My bad father married a princess, my mother divorced me, and I became the group's favorite

Liu Yunniang and her daughter lived a very comfortable life in the Liu Mansion, but they didn't know that Emperor Jingxuan was extremely worried at this time.

Inside Cining Palace.

The Queen Mother sat back on the phoenix chair with an unhappy look on her face. Her slightly furrowed brows showed her inner dissatisfaction.

When she heard that Liu had been conferred the first rank imperial title, she immediately sent someone to invite the emperor over.

But His Majesty said that there was something going on in the court and delayed coming for several days. The Empress Dowager's face did not look good at all at this time.

When His Majesty arrived today, he dismissed the people around him in the Cining Palace, leaving only her and Emperor Jingxuan.

"Emperor, I heard that you rewarded Mrs. Liu very generously, and even conferred her the title of First-Rank Imperial Concubine. What is the origin of Mrs. Liu that she deserved such a generous reward from you?"

Emperor Jingxuan bowed slightly, his expression respectful yet dignified.

"Mother, calm down. Liu is smart and courageous. She has made great contributions by offering treasures. It is only right that I reward her."

The Queen Mother snorted, "Offering a treasure? What kind of treasure is it that is worth such a big fight?"

Emperor Jingxuan's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he decided not to tell the Empress Dowager the truth.

"Mother, do you still remember Shan Yi's intention?"

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, a little shocked, "Mountain Intention, is it Master Xingyun's Mountain Intention? My son, have you found it?"

She knew that the emperor had been looking for the mountain's intention. Could it be that the treasure Liu presented was the mountain's intention?

Seeing that the Queen Mother had already thought of it, Emperor Jingxuan said quickly: "My Queen Mother, please understand. The mountain was indeed offered by Liu. Once the mountain is revealed, the treasure inside can be taken out. If we can get it, we can enrich the national treasury and benefit the people of our dynasty. Liu has made great contributions by offering treasures. Conferring her the title of First-Rank Lady of Imperial Edict can also encourage the subjects of the world to serve the court. This is related to the foundation of the court. I believe that my Queen Mother will understand."

The Queen Mother was silent for a moment. His Majesty had said this, could she pretend not to know the importance of it? But she still felt a little unwilling in her heart.

"Even so, this reward is too high. Liu is just a common woman. If she suddenly gets such a high position, she might be envied and become arrogant."

Emperor Jingxuan patiently explained, "Don't worry, mother. I have sent people to secretly observe Liu. If she does anything inappropriate, I will deal with her. Moreover, although Liu has experienced a lot, she can stick to her original intention, which is rare. I believe that she will not lose herself because of temporary glory."

The Queen Mother sighed softly, "Emperor, as the ruler of a country, you should put the country first. You need to consider this reward carefully."

Emperor Jingxuan nodded and said, "Your Majesty, your teaching is correct. I will keep it in mind. However, Liu has indeed made great contributions to the court. If I don't reward her, I am afraid that it will chill the hearts of the subjects of the world."

The Queen Mother shook her head slightly, but still said stubbornly, "Emperor, have you ever thought about this? Liu's identity is embarrassing after all. If you do this, won't it embarrass Pingle? If you want to reward her, you don't have to make it known to everyone. It will also damage the reputation of the royal family!"

After the Queen Mother said this, she immediately noticed that the aura around His Majesty had become much colder, but the words had already been spoken and there was no way she could take them back.

A hint of anger flashed across Emperor Jingxuan's eyes, and his voice became much colder. "Hmph, I'm afraid that my mother is wrong. It's not me or Liu who have affected the reputation of the royal family, but Pingle, right? I originally thought that my mother agreed to Pingle's marriage because she was deceived by Ye Wenbo. Now it seems that I am the only one who doesn't know that my mother and Pingle share the same hatred for the enemy!"

When the Queen Mother heard this, her heart tightened. Although His Majesty always behaved filially, the Queen Mother knew his temper and said quickly, "Emperor, please don't misunderstand. I don't share the same hatred with Pingle, I just think that this matter was not handled properly. Pingle is still a princess of the royal family. If this matter gets out, where is the dignity of the royal family?"

Emperor Jingxuan snorted coldly: "The dignity of the royal family cannot be maintained by protecting a domineering princess. Pingle has always acted arrogantly, and this time she even forcibly seized someone else's husband. Her actions are truly damaging to the royal family's reputation. Liu is innocent. She presented treasures to the court. If I don't reward her, how can I convince the people?"

The Queen Mother sighed slightly, "Your Majesty, I am not against rewarding Liu, but I think it can be done in a more appropriate way. After all, Liu was born a commoner, and it is inevitable that she will be criticized for suddenly getting such a high position."

Emperor Jingxuan's expression eased slightly, but his tone remained firm: "Mother, I have clear rewards and punishments. Liu deserves rewards for her meritorious service. As for the criticisms of others, I will deal with them myself. If I do not reward meritorious officials because of fear of criticism, who will work hard for the court in the future?"

The Queen Mother was silent for a moment, then said, "What the Emperor said makes sense. But you need to appease Princess Pingle as well, and don't let her cause any more trouble."

Emperor Jingxuan frowned slightly: "If Pingle can admit her mistakes and repent, I will naturally not make things difficult for her. But if she still persists in her wrongdoings, I will not tolerate it either."

The Queen Mother looked at Emperor Jingxuan and knew that he had made up his mind, so she said no more. "Forget it, let's just do as the Emperor says."

For a moment, the room was unusually silent.

Although Emperor Jingxuan was dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager's favoritism, he also understood that the Empress Dowager had always favored Princess Pingle. It was not easy to get her to give in, and it was not good to remain in a stalemate with her, so he nodded and took the teacup next to the Empress Dowager and handed it to her personally.

The Queen Mother also knew that His Majesty was giving her a way out, so she quickly reached out to take it, took two sips, and then put it down.

The atmosphere in the Cining Palace gradually eased, and Emperor Jingxuan slowly spoke, "Mother, have you told anyone else about this mountain plot?"

Your Majesty, what does this mean?

The Queen Mother had no time to think about it and said quickly, "I know what is important and what is not. How could I tell others about this? Even the palace maids around me don't know."

Emperor Jingxuan looked at the expression on the Empress Dowager's face and guessed that it was not a lie. He thought to himself, if it was not the Empress Dowager who leaked it, then how did Princess Pingle know about it?

His people had secretly found out that Princess Pingle forced Ye Wenbo to buy betrothal gifts and a mansion. Ye Wenbo had no money, so he pawned those paintings.

It was just that the shop he went to had been bought in advance by Princess Pingle, so the painting was in the hands of Princess Pingle right after Ye Wenbo sent it to the pawnshop.

Ye Wenbo pawned five paintings in total, but she only took one of them, "Mountain View", and didn't care about the others at all. It would be a bit far-fetched to say that she was unaware of the situation.

Everyone knows that the Queen Mother likes Master Xingyun's calligraphy and paintings, so it makes sense to say that she was trying to please the Queen Mother.

However, after such a long time, she had entered the palace several times but never mentioned it to the Empress Dowager. Emperor Jingxuan had to suspect that Princess Pingle did know the secret, so she forced Liu to hand over the remaining paintings.

What is she for?

It seems that he underestimated his niece!