Good luck in pregnancy, the daughter of the prime minister's mansion has a soft waist

What does this sentence mean?

Did he think that he was pretending to be hurt because he saw that Prince Xuan and Shen Luoxi had feelings for each other, and was deliberately expressing in front of the emperor that he was devastated by this incident and decided to concentrate on Buddhism?

Does the emperor think that Shen Muxue wants to use him to teach Prince Xuan and Shen Luoxi a lesson about their ambiguous relationship?

In fact, she had no such intention at all and didn't care about what happened between them. She was just thinking about how to make the emperor feel good about her.

[System prompt: The Emperor's favorability value has been reset to zero.]

Shen Muxue felt extremely upset. With her head lowered, she returned to Changping Palace step by step, her heart full of disappointment and helplessness.

The Empress Dowager had long been mentally prepared for the Emperor's absence. Her face was calm, but a barely perceptible trace of regret slipped through her eyes.

Seeing Prince Xuan and Shen Luoxi walking in chatting and laughing, and then looking at Shen Muxue who was listless and looked as if she had been hit by frost, the old lady had already imagined a good show in her mind.

Although he pretended not to know what happened, he was silently thinking about various possibilities in his heart.

"Xiaoxuan, come here quickly. You have grown taller again."

The Queen Mother called out kindly, then stretched out her rough hand and gently stroked Prince Xuan's shiny black hair. Then she shook his hand and turned to Madam Kang and said, "The marriage of these two children was discussed by our two families a long time ago. If it weren't for the death of my old friend last year, forcing Shen Muxue to observe a period of mourning, they would have been husband and wife long ago. When you return, you, the Duke, should also think carefully about it and find a time to prepare the dowry list. I want to personally inspect it."

Shen Muxue looked around at the people around her and found that except for the Queen Mother, no one was willing to continue with this marriage. Everyone had their own thoughts.

Madam Kang looked at Shen Luoxi, who looked pale and had suffered a shock, and replied respectfully, "Our Duke is still training his troops in the western suburbs. As soon as the Crown Prince brought Luoxi back last night, he immediately went to report to the Duke. I think he will be able to return to the capital in the next two days. I will discuss this matter in detail with him and see how to make proper arrangements."

The Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction after hearing this. In fact, she had already decided on this marriage in her heart.

Shen Muxue was her baby, whom she had watched grow up, and she was the one who personally arranged this marriage.

Although Shen Muxue no longer possesses the noble status of a legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion, this does not affect the Queen Mother's decision. Under her supervision, no mistakes are allowed in this marriage.

When everyone left Changping Palace one after another, only Shen Muxue stayed to accompany the Queen Mother. She knew that she would have to do her best to make up for the previous losses in the next few days, and at the same time, she was secretly praying for her future destiny in her heart.

"Xiaoxue'er, tell me the truth. Is it because Madam Kang found her biological daughter and made you angry at home?"

The Queen Mother asked Shen Muxue with concern, her eyes full of kindness and care.

Shen Muxue shook her head vigorously, with a barely perceptible determination in her eyes.

The reason she stayed in the palace was just to find an opportunity to get close to the emperor. As for the Duke's Mansion and Prince Xuan, they were not within her consideration at all.

She had made up her mind to achieve her goal no matter what.

"Then why don't you go home and live?"

The Queen Mother looked at the girl in front of her with some doubt, her tone still gentle, as if she was afraid of hurting her in the slightest.

Because there is no emperor in the family, Empress Dowager.

Shen Muxue thought silently in her heart, but she did not say it directly.

She thought about it and felt that since her wedding was destined to be cancelled, it would be better to end it on the grounds that Prince Xuan had made a mistake. This would not only not affect her reputation, but would make people more sympathetic to her.

In this way, everything can develop in the direction you preset.

So today she deliberately chose to stay and resolutely not return home, with the purpose of creating more opportunities for Prince Xuan and Shen Luoxi to be alone together.

If the two of them could become closer when she was not around, or even if something irreconcilable happened, then it would be reasonable for Prince Xuan to take the initiative to cancel the engagement.

At that time, Shen Muxue could take the opportunity to pretend to be deeply shocked and seek comfort from the emperor.

This is undoubtedly the most ideal script.

Noticing the slight change in the Queen Mother's expression of doubt, Shen Muxue suddenly had an idea and pretended to be innocent and said coquettishly: "I just want to accompany the Queen Mother for a while. Don't you want me to stay here?"

Her words sounded so gentle and sincere that it was hard to refuse.

The Queen Mother heard this and smiled helplessly, "Well, since you like staying here, then fine. I like having someone to talk to anyway. Besides, they don't have the courage to do anything to you when I'm here."

Shortly after dinner, a young palace maid in exquisite attire came in and announced, "Your Majesty, the messenger said the Emperor has many important documents to review tonight and cannot come to pay his respects."

Her voice was soft but clear, instantly quieting the room which was originally filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Although the Empress Dowager's expression quickly returned to its usual calm state, she still beckoned Qingqian, her personal maid, over and gave her a few instructions: "There's a basket of sweet-scented osmanthus cakes that have just been steamed and are still piping hot. Send them to her. After all, the Emperor has been busy for quite a while."

After hearing this, Shen Muxue, who was standing nearby, suddenly suggested, "Why not let this servant go there in person? I have some questions about Buddhism that I don't quite understand, and I'd like to ask Your Majesty in person."

Her eyes were clear and transparent, and her words revealed a natural sense of trust.

Shen Muxue quickly reached out to stop Qingqian. How could she let go of such a good opportunity?

There was a cunning glint in her eyes, and she seemed to have already thought about what to do next.

The Queen Mother smiled and shook her head, her tone gentle but with a hint of teasing: "You, you've grown up so much, why are you still so naughty like a child? Let Qingqian go with you, so you can have some company."

Her words were full of tolerance and love.

So, Qingqian led Shen Muxue to Qilin Palace. Her identity was not simple - she was a distant relative of the Queen Mother.

This relationship means a lot in the palace and makes her one of the key figures in certain things.

Walking on the familiar palace road, Shen Muxue couldn't help but recall her childhood. At that time, there were several nieces of the empress dowager in the palace. Their existence was to prepare for the emperor's selection of concubines in the future.

But as time passed, these young women left the palace one after another for unknown reasons and eventually chose to get married.