A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Madam Cen said modestly, "Don't praise him anymore. He's a little rascal. Do you believe he can climb a tree without you even looking at him?"

"Pfft!" It was Zhao Xiuyun who laughed.

The atmosphere in the flower hall instantly became lively.

Cen Shaoyuan knew what his mother was thinking.

He had no feelings for his cousin Xiuyun, but since she was already there, he couldn't very well refuse to give her any face.

He had no choice but to bow to Madam Jin, saying, "Aunt!"

He glanced at the girl in the pink shirt standing next to his mother.

"cousin."

Zhao Xiuyun hurriedly returned the greeting, "Cousin."

The more Madam Cen looked at the two of them, the more satisfied she became.

"Alright, Xiuyun and your aunt are not outsiders."

"Sit down already! You're just standing there, it's giving me a headache!"

Zhao Xiuyun knew that her aunt had deliberately created this opportunity for her and her cousin.

She stood up and gracefully walked to Cen Shaoyuan's side. "I heard from my aunt that my cousin is planning to take the exam?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Cen's mother's personal maidservant hurriedly walked in from outside, went to Cen's mother's side, and whispered something in her ear.

Cen's mother's expression changed slightly.

Is this really true?

All eyes turned to Cen's mother at the same time.

Cen's mother coughed lightly.

"It's nothing."

She said to her youngest son, "Your aunt and cousin rarely come over, so help your mother take them for a walk in the small garden. I'm going to change my clothes and I'll be back in a little while."

Although Jin found it strange, she did not refute it.

Although Cen's father held a minor official position, he was the Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, responsible for handling the daily affairs of the Eastern Palace.

Even if His Majesty has a son and establishes a crown prince, other princes may still have a chance.

But His Majesty has no son, and the current Crown Prince is from the imperial clan.

As long as he doesn't make any major mistakes, the chances of him being dismissed are slim.

Therefore, the Cen family has essentially boarded the Crown Prince's ship.

Once His Majesty passes away and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Cen family will naturally rise to prominence.

That's why the Zhao family wanted to marry their daughter into the Cen family.

Although Cen Shaoyuan was only the second son of the legitimate wife and had no official title, it was still good to have a powerful backer.

Once the crown prince ascends the throne, will he still have a chance?

……

As soon as Cen Shaoyuan left with the Jin family, she immediately ordered someone to redo her makeup.

"Make it more formal."

The personal nanny understood Madam Cen's thoughts, so she said to the maid who was in charge of styling her hair, "Hurry up, use that set with gold filigree and jeweled Sanskrit."

Madam Cen remained silent, her gaze fixed on the bronze mirror. She watched as her maid quickly styled her hair, and then another maidservant adjusted her makeup.

After her makeup and hair were done, she changed into a dark blue jacket with auspicious cloud and crane patterns.

The old woman couldn't help but whisper, "Why all the formalities for meeting that girl from a humble family?"

Madam Cen snorted coldly, "It's precisely because I'm meeting that daughter of a humble family that I need to make a grand entrance, so she knows the difference between her and my son. Don't even think about trying to curry favor!"

"She didn't come earlier or later, but of all times. I'm afraid she has ill intentions."

The old woman could only say, "Madam is wise!"

……

Madam Cen looked at the woman in plain clothes before her, but noticed that she was wearing a dark blue veiled hat. She frowned, feeling annoyed that she had dressed up so elaborately for a blind person, but she couldn't show it.

"Why are you wearing a veil?"

Zhou Mingyi remained neither humble nor arrogant, saying, "I accidentally disfigured myself when I was young, and I don't want to frighten people."

Madam Cen frowned and exchanged a glance with her trusted nanny.

The old woman gave a wink, and Madam Cen shook her head, but felt a sense of relief.

She knew her son best. Ah Yuan looked carefree, but he actually loved fancy things.

A mother can't say that her son is attracted to beautiful women.

When Cen Shaoyuan was a child, he only wanted to be held by beautiful maids. He would cry if he saw any maids who were a little thick-waisted or had dark skin.

At the time, Madam Cen even joked that the child was as clever as a monkey when it came to choosing people.

In retrospect, it was a good thing.

The Zhou family's daughter has a disfigured appearance.

She had been worried about how to annul the engagement.

When Zhou's father was alive, he was Cen's father's classmate. The two were Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the same year, and Zhou's father's ranking was even higher than Cen's father's.

The two got along very well and thus agreed to be in-laws for their children.

However, since neither Cen's father nor his wife had a legitimate daughter, it wouldn't be appropriate to marry their illegitimate daughter to the Zhou family.

He then arranged a marriage between his second son and Zhou Mingyi, the youngest daughter of Zhou's father.

Unexpectedly, the Zhou couple had bad luck and died young, and the family was on the verge of decline.

Father Cen didn't concern himself with these domestic matters, and Madam Cen naturally looked down on Zhou Mingyi, whose family had fallen on hard times.

Last year, when Zhou Mingyi came of age, Madam Cen, as the prospective in-law, should have sent some congratulatory gifts.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, women could marry normally after reaching the age of marriage.

The Cen and Zhou families already had a marriage agreement, and were just waiting for Zhou Mingyi to come of age before formally exchanging betrothal gifts.

But Madam Cen was unwilling, so the matter was delayed.

Just as Mingyi thought, Cen Shaoyuan was a man, so he could afford to delay, but Mingyi was a woman, so she couldn't afford to delay.

The Cen family waited, but Mingyi couldn't wait any longer and took the initiative to annul the engagement.

Or they could simply disown the marriage and arrange another marriage for Cen Shaoyuan. Once the new bride enters the family, what will the Zhou family do then?

Therefore, upon learning that Mingyi had come to visit, Cen's mother was on high alert.

"A woman's appearance is of utmost importance, it's a pity."

Zhou Mingyi's expression remained unchanged.

"Mingyi has come today to annul the engagement between her parents and her aunt."

"Back then, when my father was alive, he arranged a marriage between me and your esteemed second son. Now that Mingyi is no longer able to enjoy this opportunity, I naturally cannot allow your family to be in a difficult position."

Hearing Zhou Mingyi's humble words, Madam Cen was at a loss for words.

"I wonder why?"

"My Cen family is a family that keeps its promises, but my son once said, 'How can a man start a family if he doesn't establish himself?' This has delayed my niece's life by a year."

She thought for a moment and said, "Is it about your brother's rebellion against His Majesty in the Golden Palace?"

"I have heard my master mention this matter before."

"It is a good thing that my nephew spoke out for justice, but he is inevitably young and impetuous."

Cen's father was the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, so he was naturally very familiar with the affairs of the court.

But he was unwilling to offend His Majesty for the sake of this daughter-in-law who was nowhere to be found.

Therefore, they pretended to be deaf and dumb.

Moreover, he had received some information through special channels that Zhou Mingchong had not offended His Majesty, but rather had gained the favor of Princess Chaoyang...

The fact that a Hanlin Academy scholar, ranked third in the imperial examinations, was forced to become a concubine of a princess is a huge scandal.

Since it concerns the royal family's reputation, these old foxes will naturally pretend not to know as long as it's not brought to the forefront.

This is tacit understanding.

Zhou Mingyi's gaze was icy as she looked through her veil.

This Madam Cen is quite the master of witty banter.

In her past life, Mingyi came to Cen Shaoyuan for help and was arranged to stay in the backyard of the Cen family mansion. She was completely manipulated by Cen's wife's people and was eventually sent to the Crown Prince's bed by a bowl of sedative.

It's possible that Madam Cen's handiwork was involved in this.

However, the Cen family was still unaware that their elder brother had been released.

It is clear that the Cen family did not take the Zhou family seriously.

Mingyi replied gently, "Yes, thank you for your concern, Aunt. Mingyi will advise my brother."

Madam Cen nodded and gave her trusted nanny a wink.

The trusted nanny immediately understood, "Miss Zhou, what is the meaning of your visit today to annul the engagement?"

Zhou Mingyi lowered her eyes slightly, her voice low, "Mingyi knows that she is ugly and unworthy to be a good match for Young Master Cen, and voluntarily cancels the engagement."

Madam Cen almost burst out laughing.

"Good child, why are you being so modest?"

Zhou Mingyi was truly fed up with Madam Cen's behavior. She clearly wanted to break off the engagement, but she pretended to be reluctant.

After several such exchanges, she finally ordered someone to retrieve the engagement token from that year.