you have a good impression of that girl?"
"Yes, Miss Xu is very good."
He didn't say how good she was, and Hua Zhi didn't ask either. Sometimes some things don't need to be explained so clearly. What she wanted was this love for her. In this era, this was already extraordinary. She couldn't ask for more. After all, people like her and Yan Xi were already outliers. If they weren't for their extraordinary identities and the things they had experienced, they would probably have been discredited long ago.
The next day, an imperial edict went directly from the palace to the Bai family, or to be more precise, to the Bai Mingxia family.
The emperor, who was not an ordinary person, skipped all the procedures for selecting a queen and directly decided on the candidate for empress - Bai Peiqiu, the eldest daughter of Bai Mingxia. The whole capital city was like water in a frying pan - it exploded, but the worst affected were the direct descendants of the Bai family.
As soon as she got the news, the daughter-in-law of the Bai family went there in person. No one could stop her outside the door, but she didn't see anyone. Only an aunt received her and told her that the Regent Princess sent someone to take the lady and the girl to the palace. Even if she had a lot of thoughts, the Bai family was helpless at this time as she couldn't see anyone.
Hua Zhi exempted the mother and daughter from the formalities and said gently, "Now that my uncle is not in the capital, I am afraid that the door cannot stop those who are interested. Whether for the sake of the emperor or the relationship with my uncle, I cannot let you be controlled by others. Please forgive me if I have offended you."
Madam Bai bowed deeply again, her voice trembling with emotion, "Princess, please don't say that. If it weren't for your protection and bringing my daughter and I to the palace, I'm afraid we would be..."
"They dare not do anything, they just present facts and reason to remind you that you can't write two blank characters with one stroke, and even if you separate, you should still be of the same blood."
Madam Bai stared at the princess in astonishment. She knew their purpose clearly yet still stated it so clearly. What did the princess mean
"Although you can't write two white characters with one stroke, characters can be written lightly or heavily. If the emotion is deep, then the characters will be written boldly and heavily, while if the emotion is weak, then the characters will be written lightly and lightly. Madam, is that right?"
Mrs. Bai's heart gradually became clear. Isn't that right? The eldest branch of the family has been deceiving each other, and her parents-in-law are partial to the eldest branch and pretend not to see it. They also use Qiu'er's marriage to threaten her husband to return to the Bai family. What they want is just the foundation laid by her husband in the past few years. Now that the eldest daughter has been chosen as the queen, how can they let go of the huge benefits that the in-laws can bring? How can she be willing to do this? How can she be willing!
At this time, Bao Xia came in and reported, "The fourth lady is here."
As the message was passed, Mrs. Wu walked in with a smile on her face, and Hua Zhi stood up to greet her.
"It rains a lot in spring, but luckily we are close." As she spoke, Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Bai greeted each other, "Sister, you look better now."
Because of her husband's relationship, the two of them often interacted with each other. Mrs. Bai returned the greeting and smiled more relaxedly, "It has been taken care of for so many days. If it doesn't get better, it will not be a minor problem."
Wu glanced at the princess at the top of the table and asked, "Did you call me here in such a hurry to accompany the guests?"
"That's right, Aunt Fourth, those who are capable should do more work."
"I'm really capable." Wu walked forward affectionately, holding Mrs. Bai's hand and walked out. "I'm afraid our Grand Tutor and the Regent Princess will have to give instructions in person, so we won't get in the way here."
Mrs. Bai looked back at her daughter, gritted her teeth and walked out with Wu's force. The princess had the will to do so, and this was Qiu'er's chance. It would be better for her to learn a few tricks than to marry into the palace ignorantly. After all, no one in this world understands the emperor better than the princess.
There was a moment of silence in the room. Hua Zhi looked at Bai Peiqiu who lowered his head, "Are you scared?"
It would be better to say that he was shocked than frightened. His mind, which had been in a state of confusion since he received the imperial edict, finally started to function again. Bai Peiqiu held the handkerchief tightly and raised her head, "May I ask, Princess, why is it my daughter?"
"Since you have been chosen, it is because you are suitable. This is the emperor's own decision. He made it after he met you and got to know you. It was not my suggestion or anyone else's." Hua Zhi's voice softened as she looked at the tense girl. "You can also think of it this way. The emperor recognizes you now. You are strong and intelligent, responsible, and have the courage to face difficulties. He wants a queen like this to be by his side."
Bai Peiqiu pursed her lips. Your Majesty... does you like her like this
"You must remember that you are Bai Peiqiu. You can be sensible and strong, but you must also remember that you are a woman. Using gentleness to overcome strength is a woman's best weapon."
Bai Peiqiu kept every word in mind. The road had been set, and all she had to do was make it smoother and easier to walk.
Seeing that she was listening, Hua Zhi continued, "Before your uncle comes back, you and your mother should stay in the Regent's Palace first. Don't worry about what's going on outside. After a while, they will naturally know what to do."
"I'd love to have that, but my grandmother..."
"She dares not come to my Prince Regent's Palace to ask for someone. Just stay here peacefully."
Bai Peiqiu bowed deeply. If it were someone else, she would have thought more about whether this person had ulterior motives, but this person was the Regent Princess, the Imperial Preceptor, and was known to be the Emperor's most trusted person. She just had to accept this kindness and remember it firmly.
PS: The new book is waiting for review and should be passed next week. There is also a chapter in the extra chapter.