I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 41 The Emperor's Teachings
"At this time, Aunt Zhou is thinking about her reputation and the children of the Ji family?"

Ye Wanshu glanced at the concubines and half-sisters behind her, including Ji Ningxuan whom she had met that day, and her biological mother, Concubine Zheng.

Although she entered the Ji family together with Zhou Ru, she had changed drastically. She looked much older, with white hair on her temples.

Next to her stood a pretty-looking woman, holding two half-grown little girls tightly in her arms. I guess it was Aunt Sun.

Ji Ningxuan is about to reach the age of marriage. Aunt Zheng has been compromising for so many years and does not want her daughter to be affected by the affairs of the eldest and second daughters.

She, who always changed her tone when she saw the wind, quickly said: "Miss, what Aunt Zhou said is right. We all prosper together and suffer together. If you have anything to say, let's talk it out. There's no need to hurt the harmony."

"What a great way to share the same fate."

Ye Wanshu sneered, "I'd like to ask Aunt Zheng and Aunt Sun, you and Aunt Zhou live under the same roof together, has she ever considered sharing your success?"

"In the past, she was able to suppress you all by relying on her father's favoritism. If her daughter really becomes the Princess of Qi, your fate will be even more tragic than that of Concubine Qin and her daughter."

This was a wake-up call. Aunt Sun and Aunt Zheng looked at each other, and the expressions in their eyes were hard to describe.

For so many years, no one else knew how Aunt Sun and Aunt Zheng lived in the mansion, but they knew it clearly in their own hearts.

The eldest girl's words touched their hearts. For a moment, they all lowered their heads silently and no one responded.

Zhou Ru noticed something strange going on around her and quickly scolded her, "Miss, if you're jealous of me, just come after me. Why involve your sisters?"

Glancing at Qin Chulin viciously, her voice instantly turned colder: "Miss, you just feel that there's something fishy about Sixth Girl's death. You can go ahead and investigate. I won't stop you."

Ye Wanshu was not stupid enough to be so stupid. Her father had been listening to her every word for years, and she did not grow up in the Ji family. If she rashly investigated the matter, no one in the courtyard would reveal a single word even if they died.

But she knew one thing: people's hearts were unpredictable. If Zhou Ru and her daughter were to be completely deprived of power today, there would be many people in the Ji family who would want to take advantage of their misfortune.

By then, it would be easy to reveal the evil things she has done over the years.

"The spirits of Concubine Qin and Ning Yue are still watching over this courtyard. Whether there is any mystery surrounding Ning Yue's death will eventually be revealed."

Ye Wanshu glanced at Zhou Ru with a half-smile: "There's no rush."

Qin Yi Niang's body was placed aside. Looking at Ye Wanshu's deep gaze, Zhou Ru and Liu Mama both felt a chilling chill around them.

Seeing that this little bitch was instigating the concubines to stop Xier's good fortune, Zhou Ru forced herself to remain calm and snorted coldly, "Young lady, this person is really interesting. You refused to marry into Prince Qi's mansion, and now you want to stop your sister from marrying there. What's the logic?"

After he finished speaking, he looked proudly at the two concubines beside him and said, "You just saw it. The master hurried into the palace. He was anxious to ask His Majesty for a marriage before Prince Qi came to the palace. Why don't you follow me out to wait for Prince Qi?"

Aunt Zheng and Aunt Sun did not dare to refute and followed him out of Furong Hall.

When the courtyard was quiet again, Ye Wanshu first stroked Qin Chulin's head and said softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one will dare to embarrass you."

Qin Chulin nodded obediently, staring at his aunt wrapped in a straw mat, his pupils full of sadness.

"Caiju, Qiuli, go buy a coffin. Give the coffin shop assistant some money to come in and help bury Concubine Qin."

Ye Wanshu took out a silver ingot and handed it to the two maids. After they left, Ye Wanshu took Qin Chulin to the yard and sat down, waiting for Prince Qi to enter the mansion.

She knew her adoptive father's personality very well, and he was definitely not in a hurry to enter the palace just for the arranged marriage.

Today she wanted to see how the mother and daughter would finish the play.

Ji Yuan hurried into the palace and went straight to the Yangxin Palace.

The emperor was sitting in front of the dragon table, reading a volume of policy papers with great interest, when he suddenly saw Ji Yuan coming in with a palace maid.

Just as Ji Yuan was about to kneel down, the emperor was so happy that he quickly stood up.

"No gifts, no gifts, please get back together quickly."

The emperor, holding the policy paper in his hand, walked towards Ji Yuan with great interest and said loudly, "Ji Qing, you've come at the perfect time. Tomorrow is the day of the imperial examination. Two days ago, after the palace examination ended, I met with the top scorer in the spring examination alone. This guy really didn't disappoint me."

The emperor placed the essay into Ji Yuan's hands, his expression filled with fondness and care. "Take a look at Ji Yunze's essay from the palace examination. This boy is a man of profound knowledge and insight into the governance of the court. I intend to appoint him as a sixth-rank editor in the Imperial Academy."

Although he had already witnessed this boy's talent, Ji Yuan was still a little surprised when he heard that the emperor directly appointed Ji Yunze as a sixth-rank editor.

However, he was feeling like an ant on a hot pan at the moment, and had no time to ponder the imperial examination essays. Reading them again would only serve to further his favor. After a quick glance, Ji Yuan perfunctorily praised him, "Your Majesty's vision is certainly not bad. This boy is destined for great responsibilities."

The emperor nodded thoughtfully and asked anxiously, "What do you think of the marriage I mentioned to you earlier?"

Ji Yuan had never intended to promise this marriage to his second daughter. Now that the dead girl and Prince Qi had something to do with each other, Ji Yuan dared not agree to it anymore.

Kneeling down in fear and trepidation, Ji Yuan said truthfully, "I'm afraid I'm going to fail your Majesty's kindness."

The emperor frowned and looked at him in silence.

The emperor had long heard of his friendship with Prince Qi, and he asked suspiciously, "Could it be that Ji Qing chose Prince Qi for your daughter?"

"Without Your Majesty's order, I would never dare to have any personal relationship with Prince Qi."

Ji Yuan's sincere tone immediately dispelled the emperor's concerns.

If he wanted to form an alliance with Prince Qi's Mansion, he would have to report it to me. Since there is no such thing and he is unwilling to agree to the marriage, I think he has his own reasons.

Knowing that the old man doted on the concubine, the emperor had no choice but to change the subject: "I remember that Princess Tongyang has broken off the engagement. Since you don't want to marry the second girl, you should marry Princess Tongyang to the number one scholar."

If it had been a few days earlier, Ji Yuan would have happily agreed, but thinking of Wanwan's current attitude towards him, he felt very uneasy and dared not decide her marriage again.

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your kindness to me and my daughter. But what about Wanwan?..."

Having said this, he felt a little embarrassed to continue.

Seeing this, the emperor burst into laughter: "It seems that you, old man, have been controlled by the maids in the mansion."

Without showing any anger, the emperor personally helped the man up and sighed, "Well, well, well, I see that Ji Yunze is also very unhappy about the marriage, so I won't make it difficult for you. Tell me, why are you so anxious to enter the palace?"

Ji Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't dare to ask directly about the Royal Guards.

"I heard that Prince Yongning has left Lin'an. While he's gone, Your Majesty is in the army."

The emperor had already smelled something before he had even finished speaking.

"You old bastard, why are you beating around the bush?" The emperor said with a faint smile, "You want to ask about the Imperial Guards, right?"

His thoughts were seen through at a glance, and Ji Yuan showed an embarrassed look: "Nothing can be hidden from your Majesty's sharp eyes."

"You don't need to please me."

The emperor slowly walked back to the dragon table and said, "We are the emperor and his subjects in the court. Privately, I respect you as my teacher. Although your handling of family affairs is indeed criticized, I only remember your assistance. The fact that you came to ask me about the affairs of Prince Qi's Mansion shows that you have not forgotten the emperor's kindness."

After dismissing all the palace servants, the emperor coughed lightly and slowly sat down.

Looking at Ji Yuan with experienced eyes, he said in a deep voice: "I will not hide it from you. Prince Qi is not a trustworthy person. He has used his command of the Imperial Guards to seek personal gain over the years. Even the Queen Mother intends to investigate Prince Qi, but I have no choice but to protect him."

Ji Yuan knew the emperor's intentions: "Your Majesty, are you worried that Prince Yan's family will become the most powerful and completely follow the Queen Mother's wishes?"

The emperor nodded. "So I only secretly dealt with the commander of the Imperial Guards and handed him over to Erlang of the Gu family. This will also silence the Queen Mother."

"Your Majesty made a prompt decision to preserve Prince Qi as a chess piece. This will leave room for maneuver in the issue of the crown prince. I admire you."

After fully understanding the emperor's thoughts, Ji Yuan inexplicably felt a little more fondness for his eldest daughter.

Fortunately, she came back in time today, otherwise, after marrying Prince Qi in a muddle, she would not only offend the Queen Mother, but also be suspected by the Emperor.

"Step aside. Ji Qing is a smart man. Now that he knows my intentions, he will definitely know how to act in moderation."

The emperor closed his eyes, and after Ji Yuan bowed and said goodbye, he suddenly added, "I shouldn't ask too much about your family affairs, but my Daye Dynasty has always respected the legitimate heir. Mr. Ji, please don't cause any more controversy because of this matter."

"I sincerely obey your Majesty's instructions."

Ji Yuan bowed deeply again before turning and leaving.

(End of this chapter)