Too high to reach

Chapter 112 The Emperor is Not Here
Empress Jiang sent someone to inform the Emperor.

And asked him if he wanted to come and take a look...

Just as he was deep in thought, Princess Yu'an entered.

"Mother!"

The Empress greeted her with a broad smile: "What brings you here?"

"Come and see the show!" Princess Yu'an sat down next to the Empress. "What's this charade that Seventh Prince is up to? Is he crazy to want such a lowly, unfit girl as his princess consort?"

She had lost the gentleness she had shown Mo Yi earlier, and her face was now filled with arrogance and disdain.

The Empress asked softly, "Did you see her?"

"Yes, she's so petty! She's not even as good as the maidservant beside me. Although she tries hard to appear composed, I can see right through her cowardice and greed at a glance!"

The Empress smiled: "The way Zhuang Zhen described her when she came back last time is quite different from the one I saw today. It's quite remarkable that Zhao Hui has been trained to this extent in such a short time!"

"Could it be that her fate is special?" Princess Yu'an suddenly wondered.

"...What special destiny?! You actually believe in that?!" Empress Jiang scoffed indifferently. Her success today wasn't due to destiny, but rather scheming, leveraging power, manipulation, and ruthlessness. And...her family!
"Then why would he do that?!"

"Hmph! They definitely have a plan... we just haven't figured it out yet."

"Perhaps no one wants to get involved. Even my great-aunt, the Grand Princess, wants to give him her granddaughter, doesn't she?"

"If you had to choose between the Grand Princess's granddaughter and this girl from the Mo family, which would you pick?"

Yu An curled her lip: "Is that even a question? My great-aunt's family is very wealthy, and her grandson is already grown up! I'm not crazy, why would I choose such a lowly girl?"

She sat there, looking nothing like a princess.

The Empress looked at her, feeling both heartache and a headache.

So many fine men would rather choose the East.

Otherwise, wouldn't it be wonderful to have children and a husband to take care of you?
"Yu'an, no, why don't you just release Dongfang first?"

"Why are you bringing him up?" Yu'an asked impatiently again.

“Men and women are different after all. Look at the seventh prince, when a princess died, a whole bunch of people still sent people to mourn him. But women are different…”

"Then I still can't let him go!" Princess Yuyang's lips curled into a sinister smile: "I will only truly let go after I have wiped out his entire family and exterminated his nine generations!"

"Who knows when it will happen? If we delay you for a few more years, won't that be a waste? I heard Yun'an is pregnant again. You are still young now, and your mother is here... so you can live a carefree life. But in the future... the only one you can rely on is your son."

Yu'an shook her head dismissively: "Now I'm counting on you, and in the future I'll be counting on you, brother. Things have come to this, and I just want to live my life to the fullest. If you truly care about me, then help me fulfill my wish as soon as possible!"

The Empress sighed softly, "It's not as easy as you make it out to be. The Dongfang family is a centuries-old clan. He has also made numerous military achievements. The seventh prince protects him... When your father was alive, it would have been difficult to touch him. Although your brother is the crown prince, he doesn't have military power. How much effort would it take to deal with him? Moreover, even your brother has to be more careful in his every move now than others!"

Princess Yu'an blushed: "But how can the Seventh Prince do whatever he wants? Not only does he demand military power, but he also causes trouble with our marriage! He always makes us rack our brains trying to figure things out! Mother, in my opinion, you should arrange their marriage and let them get married. Then, let's see how I..."

A hint of smugness and coldness appeared on her face.

...Even the Empress Dowager didn't know about that matter.

How wonderful is that!
"Then can't we deal with Dongfang later? You should make sure you're doing well first."

"Oh, please stop criticizing me! Let's see what kind of trap Seventh Brother has set up!"

The Empress chuckled softly: "How ridiculous! If I were to find him a princess consort like this, the entire court would probably criticize him. He chose this himself, so Mother can simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor! Why should I worry that he'll cause such a ruckus over the marriage?"

Princess Yu'an touched the object hidden under her clothes and smiled again.

The reason she was so kind to that wood-crust girl was simply because... she wanted to!

Now, she can do whatever she wants!

If Dongfang... just thinking of that person who entered her heart the moment she first saw him when she was five years old and could never be pulled away.

If he could be nice to me, even just a little bit nicer...

I would give him my heart!

But why doesn't he even glance at me?

She shook her head forcefully. "If he's willing, then you should do him a favor! Just tell Father..."

"What did you say to Father?" The Emperor suddenly entered the room. "Father!" Princess Yu'an jumped up in fright.

The Empress was also startled and furious: The Emperor has arrived, and no one has come to report it?
Are there dead people all at the entrance?

She didn't know how long the Emperor had been there, and quickly thought about the conversation between the mother and daughter just now, wondering if there was anything amiss: "Your Majesty!" Her voice was slightly weak.

Princess Yu'an beamed, "Father, something extraordinary has happened today! Why are you so late!"

"You silly girl, you always want to see others make a fool of themselves!"

Princess Yu'an covered her mouth with her handkerchief, "Usually, my Crown Prince is as steady as an old man, truly boring. It's so much better that Seventh Brother is back; even though it's a joke, it's still entertaining!"

The Empress shook her head helplessly: "Your Majesty, thank goodness you came. This girl has been pestering me for ages!"

The Emperor asked Princess Yu'an, "Have you paid your respects to your grandmother?"

"not yet!"

"Go quickly! I need to speak with your mother!"

Princess Yu'an gave a smiling bow and walked away with light steps.

As soon as she stepped outside, her face fell.

Using the same expression, the Emperor would chuckle foolishly at that wretched woman, Ming'an.

As for herself... "Did you pay your respects to your imperial grandmother?!" she muttered indignantly, pouting.

Ming'an, you damned bitch!
Even in death, they won't let me die peacefully!

As they exited the palace gates, they saw Lady Zhuang approaching from the other side. "Was there no one at the palace gates just now? Father Emperor arrived and no one greeted him? I thought Mother Empress was kind-hearted; are you just trying to fool her?!"

The lady-in-waiting was so frightened that she immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, I just went out on business and did not know that no one was here!"

"Hmph! Just you wait!" If it weren't for her father, she would have dealt with these servants!

The Empress personally served tea to the Emperor, her smile somewhat forced.

"You saw him?" the Emperor asked.

"I've seen them. They're still waiting in the side hall! Should I call them over?"

The Emperor's face darkened. "The Empress, please speak first!"

"Your Majesty, to be honest, that girl is pretty and innocent. Perhaps it's because of Zhao Mama's careful guidance, she's poised, well-mannered, and speaks appropriately. She's not as beautiful as I imagined, but she's more composed than I expected. Although she can't compare to a lady from a prominent family, I can't say she's bad." She appeared broad-minded and insightful.

"But... to be a princess? Seventh Prince is ten years older than this girl!"

The Emperor replied, "Age is not a problem."

The Empress seemed to have misspoke, and smiled, "Your Majesty, I misspoke! Although the young lady is well-behaved, she is still a far cry from being a princess! If this were the one I found for Qilang, I'm afraid the entire court would say that I am not treating Qilang well!"

"The Empress is overthinking things!" The Emperor's expression darkened.

“Your Majesty, I’m afraid to confront Qilang because of his temper. It’s better to talk to the Crown Prince; if I can’t reason with him, I can at least argue with him.”

"When has the Crown Prince ever been unreasonable? Unlike that scoundrel!"

The Empress smiled helplessly: "Yes. Then, what do you think..."

The Emperor squinted, watching the smoke from the incense burner. "Let him do as he pleases! Anyway..." He didn't finish his sentence.

Who can say that a couple can grow old together? His own wife left, and Li Jing's first wife also left;
These past few days, he has taken every opportunity to recall these past events.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

He had a dream last night.

His Empress Zhao, his eldest son, and that girl Ming'an... They stood there, neither sad nor happy, silently watching him.

All I remember is asking Ming'an: "You laugh so much, why don't you laugh anymore?"
He pinched his brow. "If he wants to, then let him do as he pleases!"

The Empress felt relieved and smiled, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)