The Divine Doctor and Adorable Consort: The Demonic Emperor is Too Cunning

He didn't know why Fang Xing'an wouldn't allow Zhou to attend such a banquet, but instead chose a concubine.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't be because of Lord Song's matter, because if that were the case, Fang Xing'an should be holding onto the Zhou family tightly.

Could it be something that happened in the backyard?

Emperor Mingde was unaware of this and had no interest in the affairs of his inner court.

"Where is your maternal home? Why do I feel that you look somewhat familiar?" Emperor Mingde simply asked directly. Since Fang Xing'an was able to allow this concubine to attend the banquet at the Yuan residence in place of Zhou, then the concubine's status should not be too bad.

Zhang replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, my surname is Zhang."

Emperor Mingde stared at Lady Zhang for a while, then suddenly asked, "Is your father Lord Zhang?"

"Your Majesty, my father is indeed Lord Zhang." Lady Zhang was somewhat surprised. Her father was indeed a minister in the court, loyal to the court, but he had retired for many years. Did Your Majesty still remember her father?

"So she is Lord Zhang's daughter. No wonder she is so intelligent and virtuous." Emperor Mingde praised her without reservation. Lord Zhang had been retired for many years, but he was honest and upright, a rare find in officialdom.

Even after many years, he still remembered what Lord Zhang looked like, and Zhang's eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to Lord Zhang's, which is why he felt somewhat familiar with her.

"This humble concubine is terrified." Zhang Shi truly did not expect that the Emperor would still remember her father. Back then, her father was not doing well in the officialdom. Although he received the Emperor's support several times, he was ostracized everywhere. She never expected that the Emperor would praise her father so highly.

Emperor Mingde smiled. Lady Zhang and Lord Zhang were exactly alike; they would be so flustered over a mere word of praise.

Then, he turned his gaze to Fang Qingyun, who was standing next to Zhang.

He wasn't entirely sure at first, but now it seems that this Miss Fang is clearly Zhang's daughter.

In that way, he understood the situation.

"Fang Liu, have you reached marriageable age yet?"

Fang Qingyun straightened her expression and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I am not yet of marriageable age and am fourteen years old."

Emperor Mingde nodded in satisfaction and looked towards the group of young noblemen.

Before a suitable candidate could be chosen, a young man in a blue robe slowly stood up and respectfully bowed to Emperor Mingde: "Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty arrange a marriage for me."

"Are you Lord Liang's son?" Emperor Mingde quickly recognized the young man. He was one of the top three in this year's autumn examination and had met the emperor once before.

"Your Majesty, I am indeed the third son of the Liang family."

Emperor Mingde nodded, already understanding Liang San's intention. He probably had his eye on this Miss Fang.

Fang Qingyun understood Liang San's meaning, and two blushes immediately appeared on her pretty face, because this Liang San was the young man who had smiled at her earlier.

Seeing this, Fang Qingman's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She knew this Young Master Liang; although his father was only a fifth-rank official, Young Master Liang was a promising young man and had ranked among the top three in this year's autumn examination.

Although she didn't have her eye on this young master Liang, since he had asked the Emperor to arrange a marriage for him, he must be asking Fang Qingyun to be his principal wife.

Fang Qingyun, a mere concubine's daughter, would be more suited to marrying some old man as a concubine, yet she managed to find such a good husband.

Fang Qingtong was really looking forward to it. Since the Emperor was going to arrange such a marriage for Fang Qingyun, the husband's family should not be too bad, right?

Emperor Mingde's gaze swept over the homes of Fang Qingyun and Liang San Gongzi a few times before he burst into laughter: "Haha, Liang San, I grant your wish! May you and Miss Fang Liu achieve a beautiful and harmonious marriage! Haha!"

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace! Long live the Emperor!"

"Your Majesty, we thank you for your grace! Long live the Emperor!" Fang Qingyun and the Third Young Master Liang thanked him almost in unison. When they realized what had happened, their faces turned as red as apples.

Young Master Liang glanced at Fang Qingyun discreetly, and seeing her shy and pretty appearance, he liked her even more and nodded slightly to her.

Seeing this, Fang Qingyou couldn't help but smile. It seemed that Young Master Liang liked her, his sixth sister, and that his sixth sister also liked Young Master Liang.

In this way, her work as an underground matchmaker wasn't in vain.

After selecting another pair of lovers, seeing everyone's happy expression, Emperor Mingde turned his gaze to Luo Qianmo and asked seemingly casually, "Mo'er, what do you think of the performance of the young ladies today?"

"It's okay."

Luo Qianmo's answer left Emperor Mingde speechless. Usually, when he said one sentence, those people would wish they could say more to him.

However, his son only gave him two words and seemed unwilling to say more.

"Then what do you think of Miss Yuan's musical skills?" Emperor Mingde knew that if he continued to beat around the bush, he probably wouldn't be able to get anything out of Luo Qianmo by the end of the banquet, so he simply asked directly.

A hint of anticipation appeared in Yuan Yanran's eyes. It turned out that this young man was the eighth prince, who was Emperor Mingde's most beloved son.

Everyone said he was only interested in pleasure, ruthless and heartless, a mere pretty face prince, but after seeing him today, she felt that these rumors were not credible.

For no particular reason, it was simply because of her feelings.

As a result, Luo Qianmo casually tossed Emperor Mingde two words: "Acceptable."

Emperor Mingde felt like vomiting blood. It seemed that his son really had no feelings for Yuan Yanran.

Even with such a stunning beauty right in front of him, his son remained unmoved. He really didn't know whether to scold his son for being ignorant or to praise his good self-control.

Yuan Yanran felt a pang of sadness. She was very confident in her piano skills, which were absolutely superb music that would linger for three days. But was it only rated as passable?

In the eyes of the Eighth Prince, was she no different from the other young ladies from noble families in this hall?

She prided herself on being extraordinary, possessing both talent and beauty, and being a dragon among men. She disdained any praise, but was she really so ordinary in Luo Qianmo's heart?

"I find Miss Yuan's zither playing to be exquisite, its beauty lingering for days. Mo'er, do you agree?" Emperor Mingde coaxed gently, his son surely understanding his meaning through this subtle hint.

As expected, Luo Qianmo said calmly, "It's acceptable."

Three times in a row, the response was always a brief two-word phrase, with no variation in the answer.

Emperor Mingde's expression darkened. It seemed that Luo Qianmo was truly unwilling to comply with his wishes.

Just then, Luo Qianhao hurriedly stood up: "Father, I think Miss Yuan's zither playing is extraordinary, like ethereal celestial music. This music should only exist in heaven, and is rarely heard in the mortal world... Miss Yuan is pure and refined, like a fairy descended to earth..."