Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 978 - 980: Marriage Proposal (8)

Chapter 978: Chapter 980: Marriage Proposal (8)

Consort Huo felt a deep sense of unease and laughed, "Sister Zhao Yi, your words are hardly credible. If you said my younger brother gifted someone a house, perhaps my cousin could know about it, but how would he know if my younger brother gifted someone clothes and trinkets? Clearly, the rumors are not to be believed!"

Ji Zhaoyi said triumphantly, "It’s not a rumor. A few days ago, my cousin accidentally obtained a concubine who turned out to be the runaway eldest daughter from the mansion of Duke An. The mother of the Wife of King Qin is a lady from the Duke’s family, and just then the family of the Wife of King Qin was staying at Duke An’s mansion as guests. Young Master Huo brazenly sent the gifts directly there. Everyone in Duke An’s mansion knows these things; it’s no secret at all!"

Consort Huo turned pale, and so did Empress Mo. Previously, she knew about Huo Yuan’s affair with Mu Caiwei, thinking it was simply because Mu Caiwei’s beauty had momentarily dazzled him, leading him to act so irrationally. She hadn’t expected there was such a connection between Mu Caiwei and Huo Yuan. A woman’s virtue is considered more important than heaven; had she known this earlier, she would never have agreed to this marriage. But now that the bridal price had been paid and the wedding date set, what was she to do?

How could such a vain and reckless woman be worthy of her son, who is both extraordinarily graceful and peerlessly distinguished?

However, as alarming as it was, she still needed to maintain the face of the Empress. She set her face and said, "Consort Li Shu, Ji Zhaoyi, palace concubines should avoid gossiping about others behind their backs. You’ve talked too much. Go back and copy ’The Virtuous Woman’ once, and submit it to Jade Palace tomorrow morning. It’s getting late; I’m tired, let’s all disperse!"

"Yes, the concubines retire!"

The concubines stood up, bowed, and left in small, delicate steps.

At the unoccupied palace gate, Ji Zhaoyi whispered to Consort Li Shu, "Sister Li, for your sake, I’ve even offended the Empress about my brother’s issues..."

Consort Li Shu whispered back, "Don’t worry, I’ll tell my brother when I return. It’s just about promoting a Fifth-Rank Military General; it’s a simple matter for him. By the way, what else does your cousin’s concubine know? Let her spill everything. Once my niece becomes the Wife of King Qin, you’ll be the first contributor, and your brother and father will also fully support you!"

"Yes, thank you, Your Grace. I will do my best!"

Ji Zhaoyi happily agreed and went her merry way.

She was a concubine-born daughter of the Empress Dowager Ji’s illegitimate brother. Although they shared the same surname Ji, the Empress Dowager Ji didn’t pay much attention to her, and even now her father and brother were minor nobodies without a footing in the Ji family. Thus, she entered the palace with grand ambitions, her greatest desire being to gain favor, support her family, and honor her household!

However, the Emperor didn’t like her, and she had been defeated in her attempts to vie for favor against Consort Huo. Now, the Emperor didn’t even want to look at her. If it weren’t for the face of the Empress Dowager protecting her, her position as Zhao Yi would probably have been revoked long ago. As such, she no longer harbored any illusions about the Emperor, shifting her ambition to achieve glory for her family elsewhere!

"Someone!"

Empress Mo called out ominously.

"Your servant is here!"

The newly promoted chief eunuch of Jade Palace, Chen Shangxi, approached bowing deeply, his voice soft and timid, "What are Your Majesty’s commands?"

"Go to King Qin’s Mansion and summon King Qin to me."

...

One hour later, Chen Shangxi returned, panting heavily.

"Your Majesty, King Qin is not at the mansion."

"What? He’s not at the mansion, where did he go?"

"Your Majesty, Miss Xiao Zhi said King Qin is never at the mansion at night, and as for where he goes, nobody knows!"

"Damnable!"

Empress Mo clenched her teeth, "This unfilial son is truly blinded by that slut!"

Now that everything was settled, Nangong Yi no longer needed to go out at night, and even if he did go out, he didn’t need to do it every night—unless it was to have a tryst, to meet that promiscuous woman.

Cursed slut, she almost deceived her too. She merely relied on her looks, had not yet married but slept with men, using such despicable means to seduce and entrap men, seizing the opportunity to rise to power. She even fantasized about marrying the noble King Qin, becoming the future Empress of Great Jin Nation, truly unaware that there is such a thing as shame in this world!

It won’t do, even though the bridal price was paid and the date set, she must disrupt this marital engagement!

"Chen Shangxi, go to where His Majesty is, and request His Majesty’s permission, saying your empress’s mother is having her seventieth birthday tomorrow morning, and your empress needs to return home to visit her family. Ask for His Majesty’s permission."

"Yes, this servant will go immediately!"

Chen Shangxi respectfully bowed and withdrew.

Last night, the emperor issued an edict, lifting the ban on the Empress Dowager. The first thing the Empress Dowager did after her ban was lifted was to send all the palace maids and eunuchs who had served in Jade Palace to the Ministry of Punishments and ordered the Internal Affairs Department to reselect the servants for Jade Palace.

He had gone from being an unknown little eunuch to the chief steward of the Jade Palace, thus he extremely cherished this hard-earned fortune, being very cautious and diligent in everything! He had just bent his body and retreated to the entrance when suddenly he heard Empress Mo say, "Wait, don’t go. I shall go meet him myself!"

...*...*...

In the suburban manor,

Cai Wei lay on the couch, holding the list of bridal gifts from the man, reading line by line, waves of emotion and sweetness flooding over her and completely submerging her. This fool, how much effort must it have taken to gather such costly bridal gifts? In fact, she knew his true circumstances, that he really had no money, so even if his bridal gifts were modest, she wouldn’t quibble over them.

As she was tenderly pondering this, her mother, Lady Du, suddenly walked in and sat beside her couch. She casually took the list of bridal gifts from her hand and laughed, "Your mother and dad just looked over it, and we truly didn’t expect King Qin to give such costly bridal gifts. King Qin is noble, to match our kind of family, even a tenth of these gifts would not be considered light. It’s hard on him to value you so highly. Such affection, Wei’er, you must not betray it!"

Cai Wei solemnly nodded, saying, "Mother, since your daughter has decided to marry him, I will wholeheartedly live my life with him. Unless he betrays me, I will be utterly devoted to him for a lifetime, forever loyal to him!"