When the red cloth was opened, everyone saw green leaves first. As their gaze slowly moved down, a thick ginseng root, still bearing some soil on its surface, appeared before their eyes.
This ginseng root was not only thicker than Su Muxuan's arm but also, more remarkably, had begun to develop female characteristics. Such a thick ginseng root must have grown for thousands of years!
The Empress Dowager received the ginseng with a look of curiosity. Touching its slightly damp surface, she glanced at Su Muqing with some doubt. Why did this ginseng feel as if it had just been dug out of the ground? The Emperor and Empress also leaned forward to examine it upon seeing her produce a fresh ginseng root.
"This is a thousand-year-old ginseng we chanced upon on our journey. To preserve its medicinal properties, we have been cultivating it in fresh soil all along. Yesterday, Brother Lu reminded me that it would be best for gifting to Imperial Grandmother for her health. You can have the imperial physicians process it, which will make it easier to store."
Seeing their enjoyment, Su Muqing thought the gift was well-received. She winked at Lu Yuzhi. Such a good deed should be shared; she shouldn't accept all the praise alone.
"Excellent! You are thoughtful, and I thank Duke Lu for his concern. Have the imperial physicians come to examine it! Such a treasure should be processed as soon as possible to prevent it from losing its medicinal efficacy." The Empress Dowager praised them with a smile and then asked an old嬷嬷 to summon the imperial physicians.
At this point, the Empress Dowager also took out two jade pendants from her embrace, giving one to Su Muqing and the other to Su Muxuan. She also ordered a gift to be given to Lu Yuzhi.
Ke Binna saw the jade pendants hanging on Su Muqing and Su Muxuan and reached into his chest, pulling out a jade pendant very similar to the ones they were wearing.
The Empress Dowager smiled kindly and patted their heads. "These jade pendants are symbols of the royal lineage of the Tianzhao Kingdom. You must treasure them."
"Thank you, Imperial Grandmother," Su Muqing said, clutching the jade pendant.
The imperial physicians had not gone far and hurried back upon hearing the summons. Upon seeing the ginseng, they repeatedly praised it, stating they had never seen such a large ginseng root.
In truth, they were either stationed in Rongcheng or the imperial palace, and had few opportunities to see fresh ginseng. Most of what they saw was already processed. To have the chance to see such a thousand-year-old ginseng caused a sensation throughout the Imperial Hospital.
After the imperial physicians retired with the ginseng, Su Muqing approached the Regent King. She handed him the tool and model blueprints she had organized the previous night, which would be needed for the demonstration of the secret weapon.
Ke Bite took the blueprints and studied them for a long time. He didn't understand many of them because they were annotated with Arabic numerals. So, he pulled Su Muqing and Lu Yuzhi aside, asking them one by one what they were used for.
After hearing their explanations, Ke Bite felt that using wooden and stone models to demonstrate weapons wouldn't achieve the most direct effect. He looked at them and asked with some confusion, "Why not use death row convicts instead of these molds?"
"Death row convicts?" Su Muqing was clearly taken aback by this statement. She turned to look at Lu Yuzhi and found that he didn't seem surprised or opposed to the suggestion.
However, using death row convicts for experiments... wouldn't that be too inhumane? She had never considered using real people for experiments. Yet, she reconsidered; the ancient and modern views on weapon usage were indeed different.
In her previous life, while various countries were diligently researching new weapons and innovations, the few hegemonic powers that invaded other nations were a minority. Other peaceful countries primarily focused on consolidating their international standing or deterring others.
But in ancient times, the definition of weapons was different. Weapons in the army, besides strengthening one's own country, were inherently meant for territorial expansion. In plain terms, they were for self-defense and killing.
After some thought, Su Muqing also felt that if particularly heinous death row convicts were used instead, it wouldn't be entirely inhumane. After all, when they committed their evil deeds, they didn't consider whether their actions were right or wrong.
"My suggestion is to use molds as much as possible. If there are unforgivable death row inmates in the prison, then Your Highness can decide! But they must be death row convicts, not slaves who have been bought and sold, nor randomly captured poor people to fill the numbers." Considering the plight of slaves in ancient times, Su Muqing added her concern.
Ke Bite nodded, folded the blueprints, and put them into his sleeve pocket. "Alright, I understand. We will only use unforgivable death row convicts."
After finishing their business, they continued to chat and make arrangements for the recognition ceremony.
At noon, everyone dined in the Empress's palace. The atmosphere was warm and intimate, like a family meal, without too many formal protocols.
Just as everyone was seated and ready to begin lunch, a eunuch in small, quick steps rushed in to report, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Ping Jun, along with his Princess Consort, Heir Apparent, and County Princess, requests an audience outside the Fengyi Palace."
"Oh? Why is Brother Ping entering the palace at this time? Announce them in quickly." The Emperor said, putting down his chopsticks. The others also put down their chopsticks upon seeing this.
Prince Ping Jun, Ke Biping, was the Emperor's half-brother. Yesterday, the Emperor suddenly announced he would not attend morning court and spent the entire day with Ke Bite. It was also reported that he brought two outsiders, a man and a woman, into the palace, and even the Empress visited them.
Every word and action of the Emperor, and any stir in the palace, was under constant observation. When they heard that the two outsiders were allowed to stay overnight in the palace, many people became restless.
Ke Biping was one of those restless individuals. Especially when he thought of Ke Bite's family being with the Empress Dowager and others, his heart burned like fire. Were they preparing to decide on the imperial successor?
In fact, the royal family of Tianzhao was much like what was portrayed in dramas. As members of the royal family, the brothers' relationships in their childhood were passable. When the Empress Dowager was the Empress, she was not a ruthless person.
Before the old Emperor passed away, he had long since established the Crown Prince. His arrangements for other sons appeared relatively fair. Therefore, there were no rebellions or fraternal disputes over the throne.
Later, when Ke Biyou became Emperor, they diligently assisted him. However, seeing that the current Emperor had no children, it meant that after the Emperor abdicated, an imperial heir would have to be selected from the imperial clan.
Those princes who had already resigned themselves to their fate now saw the opportunity they had missed reappear before them. Thus, they secretly began to strategize for their descendants.
It should be known that there were quite a few enfeoffed princes in the Ke Bi royal family. Considering that the Emperor was in his prime, the princes were like participants in a competition, giving birth to sons and daughters one after another. They all thought of having more children, so when the Emperor grew old, they could cultivate several excellent ones to compete.
Little did they know that although many children were born, before they could be properly cultivated, rumors began to circulate in the palace. One moment it was said that Ke Bina was a candidate for the future Crown Prince, and the next it was said that Ke Biejie was favored by the Emperor... In short, all eligible princes were rumored to be candidates.
This caused the other princes to have a common enemy. Although they didn't say it aloud and maintained a friendly facade, they would secretly engage in underhanded tactics, trying to eliminate those mentioned in the rumors.
Inside Fengyi Palace
Wang Defu walked ahead, followed by several richly dressed men and women. Along the way, Ke Biping couldn't help but start inquiring indirectly.
He asked why the Emperor hadn't attended court for the past two days and had been with the Regent King all day. He also heard that two juniors had entered the palace these past few days, but were the Empress Dowager or the Emperor and Empress unwell?
But who was Wang Defu? He was an old servant who had served Ke Biyou for decades. He was as astute as a spirit, his mouth as sealed as if plastered with yellow mud, and after drying, it was simply impenetrable. In the end, he revealed nothing, and Ke Biping was so angered that he was slightly out of breath.
Upon entering the hall, the group first paid their respects to those seated at the head. Ke Bite's family, Su Muqing, and Lu Yuzhi quickly stood up, avoiding the full kowtow from those seated below.
"Your humble subject Ke Biping, with his family, pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years."
Ke Biping looked up and saw the Empress Dowager seated at the head, as if just noticing her. He did not rise and then bowed again to the Empress Dowager. "Your humble son pays his respects to Mother Empress, wishing Mother Empress boundless blessings. I pay my respects to the Empress, wishing the Empress a thousand years, ten thousand years, a thousand thousand years."
The Empress Dowager raised her arm. "Rise!"
"Thank you, Mother Empress, thank you, Emperor and Empress." Ke Biping's family thanked them and then stood up.
Ke Bite cupped his hands in a salute. "Brother Ping!"
Ke Biping looked at the Regent King with a friendly smile. "Brother Te is truly filial. Among our brothers, you are the only one who always has time to bring your family to accompany Mother Empress and the Emperor and Empress in the palace. Your elder brother is truly ashamed!"
Hearing the hidden meaning in his words, Ke Bite replied with a perfunctory smile. "Recently, there have been some urgent matters to discuss with the Emperor, so I have been entering the palace more frequently. I didn't expect Brother Ping to also happen to enter the palace today to visit Mother Empress and the others."
The two exchanged pleasantries, their words appearing to be casual chatter. However, intelligent people, if they listened carefully, could discern the hidden traps within.
"Greetings, Consort of the Regent," the Princess Consort of Ping Jun stepped forward and gave a shallow bow to the Consort of the Regent.
Although Ke Biping was the elder brother, and it was Ke Bite who greeted him first after entering the hall, in terms of rank, the Consort of the Regent was of higher status than the Princess Consort of Ping Jun. Therefore, according to protocol, the Princess Consort of Ping Jun needed to greet her first.
The Consort of the Regent smiled faintly and nodded in return. "Greetings, Princess Consort Ping."
After the adults exchanged greetings, Ke Biping's children also began to pay their respects one by one. The rituals for elders and peers were different.
After paying her respects, Princess Yunxiang, Ke Biping's daughter, directly stepped forward. As she passed Lu Yuzhi, she secretly glanced up at him, her young face instantly blushing, and then she quickly averted her gaze.
Reaching the Empress Dowager's side, she affectionately shook her arm. "Imperial Grandmother, we haven't seen each other for so long. Xiang'er really misses you!"
Listening to her melodious tone, which carried a hint of coyness, Su Muqing felt goosebumps rising. For some reason, she disliked people who put on airs; it felt too fake!
Moreover, ever since she transmigrated, it was as if she had gained the ability to discern fake behavior. Anyone who was overly sweet and manipulative, she could spot them at a glance.
The Empress Dowager kindly stroked Ke Bixiang's face. "Imperial Grandmother knows Xiang'er is the most well-behaved! You seem to have grown taller again? Later, I will have a嬷嬷 get you two bolts of soft silk, and you can take them back to make a few sets of clothes for your sisters."
"Xiang'er thanks Imperial Grandmother on behalf of the sisters in the manor for the generous gifts." Ke Bixiang's face was full of smiles, a picture of obedience.
However, in her heart, she was cursing the Empress Dowager as a senile old fool. She was the only princess born to Princess Consort Ping and the only county princess in the Ping Jun Manor. How could the status of those born to concubines be compared to hers? If they were to use these gifts as well, then these gifts would hold no value for her.
After gifting Ke Bixiang, the Empress Dowager turned and reminded the Heir Apparent of the Ping Jun Manor, Ke Biyao, of a few things. "Yao'er, Imperial Grandmother remembers that your Princess Consort is about to give birth, isn't she? childbirth is not easy for women, you must be careful and make proper arrangements in advance."
"Your grandson thanks Imperial Grandmother for your guidance. Everything in the manor has been arranged by Mother Consort."
Su Muqing observed carefully. Perhaps it was because he was grateful that the Empress Dowager remembered his child; Ke Biyao's smile when he thanked her was much more sincere than his sister's. One had to admit that people in the imperial palace were all talented actors!
Just as Su Muqing was sighing, the Empress Dowager stood up, took her hand, and had her sit beside her. "Let me introduce you all. This is Su Muqing, and this is Su Muxuan. They are the Emperor's adopted son and daughter."
A bolt from the blue!
The Empress Dowager's sudden introduction was like water being dropped into a hot oil pan. Everyone in the hall turned to look in their direction. Reading.
Adopted son and daughter? What a joke! How could the dignified Emperor adopt children from ordinary families as his godchildren?
Ke Bixiang stared at the woman before her. The woman was elegantly dressed, her skin fairer than snow, her beauty captivating, and her demeanor impeccable. Judging by her appearance alone, one couldn't find any flaws.
What was this person's background? Why had there been no news of her before? Seeing the Empress Dowager tightly holding Su Muqing's hand, Ke Bixiang's heart was filled with a strong sense of crisis.
It had taken her several years to make the Empress Dowager treat her differently from other royal daughters. Her title of Princess Yunxiang was also personally bestowed by the Empress Dowager.
Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager was now more affectionate towards an outsider than towards her. She wasn't a biological grandmother after all. Looking back at her own efforts to please, it was simply a joke!
"Sister, you look like such a darling. No wonder you've earned the favor of Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt." Ke Bixiang said with a smile, then cast a sidelong glance at the Empress.
Ke Bixiang's thought was simple. A woman who couldn't bear children was already in a bad mood. Now, being publicly shamed by the Emperor like this, she didn't believe the Empress would sincerely accept this girl named Su.
Although the Empress's face showed no displeasure at the moment, she must have hated this woman immensely in her heart. Who knew how she would be tormented in private.
"Adopting sons and daughters is no small matter, especially for His Majesty. The background and history of the individuals must be thoroughly investigated. Moreover, there seems to be no precedent for His Majesty to adopt godchildren in our dynasty. Even for imperial daughters to be enfeoffed as county princesses, there are conditions for consideration. His Majesty should carefully consider this matter." Ke Biping stood up and bowed solemnly, first analyzing from the country's perspective, and then citing the royal regulations.
If it were just Su Muqing being adopted as a goddaughter, Ke Biping wouldn't have said anything. But the Emperor also wanted to adopt a godson, which was not a good thing for them.
"Brother Ping's concerns are understood by朕. The background of this girl is very clear to Mother Empress,朕, and the Empress.朕 made this decision after careful consideration. Not only that, but朕 also intends to bestow the title of Princess upon Su Muqing." The Emperor spoke with a faint smile on his face, but upon closer inspection of his eyes, one could see that there was no trace of a smile in the depths of his eyes.
"Princess?"
Ke Biping frowned and turned to look at Su Muqing. Only the Emperor's biological daughters could be called princesses. Now that an unknown girl was to be conferred the title of princess, it was likely that not only he, but also other royal relatives, would not readily agree.
Ke Bixiang, who was initially enjoying herself in her heart, believing that Su Muqing would surely be tormented by the Empress, turned around and heard that she was to be made a princess, and her face was immediately filled with jealousy.
Ke Biyou's gaze had not shifted from Su Muqing since he first saw her. However, when he heard the word "princess," he momentarily regained his senses. If she were indeed to be conferred the title of princess, wouldn't they then have a sibling relationship? Then he wouldn't be able to marry her as a side concubine, would he?
The Empress stood up, took Su Muxuan from the嬷嬷's arms, and came to Su Muqing's side. "It's just that both the Empress and I find this girl very congenial. Moreover, I haven't been able to have a child for so many years. So, we might as well treat these two siblings as our own children and dote on them."
Hearing the Empress say this, Ke Biping's family could only offer perfunctory smiles. Why should they argue too much with the Emperor and Empress over something that was not yet decided?
When the matter came out, other princes and relatives would naturally come forward to object. There was no need for him to be the bad guy right now.
They claimed to treat them as their own children, which was laughable. Even genuine royal descendants, who calculated their lives, were in dire straits. How long could these half-way appearing wild children survive in this treacherous palace?
Due to the arrival of Ke Biping's family, the atmosphere during lunch was not very good. Especially when Su Muqing noticed that the county princess named Xiang kept secretly observing Lu Yuzhi, occasionally covering her mouth and giggling coyly. That infatuated demeanor, as if she had never seen a man, was truly disgusting.
Princess Consort Ping noticed her daughter's thoughts and also secretly observed Lu Yuzhi from time to time. She hadn't seen him in Rongcheng before, so she assumed he wasn't from any prominent family. However, he was handsome and possessed an outstanding aura.
Then again, Xiang was already nineteen years old and had been divorced once before. If she waited any longer, she might not find anyone better.
Although this person before her was not a member of the royal family and his status was somewhat beneath that of her daughter, his dining with the Emperor and Empress today suggested he would have a promising future. If necessary, she could ask the Prince to mediate. She couldn't let her daughter live a life of extreme poverty.
Since the Empress Dowager was also present, it would be best to let them get to know each other more. Princess Consort Ping was a woman of action; she did what she thought of.
She smiled kindly and pointed at Lu Yuzhi, who was seated at the end, and asked the Empress, who was seated at the head, "I venture to ask, that young gentleman over there, who looks talented and distinguished, may I ask whose son he is?"
County Princess Yunxiang saw that her mother had spoken and knew that her mother had guessed her intentions. She shyly glanced at Lu Yuzhi and then quickly averted her gaze.
After that, she seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with herself, revealing her face for a moment and then covering half of it with her fan. She looked both affected and manipulative. Even the Empress Dowager couldn't help but let out a light cough, after which she slightly restrained herself.
The Empress was momentarily stumped. Lu Yuzhi's identity was relatively sensitive. After all, he still carried the identity of a traitor's son from the Dayu Dynasty.
Just as the Empress was unsure how to answer, Lu Yuzhi looked up at Princess Consort Ping and then placed his teacup on the small table beside him. He then stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Replying to Princess Consort Ping, my surname is Huo, and my given name is Yuzhi. I am the future husband of Princess Ning An."
Upon hearing Lu Yuzhi's words, the Emperor and Empress simultaneously dropped their teacups with a "clang." This rascal, was he trying to "hook the cabbage" in front of the owner?
Su Muqing choked on her saliva upon hearing this, coughing uncontrollably. She had never dreamed that Lu Yuzhi would answer like this, and she was completely unprepared for such a sudden declaration.
Brother Lu's answer was too... too manly! Su Muqing pursed her lips and secretly chuckled in her heart. She was almost 20 years old, and even in modern times, dating wouldn't be considered too early. Moreover, this was an ancient society that advocated early marriage.
Why be cowardly? Go for it!
County Princess Yunxiang, who had been looking shyly, froze with a smile on her face upon hearing Lu Yuzhi's reply. The future husband of Princess Ning An! He was already someone else's future husband? If he were a commoner, she would have been confident of snatching him away, but the other party was a princess.
Princess Consort Ping also hadn't expected Lu Yuzhi to be engaged, and her expression became somewhat awkward. However, upon thinking about it, she realized she had asked too eagerly and should have inquired privately first.
But who was this Princess Ning An?
County Princess Yunxiang was still somewhat unconvinced. "Young Master Huo is not from the Tianzhao Kingdom, is he? May I ask who Princess Ning An is?"