After the failed attempt to pretend to be dead, the sickly child was favored by the treacherous mini

The three of them entered the Golden Palace together, where the two ministers, the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Rites, were already waiting for them.

As soon as Xia Hong sat on the dragon throne, Zhong Luoyue entered the Golden Palace with the help of the palace maids.

Xia Hong's eyes were filled with joy, and he slowly explained the reason why he summoned everyone here in such a hurry:

"Ling'er is also twenty-five this year. Although he has married two concubines and taken in many maids, the position of Crown Princess is still vacant."

"For the sake of succession, the legitimate grandson must be born as soon as possible."

"Ling'er also said last year that he wanted to marry the Crown Princess. I have always kept this in mind."

"After seeing so many noble ladies in Luoan, I think the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue is the perfect match for Ling'er."

When Zhong Luoyue heard this, her heart skipped a beat.

How could the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace marry the daughter of a fourth-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue?

How can a girl with such a background become the queen of a country in the future?

Zhong Luoyue, who was immersed in Xia Hong's favoritism towards Xia Ling, came back to her senses in an instant, and the words "overpraising to death" emerged in her mind.

Xia Hong's current favoritism towards Xia Ling is too similar to Xia Hong's former favoritism towards Xia Che.

Suppressing her panic, Zhong Luoyue gently and tenderly tried to comfort him: "Your Majesty, although it is important to give birth to a legitimate grandson as soon as possible, a harmonious family is the key to success. The choice of the Crown Princess should be one that the prince likes himself. Would you like to take a closer look?"

Xia Hong turned his gaze to Xia Ling: "What do you think, Prince?"

Xia Ling raised his head and met Xia Hong's gaze for a moment, and saw the smiling expectation and the hidden warning in Xia Hong's eyes.

He did promise last year that Xia Hong would decide his marriage in the future and he would marry whoever Xia Hong asked him to marry.

However, the legitimate daughter of this fourth-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue is of the lowest rank among these brothers.

If it weren't for the fact that Xia Hong's favor towards him had been increasing day by day these days, Xia Ling would have started to think that Xia Hong was going to seize his position as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

After hesitating for a long time, Xia Ling knelt down and said, "The matter of marriage is decided by my father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress."

Xia Hong looked at Zhong Luoyue again: "Whose girl does the Queen have her eyes on?"

Zhong Luoyue naturally wanted to find a woman for Xia Ling who could help him in the future battle for the throne, but she was unsure of Xia Hong's attitude at the moment, so she could only turn a blind eye:

"Then the noble ladies raised in a wealthy family will be more suitable, and they will also be able to raise more outstanding offspring in the future."

Shen Jinmo seemed to be the most insignificant person in this arranged marriage, but Shen Jinmo knew that he was the most important person.

On the one hand, he wanted to make this marriage a reality, and on the other hand, he wanted to use practical actions to show that he and the Eastern Palace were irreconcilable.

Taking a step forward, Shen Jinmo said, "When I was patrolling the city last year, I often heard people say that the daughter of the Minister of Revenue is famous for her talent and good reputation. If the Queen thinks that her father's official position is not high enough, I think it is reasonable."

"But women have always married high. The founding empress of this dynasty was also from a merchant family. In the end, didn't she become the mother of a country respected by all the people?"

With Xia Hong protecting him, Shen Jinmo, who has no scruples behind his back, can now arrogantly expose Zhong Luoyue's thoughts.

But the premise is that everything he does is what Xia Hong wants to see.

The handkerchief in Zhong Luoyue's hand was pinched to the point of being deformed, and her gaze towards Shen Jinmo could no longer remain gentle.

Wasn't Shen Jinmo directly pointing out her lowly background?

Why would a concubine's daughter from a merchant family look down on the eldest daughter of the Minister of Personnel?

Zhong Luoyue was holding back her anger, wanting to express it but not daring to.

Chun Yu watched her own lady being humiliated like this. Even though she knew it was inappropriate, she still spoke up: "Sir Shen, how can the legitimate daughter of a mere fourth-rank official be compared to the mother of a country?"

Shen Jinmo did not give any further explanation, but just knelt on the ground calmly.

Xia Hong raised his eyes slightly, and Eunuch Lin personally helped Shen Jinmo up. He turned to nod to the young eunuch beside him and asked Chunyu to leave.

In a situation like this, even if a palace maid is valued by her master, she has no right to speak.

Outside the Golden Palace, the sound of a board hitting flesh was heard. Because his mouth was blocked, Chunyu couldn't utter a word.

Zhong Luoyue's face turned pale when she saw Xia Hong protecting Shen Jinmo, and she looked at Shen Jinmo with hatred in her eyes.

But in that instant, she realized that what Shen Jinmo said was what Xia Hong was thinking.

The people in the room were all shrewd people. The Minister of Finance beside Shen Jinmo spoke:

"Your Majesty, you are a little worried because you have never met that woman. I met her before when I went to her home to discuss business with her father. She is indeed a person of both talent and beauty."

The Minister of Rites, who was waiting on the side, also understood the mission he was going to take today: "There is no family in the world more noble than the royal family, and the Crown Prince of the East Palace does not need to rely on the influence of any family to marry a virtuous wife. Her background is insignificant."

As Xia Ling finished his words one after another, he took a deep breath, thinking about how Xia Hong once feared him because of his excellence, and he made a choice in his heart.

If Xia Hong had been young and strong for another year, Xia Ling would not have been able to become the outstanding crown prince.

Now he can only ask for favor, not seize power.

Looking up and meeting Zhong Luoyue's gaze, Xia Ling nodded slightly.

Zhong Luoyue's face was a little stiff, and she gritted her teeth and said something that was not in line with her heart: "According to what you said, sir, I also think this is a good marriage."

Xia Hong smiled with satisfaction:

"My prince should naturally be paired with such an outstanding woman. Since everyone thinks it's a good idea, the Ministry of Rites will begin planning for the prince's wedding, and the Ministry of Revenue will also provide full assistance in the coming days."

"The grand wedding of the Eastern Palace must be no less grand than Che'er's wedding that year."

"Xiao Linzi, on the wedding day, you can take some more money from my private treasury so that the people along the way can share in the joy."

The Golden Palace was filled with joy due to Xia Hong's enthusiastic arrangements.

The Minister of Rites took advantage of the moment Xia Hong finished speaking and immediately wanted to finalize the wedding date:

"This year, the Yitian family has only two wedding dates, one is March 6th, and the other is December 18th. I wonder which date the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince prefer?"

Without waiting for everyone to think, Shen Jinmo took the lead in making a suggestion under Xia Hong's gaze: "I think March 6th is better. The day is neither too cold nor too hot, which is just right for such a happy occasion."

"My only concern is that time is a bit tight. I don't know if the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites can handle it."

"Don't worry, Lord Shen. My Ministry of Revenue will definitely provide support."

"My Ministry of Rites will certainly take charge of this matter and ensure that this wedding will be both dignified and lively."

Xia Hong stroked his beard and nodded slightly: "Although time is tight, we can't be careless. If you do anything that makes the prince dissatisfied, I will want your heads."

The two ministers knelt down at the same time: "We will definitely fulfill our mission."

The ministers left, and Shen Jinmo bowed to Xia Hong to express his gratitude: "I thank the emperor for making the decision on behalf of Xie Nanxing."

Today's incident seemed to be arranged because of Shen Jinmo's return, but it was actually planned for a long time.

Shen Jinmo used this as an excuse to accept Xia Hong's favor of casually promising marriage to Dong Gong in order to avenge him.

In fact, how can it be casual?

It was just that Xia Hong was dissatisfied with the Minister of Revenue whom he had promoted in his early years, and intended to drag him and the Eastern Palace into further depravity.

Xia Hong stepped down from the dragon chair and gently patted Shen Jinmo's shoulder: "Wang Heng, you are different from the prince. I will not treat you the same way I treat the prince."