Starting with Intercepting and Marrying the Eldest Princess - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: “Your Highness’s Husband-Controlling Skill is Truly Unparalleled in the World…”
The next day.
In the square in front of the Kunning Palace (Palace of Earthly Tranquility).
A young woman dressed in a deep blue Zhaiyi (pheasant-embroidered robe for the Empress) was leading her palace staff, waiting at the front.
The girl was the current Empress of Daxia, Sun Yuan.
When she learned that Her Highness the Grand Princess was coming to her, she, for the first time, stopped practicing martial arts and waited there early.
Her personal maid whispered in her ear: “Her Highness the Grand Princess came straight here, which means she is supporting you, Empress. I want to see how arrogant that Wang woman can still be.”
Ever since Wang Wan, the daughter of Grand Secretary Wang, entered the palace, their life in Kunning Palace had become increasingly difficult. Wang Wan, enjoying the Emperor’s favor, grew more and more arrogant.
A few days ago, while the Empress was practicing her saber in the early morning, Wang Wan actually used the excuse of paying respects to stand nearby and openly watch, occasionally applauding and cheering.
Was her smiling demeanor treating the Empress like a street performer?
Sun Yuan was naturally angry.
At the time, she felt like splitting Wang Wan in half with her saber, but she knew she couldn’t do that, even as the Empress.
So, Sun Yuan, who was trying hard to keep a straight face, made her saber technique even more ferocious. Wang Wan’s cheers followed suit. And as Wang Wan’s cheers gradually increased, Sun Yuan’s saber technique became even more vigorous…
This fell into a deadlock. Everyone could see that the two were competing, but no one dared to interrupt.
In the end, it was Sun Yuan who tired out and lost. Wang Wan, seeing an opportunity, respectfully paid her respects to the Empress.
But Sun Yuan was only in her teens. She couldn’t be as flawless as Wang Wan. With anger in her heart and nowhere to vent, Sun Yuan’s face turned red. She coldly snorted, put away her saber, and left.
By noon, the Emperor’s punishment was issued, stating that the Empress had lost her decorum and punishing her to transcribe scriptures for three days.
Sun Yuan was unaffected. Three days later, Wang Wan came to visit her with porridge again.
Perhaps from copying the scriptures or perhaps from anger, Sun Yuan’s hands trembled non-stop. When Wang Wan saw this, she even claimed she wanted to feed her…
Whether she fed her or not is unknown, but as Wang Wan got up to leave, a small foot kicked her butt, causing Wang Wan to stumble and fall to the ground.
Amidst the surprised cries of Wang Wan’s maid, Sun Yuan walked away with her hands behind her back, pretending nothing had happened.
She thought Wang Wan would complain to the Emperor, but after waiting for a long time, no punishment came.
The next day, Wang Wan came to pay respects again while she was practicing the saber. This time, she was even more outrageous, bringing her own folding stool and snacks.
Sun Yuan, unable to bear it anymore, directly used her saber to cut a piece of pastry in Wang Wan’s hand. At the time, the saber was only two points away from Wang Wan. If Sun Yuan’s hand had trembled, Wang Wan might have died instantly on the spot.
In any case, Wang Wan never came again after that day, and the relationship between the Empress and Concubine Wan completely dropped to freezing point.
Hearing the maid say this, Sun Yuan pursed her lips and quietly rebuked: “Don’t say anything extra in front of Imperial Sister!”
She knew the Grand Princess favored her, but Imperial Sister was not her Imperial Sister; she was the Emperor’s Imperial Sister. Could the Grand Princess truly support her?
Even if she could, it wouldn’t be acceptable. She didn’t want the Grand Princess and the Emperor to fall into conflict because of her.
“Yes.”
The maid replied softly.
“Empress, Her Highness the Grand Princess has arrived.”
Sun Yuan’s spirit lifted, and she looked ahead.
She saw the Grand Princess walking slowly, arm-in-arm with the person beside her.
Sun Yuan watched for a while and quietly asked: “Is that person next to Imperial Sister the Imperial Son-in-Law?”
“Yes.”
Sun Yuan had naturally heard the earth-shattering phrase “I am the Grand Princess’s dog” some time ago.
At the time, her maids were all laughing and teasing, but she thought, this must be something done out of love deep in the bones.
Seeing them now, it matched her thoughts. If the two were not truly in love, how could Imperial Sister walk arm-in-arm with the Imperial Son-in-Law?
Alas, the Empress was still too young.
At this moment, Pei Shujing was gritting her teeth and saying: “If it weren’t for today, if you dared to touch this Princess, I would have directly chopped off your claws!”
And Xie Ning, knowing that Pei Shujing wouldn’t turn on her now, didn’t back down verbally: “Then has Your Highness touched me any less?”
She still remembered the last time she touched her face!
Pei Shujing fiercely pinched Xie Ning’s waist!
Xie Ning softly hissed in pain. Pei Shujing’s heart, however, skipped a beat. Why is this person’s waist so slender?
Xie Ning, unaware that she had revealed a flaw, still vowed in her heart that she would get revenge someday.
The two walked up to the Empress. Xie Ning first cupped her hands: “Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Sun Yuan, who had just been delighted, immediately put on a stern face and nodded: “No need for formalities.”
Then, she looked at Pei Shujing with a bright smile.
Seeing Sun Yuan’s familiar smile, Pei Shujing felt a moment of trance. It had been a long time since she had seen Sun Yuan’s smile in her memory.
In her past life, after the Emperor and she completely fell out, Sun Yuan was depressed and deeply unhappy every day.
But what Pei Shujing didn’t know was that if she hadn’t been reborn, Sun Yuan would have gone with a saber to question the Emperor after her death. The enraged Emperor immediately had the Empress dragged away and put under watch.
A few days later, a great fire broke out in Kunning Palace.
The Empress died.
Pei Shujing reached out and gently smoothed down the raised hair on Sun Yuan’s head: “Yuan’an, long time no see.”
Sun Yuan was startled, thinking Imperial Sister was referring to the fact that she hadn’t entered the palace recently. She nodded: “Indeed, it’s been a long time since I saw Imperial Sister.”
Pei Shujing smiled slightly, took Sun Yuan’s hand, and said softly: “Let’s go. Come with me to see Mother.”
At this time, in the Imperial Study, the Emperor had finally finished reviewing the memorials. Concubine Wan, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward to massage his shoulders.
The Emperor comfortably narrowed his eyes and asked: “Has Imperial Sister entered the palace?”
Wang Wan hesitated but still said: “Your Majesty, Her Highness the Grand Princess has entered the palace, but she went to the Empress first.”
Hearing this, the Emperor suddenly sighed: “The court officials, the Empress, Imperial Sister—none of them let me rest easy.”
Wang Wan feigned a difficult tone: “Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, only the aristocratic families and ministers look up to the Dragon Face and receive the Sacred Inquiry. The rest of the court, going in and out of court together, have never been involved in governance. This leads to loyal words not reaching the Sacred Ear, and the path for all virtuous officials not being opened.”
This was a subtle way of advising him not to listen only to one side, to interact more with other officials, and to listen to various opinions before making comprehensive judgments, rather than spending all his time with the aristocratic ministers.
“What do you know!” the Emperor reprimanded: “The aristocratic ministers led by Wang and Xie truly possess great talent. The rest are mediocre and timid. If Daxia didn’t have them, how could we accomplish great things!”
“Moreover, Wan’er, you, as the legitimate daughter of the Wang family, advising me like this—aren’t you afraid your father will find out?”
Wang Wan massaged the Emperor’s head, her tone very gentle: “I am now Your Majesty’s woman, so naturally, my entire heart is focused on Your Majesty. My father also instructed me similarly before I entered the palace.”
The Emperor’s expression softened. He patted Wang Wan’s hand: “Your Wang family has been loyal for generations. Having you, my heart is always at peace.”
However, the Emperor’s tone suddenly changed: “Since Wan’er has some opinions on the court, what about the Empress and Imperial Sister? How do you view them, Wan’er?”
Wang Wan sighed softly, feigning distress: “How dare I have any opinions? I am Your Majesty’s person. Did Your Majesty forget what you said in the restaurant that day—that as long as you were here, you would naturally protect my safety?”
The Emperor was stunned. He laughed awkwardly: “Of course I remember. Don’t worry, I will never forget what I promised you.”
Wang Wan let out a delicate sigh. The Emperor’s heart rippled, and he secretly blamed himself for being too sensitive. He couldn’t let such a sweet and caring person like Wan’er be sad.
“Concubine Wan, go rest first. It’s time for me to go to the Le’an Palace for the night banquet.”
“I also want to go and see the excitement. I won’t show my face publicly. Please permit me, Your Majesty.”
“Very well.”
As midnight approached.
On the way to Le’an Palace, a row of flower lanterns suddenly lit up, stretching far away, with no end in sight, like the sun rising at dawn and the light breaking through the sky.
At this time, all the court officials were already seated in Le’an Palace.
When Pei Shujing and the others arrived, everyone was stunned, because, by rule, the Empress should have arrived with the Emperor…
The officials suddenly remembered the news from the palace: the Emperor had been solely favoring one woman recently, and that woman was Wang Yan’s daughter, Wang Wan.
The court officials looked at Wang Yan’s back with complicated expressions.
They felt that this Wang Yan was truly shameless. If they remembered correctly, Wang Wan was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
Over the years, there had been countless people seeking to marry Wang Wan, but that wretched old man Wang Yan had never agreed.
Before, they were puzzled, but it turned out he was waiting for this.
Your daughter is almost ten years older than the Emperor. How dare you, old scoundrel!
Moreover, what is your Wang family trying to do?
The officials’ thoughts suddenly became complicated.
Neither the Empress nor Wang Wan currently had a son. If Wang Wan were to give birth to a son first, the situation would be completely different.
Regardless of how the people present viewed Wang Yan, Wang Yan’s expression did not change in the slightest: “Your servant greets Her Majesty the Empress and Her Highness the Grand Princess.”
The officials also paid their respects in unison: “Your servants greet Her Majesty the Empress and Her Highness the Grand Princess.”
Sun Yuan raised her hand: “Dispense with the formalities.”
Wang Yan stroked his beard and looked at Xie Ning with a beaming smile: “Imperial Son-in-Law, we meet again.”
Xie Ning coughed awkwardly twice. Can’t this old man pretend not to know her!
Wang Yan chuckled and teased: “Your Highness, your skill in controlling your husband is truly unparalleled in the world. My daughter will need your guidance in the future.”
Pei Shujing also smiled broadly and shook her head: “How dare I claim to be unparalleled in the world in front of you, Grand Secretary? My Imperial Son-in-Law is, after all, just an Imperial Son-in-Law. But your daughter, old man, she truly deserves the title of a skilled ‘husband-controller.'”
Grand Secretary Wang choked, laughed heh-heh, and didn’t reply.
At this time, in the back room, the eavesdropping Wang Wan’s face turned pale. She tightly grasped the Emperor’s hand: “Your Majesty, I don’t mean that…”
The Emperor patted her hand and coldly snorted: “Don’t worry, I know that, of course. I will take my seat first. My dear Concubine, wait here for a moment.”
The hall became silent. Everyone rose in unison, standing perfectly straight.
“His Majesty arrives!”
“May our Emperor be greatly virtuous and renowned!”
“May our Emperor be greatly virtuous and renowned!”
The night banquet began.
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