♂?，，

  Deng Cheng En Hou left, Ming Xuan came out of the ear room.

  She sighed and said, "Although Lu Gong is hateful, the Lu family is not easy to mess with. This time, Cheng En Hou's father and son have encountered a big nail here, I'm afraid they won't let it go easily. After all, Cheng En Hou is the emperor's maternal uncle, and the emperor has a deep affection for him, so he takes extra care of the Lu family. I'm afraid that doing things in such a decisive manner will displease the emperor..."

  The Son of Heaven's thunderous rage is not something ordinary people can withstand.

  Since the Emperor can grant the title of King Anping, he can naturally take it back. If he has made up his mind to make things difficult for Pei Jingchen, it is easy to imagine that Pei's future days will be filled with many hardships. It's not that I'm really afraid of him, but under the sky, everything belongs to the king, even if one has enough courage to abandon the title of King Xiangchu and this palace, and live a carefree life like a cloud or a wild crane, as long as they are still in the Zhou Dynasty, they will always be subjects of the Emperor, and there is no place to hide.

  It is better to be on good terms with the emperor than on bad terms.

  Pei Jingchen's eyes were slightly deep, and he smiled as he said, "I'm being so unfeeling to Lu Jiang, although I did have the intention of punishing him, but in the end it was still for our sake."

  Ah Xiang, to be honest, since I became the King of Anping, many people in the imperial court have set their sights on me. The Minister of Revenue wants to marry his granddaughter to me as a concubine, and the Governor of the Imperial Capital also wants to marry his niece into our royal family. I rejected all of these proposals."

  He snorted, "But the other day, the Emperor also came to test me. If I had slightly relaxed my tone, he would have immediately granted me the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Cheng'en as a concubine. Today, I didn't show any mercy to the father and son of the Marquis of Cheng'en precisely because I wanted to eliminate the Emperor's absurd idea. I once promised that for this life, I would only be with one person, and wouldn't let other women intervene. After today, everyone will know that the King of Anping loves his wife like his life, and even dares to offend the Lu family for her sake. From now on, no one will dare try to introduce another woman into my household."

  According to the system, apart from one empress, a prince of the Zhou dynasty could also marry two secondary consorts and four madams, all with official ranks.

  In the imperial court, the King of Dongping was already over 40 years old, and his son was about to get married. The position of concubine had long been filled. As for the King of Linnan, he lived in seclusion in the southern border, and his grandson was already running around everywhere. Just by looking at the current emperor's move to detain the King of Linnan's son, one could tell that the King of Linnan's family would soon be in great danger. Except for Pei Jingchen, the newly appointed King of Anping, the Kings of Ying and Qingping, as well as the elderly relatives, all held only the title of Duke.

  Bai Jingchen, occupying the position of a close king, is young and handsome. Except for his legs being ill, he can be considered as the number one handsome man in Shengjing City. He currently has only one empress, and the positions of concubine and madam are vacant, naturally attracting the attention of many people from all walks of life.

  Ming Xuan was slightly surprised, originally there was still such a thing.

  A warm feeling surged up in her chest, and she felt that if it was to resist those rotten peach blossoms, then offending the Lu family or even the emperor wouldn't be too bad. Anyway, the Anping Wangfu would inevitably have a thrilling game with the emperor, and those annoying things could wait until later when they needed to be worried about again.

  Pei Jingxuan saw Ming Xuan sweetly smiling but not speaking, so he also smiled.

  He asked, "What did Empress Dowager Cixi and Huang Yizhi say when they entered the palace today? Why did I hear that the Emperor also went to the Kunning Palace later?"

  Ming Xuan then told everything she had seen and heard in the Kun Ning Palace, saying anxiously "I think the Emperor doesn't seem to want to grant a marriage between my brother and Huang Yi, he's being so abrupt with her, I'm afraid he wants to make her his concubine instead?"

  She told him everything Huang Yi had said, "Huang Yi's temperament is straightforward and honest, just like what she said, her body is full of poison. If the Emperor wants to force me, I'm afraid she will do something earth-shattering. Tomorrow, if there's an opportunity, why not ask my brother to come over and ask him what he thinks? Is it time to take advantage of the fact that the Emperor has not yet issued a decree and directly go to ask for marriage?"

  "Things should not be delayed, delay will lead to changes. I'll send someone to invite my uncle right now."

  Waiting for him to go out and order Changgeng to come back, Mingxuan suddenly remembered the crumpled paper roll that Xingyi had handed over to her. She hurriedly took it out from her bosom, carefully unfolded and spread it flat on the desk. The yellowish paper had crooked and twisted characters, obviously written in a hurry, with deep crease marks on the font, looking quite strange and ridiculous. However, after Mingxuan and Pei Jingzhen finished reading this piece of paper, their facial expressions changed color.

  The paper scroll reads: "Four years ago, the Empress passed away. The Emperor visited the Yonghe Palace and, after drinking, spent the night with the palace maid Yuehe. Yuehe became pregnant as a result. However, all of the Emperor's activities were recorded by the eunuchs, but he did not inform them of this incident after waking up from his drunken state. Yuehe gave birth to a male child, who is now over three years old. The child has been secretly hidden in the underground palace within the Yonghe Palace and has been cared for by trusted individuals, never daring to show him to anyone."

  What was written on this piece of paper was too unbelievable, if she hadn't firmly believed that Xing Yun wouldn't joke about the imperial heir, she would have directly taken it as a fairy tale and discarded it. However, confusing the royal bloodline was a crime punishable by exterminating nine generations, and in an era where people revered their rulers above all else, no one dared to speak nonsense about this matter, which instead added a few points of credibility to the story.

  Ming Xuan took a deep breath, "No wonder Xing Yi is so protective of Yue He, it turns out..." If this child really existed, he would be the emperor's eldest son. In the absence of an heir from the empress, even if the child's mother was just a palace maid, the position of crown prince would still be highly respected. As the birth mother of the crown prince, Yue He's promotion to imperial consort was only a matter of time. Therefore, Xing Yi had subconsciously treated Yue He as her mistress, which is why she was so careful in protecting her and couldn't bear to let her suffer any blame.

  She hesitated and said, "Xingyi came to see me today for two reasons. First, she wants to tell me the truth about my sister's death, and second, I'm afraid she also wants to borrow my strength to rescue the eldest son of the emperor who is trapped in the underground palace, so that his identity can be revealed to the world and he can get the position he deserves. But it seems that she overestimates me, how could I possibly have such incredible abilities? If they just want the child to be safe, then maybe I can try to bring him out of the underground palace in Yonghe Palace. But to restore his identity...”

  The imperial concubine without a record of sleeping with the emperor, for the purity of the royal bloodline, would not be recognized in the palace.

  Pei Jingchen's eyes moved slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Next time if there is another chance to enter the palace, go ask about Yuhe's intentions."

  If only for the sake of the child's safety, given his current frequent in-and-out of the imperial palace, it wouldn't be impossible to bring out a three-year-old child with inside and outside coordination.

  It was at night when Gu Yuanjing arrived, treading on the stars and moon.

  Huang Yi was overjoyed to see him, and chattered excitedly around him, restoring the same innocent and lively demeanor she had when she first met Ming Xuan at the Nanjiao Villa.

  Ming Xuan felt a sense of melancholy in her heart, for all these days, Huang Yi had been forcing herself to learn etiquette and manners, learning how to interact with the noblewomen of the Zhou Dynasty, but when did she ever have such a bright and cheerful smile? Her determination to let those who were meant to be together end up together grew even stronger.

  She recounted everything that had happened today, and then laid out her own thoughts and those of Pei Jingzhen. Then, with great solemnity, she said to Gu Yuanjing, "Brother, both I and Ah Zhen think that at this time we should take the initiative to attack. If we let the Emperor seize the initiative and issue an edict first, then it would be considered a crime of deceiving the ruler if we were to ask for the yellow robe afterwards. This is a serious offense, one that we cannot bear."

  Originally, Gu Yuanjing and Huang Yi were separated by a chasm. However, due to the matter of Lin Nan Wang, they had an opportunity to bridge the gap. This opportunity was fleeting, and if he didn't seize it, it would become very troublesome and thorny. So, when it's time to take action, he should let go of those unnecessary attachments and resolutely "share the emperor's worries" with a thick face.

  Gu Yuanjing thought for a moment and nodded heavily, "To ensure that nothing goes wrong with this matter, let's sit down and carefully consider it."

  That night, the lamps in the Anping Wangfu study burned until dawn.

  Three days later, Cheng'en Marquis Lu Shi-xun directly took the path of Minister of Justice, after some twists and turns, Lu Tong was released.

  Although the Ministry of Justice did not dare to neglect Lu Wuye, in prison, even if they were treated well, it was just tidying up the cell and allowing the Cheng'en Hou Mansion to send in high-quality bedding and food privately. For the unruly Lu Huo, these few days of imprisonment made him lose his appetite, not to mention suffering unprecedented hardships. After returning to the mansion, Lu Wuye was diagnosed with a severe cold and fell seriously ill.

  Although the emperor did not express his opinion on this matter, and did not even mention it, he still treated Pei Jingchen with the same attitude as before. However, the imperial physician's medicine flowed from the Imperial Palace to the Cheng'en Marquis Manor like flowing water. Lu Wugong, the fifth son of the Lu family, was only suffering from a minor cold, but nearly half of the imperial physicians were dispatched to treat him. This already proved the emperor's love and favor towards his nephew, and also represented the emperor's attitude towards the Lu family.

  In the imperial court, some people admired Pei Jingchen's integrity and courage in defending his wife and children to the death. However, more people ridiculed him for being a short-sighted hero who was overly sentimental about family matters, failing to understand the situation and navigate the complexities of human relationships. He had foolishly offended the powerful Lu family, which enjoyed imperial favor, and also made the emperor uncomfortable, thus missing an excellent opportunity to rise through association.

  But Pei Jingchen didn't put these idle words in his heart at all.

  Even if he was standing upright in front of the palace gate that day, he still sat in his wheelchair, facing the probing and teasing of others with a calm smile, never explaining anything. If the emperor didn't summon him, he would be happy to stay in the palace with Ming Xuan, painting eyebrows and having fun, ignoring worldly words and not easily socializing with others. For a time, he lived a carefree life, doing as he pleased.

  On this day, Pei Jingxuan was painting a picture of a child picking lotus flowers with Ming Xuan in the study when they suddenly heard a yellow-clad girl's laughter and voice outside the door, as clear as a copper bell. She smiled and pushed open the door, rushing into Ming Xuan's arms and hugging her tightly, "Sister Xuan, it's done!"

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  PS: Recommend the beautiful and lovely Chulou Xiuzi's "For Whom to Marry". In her previous life, she abandoned her dignity and became a concubine to avenge her family, but was used by others and died unjustly. It is said that those who survive great difficulties will have good fortune in the future. Reborn as the treasured daughter of the Shen Yanbo household, she lived a life of luxury and comfort, truly enviable.

  But little did they know, within the golden mansion, there were hidden waves and undercurrents. Blood sisters fought for love in the same household. In their youthful years, amidst the flourishing flowers, who would this noble lady marry?

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