“Sister Ji, I don’t want to marry Prince Zhaoyang, but my aunt insists that I marry him. There are so many women in Prince Zhaoyang’s mansion, and Prince Zhaoyang is a notorious playboy. There are countless women in the mansion, so I don’t want to marry that man, but they are all forcing me to marry him.”
west Yuan started crying again as she spoke. Hai Ling could vaguely guess from the "them" she was referring to that they must be the Empress Dowager and the people from the west Mansion.
However, she was still surprised that the Empress Dowager wanted west Yuan to marry Prince Zhaoyang.
The Empress Dowager liked Xi Yuan so much, so why did she have to marry Xi Yuan to that playboy Prince Zhaoyang? Even if she became the principal wife of Prince Zhaoyang, Xi Yuan was still a naive young girl. If she were to marry into a den of wolves, would they really kill her?
Besides, isn't there already Xi Yan in the west Mansion? It's not west Yuan's turn at all.
"Why would the Empress Dowager let you marry Prince Zhaoyang? You are still young. Isn't there an older sister named Xiyan? If anyone should be married, it should be your older sister."
“My sister doesn’t want to get married, but they’re making me get married. I don’t want to get married either, but they’re ignoring me.”
west Yuan cried so hard she felt like dying. She hated Prince Zhaoyang, but everyone wanted her to marry him. Even if she became Prince Zhaoyang's principal wife, she didn't want to marry him.
"Sister Ji, you must help me. Go and talk to my aunt and ask her not to let me get married."
She made a scene in the West Mansion for two days without any results. Today, she pretended to go to the palace and that's how she got there. Now she can only hope that her sister Ji can step in and persuade her aunt not to let her marry. If they force her to marry again, she would rather die than marry Prince Zhaoyang. Xi Yuan's eyes were bright and resolute.
Looking at the beautiful west Yuan, Hai Ling couldn't bear to see her humiliated by that playboy Prince Zhao Yang, so she nodded.
“Alright, I’ll go with you to see the Empress Dowager and see if we can persuade her to retract her decision.”
"Thank you, Sister Ji," Xi Yuan said, her heart filled with hope. She hoped that Sister Ji could persuade her aunt not to let her marry him. She didn't care about the position of Princess Zhaoyang. She only wanted to marry someone she loved. She only felt anger and disgust towards Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi. She didn't like him at all. How could she marry him like this?
The two of them got up together and headed to the Empress Dowager's Cixi Palace.
In Cixi Palace, Consort Rou, Shu Wanxing, was talking with the Empress Dowager. The atmosphere in the hall was warm and cozy. The Emperor's injuries had largely healed. Apart from the wounds on his face and the blood clot in his brain, he was basically fine. So the Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief, and her spirits had improved even more in the past two days.
Today, Consort Rou came to pay her respects, and the two chatted happily. Consort Rou was always good at talking, which made the Empress Dowager very happy.
Outside the main hall, a eunuch came in to report: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."
The Empress Dowager was not annoyed and waved for the Empress to come in, in a very good mood.
However, when the Empress Dowager saw that Hai Ling was followed by west Yuan, a maid from the West Mansion, her expression became somewhat impatient and displeased. She glared at her niece.
She didn't need to think to know why west Yuan would do such a thing. This little girl didn't want to marry Prince Zhaoyang, so she must have gone to get the Empress to act as an intermediary.
However, don't think that the Empress's arrival will be of any use. She said she would marry, and she would marry. No amount of pleading would work. The Empress Dowager thought bitterly.
Hai Ling and Xi Yuan had already paid their respects to the Empress Dowager. As soon as Xi Yuan entered the main hall of Cining Palace, she lowered her head. Even without looking up, she knew that her aunt was glaring at her. However, she ignored her and continued to bow behind Hai Ling.
Inside the main hall, Shu Wanxing saw the Empress and stood up to greet her. Recently, the Empress hadn't given her any trouble, which made Shu Wanxing quite happy.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."
"Get up," Hai Ling nodded, her beautiful face showing no impatience, but rather gentleness. The Empress Dowager at the head of the table couldn't help but narrow her eyes. In the past few days, this woman hadn't made a sound. Could it be that she had really come to her senses? But thinking about it, it was possible. Women were just as irritable as they used to be. She had seen countless women like the Empress, who started off making a fuss, but in the end, they were no different from ordinary women. No matter how powerful a woman is, can she be more powerful than a man? Especially the Emperor.
The Empress Dowager thought for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "Please sit down, all of you. How has the Empress been feeling lately?"
The Empress Dowager looked at Hailing's belly and asked with concern. This was the first bloodline of the royal family, and she naturally hoped that he would be born safely.
"It's alright, thank you for your concern, Mother."
Hai Ling nodded, then smiled at the Empress Dowager: "Your Majesty, I have heard that Your Majesty wishes to marry west Yuan to Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi. Is this true or false?"
The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, a dark light in them, and quickly nodded: "That's right, this is my idea. With the passing of Princess Consort Feng Yao, the Prince of Zhaoyang's mansion is now without a proper master. As the Empress Dowager of the country, it is only right and proper for me to arrange a marriage for the Prince of Zhaoyang."
The Empress Dowager spoke with righteous indignation, as if doing such a thing was a matter of course.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, west Yuan hurriedly stood up and exclaimed, "Aunt, Yuan'er does not want to marry into the Zhaoyang Prince's Mansion. I hate the Zhaoyang Prince and I hate Ye Ranyi."
As soon as west Yuan finished speaking, the Empress Dowager's face darkened, turning gloomy.
"Such a major marriage is not something a little girl like you can decide," the Empress Dowager said with a cold expression, then sighed and looked at Xi Yuan: "Yuan'er, your aunt is doing this for your own good. Although the Prince of Zhaoyang has a bad reputation, once you marry into the Prince of Zhaoyang's mansion, you will be the principal wife, a proper and respectable princess. What's wrong with that?"
"I do not want to marry a dissolute like Prince Zhaoyang. Please, Aunt, rescind your decision."
Xi Yuan was adamant. She didn't care about Prince Zhaoyang's status as a prince. So what if he was of noble birth? Princess Zhaoyang, Feng Yao, was also of noble birth, but what happened to her in the end? She heard that Prince Zhaoyang watched her being arrested but did nothing. Such a man was not worth a woman's lifelong devotion.
So she won't marry him. Auntie had better not force her. west Yuan thought bitterly, looking at her aunt, the Empress Dowager, sitting at the head of the table.
However, the Empress Dowager insisted on her opinion and seemed unwilling to give in easily. Hai Ling looked at the two people who were deadlocked and slowly spoke.
“Mother, since Yuan’er doesn’t want to marry, why should you force her to marry? That Prince Zhaoyang is a seasoned lover. Xi Yuan is so naive, she should marry a naive man. If she enters Prince Zhaoyang’s mansion with a mind like that, those women will eat her alive.”
"Who dares?"
The Empress Dowager spoke angrily, then stared at west Yuan: "She is my own niece. If anyone dares to disrespect her, I will depose her."
The atmosphere inside the hall was tense.
Consort Rou, Shu Wanxing, looked at the Empress Dowager, then at the Empress, and finally her gaze settled on west Yuan, as she gently offered her advice.
“Yuan’er, your mother is doing this for your own good. Think about it, Prince Zhaoyang is of noble status and is currently the most valuable prince in Beilu. If you marry him, you will be destined to enjoy a life of happiness. Your mother is doing this all for your own good, so you must not be ungrateful.”
As soon as Shu Wanxing finished speaking, west Yuan glared at her angrily and then gritted her teeth and yelled.
"I'm not like you. I don't crave wealth and status. I just want to marry the person I love. What's wrong with that? And don't try to apply your logic to me."
Shu Wanxing never expected that her well-intentioned advice would be met with such a scolding. Her face flushed red with anger, and she felt resentful, but she did not lash out.
The Empress Dowager glanced at west Yuan, then at Hai Ling and Shu Wanxing, and spoke in a deep voice.
"west Yuan, there is no room for discussion. I have already ordered the Imperial Observatory to select an auspicious date, and the marriage will take place in three days. This time, you have no choice."
Upon hearing that she would be married in three days, west Yuan was filled with grief and anger. She stood up and roared at the Empress Dowager at the head of the hall, "Aunt, I hate you, I hate you!"