Yuqiongyin

"It's better to hold it grandly. When father returns this time, he must give some rewards to consolidate the trust between the monarch and his subjects."

Xie Chenning sat on a stone bench in the pavilion, holding a folding fan in her hand and gently waving it. The breeze brushed across her pretty face, bringing a coolness and comfort that made her feel extremely comfortable.

Wei Ke smiled faintly, "I received a tip that Wei Ming secretly sent a few letters to the post station today, but the specific purpose is still unknown. I wonder if it has any connection with the envoy."

Xie Chenning remained calm, "There's no harm in marrying him, why are you so anxious?"

She paused, a trace of doubt suddenly flashed in her eyes, and continued: "Could it be that he wants to bring the princess into the palace?"

Taking the princess into the harem is, to a certain extent, a way of showing the country that the relationship between the two parties is valued as much as the marriage relationship within the royal family. It is a symbolic act to strengthen the political alliance.

However, this situation was not common in history. Most princesses who were married off to other families were married to people other than members of the royal family, such as a high-ranking minister, a famous general, or other people with special status and influence.

Through such marriage, the friendly relations between the two countries are strengthened.

"perhaps…"

Xie Chenning tapped his forehead with the fan in his hand and felt a headache.

Taking the princess into the harem might arouse suspicion from the country that is in a marriage alliance.

Originally, the purpose of marriage was to establish an equal alliance. The princess entering the harem would make the other country doubt the sincerity of the country and feel that the princess was more like a hostage, thus making the relationship between the two countries delicate and complicated.

It will also have an impact on the power structure within the court. The princesses who marry into the harem may influence the emperor to fight for benefits for his own country or family, which will break the original balance of power within the court and trigger a re-competition among various forces.

"Do you have a suitable candidate?" Xie Chenning looked at Wei Ke who was making tea. Why did he feel that he was not in a hurry at all?

"Shen Pin."

Xie Chenning was puzzled, "Pin'er?"

"According to the intelligence, the princess who will be marrying into the alliance this time is Princess Jialuo. She met Chen Pin on the battlefield, and this time she volunteered to be the princess who will be marrying into the alliance."

Wei Ke carefully took out a cup of fragrant tea from the ice jar with ice cubes placed on the side and slowly handed it to Xie Chenning.

"Ah."

After Xie Chenning nodded slightly to express his gratitude, he took the tea that Wei Ke took out from the ice jar and took a sip. It was clear and sweet.

"Don't worry. I don't think Xichui will be willing to let the princess enter the palace. After all, there are many interests involved and complex political considerations." Wei Ke said soothingly.

Xie Chenning simply responded, "Yeah." Then he fell into deep thought.

After a moment, Xie Chenning slowly raised her head, opened her red lips slightly, and said softly in a voice that was almost whispering: "If the princess' marriage into the palace fails this time, I'm afraid he will feel more resentment towards the Xie family..."

Xie Chenning waved his hand, "Forget it, since the Xie family helped him to secure the throne, they also have the ability to pull him down."

"Yes, Madam is right."

Xie Chenning turned to look at Wei Ke, who was smiling brightly, and couldn't help but pat his fan on his head, "What is it? When you led me to form an alliance, I'm afraid you had this plan in mind."

Wei Ke was not in a hurry. He smiled and gently moved the fan that fell on his head away. Before he could say anything, the person in front of him grabbed his jaw.

Xie Chenning narrowed his peach blossom eyes slightly, looking up and down Wei Ke's face unscrupulously.

For some reason, looking at this face, an indescribable sense of familiarity welled up in my heart.

This feeling lingers in my heart, as if a string deep in my memory is quietly plucked.

It was a distant and vague impression, as if it was looming through heavy fog.

The words slipped out of Xie Chenning's mouth without thinking: "We... must have met a long time ago."

As soon as she finished speaking, even she herself was stunned.

However, just a moment later, she smiled with relief, thinking that since the person in front of her was Wei Ke, there was no need to care too much about anything. Even if it was a little abrupt, what was the harm?

So she immediately asked, "Did we know each other when we were kids?"

Wei Ke nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, I have seen him."

Hearing this answer, Xie Chenning was startled, a look of astonishment flashed across his face, and he hurriedly asked: "When? Where? Why can't I remember..."

Her brows were furrowed tightly as she tried hard to search for relevant fragments of memory in her mind, but no matter how hard she racked her brains, those memories remained as elusive and vague as phantoms.

"The master said you should dream, don't be impatient, take your time."

"Um…"

*

Something big happened in the harem.

Concubine Ming had a miscarriage.

Ming Fei was looking forward to the birth of the baby in her womb with great joy. She stroked her slightly bulging belly, a happy smile on her face, her eyes shining with maternal light, and her heart full of longing for the future.

She imagined what the child would look like after he was born, and imagined that her life would rise with the help of the child.

However, the imperial concubine Lu Daixi in the palace became jealous.

She was born into a noble family and had always been arrogant and domineering. Seeing Mu Ni's growing favor and being pregnant with a dragon, she burned with jealousy.

She couldn't bear the fact that Ming Fei took away the emperor's favor and was enjoying the glory she once had, so she decided to frame her and cause her to have a miscarriage.

Concubine Ming was walking in the imperial garden. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, forming patches of light. The flowers were gorgeous and the butterflies were dancing.

Ming Fei was enjoying the beautiful scenery with great joy, unaware that danger was approaching quietly.

Suddenly, Mingfei felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, as if an invisible big hand was tearing her body apart.

Her eyes widened in horror, her face turned pale in an instant, and she instinctively covered her stomach tightly with her hands.

"Child! My child!"

Her forehead was covered with sweat, and she shouted desperately, her voice trembling and shrill.

The pain almost made her lose her mind. She bit her lips tightly and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

The palace maids were panicked and quickly sent her back to the bedroom.

Along the way, Ming Fei's eyes were filled with despair and fear, and tears kept falling like a flood. She kept praying in her heart, praying to God to protect her child and keep him safe.

When Wei Ming learned the news, he was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter.

But Imperial Concubine Lu Daixi had obviously made preparations long ago. She bribed some people and destroyed the evidence.

Ming Fei was lying on the sickbed, her face as pale as paper and her eyes empty and lifeless.

She opened her mouth slightly, but no sound came out. She just stared blankly upwards.

"Why? Why do you do this to me?"

She clutched the quilt tightly, her heart aching.