After killing four concubines, the queen was sentenced to death and reborn

"Get up!" After saying that, Xiao Chengji walked into the hall. Biluo and Shuangning stepped forward to close the door, then slowly stepped back a few steps.

After Xiao Chengji entered, he knelt on the ground and apologized: "I have displeased my mother today. Please forgive me this time!"

Zheng Xiyan raised her eyes slightly, without any emotion on her face, and whispered: "Ji'er has grown up now, and has become more independent. He no longer needs the Queen Mother."

Xiao Chengji clenched his palms slightly, with an unpleasant look on his face, and whispered: "No, I was confused today, so I disobeyed my mother."

"But you don't regret it, right?" Zheng Xiyan looked at her deeply.

The expression on Xiao Chengji's face gradually became stiff. He took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, I don't regret it!"

"Just as my mother said at the beginning, I only have the support of military generals in the court, but no civil officials to assist me. It is imperative to win over the noble families!"

"Besides, I treat her sincerely and really want to marry her!" Xiao Chengji's words were full of sincerity and affection. This was a very good move. He not only got the support of Fanyang Lu, but also got his beloved woman.

"But she doesn't want to. She, Lu Lingyuan, is a person, not an object to be manipulated at will. Will you really get what you want by forcing her like this?" Zheng Xiyan suddenly became emotional, because she had experienced the pain and torment of getting along with someone she didn't love, so she didn't want anyone to follow in her footsteps in the future.

"There will always be such a day." Xiao Chengji raised his head, his expression became sinister, and his eyes revealed a look of determination to win.

Zheng Xiyan sneered and said in a cold voice, "What if she can never accept you in her life? Just like me, I never accepted your father and hated him all my life."

Xiao Chengji's heart tightened, and a trace of fear flashed across his face, but he turned around and asked, "Then mother, I want to ask you, have you never loved father?"

Zheng Xiyan was stunned by the question, as if she had not expected him to ask such a question.

Zheng Xiyan showed a mocking smile on her face, and said self-deprecatingly: "Ji'er, this is different! At the beginning, mother was indeed willing to enter the palace and be his wife, the queen. But later, when I learned that he had been using me from the beginning and even wanted to harm me, my heart was broken. I will always have hatred for him, and I hate him so much that I want to kill him!"

Zheng Xiyan's expression became distorted and terrifying, her face full of overwhelming hatred. Xiao Chengji had never seen his mother like this before.

Xiao Chengji's face turned very ugly. Thinking of his father and his mother's hatred for him, would he... No, Xiao Chengji stood up from the ground and shouted, "No... Mother, I am not my father, and Yuan'er is not my mother!"

Zheng Xiyan looked at him and knew that she couldn't persuade him. "Forget it, forget it. You are the emperor. I can't control you. Go back!"

"Please forgive me, mother! I will come to pay my respects to you another day!" Then Xiao Chengji slowly bowed and turned to leave.

Watching him leave, a familiar figure flashed through Zheng Xiyan's mind until the two figures overlapped completely. Was it his son...

……

Afterwards, before the rumor spread to the capital, the Chu Palace and the Zheng Palace sent people to control the rumor, but it only spread in a small area.

Xiao Chengji didn't care about it. As long as the result was good, he didn't care about the rest.

The Ministry of Rites quickly set the wedding date, June 2nd, a rare auspicious day suitable for getting married.

All matters concerning the wedding were prepared by the Shanggong Bureau and the Ministry of Rites. Zheng Xiyan only asked about it symbolically and did not interfere too much.

One month before Xiao Chengji and Lu Lingyuan's wedding, Prince Yong, the Zongzheng, entered the palace. He was the younger brother of the late emperor and was only about thirty years old. When Xiao Xuanchen was alive, he was quite fond of him. He was a kind person and always kept to his duties!

Entering the palace with Prince Yong was Prince Yong's wife, a woman with a hot temper and decisive actions.

"Your Highness/Your Highness pays respects to the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager be blessed with good health!"

"Get up!" Zheng Xiyan smiled faintly.

"Thank you, Queen Mother!"

"Someone, give Prince Yong and Princess Yong a seat!" Zheng Xiyan ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Queen Mother!"

After Prince Yong and Princess Yong sat down, Zheng Xiyan spoke up, "There are some things regarding your majesty's wedding that I need to trouble you, Ninth Prince."

"I dare not. This is my duty. Sister-in-law, please don't be polite!" Prince Yong said in a deep voice.

"Your humble servant and the princess came here today because there is something I want to discuss with the Empress Dowager!" Prince Yong said again.

Zheng Xiyan's eyebrows moved slightly, and she said in a deep voice: "Ninth brother, please feel free to speak!"

"Your Majesty is about to get married, but according to the ancestral system, a beauty contest should be held three months after the wedding to fill the harem. Regarding this matter..." Prince Yong said tentatively with his eyes drooping slightly.

"This matter!" Zheng Xiyan instantly understood and saw through their intentions.

"I heard that the ninth prince has been in close contact with the Huai Palace recently. Is this true?" Zheng Xiyan had a half-smile on her lips, with a dignified and cold expression as she looked at the couple.

Prince Yong and his wife felt a strong sense of oppression coming towards them. Their faces suddenly changed and they said anxiously, "Sister-in-law, please understand. I have been getting along well with Prince Huai these days because we both love painting and we would meet and exchange ideas in the past!"

Faced with the pressure from the Queen Mother, a trace of guilt flashed across Prince Yong's face.

Zheng Xiyan chuckled and said in a cold voice: "What are you doing, Ninth Brother? I just said it casually, why are you so nervous?"

"Princess, don't you think so?" Then, Zheng Xiyan set her gaze on the face of Prince Huai's wife and looked at her with smiling eyes.

Princess Yong was relatively calm and quickly explained, "The Queen Mother is right! My husband was also afraid that the Queen Mother would misunderstand."

"If it didn't happen, how could I have misunderstood it? Princess, do you think so?" Zheng Xiyan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Yes, the Queen Mother is right!" The smile on Princess Yong's face was very stiff and unnatural, and she dodged guiltily.

"I will discuss the matter of the selection with Your Majesty. As for the candidates..." Zheng Xiyan's eyes swept over the two of them, her expression paused, and she said meaningfully.

"I wonder if the Ninth Brother and the Princess have already chosen someone?" Zheng Xiyan asked knowingly, staring at the two of them.

Prince Yong and Princess Yong both looked very nervous and retorted in panic, "No, this matter must be decided by the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty. I dare not interfere!" Prince Yong's palms were sweating. He didn't know why, but over the years, every time he saw the Empress Dowager, he was more nervous than when he saw his brother.

"Yes." Princess Yong agreed with a smile.

"You are His Majesty's elders. The selection of concubines is a family matter. It's nothing for the elders to interfere!" Zheng Xiyan chuckled.

Zheng Xiyan added: "When the time comes, the princess will inevitably be busy choosing one."

Prince Yong and Princess Yong were both confused and puzzled by what they heard. What on earth did the Queen Mother mean?

Zheng Xiyan was a little annoyed, and she inadvertently winked at Biluo, who immediately understood and walked forward and said slowly, "Empress Dowager, someone from the Shanggong Bureau just sent a message saying that all matters concerning His Majesty's wedding are still waiting for your decision."

Even though Prince Yong and Princess Yong were slow to react, they could see the Queen Mother's deep meaning. They quickly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Since the Queen Mother has important things to do, your humble servant and I will not disturb you any further. Your humble servant will take your leave!"

"I'm leaving now!"

Zheng Xiyan pretended to be surprised and said, "Why are you leaving right after you arrived? If it gets out, people will think that I don't like you two."

Prince Yong and Princess Yong both looked very embarrassed. "You are joking, my sister-in-law. Your Majesty's wedding is coming up soon, and I have many things to do. It's just unfortunate that you and I came at such a bad time."

Zheng Xiyan had a half-smile on her lips and said in a deep voice, "In that case, I will not keep you two here, Shuang Ning!"

"I'm here!" Shuang Ning stepped forward immediately.

"Escort Prince Yong and Princess Yong out properly." Zheng Xiyan ordered in a deep voice.

Shuang Ning smiled lightly, but there was something wrong with the way she looked at the two of them. "Yes, I obey your command! My Lord, please, Princess!"

"I'm leaving now!"

"I'm leaving now!"

After Prince Yong and Princess Yong left, Zheng Xiyan's face instantly turned gloomy. Biluo stepped forward and whispered, "My queen, it seems that the Huai Palace is still unwilling to give up!"

"It's nothing. Everyone pursues power and high positions. The Huai Palace has been gradually declining in recent years. It is reasonable to make such a decision!"

"I met Princess Lingyang that day, and I also thought that the child was quite good, but now..." Zheng Xiyan was a little worried about the two of them. After the wedding, there would definitely be a selection of concubines. By then...

"Since Princess Wenping doesn't want to be the queen, she will naturally not be dissatisfied with His Majesty's selection of concubines in the future!" Biluo guessed.

"I hope so!" Zheng Xiyan said in a deep voice.

On the way out of the palace, Princess Yong was still feeling frightened, "Your Highness, I was really scared just now." Princess Yong patted her chest lightly, with a look of panic on her face.

Princess Yong is young, only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old now. Even when she was still in the boudoir, she had been in awe of the Queen Mother.

She still remembered the first day after she married the prince and went to the palace to pay her respects. The Queen Mother was clearly looking at her with a smile on her face, but her eyes made people feel fear unconsciously.

Every time we met after that, I was always very cautious, for fear of being scolded.

"The Empress' sister-in-law is a smart and wise person, but she is too unfathomable. When my brother was still alive, he had many suspicions and doubts about her. Just now, the Empress' sister-in-law must have guessed the close contacts between us and the Huai Palace." Prince Yong said in a deep voice.

"Then what should we do? Will the Queen Mother vent her anger on us?" Princess Yong asked worriedly.

"I don't think so. If the Empress Dowager was really angry about this, she would have reprimanded and punished her directly. Nothing would have happened like it did now." Prince Yong said in a deep voice.

Princess Yong breathed a sigh of relief, tugged at Prince Yong's sleeve and said, "Your Highness, why don't you just forget it!"

"Among the late emperor's brothers, only the prince is now favored by His Majesty. This opportunity has finally come. What if..."

"Moreover, the future empress is from the Fanyang Lu family, and has the entire Shandong gentry behind her. Why should we offend them? What does the ambition of the Huai Palace have to do with us?" Princess Yong advised gently. She just wanted to live a peaceful life with the prince and the children, and did not want to get involved in these power struggles.

"Your Highness, what do you think?" Princess Yong said in a low voice.

"You are right!" King Yong was a little shaken. Yes! Why take the risk? Isn't it better to just stay in your duty and live a good life now? Who will be the emperor in the future? What does it have to do with him?

Princess Yong observed Prince Yong's expression and knew that he had agreed. She was very happy and said, "Then, Prince, let's go back to the palace!"

"Okay!" Prince Yong said in a deep voice.

The two of them are holding hands, looking very affectionate. They have been very loving since they got married, making others envious!

……

Soon another month passed. Three days before Xiao Chengji and Lu Lingyuan's wedding, Xiao Chengji quietly left the palace.

Lu Lingyuan stayed in the mansion every day, with a nanny from the palace by her side to teach her the rules, but the Fanyang Lu family had a very strict family tradition, and the girls in the family learned the rules since childhood, so naturally there was no difficulty for them to learn these.

Lu Lingyuan found learning very easy, but she was depressed all day and had no interest in anything.

Mrs. Lu prepared more than one hundred loads of dowry for her, but still felt it was not enough. She always felt deeply guilty towards her only daughter, so she had to add several farms under her name to her dowry list.

It was almost time for lunch, and Madam Lu had sent someone to tell Lu Lingyuan to have lunch in her courtyard. Lu Lingyuan wanted to refuse, but the nanny beside her said, "Go, Princess! After your wedding and entering the palace, I don't know when I can have dinner with you again."

Hearing this, Lu Lingyuan's expression froze for a moment. Yes! After entering the palace, she was alone again, just like when she was in the old house in Fanyang.

"Yes! Girl, what Madam said makes sense. How about..." Yun'er also advised her in a low voice.

"In that case, let's go!" Lu Lingyuan said in a deep voice.

"Yes, I will tell Madam right away. She will definitely be very happy!" The nanny went out with a smile on her face.

But just as Lu Lingyuan was about to go to Madam Lu's yard, the housekeeper came up to her and said in a deep voice, "Miss, there is a letter for you!"

"What letter?" Lu Lingyuan frowned slightly and asked in confusion.

"I don't know either. There was a little beggar outside who put down the letter and left." The housekeeper also looked confused, not knowing what had happened.

"Girl, do you want to see what this letter says?" Yun'er suggested.

Lu Lingyuan then slowly opened the letter, the expression on her face changed slightly, she looked down and saw the three words signed above, she was a little hesitant, not knowing whether she should go?