The daughter of the first wife grew up in the countryside and was extremely powerful

Queen Xue's thoughts are obvious and not difficult to understand.

Although Pei Qiyu has been canonized as the crown prince, he has been weak since childhood, and everyone in the court is skeptical about whether he can be qualified for the position of crown prince.

What is even more troublesome is that to this day, the selection of the Crown Princess remains undecided.

For this reason, Empress Xue mentioned this matter to His Majesty many times, but each time His Majesty brushed it off by saying that he needed to carefully select a crown prince.

Even with the powerful Xue family as her backing, controversies surrounding the prince's status still continue.

After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the current emperor's favorite is the fifth prince!

Although Queen Xue's position is stable, if the prince cannot ascend to the throne smoothly, it is uncertain what will happen in the future.

Thinking of this, Queen Xue became more certain of her thoughts.

Although Gu Fanchu grew up in the countryside, she has the power of the General's Mansion behind her, which is what she needs.

If the Crown Prince married Gu Fanchu as his Crown Princess, she could also win over Concubine Xi. No matter how arrogant Concubine Wen was, she would always have to suppress her.

"If Princess Lingyu is free, I will host a palace banquet in a while. Come and have fun with Madam Wang."

With her suggestion, I believe that any smart person will know how to choose.

Gu Fanchu had no choice but to agree.

Empress Xue left Qinhua Palace. The senior palace maid beside her was a little puzzled as to why the Empress wanted to mention Gu Fanchu. Did she really want her to be the Crown Princess?

But that vulgar identity...

"My Lady, do you really want Princess Lingyu to marry the Crown Prince?"

When Empress Xue heard that everyone was pessimistic about the Crown Prince, she couldn't help but sneer:

"Hmph! Everyone in the court is pessimistic about the Crown Prince. If I don't personally plan and make plans for him, I'm afraid no one in this world will even remember he even exists."

Everyone surrounded the fifth prince, and some even asserted that it would be difficult for the prince to ascend to the throne.

The maid beside her hesitated and said softly:

"But... the prince..."

"Okay, no need to say more."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Queen Xue.

It turned out that the prince had always been aloof and aloof, and because of his illness, he rarely appeared in public. It was precisely because of this that people had a bad impression of him and were not optimistic about him.

However, Empress Xue did not care about this and said with a contemptuous tone:

"What can he do? The reason he holds the noble status of Crown Prince is entirely due to my full support behind the scenes. Could it be that he dares to give up this hard-earned position of Crown Prince?"

The senior palace maid standing beside her nodded and said:

"Yes, Queen, you are truly wise and intelligent!"

After saying this, Empress Xue stood up and ordered:

"Alright, without further ado, follow me to the East Palace."

Soon, the group arrived at the gate of the East Palace.

After entering the palace, I saw the haggard and sickly-looking prince sitting quietly in the study, concentrating on reading the book in his hands.

Although the weather was already a bit hot, he was still wearing clothes that were much thicker than those of ordinary people.

That impeccably handsome face now appeared unusually pale, as if covered by a thin layer of frost, which made people feel pity.

Just then, Queen Xue walked in with graceful steps.

Seeing this, he hurriedly stood up, bowed respectfully to Queen Xue, and said softly, "Mother."

Queen Xue walked over quickly, carefully examining the person before her, her eyes filled with concern and worry, and asked:

"How are you feeling today, Prince? I see that you look a little better than a few days ago. Has anyone sent for the imperial physician to see you?"

Her tone was gentle, but if you looked closely, you could detect a subtle hint of disdain deep in her eyes.

The man nodded slightly, a gentle smile blooming on his face, as warm and gentle as the spring sun. He replied softly:

"Thank you for your concern, mother. It's all my fault for causing you so much worry. The imperial physician has come and said it's just an old ailment that's come back. He's prescribed some medicine for me, and I feel much better after taking it."

As he spoke, his eyes always stayed on Queen Xue, filled with respect and love for his mother, just like a filial son who was carefully comforting and cherishing his mother.

"That's good. The Japanese Imperial Palace will hold a banquet in a few days. We will invite all the ladies and gentlemen in the capital to come and enjoy the flowers, chat, and have a good rest. You can also go and meet everyone that day."

Queen Xue explained the purpose of her visit.

"Yes, ahem...son, I will definitely behave well then."

The prince lowered his head slightly, and a few strands of hair fell from his forehead, just covering his eyes that originally emitted a cold light.

However, at this moment, deep in the eyes covered by shadows, there was a faint and elusive light flashing.

Queen Xue nodded with satisfaction, a faint smile on her lips:

"Very good. I just went to Qinhua Palace and happened to run into the General's wife and Princess Lingyu. Although Princess Lingyu has been kept at the manor, I've seen her and she's truly stunning. Not only that, but her manners are also incredibly clever and well-mannered! Such a lively girl perfectly complements your calm and reserved personality."

Upon hearing this, the prince's expression remained unchanged, as if all this was within his expectations.

The young eunuch who had been serving nearby couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

He pondered inwardly: Could it be that the Empress Dowager wants the Crown Prince to marry Princess Lingyu? However, with the Crown Prince's distinguished status, how could he arrange a marriage so easily?

However, the young eunuch only dared to think about these ideas in his heart and did not dare to show them on his face.

The prince slowly raised his head, with a perfect smile on his face, and said:

"It seems that your Majesty is very fond of this Princess Lingyu. If so, I must take a good look at what kind of outstanding girl can catch your Majesty's eye."

When the prince said this, his tone was as calm as water, and it was impossible to hear his true emotions.

The prince looked respectful, and this attitude made Queen Xue very satisfied.

After giving a few more casual instructions, he left the East Palace.

As soon as Empress Xue left, the eunuch behind Pei Qiyu immediately stepped forward and said worriedly, "Your Highness, what's wrong with the Empress..."

"No need to say more. I will make the final decision on this matter. Can Master Shi enter the palace today?"

Pei Qiyu's eyes darkened slightly, interrupting what the person behind him wanted to say.

In this East Palace, he has no freedom at all. There are spies sent by the Queen everywhere, and if he is not careful, all his efforts will be wasted.

"Yes...Taifu Shi came to the palace today and rested for a few days. His Majesty even called him to the Imperial Study and had a long conversation with him."