Consort Chen looked at her daughter’s indifferent face and gradually calmed down.
“My child is right.”
“No matter who enters the palace, it’s merely a matter of arranging a place to stay. It absolutely cannot shake the status of us mother and daughter.”
Princess Chaoyang’s expression remained unchanged.
She had long grown accustomed to it.
When she was young, she used to be afraid.
Because Consort Chen would always tell her that she was the Emperor’s only daughter, the most noble little princess in this world.
At first, she felt proud.
But slowly, she began to fear.
Fear that she would no longer be the only one—would she still be the most noble little princess in this world then?
Would the Emperor and her imperial grandmother still dote on her so much?
She harbored a dark thought in her heart—that the Emperor should never have any other children!
And over the years, Heaven had been on her side.
The Emperor truly had no other children. He had been afflicted by a strange poison, and whether it was those in the harem, women outside, or even her own mother, Consort Chen, none had ever conceived his child again.
Only then did Chaoyang breathe a sigh of relief.
She had long grown accustomed to it and firmly believed that the Emperor would never have a second child in this lifetime.
Therefore, Princess Chaoyang did not care who might be added to the harem.
Those women, whether forced or driven by ambition to enter the palace, would ultimately never surpass her and her mother.
Once the Emperor grew tired of them, they would all slowly wither away in this harem.
What is there to pay attention to about a flower destined to wither?
…
Chuntao never expected that she had almost missed out on this immense fortune.
She did have a sweetheart, but when she learned that the noblewoman was the Empress Dowager and that the person she was originally meant to serve was the current Emperor, Chuntao no longer wanted to leave.
Yet she began to feel anxious. She had made a mistake in judgment and almost fled—would the Emperor and the Empress Dowager hold it against her?
When she was captured by the guards yesterday, she clearly heard what was happening inside that chamber…
Chuntao was not foolish. She realized that someone had taken her place and received the imperial favor!
She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy in her heart.
That woman—if she hadn’t taken her place, how could she have had such good fortune?
Now that she was on equal footing with her, she wanted to see who this person was!
But since she had been brought into the palace by the Empress Dowager, it stood to reason that the Empress Dowager had forgiven her.
She still had a chance to serve the Emperor.
Chuntao secretly held onto hope.
She was settled in a small courtyard, attended by only one palace maid.
When she entered the palace, she didn’t know where to look.
The palace was truly magnificent; every object looked expensive and beautiful.
However, Chuntao was also a woman who knew how to read people’s expressions. When she realized that she was wandering around and looking like an uncouth country bumpkin, the palace maid’s slightly disdainful gaze…
She immediately dared not look anymore.
She cleared her throat, imitating the manner of the mistresses in the operas.
“I ask you, where is the woman who entered the palace with me now?”
Although the palace maid was impatient to deal with her and looked down on her petty demeanor, she still bowed respectfully, mindful that this person had been personally brought back by the Empress Dowager.
“Reporting to the noble lady, there is no woman who entered the palace together with the noble lady.”
Upon hearing this, Chuntao couldn’t help but stand up.
“What?”
Chuntao had entered the palace but had not yet been formally conferred a title.
Yet she, a commoner, was personally brought into the palace by the Empress Dowager and placed in a small courtyard where imperial concubines resided—naturally, she was now the Emperor’s woman.
It was just that she had not yet been formally conferred a title or rank, which was why the palace maids addressed her as “Noble Lady.”
This address of “Noble Lady” made Chuntao feel so light she could almost float.
“How could this be?”
She distinctly heard…
Could it be that the Emperor did not like that woman?
Even after… after all that…
Chuntao recalled those heated sounds and couldn’t help but blush.
But then she reconsidered—perhaps that woman had been discovered for impersonating her identity and had offended the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?
With this thought, she immediately brightened up.
“When will the Emperor come to see me?”
The palace maid thought to herself that this woman truly came from the common folk and understood no palace etiquette at all.
“Noble Lady, please settle in peacefully for now.”
“His Majesty… is occupied with state affairs.”
She paused briefly. “In a few days, the Empress Dowager’s personal matron will come to instruct you in palace rules. After your formal investiture ceremony, you will be able to meet His Majesty.”
Chuntao felt a sense of awe.
No wonder it was said the palace was the most dignified place in the world.
So many rules indeed!
…
Meanwhile, Zhou Mingyi was not idle either.
She knew Emperor Qianwu was a man of deep schemes. Since they had been intimate, he would undoubtedly regard her as his possession and would surely assign Imperial Shadow Guards to protect her in secret.
However, since she couldn’t locate where those Shadow Guards were, she might as well pretend not to know.
Emperor Qianwu had given her a few days to bid farewell to her brother.
As a woman with an existing engagement, about to enter the palace, it was only natural for her to take the initiative to dissolve her betrothal, wasn’t it?
…
At the entrance of the Cen residence.
As soon as Zhou Mingyi stated her identity, the gatekeeper’s attitude immediately turned haughty.
“The Zhou family? Which Zhou family?”
“Our Cen family has never known any Zhou family.”
Wearing a veiled hat, she paid it no mind.
“Although my Zhou family has declined, the marriage between me and the Second Young Master Cen was personally arranged by my father and Lord Cen. Now that I am here to dissolve the engagement, if you fail to properly announce me and cause your masters to miss important matters, can you bear the responsibility?”
The gatekeeper, who had initially intended to make things difficult, broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this.
He naturally understood this was a woman he could not afford to offend.
He hurriedly said, “Miss Zhou, please wait a moment.”
In the drawing room of the Cen residence.
Madam Cen was having tea with her niece from her maiden family, occasionally glancing toward the door.
“Why hasn’t Yuan’er come yet?”
She looked at her trusted matron beside her. “Go and hurry him along yourself.”
Then, turning to her sister-in-law from her maiden family, she explained with a smile, “This child, truly spoiled by me. His own aunt and cousin are here, and he doesn’t even come out to greet them.”
As she spoke, Madam Cen addressed her niece again, “You and your second cousin were closest since childhood. Now that you’re older and see each other less, you’ve grown distant.”
“But don’t worry, no matter what, your aunt will always protect you and not let him bully you.”
Madam Cen’s maiden surname was Zhao. Her niece, Zhao Xiuyun, flushed immediately upon hearing this.
Madam Cen’s sister-in-law, Madam Jin, said with a smile, “See how much your aunt dotes on you!”
The two women, aunt and sister-in-law, exchanged words, each praising and elevating the other.
Anyone could see they intended to become in-laws.
Only the Second Young Master Cen seemed uncooperative.
No matter how many times Madam Cen’s people urged him, he did not appear.
Before Madam Jin could say anything, Madam Cen’s expression had already darkened.
Just as they were about to send someone again to urge him, Cen Shaoyuan finally arrived, fashionably late.
He wore a deep blue straight robe adorned with four-in-one ruyi cloud patterns, standing tall and graceful, with a carefree smile hanging on his face.
Madam Cen’s expression finally softened into a smile.
She instinctively glanced at Madam Jin.
“See, he’s here now, isn’t he?”
As soon as Cen Shaoyuan entered, Madam Jin had been sizing up this nephew of hers.
As the saying goes, “A mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, and the more she looks, the more pleased she becomes.”
Madam Jin said with a laugh:
“The last time I saw my little nephew, he was still young, just a plump and fair child with rosy lips and pearly teeth, looking like a little girl.”
At this, both Madam Jin and Madam Cen covered their lips and chuckled. “But after just a few years, A-Yuan has grown up. What a handsome young man he’s become!”