On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Kunning Palace.

As the head of the six palaces, Empress Zhao Shuyu's palace was naturally the most magnificent in the entire harem.

But now, even the magnificent palace exudes a sense of desolation and coldness inside.

The palace maids and eunuchs who were responsible for serving the Empress were all listless and walked with a light step, clearly very hungry.

The little food left in the palace was definitely reserved for the masters. As servants, they were lucky to get some swill to drink, and even that wasn't enough to fill their stomachs.

At this moment, all the most prominent concubines in the harem were gathered in the main hall of Kunning Palace for a meeting.

It was called a meeting, but it was really just a grievance session.

"Your Majesty, you must talk to His Majesty! We sisters are living in utter misery. We only get two meals a day, and they're just watery soup with no oil at all. If this continues, we'll all starve to death."

The speaker was a concubine dressed in a pink palace gown, whose title was "Li".

As soon as she finished speaking, someone immediately echoed her.

"Yes, Your Majesty, the small kitchen in my palace hasn't been used for several days. We're relying on the food from the Imperial Kitchen every day, but it's not enough."

"Who says otherwise? I was so hungry last night that I couldn't sleep, so I even gnawed on my pillow..."

The hall was filled with complaints and chatter, like a bustling marketplace.

Empress Zhao Shuyu sat upright in the main seat, holding a cup of tea in her hands. She could even smile in the face of everyone's complaints.

That makes sense. Anyone would laugh at the fact that Nangong Jin was deposed.

She and Consort Hui fought for the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty for many years.

The latter always took advantage of having a good son and always looked down on her.

How are things now?

Your son is ruined!

Hahahaha, what kind of emperor is a prince who can't have children?

From now on, I, Zhao Shuyu, will be the one in charge of this harem!

Thinking of this, she put down her teacup, coughed lightly, and forcibly suppressed her laughter.

The noisy sounds in the hall instantly quieted down, and everyone's eyes were focused on her.

"I understand how my sisters feel," Zhao Shuyu said slowly, her voice gentle. "You have indeed suffered these past few days, but I have heard that these days will soon be over."

Everyone was taken aback by what they heard.

Consort Li couldn't help but ask, "What does Your Majesty mean by that?"

Zhao Shuyu smiled and said, "His Majesty has decided to marry the Eldest Princess to Regent Lin Yi. Presumably, Lin Yi will soon lift the blockade on the palace, considering the marriage alliance between the two families."

These words shocked everyone present.

Marry the eldest princess to Lin Yi, that traitor?

This... isn't this pushing the princess into a fire pit?

The group looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Logically speaking, this is indeed a brilliant plan, which can not only relieve the siege of the palace, but also win over Lin Yi and reduce friction.

From a human perspective, however, the eldest princess is gentle and virtuous, a rare and wonderful girl.

If Lin Yi is determined to rebel, wouldn't the princess become the rebel's wife?

Yang Siyu, who was sitting below Zhao Shuyu, turned pale instantly upon hearing these words.

Because Princess Nangong Min is her biological daughter.

"Your Majesty, is this true?" Yang Siyu's voice trembled. "Does His Majesty really intend to marry Min'er to that traitorous minister?"

Zhao Shuyu looked at her, her smile unchanged, even more smug.

Because Zhao Shuyu gave birth to the second prince, Nangong Jie, in addition to the first princess.

In his early years, Yang Siyu had intended to cultivate Nangong Jie, but gave up because Nangong Jie was hopeless and could not be helped.

In short, Zhao Shuyu is happy whenever any prince's birth mother is in trouble.

"Sister Yang, what are you saying? What do you mean by 'traitorous minister'? The Regent is a pillar of the nation. The Princess marrying him would be a double blessing. Besides, rather than sending the Princess to marry into a foreign land, to those barbarian places, it's better for her to marry into our own people. At least we can still see her if we want to, right?"

These words sounded like words of comfort, but in reality, they were meant to shut Yang Siyu up.

The latter was so angry that he trembled all over, but he was powerless to refute her.

Since ancient times, princesses have never had control over their own destiny, much less theirs.

Marrying Lin Yi is better than marrying those barbarian khans who eat raw meat and drink blood.

But... who is Lin Yi? He dares to tear up the emperor's edict and even depose a prince.

Can Min'er have a good life if she marries a man like that?

The more Yang Siyu thought about it, the more heartbroken she became, and tears streamed down her face involuntarily.

Seeing her in such a miserable state, Zhao Shuyu felt even more pleased.

You always rely on your daughter's favor to act arrogantly in front of me.

Now you know how powerful that is, right?

She picked up her teacup, blew on it gently, and said slowly, "Alright, His Majesty has made his decision. We concubines should stop discussing it. Everyone, go back and wait patiently. I believe our good days will return in just a few days."

After saying this, she got up and, with the help of a palace maid, walked into the inner hall.

Seeing this, the crowd had no choice but to disperse in twos and threes.

Some concubines who had a good relationship with Yang Siyu came up to comfort him, but Yang Siyu obviously wouldn't listen. He stumbled towards his Changchun Palace, forgetting even to take a sedan chair.

The sky was overcast, and rolling dark clouds swept in from the east, bringing a cool, damp breeze.

But this slight chill was nothing compared to the slightest feeling in Yang Siyu's heart.

Min'er was her precious baby, whom she had cherished since childhood, and now she was going to marry that madman Lin Yi! And this madman might even become a rebel in the future!

The thought that his daughter would be remembered as the "wife of a traitor" by posterity made Yang Siyu's heart ache as if it were being cut by a knife.

But what could she possibly change? In the deep palace, she was merely a slightly favored concubine, unable to even defeat the Empress, so how could she possibly influence the Emperor's decisions?

Back at Changchun Palace, she dismissed all the palace servants and sat alone in her bedchamber, silently shedding tears.

After an unknown amount of time, soft footsteps were heard outside the palace.

Immediately afterwards, a clear and melodious voice rang out, "Mother."

Yang Siyu looked up and saw a girl dressed in a pristine white dress standing at the door, looking at her with a worried expression.

The girl was around twenty years old, with a slender figure and beautiful features. Her clear eyes were like autumn water, exuding an innate dignity and tranquility.

It was Princess Nangong Min.

"Min'er..." Yang Siyu could no longer hold back when she saw her daughter and burst into tears. "My poor daughter... Waaah..."

Nangong Min quickly stepped forward, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe away her tears, and asked softly, "Mother, what's wrong? Did the Empress make things difficult for you again?"

Yang Siyu shook her head, grasped her daughter's hand, and sobbed uncontrollably, "Min'er, it's your mother's fault, it's your mother's fault for not being able to protect you..."

Upon hearing this, Nangong Min lowered her head, unable to express how she felt.

In fact, after the meeting at Kunning Palace ended, the news that His Majesty was going to marry the princess had already spread throughout the palace.

She had naturally heard about it, but she hadn't expected her mother to react so strongly.

"Mother, don't be sad, I don't feel bitter." She took her mother's hand in return and comforted her softly.

"How could it not be painful!" Yang Siyu's emotions surged again. "Who is Lin Yi? He's a traitor! Marrying him will ruin your life!"

Seeing her mother's heartbroken state, Nangong Min felt a pang of sadness, and her eyes involuntarily reddened: "Mother, you've forgotten, I am a princess. From the day I was born, my marriage has never been my own choice."

She paused, her voice carrying a hint of composure: "Moreover, it is my honor to share the Emperor's burdens and contribute to the stability and prosperity of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I am willing to do so."

"Silly child, you..."