Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Princess Mingzhu lowered her head and said sadly, "Father, I've been dreaming about Mother lately. Her spirit in Heaven must have known I was going to be born, so she keeps appearing in my dreams. That's why I'm thinking... Father, you can have all the palaces pay tribute to Mother and kneel down in worship..."

Emperor Shenwu interrupted Princess Mingzhu directly, his eyes solemn: "There is no need to go to such great lengths. There is Huangjue Temple in the palace. I will summon people from Guoan Temple to perform a ritual for your mother. You can go and pay your respects then!"

Princess Mingzhu was stunned. Her father didn't want to go, and he didn't allow the concubines in the harem to go. Was he even going to deprive her mother of the honors she had received after her death?

Princess Mingzhu looked at Emperor Shenwu with red eyes: "Father, aren't you going?"

Emperor Shenwu paused for a few breaths, looked at his eldest daughter who had grown into a young girl, and changed his words: "It depends on my time!"

Lan Qingwu fell silent when Princess Mingzhu spoke. The first wife of Emperor Shenwu was a knot in his heart. She was different from any other concubine in the palace. Yun Heng, who left the border, married Princess Mingzhu's mother Li Wanhui as his wife soon after.

Lan Qingwu was very smart and had long guessed that the relationship between Emperor Shenwu and Li Wanhui was not very good. Emperor Shenwu had never asked the concubines in the six palaces to pay homage to his wife. He was also very cold when he mentioned his wife in daily life. Only on the day of the wedding would he take time to go to Fengxian Hall for a while. Most of the time, he was busy with government affairs and sent Li Xiang to preside over the matter.

Lan Qingwu naturally understood the meaning of Princess Mingzhu's words. It seemed that they were directed at him. She might be dissatisfied with the fact that she, the queen mother who had never bowed to her, was now the only one favoring her!

Lan Qingwu was slightly puzzled. The two of them had always kept their distance from each other, so why was Princess Mingzhu acting this way? When had the rift between them arisen? Why was she being so stubborn during her final days in the palace? Was it because of the ailing Empress Dowager Li? Or was she simply defending her own mother?

The next few days confirmed Lan Qingwu's guess. Although it was not the day to pay respects, Princess Mingzhu came to Fengqi Palace to pay a visit.

On this day, there were only a few high-ranking concubines in Fengqi Palace, including Concubine Jiang, Concubine Wan, Concubine Yang, and Concubine Liang. They were reporting to Lan Qingwu about the upcoming martial arts competition in the suburban military camp.

After Princess Mingzhu paid her respects, she no longer had the graceful and appropriate smile she had when Emperor Shenwu was present.

She looked at the concubines' charming and voluptuous appearances, then turned directly to Lan Qingwu and said, "Empress, my mother is the Empress Yuan. That day, I asked my father to perform a ritual for her. You should set an example for the other six palaces and lead the concubines in presiding over the ritual for my mother. Why didn't you persuade my father that day?"

The hall was completely silent. Lan Qingwu couldn't help but frown. Princess Mingzhu had indeed come to defend her mother. Concubine Liang couldn't help but say, "You should ask your father about this! We all listen to him."

Princess Mingzhu frowned and said, "But the Empress can make Father change his mind. Empress, you have never paid your respects to my mother, have you? As the successor, don't you have the slightest respect for her?"

Lan Qingwu's expression turned slightly cold. "Then I'll tell you why! Because I only listen to your father! I won't do anything to displease him. Also, I've always been respectful to the Empress Yuan, whom I've never met. Whether it's a living sacrifice or the Qingming Festival, I've never neglected your mother's three incense sticks! Princess Mingzhu, you'll be leaving soon, so don't overthink it! You must know that your mother's wish is only for you to live a life without worries, rich and safe! Don't put the cart before the horse!"

Princess Mingzhu said nothing, but bowed and left.

Concubine Jiang looked at Princess Mingzhu disapprovingly, "What's wrong with the eldest princess? Could it be that she's feeling uneasy about her upcoming wedding?"

Concubine Wan and Concubine Yang remained silent. Lan Qingwu simply said, "That's all. Just a child! It's normal for him to miss his biological mother!"

When no one else was around, Ru Ping said worriedly, "Your Majesty, Princess Mingzhu is like this. I'm afraid there will be problems in the future. Should we tell His Majesty?"

Princess Mingzhu's identity is slightly special. Unlike other princes and princesses, strictly speaking, she is the daughter of the Empress Yuan, and the only one. Although this Empress Yuan was posthumously honored, the title is there, and if something happens, it is easy for people to seize the opportunity and make a fuss about it.

Lan Qingwu thought it through: "What to say? How to say it? Nothing has happened now. It's just a daughter mourning her biological mother. Even if the words are inappropriate, will His Majesty take it to heart? Even I don't take it to heart. If she continues as usual, I will do what a queen should do. If she insists on having her own way, I am now the queen, her nominal mother, and she really can't do anything to me! The funeral of Princess Mingzhu's mother is really because His Majesty doesn't want to make a big fuss and doesn't allow all the concubines in the six palaces to attend. As far as I know, it was like this before I entered the palace."

Therefore, Princess Mingzhu's behavior really doesn't make sense.

Obviously Princess Mingzhu was also aware of this, so she was quite anxious. She didn't know what to do to vent her mother's anger.

On the day of the ritual, Mingzhu looked at the monks in Huangjue Temple and herself, who was alone there, and felt more and more indignant for her mother. Unexpectedly, not a single concubine took the initiative to come and pay tribute to her mother. The ritual was already half over, but Emperor Shenwu was nowhere to be seen.

Princess Mingzhu was devastated. Why was this happening? Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall.

So when Emperor Shenwu stepped into Huangjue Temple, Princess Mingzhu widened her eyes and was overjoyed.

However, her mood, which had just improved, fell to the bottom again when she saw Emperor Shenwu turned around and was about to leave.

"Father."

Princess Mingzhu choked back tears and said, "Do you still remember my mother? Do you remember what she looked like?"

The memory of Li Wanhui in the Emperor Shenwu was indeed fuzzy. After all, more than a decade had passed, and with that incident happening, the Emperor Shenwu was indeed deliberately forgetting everything about his wife. He gazed at Li Wanhui's shrine and said calmly, "Your mother was a very disciplined person."

Emperor Shenwu said nothing more to Princess Mingzhu, and continued, "Now that we've paid our respects to your mother, let's prepare for the wedding! This will fulfill your mother's wish."

Emperor Shenwu left Huangjue Temple, but Princess Mingzhu knelt there for a long time, not moving at all.

Another day, the sun was shining brightly, and Lan Qingwu took the Seventh Princess to bask in the sun beneath the octagonal pavilion. The Seventh Princess was lively and adorable, waving her little arms like lotus root nodes and skipping happily in Lan Qingwu's arms, so much so that Lan Qingwu could hardly hold her.

The Seventh Princess' carefree laughter could be heard from the octagonal pavilion, but Princess Mingzhu, who was sitting below the pavilion, found it extremely irritating.