"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't accept this blessing," Xie Jingchu said, bowing respectfully.
"Why do you say so, Jing'er?" The emperor frowned and asked.
Although the Huo family was now sparsely populated, the emperor doted on Xie Jingchu. When Xie Jingchu presented a petition signed by ten thousand people to him, his resolute look was exactly like General Huo's in his youth. If the Huo family hadn't encountered trouble back then, there might have been another young general in the family.
Xie Jingchu replied calmly, "I'll be straightforward. I prefer gentle women. Although the eldest princess is excellent, I'm afraid our personalities won't match."
What he meant was that if he married the eldest princess, there would be no peace in the family.
Hearing this, the eldest princess slapped the table angrily and stood up.
She roared, "What do you mean? Am I not gentle enough?"
Hearing Xie Jingchu's words, Ruan Jiu's dim eyes flickered.
As expected of Xie Jingchu. He dared to say such things in front of the emperor.
The emperor glanced at the eldest princess and said, "Yongning, look at yourself!"
The eldest princess had no choice but to keep silent.
She sat down again and glared at Xie Jingchu fiercely.
It was the first time she had been humiliated in public. How could she not be angry?
After a moment of thought, the emperor said slowly, "Compared to Yongle, Yongning is a bit more arrogant."
Princess Yongle had been introverted since childhood, which was the exact opposite of the eldest princess.
If he were to match Xie Jingchu with Yongle...
Hearing this, Concubine Shu immediately said, "Your Majesty, Princess Yongle is still young."
A hint of cunning flashed across Xie Jingchu's eyes.
He knew that someone would be eager to stop him if he said so.
If Concubine Shu wanted to maintain her position in the harem, she would never let him marry the daughter of her enemy.
The emperor also thought for a while. Princess Yongle had just come of age, and there was a significant age gap between her and Xie Jingchu. It was indeed not suitable.
So he waved his hand and said, "Forget it. When you find a woman you like in the future, I'll make the decision for you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"
After sitting down, Xie Jingchu secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but glance in Ruan Jiu's direction.
Seeing Ruan Jiu looking like a child who had been caught peeping, with her face blushing and her head hanging down in a fluster, he thought she was quite cute.
He pursed his lips to suppress the smile on his face.
Then he picked up the wine cup in front of him and drank it in one gulp.
Since he found out that Song Qingyu was actually Ruan Jiu, he felt like he had been reborn.
However, he knew that Ruan Jiu must have her own reasons for not recognizing him.
All he could do was cooperate with her.
On the side, Xiao Wang watched the two of them with a cold face.
Their flirtatious looks were so eye - catching.
It seemed that Xie Jingchu had suspected Ruan Jiu's identity.
Xiao Wang concealed his emotions and put on a new expression.
He scooped up a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Ruan Jiu. Looking at her lovingly, he said softly, "A Yu, drink the soup."
These words seemed to remind Ruan Jiu again that she had to play the role of Song Qingyu well.
She gently picked up the bowl, smiled sweetly at Xiao Wang, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Seeing Ruan Jiu's smile, Xiao Wang was stunned for a moment, and his pupils trembled slightly.
He seemed to see his A Yu!
He saw the Song Qingyu who had haunted his dreams!
He couldn't help but reach out his hand and touch Ruan Jiu's soft black hair. It was as if everything had returned to three years ago.
Song Qingyu was still sitting beside him, smiling.
Just as Xiao Wang was in a daze, Ruan Jiu suddenly frowned tightly. Her face became extremely painful, and she tightly covered her lower abdomen.
"Your Highness..."
Before Ruan Jiu could finish her sentence, a mouthful of fresh blood gushed out of her mouth.
Then she fainted in Xiao Wang's arms.
The scene immediately became chaotic.
"Call the imperial physician!"
"Call the imperial physician!"
...
Xiao Wang summoned all the imperial physicians from the imperial hospital to treat Ruan Jiu.
As the sky gradually darkened, there was still no news from the room.
Why did she suddenly vomit blood?
At this moment, the head of the imperial hospital rushed out in a hurry.
The emperor immediately asked, "What's wrong with Miss Song?"
The head of the hospital looked solemn. He hesitated for a long time before stuttering, "Miss Song... Miss Song... is... is poisoned."
As he said this, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Miss Song was poisoned in the palace. This was no small matter!
Sure enough, after hearing this, the emperor's face instantly turned ashen. "What kind of poison is it?"
The head of the hospital shook his head tremblingly.
This was the most troublesome part. Not only was someone secretly poisoning at the palace banquet, but they also didn't know what kind of poison it was.
Seeing this, the emperor's eyes became even darker.
If the poison had been put in his meal, it would have been him lying unconscious in there instead of Miss Song.
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly for me!"
For a moment, the entire palace was in an uproar.
The palace gates were tightly closed, and no one was allowed to leave.
-
On the other side.
In Concubine Shu's palace, the aunt and nephew were at odds.
"If I hadn't pulled you away just now, would you have carried Miss Song away in front of everyone?" Concubine Shu said coldly.
When Ruan Jiu vomited blood at the banquet just now, it really scared everyone.
Among them, Xie Jingchu was the most anxious.
He was even more worried than the crown prince.
Xie Jingchu's eyes were cold, and his breathing was heavy. "Did you already know that Song Qingyu was A Jiu?"
"I didn't know at first, but I do now," Concubine Shu sighed.
"Then all those times you said you had news of A Jiu were just lies to deceive me?" Xie Jingchu frowned.
Concubine Shu pursed her lips and said nothing, avoiding his gaze.
Seeing this, Xie Jingchu sneered. "You're really a great aunt!"
Concubine Shu said helplessly, "Jing'er, auntie is doing this for your own good. I really don't want to see you fall into despair. Don't forget, our great revenge has not been avenged!"
"Auntie, since you know the great revenge is not yet avenged, you still have the time to arrange a marriage for me. You know very well that all I want is A Jiu!"
A chill suddenly flashed in Xie Jingchu's eyes, and he stared directly at Concubine Shu.
Concubine Shu was startled.
Her nephew was even more imposing than her elder brother back then.
"Jing'er, but she's just the daughter of a merchant. If you really like her, you can keep her as a noble concubine in the mansion in the future. The position of your main wife should still be filled by a woman who can help you."
Hearing this, Xie Jingchu couldn't help but find it funny.
Back in Qinzhou, they said Ruan Jiu was a foundling beggar and her family background was too low.
Now that Ruan Jiu had become the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, she was still despised for her low family background.
What if he wasn't the Marquis of Chengen?
Would someone say that he was marrying above himself?
How pedantic!
"I don't need you to decide my marriage!"
After walking a few steps, Xie Jingchu turned around and said coldly, "Don't forget, I'm your only support now. If you still want to keep your position as a noble concubine, don't try to provoke me."
Ruan Jiu was his reverse scale.