Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Everyone's interest was piqued by her.

The Eighth Princess immediately urged, "Tell me quickly!"

The Ninth Princess cleared her throat before explaining in detail: "As you all know, my mother grew up on the border and in the military camp. Although she later entered the palace, she never lost contact with the people. Therefore, my mother learned about Princess Wenyi from those people."

"It is said that Princess Wenyi has been in love with General He for many years. I don't know what General He thinks, but she has rejected all the young talents who came to propose to her because of this, which is why it has been delayed until now."

Lingyan raised an eyebrow.

Does she like He Jingchuan?

The Eighth Princess asked in surprise, "So is it just unrequited love, or are she and General He mutually in love and just waiting to get married?"

Xie Zhiyi pondered and said, "I think she is in unrequited love. If General He really liked her, he would have married her long ago. Why would he let his beloved suffer criticism for so many years, leading to the current situation?"

The Seventh Princess agreed, saying, "That's what I think too. I'm afraid it's a case of unrequited love. It's a pity she waited so many years."

Seeing that Lingyan remained silent, the Ninth Princess asked her, "What do you think, sister-in-law?"

How could Lingyan possibly view this?

Doesn't He Jingchuan know whether he likes Princess Wenyi or not?

So she nodded in agreement, "I also agree that it's unrequited love, but why do so many women like General He?"

She knew that many people admired him, but admiration and liking were obviously two different things.

The Eighth Princess was astonished.

Looking at her with an expression that said, "Sister-in-law, you didn't know?"

Lingyan shook her head.

At this moment, the Eighth Princess thought of her sister-in-law's situation over the years and expressed her understanding.

So he explained to her, "General He is not only both a scholar and a warrior, but also a man of great appearance and numerous military achievements, winning every battle. He is also the son of a marquis, and he is clean-living, never flirting with women, and has a steady and reliable character."

"Besides, he only has one younger brother in his family. If she marries him, she won't have to serve her parents-in-law or get involved in the trivial matters of a large family. She can be in charge of her own household and do whatever she wants. It sounds wonderful."

So that's how it is. No wonder.

At this moment, Xie Zhiyi continued, "General He and Prince Rui are evenly matched, and both are among the men that women of the Great Zhao most want to marry. Prince Rui's status goes without saying, and he himself is handsome, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and has outstanding abilities. Moreover, he never gets entangled with any woman."

"Most importantly, everyone knows what marrying Prince Rui means, so how could they not flock to it?"

Lingyan tossed her hair.

He thought to himself: I'm sorry, but the men these two women from the Great Zhao Dynasty most want to marry are both mine.

She really struck gold.

Seeing that she remained silent, Xie Zhiyi assumed that she had misunderstood.

She quickly explained, "Your Highness, please don't overthink it. I don't have those kinds of thoughts about Prince Rui. Prince Rui is a very good person, but when I think about him becoming the emperor and having a harem with three palaces and six courtyards, I lose all interest in him."

Lingyan naturally didn't think much of it.

When Xie Zhiyi spoke of Xiao Muyao, her eyes were open and honest, revealing her innocence.

This shows that she really thought that way.

Lingyan felt a little regretful when she thought about how he would have three palaces and six courtyards in the future.

Because she can't possibly share one man with so many women, she'll eventually have to part ways with him.

It's just that he's such a good man, and she's satisfied with him in every way, which makes her a little reluctant to let him go.

She smiled warmly at Xie Zhiyi and said, "Don't worry, I haven't misunderstood you."

Xie Zhiyi finally relaxed; she had been incredibly nervous.

Lingyan then asked her curiously, "You have no feelings for Xiao Muyao, nor for General He?"

Xie Zhiyi shook her head and said, "No, I want to find a writer like me in the future. Otherwise, if our social circles are too different, it will easily cause conflicts."

This girl is truly rational and insightful.

She then looked at the other three, wanting to know what they were thinking.

After all, she needed to be aware of any ulterior motives involved.

Hachiko immediately replied, "I have no feelings for General He either, I just admire him."

The Ninth Princess continued, "Yes, heroes are meant to be admired, not possessed."

Lingyan recalled a similar saying from modern times.

Following celebrities is not about plucking stars from the sky.

They all express roughly the same meaning.

The Seventh Princess concluded, "Yes, such a young hero deserves to be admired by everyone, but that's all there is to it—respect and admiration."

Lingyan felt slightly relieved after hearing this.

Thankfully, they didn't mean it that way, otherwise it would have been so awkward later.

At this moment, the Ninth Princess said wistfully, "I wonder if General He, who is already twenty-two years old, has a woman he likes and why he is not married yet?"

The Eighth Princess also sighed, "Yes, I wonder what kind of amazing woman he will find in the future. I really can't wait to see!"

Lingyan felt quite strange at this moment and didn't want to talk about it anymore.

So he changed the subject, asking, "Who is the type of man that the women of the Great Zhao least want to marry?"

The Ninth Princess blurted out, "Of course it's Commander Lu!"

The Eighth Princess nodded and said, "That's right, Commander Lu is really too terrifying. Nobody wants to lose their life, so of course nobody wants to marry him."

The seventh princess nodded in agreement.

Xie Zhiyi is the same.

Ok.

I'm so sorry! The person I least want to marry is actually me!

Just then, the distinctive greetings of eunuchs could be heard from afar, loud and resonant, signaling the arrival of the Empress and her concubines.

So the group quickly approached the crowd and bowed in greeting.

Then the Empress sat in the main seat, with the other concubines sitting on either side of her.

The entire Imperial Garden fell silent instantly, with only the soft rustling of dresses and the distant sound of flowing water remaining.

After everyone was seated, the Empress smiled and said, "Today is a joyous occasion for family reunion. So many beautiful ladies have come, making this Imperial Garden even more vibrant and colorful. I am very pleased!"

Consort Rong, the mother of the tenth prince, immediately smiled and agreed, "Your Majesty the Empress is right."

On the surface, she always appeared to be part of the Empress's lineage.

Of course, you have to agree with the Empress in everything.

Several of the other concubines echoed this sentiment, while a few others looked hostile.

It's just not that obvious.

Lingyan took in the reactions of these concubines and understood their situation.

At this moment, the Empress, unusually concerned, asked Lingyan, "I heard that you were assassinated a few days ago. Are you alright? Were you frightened?"

Lingyan already knew what she was planning, and readily agreed, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Mother. Your daughter-in-law is doing well."

The Empress said with a relieved look, "That's good. Your Majesty was really worried for a while. Consort Shu should know that, right?"

The Empress smiled as she spoke, looking at Consort Shu.

Only then did everyone present realize that the Empress was taking the opportunity to embarrass Consort Shu.

After all, everyone knows that the assassination attempt was carried out by the Fifth Princess, the daughter of Consort Shu.

At this moment, they all looked at Consort Shu, wondering how she would answer.

Consort Shu remained expressionless and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I understand. After all, Her Majesty the Empress loves her daughter-in-law as well, and I am quite worried about her."

The Empress was rebuffed and was furious inside, but she didn't show it on her face.

This woman is always so good at pretending.

It's just that His Majesty is so wise, yet he simply can't see it.

He also thought she was gentle, kind, and soft-hearted, and thus favored her.

They're all women, who wouldn't notice?

She disliked Lingyan and didn't want her son to marry her.

But I never thought of killing anyone.

She only wanted the prince to despise her and not let her sit in the position of Princess Rui, but it did not help the prince at all.

She didn't want her son to devote all his heart to her and lose his mind because of it.

But when did it become her own daughter-in-law to be bullied like this by outsiders?

She felt that losing only the Fifth Princess was not enough; she should also eliminate this vile woman.

Lingyan felt that every woman in the harem was extraordinary.

She resembles Consort Shu or Consort Rong.

These two appear to be indifferent to worldly affairs, but in reality harbor hidden ambitions.

There are also those like Consort Hui and Consort Xian, whose ambitions are openly displayed.

But they all knew how to maintain proper boundaries and didn't go too far.

This palace is truly magnificent!

After Xiao Muyao becomes emperor and has so many cunning concubines, will she still be able to live a peaceful life?

So at that point, the only option is to leave the palace and stay away from him.

At this moment, she was not confident that Xiao Muyao would leave his harem empty for her in the future.

Because she never believed in people's hearts, let alone the heart of an emperor.