Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

Yong'an Palace

Duan Yuyan secretly changed into a palace maid's clothes and sneaked into Yong'an Palace. At this moment, she stood behind An Ruyi and massaged her shoulders.

"Mother, did you really hear Father agree to this?"

"Would I lie to you? If you hadn't attacked the second young lady of the Pei family before, the Emperor wouldn't be so angry with you. Luckily, my pillow talk wasn't for nothing."

After saying this, An Ruyi gently placed her hands on her stomach.

She had no intention of interfering in her daughter's marriage, but that Prime Minister Pei was too ungrateful and publicly broke off the engagement, thus disgracing the An family.

She had recently heard that Shen Mu and Prime Minister Pei were getting very close, and that Prime Minister Pei intended to recruit Shen Mu.

Thus, she interfered, arranging for Shen Mu to marry her daughter first, making him the son-in-law of the An family. This not only deprived Prime Minister Pei of his support, but also gave the An family the support of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Even if Shen Mu becomes the imperial son-in-law but loses real power, in the end it's just him finding someone of his own to take his place.

Then the Embroidered Uniform Guards could also be considered to have fallen into the hands of the An family.

Duan Yuyan, on the other hand, failed to notice the ruthlessness in An Ruyi's eyes and naively believed that her mother cared for her and did not want her to marry far away.

Thinking of this, she put even more effort into her hands.

"Will Father issue a decree today, ordering Shen Mu to marry me?" She was somewhat impatient, after all, she had been pampered since childhood and no one had ever dared to defy her.

Shen Mu was the only one who treated her so specially.

"Who did you take after to get your personality?" An Ruyi glanced at her impatiently. Ever since she infiltrated the palace, her mouth had never stopped asking about her future ideal husband.

She didn't seem to care about her mother at all.

"I took after my father, the emperor."

Duan Yuyan winked playfully at An Ruyi, as if her vicious and cruel demeanor would completely disappear as long as she was in a good mood.

“Your father is the one who’s in such a hurry. He’s very steady and knows how to assess the situation.” A hint of mockery flashed in An Ruyi’s eyes.

Those who ascend to the throne are never as simple as they appear on the surface.

Not to mention her current husband.

Back then, if it weren't for the An family's secret support, how could the mere Eighth Prince have ascended the throne? She might not have truly enjoyed the favor she appeared to have, being second only to the emperor in the harem.

It's all just a transaction.

Thinking of this, An Ruyi lowered her eyes to look at her belly, as if she were looking at a finely carved jade treasure, which she loved so much that she couldn't bear to put it down.

Duan Yuyan's voice came softly from behind her, interrupting An Ruyi's thoughts.

"Mother, do you know if there are any auspicious days in the near future? Yan'er can't wait."

"What? You're so eager to get married? Won't you spend more time with your mother?" An Ruyi feigned anger as she looked at Duan Yuyan, as if she were a little jealous.

Duan Yuyan, of course, only saw the most superficial meaning, and hurriedly explained...

"That's not what Yan'er meant. Yan'er just wants Shen Mu to become the son-in-law of the An family as soon as possible, so that he can share the burden of our Duke Anguo!"

Duan Yuyan wasn't stupid; she could guess the reason why her mother was helping her.

Why did her mother refuse her requests so earnestly before, but suddenly change her mind now?

If they hadn't also had their own plans, she would never have believed that her mother would be so kind.

"you?"

An Ruyi was somewhat surprised and looked at Duan Yuyan. She sized up her daughter and realized she had underestimated her.

"I didn't expect you to be smarter than your brother." Consort An looked away again, muttering to herself.

"Of course, after all, Yan'er is the lucky star of Nanyang!" Duan Yuyan could not hide the pride in her eyes. When her mother gave birth to her, auspicious omens suddenly appeared in the Nanyang Imperial Palace.

These auspicious omens signify that she is a lucky star for Nanyang, someone who blesses Nanyang with prosperity.

“If you weren’t a lucky star, given all the trouble you’ve caused over the years, I’m afraid your father wouldn’t have allowed you to have a princess’s residence outside the palace.” An Ruyi glanced at her.

The Fourth Princess's residence was built when Yan'er was just seven years old, and she was specially permitted to move out of the palace and live in her own residence.

Aside from the Crown Prince, he was the first of the imperial sons to own a residence.

However, it was also because Duan Yuyan had not been supervised by her since childhood that she became somewhat unruly and often caused trouble outside, only to hide and wait for her to clean up her messes.

Thinking of this, An Ruyi sighed deeply.

"If you really do get married, then you should rein in your temper. Don't make your father angry again. Our An family is already treading very carefully these days, and we absolutely cannot afford to make any mistakes."

Upon hearing An Ruyi's first words, Duan Yuyan had already forgotten everything else she was going to say.

All she heard was that she was going to get married!

She married the man she loved!

"Yes, Yan'er will definitely do it."

Regardless of whether she had heard An Ruyi's words clearly, she pretended to be a caring daughter and nodded emphatically to An Ruyi.

She was willing to give anything to marry Shen Mu.

No sooner had she finished speaking than An Ruyi's personal maid, Qingwu, hurriedly entered and stood beside An Ruyi, whispering...

"Oh no, Your Majesty!"

"What's wrong with it? Don't curse my mother." Duan Yuyan glanced at Qingwu with some annoyance. She never liked this personal maid of her mother.

I always felt that her actions were too strange and baffling. Yet, her mother, the imperial concubine, valued her highly.

"Yan'er, don't talk nonsense." An Ruyi glanced at Duan Yuyan without changing her expression, then looked at Qingwu and said.

"But what happened in the palace?"

Since the death of the late Empress Bai, she became the person in charge of the imperial seal in the palace. She made all the decisions, big and small, in the harem.

However, recently, because she became pregnant, the Empress Dowager, out of consideration for her, transferred some palace affairs to Consort Ning, who entered the palace after her.

Few people bother her.

Qingwu didn't care about Duan Yuyan's opinion of her, and quickly lowered her head to reply.

"His Majesty did not mention the princess's marriage, but instead issued an edict to launch an attack on the Southern Barbarians in five days. The Crown Prince will be in charge of the army!"

"What!" An Ruyi couldn't hide her surprise and stared at Qingwu.

She had everything arranged perfectly. Before the Emperor went to court today, he even promised her that he would issue an edict for Shen Mu to marry Duan Yuyan.

Why is war about to break out now? And is the Crown Prince in charge of the army?

What about her son?

"Didn't Father mention my marriage?" Duan Yuyan's expression was also somewhat flustered.

"I mentioned it..." Qingwu swallowed hard, looking at An Ruyi with some hesitation.

Duan Yuyan rushed forward and grabbed Qingwu by the collar, saying fiercely...

"Tell me right now! What did Father Emperor say?!"

"His Majesty said... His Majesty said he would bestow you upon the Khan of the Western Regions, and you will depart next month." Before Qingwu could finish speaking, she knelt down on the ground, afraid that Duan Yuyan might smash her if she was unhappy.