The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

The next day, the Empress summoned the Ruan family to the palace, and Lady Sun took Miaoyin with her and left.

Ruan Xianrong originally did not want to enter the palace, but she thought of a way that might allow her to marry Cheng Qing sooner.

In Fengyi Palace, Miaoyin is the biological daughter of the Ruan family. The Empress naturally dotes on her, but she is also afraid of neglecting her, so she mentions her from time to time.

After exchanging pleasantries, the Empress sent her and Miaoyin off to play, knowing that the two had something to talk about, and then she withdrew.

She could guess what the two were going to say, but she wouldn't give up on today's plan.

Miaoyin had just left Fengyi Palace when she disappeared. She was leisurely admiring the flowers in the garden when she ran into Xie Chengyue.

It had been a long time since I last saw Xie Chengyue, but he hadn't changed much, except that his eyes were now even more gloomy.

"Who do I think she is? She's not a proper girl from the Ruan family anymore, yet she can freely enter and leave the palace. The Empress's favor is indeed generous."

Since Ruan Xianrong was not a biological daughter of the Ruan family, Xie Chengyue should be the happiest person.

The person who always tried to take everything from her is finally going to disappear.

Once she loses her status as the legitimate daughter of the Ruan family, what can she use to compete with her?

But when they met again, she realized that she couldn't get over it. How could she possibly get over the humiliation of the past ten years?

"Greetings, Princess." Ruan Xianrong curtsied.

Xie Chengyue concealed the displeasure in her eyes and smiled, "When I came, I saw that Miaoyin seemed to be in trouble over there. Let's go and take a look."

Ruan Xianrong paused for a moment, but the person had already walked away.

She walked in the direction she pointed and saw Xie Chengyan talking to Miaoyin with his head down in the distance.

Xie Chengyan was dressed in a sky-blue casual suit, which made him look tall and straight. He smiled, his eyes were clear and bright. The two of them talked about something, and his eyes curved into a smile, which became more genuine.

No wonder they disappeared as soon as they went out; they were enjoying some time together.

Why did Xie Chengyue say that Miaoyin had encountered trouble?

Look at those two, they're clearly having a great time chatting.

She didn't disturb her, thinking that it was almost time and she had her own things to do, so she returned to Fengyi Palace. When the Empress saw her return, she smiled and waved.

"Niannian is back, but where is Miaoyin?"

"Sister Miaoyin is talking with His Highness the Crown Prince in the pavilion."

The Empress took her hand and made her sit beside her, her tone exceptionally gentle, "I was just with your mother, Niannian, you..."

Before the Empress could finish speaking, Ruan Xianrong knelt down with a thud.

"Aunt, Niannian has something she would like to ask you to do."

Seeing the young lady's posture, Madam Sun knew she was about to say something outrageous. "Niannian, what are you doing?"

"Aunt, Niannian is no longer a daughter of the Ruan family, so naturally I can't be as willful in front of you as before. But please, Aunt, for the sake of me being a daughter of the Ruan family for over ten years, could you grant me a marriage?"

The Empress and Lady Sun were both stunned. "A marriage decree?"

"That's right. When Niannian returned to her hometown of Mingzhou this time, she met someone and they fell in love and promised to spend their lives together. However, he came from a poor family and felt that he was not good enough for me, so he refused to marry me. But I love him and I can't live without him. I want to ask my aunt to grant us a marriage and fulfill my feelings."

After he finished speaking, no one in the hall spoke for a long time.

The Empress had prepared many words, but now she couldn't utter a single one.

"Niannian, what nonsense are you talking about?" Sun scolded.

Ruan Xianrong had made up her mind today. As long as the Empress granted the marriage, the marriage would be a done deal, and her parents would have no room to back out.

After Cheng Qing finished taking the provincial examination, he left the capital.

"Aunt, I really love him. We had planned to get married next month, but... my parents don't agree..."

Mrs. Sun was at a loss for words. When did they ever say they would get married next month? Wasn't it supposed to be next year?

"Aunt, I have no other request but to get married as soon as possible and marry the man I love. I hope you will grant my wish."

Having said that, he solemnly kowtowed.

Having said that, the Empress could no longer refuse.

She had doted on this niece for over a decade, and this was the first time she had ever begged her so earnestly for someone.

"Do you really like him that much?"

Yes, I like him.

In the book, the emperor intended to select a consort for the crown prince, but in the end, he couldn't make the decision for the crown prince and instead chose Miaoyin.

The original owner was unwilling to accept this after learning it, and she tried to kill herself, insisting on marrying the crown prince no matter what.

After crying and complaining to her parents for several days, Prime Minister Ruan and Madam Sun couldn't bear to see their daughter suffer, so they wanted her to give up the marriage.

But the female lead also likes the crown prince and refuses, so she is scolded by her parents for being immature, and that's when the heartbreaking part begins.

Now, all she wants is to marry Cheng Qing.

"Niannian, you..."

"Aunt, this is the last time Niannian is asking you, please grant my request."

The Empress sighed helplessly, "Since it's someone you like, your aunt will naturally grant your wish. You should bring someone over to show me another day. I didn't even know you had someone you liked."

Ruan Xianrong smiled and said, "Alright, I'll bring him to see my aunt when I have time."

The Empress agreed anyway.

"Then...the imperial decree of marriage...can my aunt give it to me today?"

Mrs. Sun was initially angry that her daughter had acted on her own initiative, but upon hearing her words, she laughed in exasperation, saying, "You're becoming more and more ill-mannered."

Ruan Xianrong pouted, "I was just anxious too."

"It's understandable that Niannian wants to marry her sweetheart as soon as possible. The child is growing up and knows how to think about her life's important matters."

Although that was the outcome, Ruan's main concern was saving her life.

"Then, Aunt, could you...?"

"Fine, since we've already agreed, the imperial decree is just a matter of time."

The Empress instructed the nanny, "Go and tell His Majesty as soon as possible; Niannian is waiting."

Ruan Xianrong waited until the people from Fengyi Palace returned and she received the imperial decree of marriage in person before she finally smiled. It was truly the most reassuring day she had had in the past few days.

She came to our destination today and achieved a great victory.

"If you're worried, you can take the imperial edict back today. If there are still procedures to follow, I'll send someone to the Ruan family to announce the edict today. What do you think?"

"No need, the imperial decree is enough. Thank you, Aunt."

The Empress knew that her son's plan was about to fail because of the genuine smile on Ruan Xianrong's face.

She and the emperor each had someone else in mind, and neither wanted to become the crown prince's principal wife. Who would have thought that she had someone she loved and was about to get married, and that she didn't even look at the crown prince?