Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 43 Fukang Palace

"She will be temporarily accommodated in Manyu Pavilion. Mother, please see her tomorrow. You are tired from the journey, so take a day off first." Zhao Xingjin said calmly.

The Queen Mother looked at him and asked, "Have you made up your mind to take her into the palace?"

As a mother, of course, she doesn't want her son to marry a married woman, even as a concubine.

Especially since Xie Jiu is Xie Mingshen’s daughter.

Although the Queen Mother did not interfere in state affairs, she knew some things from Zhao Xingjin and was very disgusted with Xie Mingshen, the hypocrite and treacherous minister.

Facing the Queen Mother's question, Zhao Xingjin nodded again, "My son has made up his mind. This Xie is a good knife. She is smart and vindictive. The Wu family will be uprooted because she provided me with many useful things. But she also hates Xie Mingshen, who joined forces with the Wu family and intended to betray her."

"But she's from the Xie family. Even if her bones are broken, they're still connected. Xie Mingshen is her biological father. Can she really be used by you?" The Queen Mother frowned, looking uneasy. "I'm always worried that in the future, as time goes by, the rift between them will be resolved, and then you'll have miscalculated."

The Queen Mother expressed her concerns, but Zhao Xingjin remained calm.

He took a sip of tea and said, "That day will never come. If she doesn't obey, I'll kill her."

His tone was flat, as if he was chatting with the empress dowager about daily life, not about any matter of life or death.

The Queen Mother's eyes moved slightly as she looked at Zhao Xingjin. She felt that her eldest son had become more and more powerful since he ascended the throne. Even as a mother, she felt a sense of nervousness that she dared not relax.

Fortunately, Zhao Xingjin was still extremely filial to her, and the empress dowager did not want to interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty. Since her son had made a decision, she would no longer interfere.

"Well, now that you've made up your mind, bring Xie to see me tomorrow."

"Thank you for your hard work tomorrow, mother." Zhao Xingjin smiled. "I have also informed Prince Heng and my sister to come to the palace the day after tomorrow to pay my respects to mother."

Prince Heng is Zhao Xingjin's younger brother from the same mother, and the two brothers have a very good relationship. The imperial sister he mentioned is not born to the empress dowager, but she was raised by the empress dowager since she was a child, and their relationship is better than that of a real mother and daughter.

Hearing this, the Queen Mother's face brightened. "Okay, I haven't seen them for a long time, and I miss them very much. After all, there are so many people at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, and we won't have time to talk properly when we meet. I think it would be better to let Yushu stay in the palace with me for a few days and spend some time with me."

Yu Shu is Zhao Xingjin's half-sister, and is now the eldest princess.

"As long as the Queen Mother is happy, I will send someone to inform my sister later." Zhao Xingjin agreed.

The mother and son chatted for a long time. Zhao Xingjin accompanied the empress dowager for lunch before returning to Chengming Palace.

Of course, he also did not forget to send someone to tell Xie Jiu to make good preparations and go to pay a visit to the Queen Mother tomorrow.

But without his reminder, Xie Jiu had already packed everything.

For her, only by passing this hurdle can she secure a new identity and start a new journey in life, so she will naturally not be careless.

So when Zhao Xingjin saw Xie Jiu the next day, he couldn't help but look at her for a long time.

Today, Xie Jiu wore a turquoise silk dress. The dress was light and flowing, like mist and clouds. Lotus flowers were embroidered on the hem with silver thread. In the sunlight, the silver thread was glittering and the lotus flowers seemed to come alive. With the skirt as the base, it seemed as if it was placed in a green pond, vivid and lifelike.

The jewelry she was wearing was the set of jadeite bamboo headpiece that Zhao Xingjin had awarded her before. The color complemented her dress perfectly.

The flowing dress makes her look lively and graceful, while the jade jewelry adds elegance and calmness, making her look dignified and elegant.

Xie Jiu wore no makeup on her face, only a pair of carefully drawn eyebrows. Her skin was originally smooth and delicate, and her complexion was good. Today she dressed in a simple and elegant style. Putting on makeup would only cover up her natural elegance.

Just by drawing her eyebrows, she can immediately attract people's attention to her eyes. When their eyes suddenly meet, people will be stunned at first sight. Then, when they look at her again, they will feel that her beauty is natural and does not need any embellishment.

That's what Zhao Xingjin did just now.

Suddenly, he was attracted by Xie Jiu's bright and clear eyes, and looked at her for a long time unconsciously.

"Your Majesty." Xie Jiu lowered his eyes slightly and leaned forward to avoid his gaze. Zhao Xingjin then withdrew his scrutiny and said, "Get up and follow me to Fukang Palace."

"Yes." Xie Jiu responded and followed obediently behind the imperial sedan chair.

Fukang Palace.

When the two of them came over, the Queen Mother was worshiping Buddha, so they waited for a while.

Not long after, the empress dowager came out of the small Buddhist hall, holding the hand of a palace maid, and immediately caught a glimpse of Xie Jiu sitting next to Zhao Xingjin.

The furnishings in Fukang Palace were all dark in color. After all, the Empress Dowager was old, so in order to suit her status, the Empress had people arrange the furnishings and deliberately chose precious and calm colors. So at this moment, Xie Jiu, wearing a light turquoise dress, looked particularly eye-catching.

"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen Mother, may Her Majesty live a thousand years and live in peace." Xie Jiu immediately stood up and saluted politely.

The Queen Mother looked at her carefully, her expression showing no emotion.

After a while, he said kindly, "Get up, you are indeed a pretty girl."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words." Xie Jiu lowered his eyes, behaving in a well-behaved and polite manner.

Seeing that she was not as coquettish and frivolous as she had imagined, the empress dowager relaxed a little.

After being helped to sit down by the palace maid, she asked again, "How old are you this year? When did you get married?"

"Your Majesty, I am nineteen this year, and my birthday is April sixteenth." Xie Jiu replied, pausing before answering the second question, "We got married in October of the previous year, and now we are divorced."

There was a hint of helplessness in her tone, as if she didn't want to look back on the past. If you listened carefully, there seemed to be some hidden resentment.

Yes, she was only nineteen, not very old. She married Wu Que at the age of seventeen and was forced to lose her life at the age of nineteen.

How can one not hate him? He is in his prime years.

"What a poor child! I feel sorry for him when I see him." The empress dowager said with a loving expression.

I don't know whether she was sincere or not, but the Queen Mother also learned about Xie Jiu's situation from Zhao Xingjin. In short, she acted very kindly at this moment.

"Come closer and let me take a closer look." The Queen Mother waved at her.

When Xie Jiu took a few steps forward, the empress dowager's eyes suddenly stopped on her jewelry. She paused before looking away again and then sighed.

"The Weiyuan Marquis's family is not good people. You suffered a lot when you married into their family. Fortunately, you are now free from suffering. I heard that you are now a teacher to Wenxi. Wenxi likes you very much. It shows that you treat her very attentively. Children are always the best at distinguishing who treats them well."

"I trusted the wrong people in the past, but fortunately now I have the favor of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, so I don't have to waste my life. I can't repay this kindness, so I can only teach the princess more attentively, love the princess, and live up to the Emperor's trust, as a way of repaying him." Xie Jiu said softly.

This statement was very appropriate. Even though the empress dowager knew that it was a show, she still found it pleasing to the ear. Suddenly, she understood why Zhao Xingjin was willing to employ Xie Jiu.

It is much easier to work with smart people.

Xie Jiu then took out a thick stack of papers filled with scriptures and said respectfully.

"I heard that the Empress Dowager was worshipping Buddha, so I specially copied some scriptures and asked the palace master to consecrate them. I pray for the Empress Dowager's blessings. This is just a small token of my heart. I hope the Empress Dowager will not despise it."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression softened. "I think you're a good child. Now that we've divorced, and you often walk around the palace, teaching the princess, why don't you come into the palace and accompany the Emperor? I'm relieved to have someone as well-behaved and sensible as you serving by his side."

Finally got to the point.

However, before Xie Jiu could agree, the little palace maid guarding the door outside suddenly came to report that Concubine Zhuang had arrived with the Fourth Prince.

(End of this chapter)