After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The crown prince was stunned and murmured, "What Mother means is..."

"Yuan'er has you in her heart." The Empress rolled her eyes at him. "She's young and can't understand her feelings for you, but why can't you understand?"

Her son was luckier than her; the person he loved also loved him. He was the Crown Prince, and Yuan'er was the legitimate daughter of a marquis; their family backgrounds were equal, and the Emperor had arranged their marriage, so there was no need for them to worry about marriage.

"The most important thing right now is not whether or not we get married, or when we get married, but to make Yuan'er understand that she has you in her heart and can't live without you."

Thinking of that kiss not long ago, the prince's face flushed, and his heart burned even hotter.

"Does Your Majesty approve of my marriage to A-Yuan?"

"Your Majesty has no reason to object," the Empress said. "Your Majesty admits that the idea seven years ago was indeed inappropriate. I only considered your future and interests and did not take into account Yuan'er's gains and losses. But that was because of Yuan'er's health, and because of our identities, we had to make such considerations."

"Ah Yuan's health is still not good." The Crown Prince clenched his fist, his heart skipping a beat. "Both Ah Yuan and my uncle say that her heart ailment is incurable. My uncle even told me that Ah Yuan's heart ailment can suddenly relapse, and the attack can be so fierce that it's impossible to save her in time. Given this, will Mother still allow me to marry Ah Yuan?"

It was too late to save them?

The Empress felt a pang of sadness, and her eyes instantly reddened. Turning her face away from the Crown Prince's gaze, she smiled and asked, "Does the Crown Prince wish to marry me?"

"Yes! I want to marry her a thousand times, ten thousand times." The Crown Prince nodded and said solemnly, "I want to be with her, to stay by her side, to take care of her and protect her every step of the way."

"Even if she suddenly leaves?" the Empress asked. "You are the Crown Prince, you have better options. Yuan'er is sickly, are you sure you won't grow tired of her and hate her someday?"

"Your subject cannot guarantee anything, but your subject will do his best," the Crown Prince said. "Many people have their eyes on A Yuan. Even if she has your heart, I am not the only one. Before your subject can get tired of her, she will abandon you. All your subject can do is be good to her, even better to her, and make yourself the most important one in her heart."

"It's good that you've figured it out!" the Empress said with relief. "Now that the country is settled, it's time to settle your marriage as well. It's better to do it sooner rather than later. In my opinion, let's set it for next month. The Ministry of Rites has already made preparations, and there's still more than half a month to go. As for your father, I'll have your uncle keep an eye on things. Even if we have to postpone it until after your wedding, we can postpone it until after your wedding."

"Mother, Father Emperor..."

"You don't need to worry about your father's affairs. You only need to handle the affairs of the court and take good care of Yuan'er." The Empress wiped the corner of her eye: "The Buddhist scriptures were not copied for your father, but for you and Yuan'er. If there really are Buddhas all over the sky, your mother hopes that you and Yuan'er will live to be a hundred years old and be happy."

The Crown Prince knew that some things were irreversible, just like his father and mother, who could never become an ordinary commoner couple. They supported each other through thick and thin, but behind their mutual support lay suspicion, a pretense of affection when there was none.

When her father fell seriously ill, her mother even stopped acting.

He stepped back, knelt, kowtowed, and said, "Your subject takes his leave. Your Majesty, please rest early. The Buddhist scriptures that you haven't finished copying can be copied tomorrow. Don't strain your eyes."

"Your Majesty knows, Your Majesty will rest early." The Empress pondered, "We still need to ask the old general for his opinion on the specific date. I heard that Marquis Lu's health is not good, so issue an edict to let him return to the capital. As for his concubine's son, have him be added to the Lu family genealogy at some time. The Pingnan Marquis's mansion will eventually need an heir, and Yuan'er also needs a respectable maternal family. As for his sister, if she causes any more trouble, there's no need to keep her around, so as not to cause trouble for Yuan'er."

The Crown Prince agreed to all of them and explained his thoughts.

As dusk fell, the lights in the Northern Liang palace were gradually extinguished.

At this moment in the Southern Chu Imperial Palace, the eunuch saw Xiao Yebai staring blankly at the nameplate in silence, and felt a little uneasy. What's wrong with the Emperor? Could there be something wrong with that nameplate? He couldn't help but step forward and whisper, "Which beauty does Your Majesty wish to summon tonight?"

Xiao Yebai raised his eyes and glanced at him sideways, his cold gaze causing the eunuch to shiver involuntarily.

"Your Majesty, this Consort Yuan only entered the palace today; she was arranged by the Empress Dowager."

Queen Mother?

It's just a nominal title, yet it dares to interfere in his harem.

Xiao Yebai glared at him coldly: "The Empress Dowager is really idle, even meddling in my private affairs."

"The Empress Dowager is also thinking of the Emperor."

"So, I should be grateful to her?" Xiao Yebai's eyes grew colder as he stared at the plaque and said, "In that case, let this Consort Yuan serve me in bed."

The eunuch wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and went out, not seeing Xiao Yebai pick up the plaque and break it in half.

Iris Consort?

She doesn't even deserve to use the character "鸢" (yuan)!

The person was carried in wrapped in a red quilt. The room was dark, with only a lamp lit by the bedside. The eunuch placed the person on the bed, bowed his head, and withdrew.

After the chaotic sounds subsided, a face that bore a striking resemblance to Lu Zhiyuan peeked out from under the red blanket. She was clearly nervous, yet her nervousness was tinged with anticipation.

Xiao Yebai walked over, lifted the half-drawn bed curtains, and looked at the woman in the red quilt. That face made him momentarily dazed, and he couldn't help but reach out. Before his fingertips even touched her, he heard her say shyly, "Your Majesty, may I serve you, Yuan'er?"

The hand that had reached for her face instead gripped her neck: "Don't use that face to say such disgusting things to me."

The woman was stunned, not understanding why Xiao Yebai was reacting this way. The Empress Dowager had shown her a portrait, and she bore a striking resemblance to the woman in it. The Empress Dowager had said that the woman was the Emperor's beloved, the Crown Princess of Beiliang. She assured her that if she appeared before the Emperor with that face, he would surely favor her and bestow upon her the riches and honors she desired.

Just now, just now, when the Emperor saw her face, his eyes clearly showed emotion, but why did they suddenly change, and he wanted her dead?

The woman struggled, her mind replaying his words over and over again—"Don't use that face to say such disgusting things to me!"

She understood and pleaded with him through her eyes.

Xiao Yebai loosened his grip, and the woman immediately said, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me."

"Name?"

“Yuan… Your subject… Your subject’s name before entering the palace was Yinhua.”

"Silver Flower?"

"The silver in gold and silver, the flower in flowers, my mother said that I was born on a snowy day, and from inside the house, the ground was covered with silvery-white flowers, so she named me Silver Flower. After entering the palace, the Empress Dowager changed my name to Green Kite. Green is the color blue, and kite is the kite in paper kite. I don't know where I offended Your Majesty, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

"your face……"

"My face is a gift from my parents." The woman got up and lay down on the bed.

"Raise your head." Xiao Yebai grasped her chin and scrutinized her carefully.

Her eyebrows were drawn on, and while her nose was higher than A Yuan's, it wasn't as delicate and beautiful. Her mouth was a bit too big, and the color of her lipstick was too gaudy. A Yuan was naturally beautiful and never bothered with such cosmetics.

“You are nothing like A-Yuan.”

The woman trembled, not daring to raise her head: "Your Majesty is right. I am a vulgar and ordinary woman, and naturally cannot compare with the person in Your Majesty's heart."

Xiao Yebai flicked his sleeve: "What does the Empress Dowager want you to do?"

"The Empress Dowager ordered me to find a way to win the Emperor's favor." The woman lowered her head. "Your Majesty, please spare me. I was forced by the Empress Dowager. I have never had any improper thoughts."

Snap! Xiao Yebai grabbed the woman by the back of her neck and snapped her neck. He laid her flat on the bed and looked at her tear-stained, filthy face with a disgusted expression.

A quarter of an hour later, the woman's head was placed on the Empress Dowager's bed. The Empress Dowager screamed and fainted. Xiao Yebai stood outside the window, his eyes filled with coldness.