The news that Xiao was caned by the lady-in-waiting of the Ling'anbo Mansion spread quietly among the noble families. Although no one knew whether it was true or not, seeing that Xiao had not appeared in front of everyone for some time, everyone thought it might be true. It was said that Xiao accidentally broke the Crown Princess's lantern in front of the spirit of the Crown Princess, which made the lady-in-waiting of the Ling'anbo Mansion angry.
Many people knew about the Eastern Palace's memorial service for the Crown Princess at Qingyun Temple. Many people wanted to go to pay their respects, but the Crown Prince said that no one was needed, saying that he just wanted to accompany the Crown Princess quietly. As a result, no one went. It is unknown whether Xiao's rumor is true or false.
If it was true, Xiao was really careless. How could she be careless about such a thing? No wonder the lady wanted to punish Xiao when she returned home. No matter how many times she was beaten, Xiao's face was lost, and the matter was also spread.
If it is not true, such a rumor is still very credible. After all, it is the Crown Princess's family. Why would someone spread such a rumor? If there must be someone who wants to step on the face of the Crown Princess's family, then it can only be the future Crown Princess. So is this Jingyu County Lord going to take action against Ling Anbo's Mansion
Before everyone's doubts were dispelled, the emperor's imperial edict came down, directly shattering the peace of the entire capital.
The emperor has granted the marriage, and the couple is between the crown prince and Lady Jingyu.
If it was before, everyone would have expressed their sincere blessings, but it came out at this time, causing many people to have some doubts about the prince and Lady Jingyu.
Is the prince sincere towards the former crown princess
Is Lady Jingyu really good enough to be the Crown Princess
Since the death of the Crown Princess, many things have happened between the Crown Prince and this Lady Jingyu County. None of them sounded true, but when so many were connected together, and some of them happened to be present, and were passed around privately, the story has become completely unrecognizable.
The prince may not be deeply affectionate, he may just be doing it for face.
The concubines in the Prince's Mansion don't have much sisterly love, and they may even have stepped on the Crown Princess to enter the Eastern Palace. I don't know where someone spread the rumor that the concubine angered the Crown Princess to death.
Is Lady Jingyu really in love with the prince, or is she related to the son of Marquis Yongning
Did the Lord of Jingyu County really tolerate this concubine of the Eastern Palace and not intend to take action against the Crown Princess and the concubine's family? Was the beating of Madam Xiao from the second room of the Ling'an Earl's Mansion really unrelated to the Lord of Jingyu County
After all, it was rumored early on that the Lady of Jingyu County celebrated the Chinese Valentine's Day with the prince.
Even if there was no official imperial decree, the aristocratic families already knew that Lady Jingyu was the future Crown Princess, but who released this news
Was it Minister Liu who created this situation for his daughter? This meant that she must marry into the Eastern Palace. I heard that this Lady Jingyu had a close relationship with King Jing at first.
Is it Prince Jing, the Heir to the Yongning Marquis, or ultimately the current Crown Prince
Everyone seemed to be celebrating, but they were secretly discussing the matter. They all felt that there was something mysterious about it and that neither the Crown Prince nor the new Crown Princess was the most suitable match.
Then some people sighed about the previous Crown Princess and how well the previous Crown Princess and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince matched each other...
In the East Palace, in Pei Luoan's study, the memorials on the desk were thrown all over the floor, making a mess. Pei Luoan's face turned ashen with anger, and he slammed his hand heavily on the table. A sachet on it immediately fell to the ground. This sachet that he seemed to cherish so much in the past, but no one dared to pick it up.
"Enter the palace!" Pei Luoan calmed down his anger and turned to
Go outside.
Several eunuchs followed closely and walked out of the palace together. They got on the carriage, and the carriage moved forward all the way. After a while, it circled to the front gate of the palace.
Pei Luoan got off the carriage. When the guards at the door saw that it was the prince, they hurriedly saluted. Pei Luoan waved his hand and strode into the palace without looking back.
After entering the palace, he went straight to the Queen's Pepper Room.
The queen, who was full of joy, knew something was wrong when she saw her son's face. She waved her hand to let everyone else go down, and then asked, "Son, what happened?"
"Mother, why did the emperor issue the decree so suddenly? Didn't he say before that we should wait a little longer? The Crown Princess' body is still warm, so it's not appropriate at this time." Pei Luoan held back for a moment before speaking.
"These were your earliest words. Didn't you say before that you would settle your relationship with Liu Jingyu after the sacrifice to Ji Hanyue? Isn't it better now?" The Queen asked in confusion.
"Mother, I said so before, but didn't I also tell you yesterday that this matter is not urgent and we should wait a little longer?" Pei Luoan said irritably.
"You are the crown prince of a country, how can you be so sentimental? Ji Hanyue is dead, but the daughter of the general is going to the capital. I heard that they want to marry Miss Liu and become relatives with the general. If you don't do anything now, it will be too late. After they succeed, you will only have the title of crown prince but no military power. Who will care about you?"
The Empress said angrily, "I thought about it yesterday and felt that since you have already agreed, this matter should be done as soon as possible. Although Duke Qi does not hold military power now, he has many old subordinates who hold military power. Among the military commanders, the generals who assist the state have to bow their heads and speak to Duke Qi. Moreover, there is Minister Liu. Your father has always praised Minister Liu for his ability."
The Queen Mother did not think that this marriage was sudden. In fact, she had her own opinion on this matter. The Emperor also asked her about it yesterday, and she thought it was a good idea.
"Mother, that's not what I meant!" Pei Luoan sat down on the chair and pressed his forehead with his hand.
"If not this, then what else could it be? Could it be for Ji Youran?" The Queen's face darkened. "Crown Prince, you have to remember that Ji Youran is just a concubine. The Ling Anbo Mansion has fallen into decline. Even if she is allowed to be a concubine, it is a stretch. It is only because of Ji Hanyue that she can hold on to the position of concubine. Could it be that she wants to become the principal concubine?"
The Queen thought Ji Youran had picked Pei Luoan to make trouble with her, and said angrily.
"Mother, you misunderstood again. Yesterday, Ji Youran asked me to send her to the remote concubine's courtyard that I had prepared before, instead of living in the main courtyard. The reason was that she was not attentive during the sacrifice to the Crown Princess. Even her biological mother, Xiao, was warned by me and was beaten by Madam Ji when she returned home."
Pei Luoan said, "There are many rumors at this time, and I am also surprised. The emperor's order coming down at this time makes it even more difficult for me to deal with it."
Upon hearing that there were so many things involved, the Queen was stunned for a moment. She really didn't know.
"Mother, it's not just about me, but also about Liu Jingyu. Do you think she is really qualified for the position of Crown Princess?" Pei Luoan asked back.
The question made the Empress unhappy: "Among all the young ladies from noble families in the capital, who else is suitable for you except Liu Jingyu? Even among the princesses born to the royal princesses, how many of them have real power? Liu Jingyu has not only a civil official lineage, but also a military general lineage. Compared with the daughter of the general who assists the country, she is only stronger than him."
. "
"Mother, I know Liu Jingyu is good, but she...but she was with my second brother...and the prince of Yongning..." Pei Luoan was unable to continue for a moment. He originally wanted to make excuses, but after saying it, he felt inexplicably unhappy.
Although he didn't pay much attention to Liu Jingyu, he felt uncomfortable when he thought about the ambiguous relationship between Liu Jingyu and his second brother.
"Prince, what you said is wrong. The previous incident with the King Jing was also a matter between Concubine He and her mother. It had nothing to do with her. Her mother has already explained it to me. As for the Yongning Marquis's son, it was all a misunderstanding. The incident between the two sisters of the Qu Mansion accidentally implicated Liu Jingyu. She was also extremely wronged."
The Queen has been on very good terms with Minister Liu's wife recently, and she subconsciously defended Liu Jingyu.
Seeing that the Queen Mother was wholeheartedly on Liu Jingyu's side, the Prince was so angry that he was almost speechless, and he felt inexplicably annoyed in his heart. When he was engaged to Ji Hanyue in the past, his mother kept telling him that Ji Hanyue was not good here and there, and even that Ji Youran was better than Ji Hanyue, and she always found fault with Ji Hanyue.
Although I stopped myself, I kept telling myself this behind people's backs.
But now, he is saying so many good things for Liu Jingyu.
It is obvious that Ji Hanyue is much better than Liu Jingyu. No, maybe the two of them are not comparable at all. How can the Queen Mother tell that Liu Jingyu is better than Ji Hanyue
Now is not the time to discuss this, and Pei Luoan suppressed his temper and said, "Mother, perhaps the daughter of the general who assists the country is more suitable."
This sentence startled the Empress, who quickly lowered her voice and said, "Prince, are you interested in the daughter of the General of the State? I heard that she has an eye disease. What kind of person is there to be interested in? Your father wants her to marry into the Prince of Yun's Mansion, saying that the Prince of Yun's Mansion has never had a mistress. If you go against that person, no one will be in good shape!"
The Queen Mother said this with a hint of gloating. Prince Jing wanted to marry the daughter of the General, but without telling the General's opinion, it would be difficult for the Emperor to convince her.
That woman over there is powerful. She was able to stay in the palace under the pretext of entering to take care of Queen Yuan, and even gave birth to a son after Queen Yuan's death. But no matter how powerful she is, she can't be as powerful as that boy. This guy doesn't seem like someone who would give face to others. He even dared to defy the Queen Mother's face.
Pei Luoan had a gloomy face and said nothing. He also hoped that Pei Yusheng would not marry the daughter of the general, but what if Pei Yuanjun married her? He would not like it either.
"Prince..."
"Mother, let's leave it at that for now. Father has issued an order, and I cannot refuse it. But please remember, mother, don't rush the marriage. This marriage is handled by the laws of the country. It is normal for the process to be slow. If you interfere privately again, others will doubt my love for the Crown Princess."
Pei Luoan said that the Ministry of Rites had its own procedures for the Queen Mother's wedding. When to pay gifts, when to send betrothal gifts, and even when to marry, all had to follow the rules. Pei Luoan was afraid that the Queen Mother would interfere in the matter, which would make people mistakenly think that he was in a hurry to get married, and all his previous efforts would be in vain.
The Queen nodded and said, "Don't worry. I know how frivolous this matter is. What happens next is the Ministry of Rites' business. I will not interfere, and I won't even ask too many questions. The Ministry of Rites will decide what to do."
After hearing what the Queen said, Pei Luoan breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little relieved.
He had settled down a little, but there was another person who couldn't sleep all night because of this marriage, tossing and turning...