With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

"It's not bad. I think Prince Zhenyuan's calligraphy is worth a thousand pieces of gold," Nangong Yi said.

"Yes, Prince Li has a good eye for quality." Nangong Wu nodded. "Since Princess Mingle dislikes it, then I will take back the calligraphy and painting and auction it off on the spot. If any money is raised, it will be donated to the court to help relieve the burden on my uncle, the Emperor."

Marquis Chengping immediately offered a price: "I am willing to offer five hundred taels of silver to buy the calligraphy of Prince Zhenyuan."

Nangong Wu smiled; these two people had not disappointed her.

"I'll offer six hundred taels," the Li Wang Party official followed suit.

"I'll offer six hundred and fifty taels!"

"Seven hundred taels..."

"You...you..." Nangong Lingling pointed at Nangong Wu, then at the officials bidding, her face flushed with anger.

"What? Princess Mingle is so angry, is it because she can't stand that my calligraphy can be sold for money?" Nangong Wu mocked.

"Lingling, come back and sit down." Nangong Xun's face was very ugly, knowing that Nangong Wu was trying to embarrass his mother.

But she said that the money from the auction would be donated to the court, which was a good thing to do for the country and the people, and they could not stop her, otherwise they would be impeached by the Lê royal party.

What else did Nangong Lingling want to say? After being given a subtle wink by the Imperial Noble Consort, she had no choice but to shut up, glared fiercely at Nangong Wu, and returned to her seat.

"I'll offer four thousand taels!" The last bidder offered four thousand taels.

Emperor Mingde's eyes gleamed. He never expected that these high-ranking officials, who usually complained about being poor, would be willing to spend thousands of taels of silver to buy a few words from Nangong Wu.

After waiting for a while and seeing that no one else was bidding higher, Nangong Wu gave her calligraphy and painting to that person.

The person who photographed her calligraphy and painting was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

The Vice Minister of Works was Princess Li's cousin, and his wife was a merchant's daughter with money. He immediately took out four thousand silver notes and gave them to Nangong Wu.

The couple felt that spending four thousand taels of silver to buy the calligraphy and paintings of Prince Zhenyuan was worthwhile. Not only could it slap the face of the Imperial Noble Consort, but having the calligraphy and paintings of Prince Zhenyuan hanging in their mansion would also make them look very prestigious.

Nangong Wu happily accepted the silver notes and presented them with both hands. "Uncle Emperor, am I right? One of my words is worth a thousand taels of silver. Now I will donate all the silver to the court to buy more grain and send it to the disaster-stricken areas in the north."

"Well said! Sister Runing is righteous and compassionate towards the people. She is truly a blessing to the world!" Nangong Yi exclaimed.

"Ru Ning is indeed a good child." Emperor Mingde understood perfectly well what was going on, but he still had to give her a verbal praise.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Hu came over and took the silver note.

The Imperial Noble Consort was furious, but she could only force a smile and say, "It's all because of Lingling's nonsense that Ru Ning has been so worried."

"Mother, she did it on purpose!" Nangong Lingling stomped her feet in anger.

"Alright, Runing, you sit down too!" Emperor Mingde just wanted this part to end quickly.

Nangong Wu sat down in her assigned seat, the head seat on the left side of the main hall, opposite Emperor Mingde's children.

After the gift-giving ceremony, Eunuch Hu shouted in a shrill voice, "Bring on the song and dance!"

The banquet officially started.

The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, and dancers filed in, beginning their graceful dance.

Nangong Wu was still in her postpartum confinement period and couldn't drink alcohol. Although the table was full of delicious food, it was all cold, so she couldn't eat it either.

However, because Emperor Mingde was there, she could not leave first.

The Empress Dowager looked at Nangong Wu sitting below her, a calculating glint in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, Runing is the Prince of Zhenyuan, and she has three children. We need to find her a husband so that the Prince's mansion can maintain its prestige."

Nangong Wu cursed inwardly: This old hag, we couldn't get her under our control earlier, and now she's trying to cause trouble again.

"Your Majesty is right." Emperor Mingde also looked at Nangong Wu. "After she finishes her confinement, I will find her a suitable husband from a good family."

The Prince of Zhenyuan is of great importance to the Western Yan Kingdom, so Nangong Wu's choice of husband must be carefully considered.

The ministers in the hall all perked up their ears, each with their own agenda.

If my son can marry Nangong Wu, then the whole family will rise to prominence and become incredibly wealthy. Even if I have to wear a green hat for the rest of my life, it will be worth it.

"No need to look anymore. I think Zhou Shaorong is very good. They are husband and wife. Why look for someone else?" The Empress Dowager twirled her prayer beads.

Emperor Mingde glared at the Imperial Noble Consort, knowing it must have been her idea. "Mother, Runing and the Zhou family's son are not meant to be together. Why force it?"

"Your Majesty, you are mistaken! Who hasn't made a foolish mistake when they were young? The important thing is to know your mistakes and correct them." The Empress Dowager disagreed.

"Young Master Zhou said he is willing to become a son-in-law in the Prince's mansion and will treat those three children as his own to make up for his past mistakes."

"Your Majesty is right. Runing used to like Shaorong so much, but she only threw tantrums because of Liu Yue'er. Once he marries into the Prince's household, I believe the two will reconcile as before," the Imperial Noble Consort also advised.

"This..." Emperor Mingde did not want Nangong Wu to remarry Zhou Shaorong, but he could not disobey his mother.

"Then let's ask Runing if he agrees!" He threw the question to Nangong Wu.

"Why ask? Why don't you just grant them the marriage?" The Empress Dowager said, somewhat displeased.

"That won't do. I won't be the villain again." This time, Emperor Mingde didn't yield to the Empress Dowager and directly asked Nangong Wu:

"Runing! Zhou Shaorong is willing to marry into the Zhenyuan Prince's family. Are you willing to give him a chance to make amends?"

Just then, the music ended, and all the dancers withdrew.

Nangong Wu stood up and said, word by word, "I don't want to. Zhou Shaorong is a depraved, ungrateful, and shameless man. I will never marry him again in this life."

A murderous glint flashed in the Imperial Noble Consort's eyes as she gave Madam Zhou and her daughter a meaningful look.

Emperor Mingde breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that she still had feelings for Zhou Shaorong and would agree to let him marry into the royal family, which would be a slap in his face.

"Mother, as you can see, Runing disagrees, so we shouldn't interfere in her affairs."

But the Empress Dowager was still unwilling to give up. "It concerns the face of the royal family. The three children cannot be without a father, lest outsiders criticize them and they will be criticized by the world when they grow up."

"The three children have a father." Nangong Wu was very annoyed by others interfering in her private affairs.

"I've heard about it. It must be that wandering rogue Xiao Lin! How can someone of such lowly status be worthy of your status as Prince Zhenyuan?" The Empress Dowager was somewhat annoyed that Emperor Mingde and Nangong Wu were not going along with her wishes.

"You can keep Xiao Lin as your male concubine, but he absolutely cannot be your consort."

"Since it is the Empress Dowager's decree, Runing has no choice but to obey." Nangong Wu cursed inwardly at this old hag for meddling so much, and thought of a way to shut her up.

"I have decided to hold a martial arts contest to find husbands in ten days. The contest will last for five days. Men aged eighteen to twenty-five who meet the Empress Dowager's requirements and wish to marry into the royal family are welcome to try.

Five days later, the victor will fight me again. Whoever can defeat me will become my consort and jointly command the 300,000-strong Zhenyuan Army.