The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

"Where did you get this rumor from?" General He, who represented Ruan Xiang'e's family, spoke up. He turned to the person who was speaking. "Although my granddaughter-in-law is a little young, she never treated the elders badly when she was at home. There was never any incident between her and her husband. Sir, how come I, an old man who stays at home almost every day, have never heard of the discord between my granddaughter-in-law and her aunt and husband that you mentioned?"

The official was stunned, but the words had already been spoken. The countless people staring at him forced him to bite the bullet and continue: "... This... was originally a chance encounter between me and General Yao, and it came from...his mouth."

General Yao.

The husband of General He's youngest daughter said that Ruan Xiang'e was not a good person to be his grandson's wife, which was somewhat credible. The official used General Yao's remarks to prevent Ruan Xiang'e from becoming the prince of Anguo Marquis's Mansion, but was refuted by General He, the real head of the family. Naturally, the official would not let the pot fall on himself, so he sold out the other party's youngest daughter's husband.

"What kind of general is he!" General He snorted heavily, turned around and saluted the emperor and empress in the hall, "Your Majesty, that young man from the Yao family was not discreet and leaked military information. His position has long been taken away. A few days ago, he instigated my useless little daughter to go home and make trouble, and I have to sacrifice my reputation to ask for another official position for him!"

Although General He was old, he was still full of energy when scolding his son-in-law: "Your Majesty, please understand that this old minister and the boy from the Yao family have had conflicts for a long time. He is so petty and has no ambition to make progress. He must have deliberately spread rumors and caused trouble to cause discord in this old minister's family. His heart is really vicious..."

As he spoke, he pretended to sob a few times.

Seeing that this one was about to be refuted, someone else couldn't help but jump out: "But Miss Ruan grew up in the inner house. Whether she is capable of taking on the title of Marquis of Anguo is still to be discussed..."

Xie Yuzhen raised his eyes to look at the official and asked calmly, "Master Xu?"

The official was stunned and immediately replied, "I am here."

"I remember that your daughter married the Earl of Yuxiang and had a son. This son was born dumb and at the age of twelve, his intelligence is still that of a three-year-old child... Last year, when the Earl of Yuxiang submitted a petition requesting that the position of Crown Prince be given to his second son who had normal intelligence, didn't you, Lord Xu, argue for your grandson?"

Xie Yuzhen laughed: "Master Xu, I have read your memorials many times. They are sincere and heartfelt, and every word is full of love for your son. It is this love of Master Xu that moved me, Your Majesty, and the other scholars, and saved your grandson's position as the crown prince... Don't worry, everyone, don't worry, no matter how useless Miss Ruan is, she will not be more useless than the crown prince of Yuxiangbo."

Lord Xu confessed his guilt and knelt down, trembling all over, but he was secretly delighted in his heart - his grandson's status was saved, and his daughter just had to be careful not to let her grandson be harmed. Once Marquis Yuxiang died, she would have the final say in the entire Marquis's mansion. Moreover, after what happened in Marquis Anguo's Mansion today, those in Marquis Yuxiang's mansion who coveted the position of the crown prince would see the fate of the second branch of the Ruan family, and they would probably not risk targeting the grandson for a long time.

It turns out that following the Queen does have its benefits.

Lord Xu apologized repeatedly until his forehead was red from knocking his head. He wrinkled his face with regret, and successfully reduced the number of crying old men in the hall to three.

Although she was one of the people he had arranged earlier, Xie Yuzhen waved his hand to show that he didn't care, and then he didn't pay too much attention to Lord Xu: "Your Majesty, since Miss Ruan has no intellectual problems and is the only blood of Marquis Anguo, her return home..."

The emperor pondered.

Marquis Anguo raised his tearful eyes and looked over eagerly.

Holding back his laughter, the emperor nodded majestically: "In that case, let the Ministry of Rites discuss Miss Ruan's royal attire as soon as possible. For the rest, follow the previous rules for the royal sons of the Marquisate."

Once he opened his mouth and made his words, the matter was completely settled.

Thanks to the support of Marquis Anguo himself, General He, the powerful Empress Xie's support, and the partiality of the emperor, the only person in power, Ruan Xiang'e officially became the first female crown prince since the founding of Dasheng.

After receiving the imperial edict to appoint his daughter as the heir apparent, Marquis Anguo immediately and tactfully expressed that he was already very humbled that his wish could be fulfilled and he dared not ask for more. He also wanted to present the spoils brought back from the New South Kingdom to the Emperor as compensation and apology to Princess Cheng'an for the fact that his own child was not blessed enough and could not marry.

Let’s talk about the inheritance of the title of Marquis of Anguo.

It was time to reward the generals who had led the expedition.

Marquis Anguo was not included in the list because he actually used his military merits to exchange for his daughter's position as crown prince. The emperor praised him a few more words and gave him a copy of his own imperial calligraphy. Then he ordered the ceremonial officers to bring the soldiers waiting outside the hall into the hall.

This group of people included both men and women, all of whom were representatives selected from various camps going to the expedition.

Xie Yuzhen saw Jun Yuexin in a red dress and silver armor, standing at the front in a carefree manner. If anyone looked at her with hostility, she would stare at that person and smile. However, this smile was not very friendly and was full of provocation. If she held a piece of grass in her mouth, she would look like a street urchin looking for trouble.

Following behind her were several women.

Some were wearing red clothes and silver armor like her, while others were wearing mountain folk costumes, colorful and embroidered with ancient bird pictures. The woman who followed closely behind Jun Yuexin even exposed her arms and a small part of her slender waist, and wore a circle of light silver ornaments with several round small bells hanging on it.

On the lower right part of her exposed waist, there was a scar left by a sharp knife, which was completely different from the dress of women in the Central Plains. The ministers in the court looked away on the spot, but Zhu Queyin seemed not to notice. Her lips were slightly parted at this moment, and she looked around in amazement at this magnificent hall that was far beyond her imagination. In the end, her eyes fell on the couple sitting at the top.

Just one meal.

He suddenly remembered the rules he had been taught before entering the palace, and quickly looked away.

The reactions of the rest of the mountain people and soldiers were not much better - before joining the army, many people had never imagined that one day they would be able to stand in this hall filled with dignitaries and face the emperor and empress directly.

After everyone performed the ceremony somewhat stiffly, the ceremonial officer called out the names one by one. When each person was called out, that person stepped forward to receive the official position.

Jun Yuexin was the first one in line. Xie Yuzhen looked at her, but inexplicably remembered the day when he first entered the palace, and he also went to pay homage to the Empress in this way... Times have changed. Now Wang Linghui and Lu Yinggui are traveling around the world. When they last wrote to them, they were said to have arrived in a coastal county. The customs there are relatively open, and they plan to stay for a while to see if they can set up a girls' school or something.