After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

The Empress Dowager stared at her for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

There was no warmth in that smile, like the golden-faced Bodhisattva enshrined in a Buddhist temple.

Without sorrow or joy, she allowed the deathly silence to slowly erode her forced composure.

"What's your hurry?"

Consort Liang lowered her body, inwardly cursing herself for being impatient. The Empress Dowager hated being pressured the most.

"Your subject dares not be hasty, but..."

"The Emperor is in the prime of his life," the Empress Dowager interrupted her, "and you're already thinking about the throne at this age? What kind of talk will that make?"

Consort Liang's face paled slightly, and her knees buckled as she knelt down: "Your subject misspoke, Mother Empress, please forgive me."

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the pair of satin shoes embroidered with gold thread and auspicious patterns at the Empress Dowager's feet, her heart pounding like a drum.

Her aunt appeared to be a devout Buddhist, but she was ruthless and decisive.

If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have had the foresight to bring Xiao Mingyue to his side and raise her, holding military power in one hand and pushing the emperor to the throne in the other.

The Empress Dowager slowly turned the prayer beads in her hand, one by one, as if she were weighing something.

After a long pause, seeing her trembling appearance, he finally raised his hand and said, "Get up."

Consort Liang stood up, stood respectfully to the side with her hands at her sides.

The Empress Dowager's tone softened slightly:

"The eldest prince has been frail since childhood, and it's uncertain how long his body can hold on."

"The Second Prince..." The Empress Dowager curled her lip slightly, "Born of a maid, without even a proper maternal clan, who in the court would respect him?"

She paused, her hand that was setting the beads stopped, and looked up at Consort Liang.

"You are my own niece, how could I not side with you?"

Consort Liang's eyes reddened slightly: "Your subject knows that Your Majesty loves your subject."

"I love you, but you must remain calm." The Empress Dowager's voice turned serious. "Jingchen is sixteen this year. It's time to let him gradually get involved in politics. Go back and raise him properly, teach him how to perform his duties, and teach him how to stand firm in front of the court officials."

"The matter of reserve positions cannot be rushed."

"When the time is right, I will make plans for you and your son."

With the Empress Dowager's words, Consort Liang finally relaxed and bowed deeply, saying, "Your subject will respectfully follow Your Majesty's teachings."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, "Go on, it's getting late."

Consort Liang left the palace gates, and only after she walked out of Cining Palace did she slowly loosen the clenched fist in her sleeve.

The Empress Dowager is right, we can't rush things.

The eldest prince's health was deteriorating day by day, and the second prince's birth mother was no longer in favor.

The empress had been childless for many years.

The path left for Jingchen is actually quite wide.

She just needs to wait a little longer.

……

Outside the palace gates, Xiao Mingyue had already boarded the carriage.

Qingyuan lowered the carriage curtain for her and pushed the heater closer to her feet.

"Your Highness left the palace a little late today. Was there some trouble at the Imperial Study?"

Xiao Mingyue took off her cloak and casually draped it aside. It still carried the strong fragrance of incense from the Cining Palace. She wrinkled her nose, wishing she could change into something else immediately.

"Things at the Imperial Study went smoothly."

"It's just that the Empress Dowager personally acted as matchmaker, so I have to give her a perfunctory response."

Qingyuan paused her work and quickly poured her another cup of hot tea.

"Has the Empress Dowager mentioned arranging a marriage for His Highness again?"

Xiao Mingyue took the teacup. "It's not just a suggestion. Everyone's sitting in Cining Palace, just waiting for me to walk right into their trap."

Qingyuan frowned: "The Empress Dowager is forcing His Highness to nod on the spot."

"Her plan is brilliant." Xiao Mingyue took a sip of tea, "to send Wang Changhe to the Princess's residence, where he can be her eyes and ears by day and her husband by night."

Qingyuan asked, "What was His Highness's reply?"

Xiao Mingyue leaned back against the carriage wall, recalling the moment the Empress Dowager's face froze when she uttered those words in Cining Palace, and the corners of her lips involuntarily turned up slightly.

"I have someone I like."

In fact, she said those words just now only to deflect the Empress Dowager's pressure.

But thinking about it now...

It seems that making Shen Yan the imperial son-in-law wouldn't be a bad idea.

Just like what Little Sparrow said on the day she knocked on the Princess's door, this man has a clean background, poses no threat, and can completely depend on her.

not to mention……

Xiao Mingyue couldn't help but picture Shen Yan in a bright red wedding dress.

His slender collarbones, accentuated by the red dress, made his face incomparably handsome as he looked at her with his gentle eyes.

Xiao Mingyue slammed the teacup back onto the small table, making such a loud noise that even Qing Yuan looked up.

"...Your Highness?"

Xiao Mingyue turned her face away, her ears burning hot enough to fry an egg.

What is she thinking?

Seeing that Xiao Mingyue's ears were red, Qingyuan's eyes gleamed with a mischievous glint: "Is Your Highness referring to... Young Master Shen?"

Xiao Mingyue glared at her angrily.

Qingyuan immediately lowered her head, but couldn't suppress a smile. "This servant was being nosy."

The carriage drove along the palace road, the horses' hooves clattering.

Qingyuan stopped joking and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, now that the Empress Dowager has brought Wang Changhe to Cining Palace, I'm afraid she won't give up easily."

"If she forces Your Highness to go through with the marriage, what should Your Highness do?"

Xiao Mingyue leaned against the carriage wall, propping her forehead with one hand, "Then let's settle the marriage before she issues the decree."

Qingyuan hesitated and said, "But the Empress Dowager wants to bring Your Highness and Wang Changhe together. How could she possibly issue an edict to bestow a marriage upon Your Highness and Young Master Shen?"

Xiao Mingyue lifted a corner of the carriage curtain. The sky outside the palace walls had already darkened, and the lights of the long street could be vaguely seen in the distance.

Looking at that single light, a genuine smile finally appeared on her lips.

"Who says it has to be her will?"

Qingyuan looked up in confusion: "What does Your Highness mean?"

Xiao Mingyue picked up her teacup again and slowly took a sip.

When the late emperor was alive, he gave her a blank marriage certificate. She only needed to fill in the name of her consort, which would be equivalent to an imperial decree to grant them marriage, and no one could disobey it.

After the deaths of three husbands, she had long since lost all interest in marriage.

She originally thought she would never need this thing in her life.

But people are not as good as heaven.

"I never expected that the blank marriage certificate that the late emperor gave me would actually come in handy."