"Your Majesty..."
The Emperor glanced at Consort Yi, who swallowed the rest of her words.
After the Emperor left, the Empress looked at Consort Yi and said, "Consort Yi, make good preparations for the Ninth Princess's wedding!"
Consort Yi gritted her teeth and said, "I respectfully see off Her Majesty the Empress."
Watching the figure disappear from Yi Palace, Consort Yi angrily swept everything on the table to the ground. Xue Changjing quickly instructed Consort Yi's head palace maid, Xia Chun, and others, "Go and guard outside. No one is allowed to enter."
Xia Chun nodded and led the people out of the sleeping quarters.
"The Empress is simply bullying me too much," Consort Yi said through gritted teeth, trembling all over.
"Mother, as things stand, there's no point in saying more. You should prepare for Ninth Sister's wedding!"
Consort Yi was startled, "You... what about your ambition?"
Xue Changjing said, "Mother, don't you understand the Emperor's intentions now?"
Consort Yi was stunned, "You mean..."
"Mother, it's still necessary to bide our time. It's not without benefits for Ninth Sister to marry into the Sun family. The Empress has no imperial heirs, only Princess Chang Ning. It's possible that the Empress is making plans for herself."
Consort Yi was taken aback, "You're right. If the Ninth Princess marries into the Sun family, then the Empress and I will have this connection. Why didn't I think of it just now?"
"It's best that you didn't think of it, Mother. Father won't think of this level, so the Empress is not simple," Xue Changjing said.
Consort Yi nodded, "Now that you've said it, I understand. I am indeed not as shrewd as the Empress."
Returning to Feng Palace, the Empress said to Sun Zihan, "If there are no accidents, the Ninth Princess will become your wife."
Sun Zihan nodded. The Empress suddenly knelt down, startling him into helping her up. "Aunt Empress, what is the meaning of this?"
"Zihan, I know you made this decision for Chang Ning. It is I and Chang Ning who have wronged you, making you sacrifice your own marriage. I..."
"Aunt, when you say this, Zihan feels ashamed. I haven't done anything. In fact, I haven't done as much as my brother and father. However, this is the only thing I can do." Back then, when Aunt became Empress, the Sun family couldn't help her, otherwise, her first child wouldn't have had a difficult birth, allowing the current Consort Yan's family to gain dominance. Now, all the Sun family can do is for him to step forward.
"Zihan, Aunt thanks you," the Empress said.
Sun Zihan quickly helped the Empress up, "Aunt, if you say that again, I will truly have nowhere to hide. Besides, marriage is a trivial matter to me. I don't have anyone I like, so marrying anyone is the same. In this situation, if I can marry someone who is useful to the Sun family and to Cousin Chang Ning, then it is worth it."
But why did his heart feel a hint of unwillingness? The clear gaze appeared in his mind. He quickly shook his head, discarding that gaze. From now on, he had to forget that person. All that had happened before was just the past.
"Zihan, you've really grown up," the Empress sighed.
"Aunt, I'm seventeen now, I'm an adult, I should have grown up."
The Empress nodded, "Good, it's good that you've grown up."
That afternoon, an imperial decree arrived at Yi Palace. The Ninth Princess, Princess Changyi, was bestowed marriage to Sun Zihan and would marry in three days.
"Ninth Princess, you can't go in, Ninth..."
"Let her in."
The Ninth Princess pushed open the door and knelt directly on the ground, "Mother, why do you want me to marry the Sun family? I won't marry, I won't marry."
"Ninth Sister, don't be rude," Xue Changjing admonished the Ninth Princess.
Seeing this, the Ninth Princess looked at Xue Changjing and said, "If Imperial Brother is willing, you go marry then. I'm not marrying anyway."
"Presumptuous, Ninth Princess, have you learned these rules from a month of confinement?" Consort Yi was furious.
"Hmph, I know Mother is just letting me go ahead as a vanguard for Imperial Brother. Mother doesn't care about me at all. She knows who I like, yet she is making things difficult for me. From now on, Mother doesn't need to acknowledge me as her daughter." Saying this, the Ninth Princess turned and left.
Consort Yi was momentarily stunned and took half a breath to react. She looked at Xue Changjing and asked, "What... what was she saying just now?"
Xue Changjing frowned, "Mother, Ninth Sister seems a little off."
"What's wrong with her? She used to like General Yan. After knowing that General Yan liked Princess Chang Ning, she was silent for a while. Now that she's seen Young Master Hua, she's got her sights set again. But even if I agree, His Majesty might not." Consort Yi said angrily.
"Hua Yun Jin?"
Consort Yi nodded.
Xue Changjing remained silent for a long time. Consort Yi asked, "Have you remembered something?"
"Mother, you don't know, but your son has heard rumors outside that Hua Yun Jin seems to be involved with Princess Chang An."
Consort Yi was stunned and immediately rejected it, "How is that possible? Even if Princess Chang An agrees, Consort Yan wouldn't agree! Consort Yan has her sights set on General Yan."
Xue Changjing frowned. He knew that his mother would not offer him any advice.
"It's nothing. Mother, just prepare for Ninth Sister's wedding. Your son will take his leave!" With that, Xue Changjing walked out of Yi Palace.
Outside Yi Palace, Xue Changjing called his attendant and whispered, "Go and find out for me, what has Princess Chang An been doing lately?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Consort Yan, I'm getting married," the Ninth Princess came to Consort Yan's sleeping quarters, weeping uncontrollably.
Consort Yan, supported by her palace maids, walked up to the Ninth Princess and said, "Ninth Princess, you are getting married? To whom?"
"Your Majesty, the imperial decree has just been issued. The Ninth Princess is to be married to the young master of the Sun family."
Consort Yan was slightly taken aback. The Ninth Princess cried, "Consort Yan, you must help me! I don't want to marry that good-for-nothing Sun Zihan."
"Ninth Princess, you have someone you like, don't you?" Consort Yan suddenly said.
The Ninth Princess trembled, her gaze shifting elsewhere, "Consort Yan, what are you talking about? I..."
"Don't you?" Consort Yan asked again.
The Ninth Princess lowered her head, playing with her index fingers, "I like him, but he doesn't like me."
"Who is it?"
"Hua... Hua Yun Jin," the Ninth Princess said, her face flushed.
Consort Yan's gaze paused.
"Ninth Princess, His Majesty will not agree to this."
The Ninth Princess looked up at Consort Yan and said, "You all say that." Da Feng Novel Network
"Your status and Hua Yun Jin's are not suitable."
Hua Yun Jin is a hostage. Now that the Hua Kingdom has perished, His Majesty will not agree to marry a princess to a hostage. Even if the Ninth Princess is not favored, His Majesty will not agree.
The Ninth Princess lowered her head, "If only I weren't a royal, perhaps I could marry Young Master Hua?"