Dan Rong desperately signaled to Qiao Ci, urging her to be sensible and leave quickly.
Qiao Ci knew she couldn't meet Dan Qing's parents looking like this. So, she said, "You go back to the palace first. I'll come find you in a few days."
Dan Qing's face immediately fell, his voice laced with loss and hesitation, "Will you really come find me?"
Qiao Ci smiled helplessly, "When have I ever lied to you?"
"That's true, you've never lied to me," Dan Qing replied, his expression becoming incredibly cheerful, filled with anticipation and reluctance. "Then I'll wait for you."
Seeing the two of them engrossed in their affectionate exchange for so long, Dan Rong's face darkened to the point where ink could drip from it.
This beggar girl was truly shameless and an eyesore!
As she pulled Dan Qing away, Dan Rong warned Qiao Ci, "Nothing is set in stone yet. A man's reputation is the most precious. I hope you won't spread this matter outside."
"Naturally," Qiao Ci nodded.
Her immediate and frank reply, along with her steady gaze, earned Dan Rong a degree of respect. "I hope you'll keep your word."
It would be best if she didn't just pay lip service.
Otherwise, even if she kept her brother in the palace for life, she would never marry him to such an untrustworthy and shameless individual.
Seeing his elder sister holding his arm, Dan Qing, fearing Qiao Ci might be uncomfortable, gently pulled his arm away. "Elder Sister, this is improper. You go ahead."
Dan Rong looked at her arm being so unceremoniously pulled away, her face contorted as if she had been dealt ten thousand critical blows.
Her brother used to be carried around on her back for fun, and now that he had someone he liked, he was looking down on his own sister?
Her brother turning his back on her made the elder sister very sad, *sob sob sob*.
Dan Rong, weeping inwardly, turned back and shot Qiao Ci another glare.
It's all your fault for driving a wedge between my brother and me!
Dan Rong hurried back to the palace. Without even taking the time to personally escort her younger brother back to his chambers, she rushed to their Father Empress.
"It's bad! Father Empress! It's bad!!"
Her wails preceded her arrival.
Xu Qingfeng was trimming branches in the small garden. Upon hearing the commotion, he glanced at her and said, "When faced with trouble, remain calm. Be composed. Have you learned anything at all?"
"I can't stay calm, Father Empress! My brother has been bewitched by a bad person. He's insisting on having a beggar woman as his Wife Sovereign. I have no choice but to come to you for advice," Dan Rong cried out, feeling wronged.
Xu Qingfeng's hands stopped their trimming. "What is it?"
Dan Rong recounted the entire incident to Xu Qingfeng.
"You say that woman is called Qiao Ci?" Xu Qingfeng thought of what his younger son had told him a few days ago, his expression unreadable.
"Yes! According to Qiao Shan, Qiao Ci was previously her household slave and was kicked out for being light-fingered. Father Empress, you don't know how ugly Qiao Ci is. There are two scars on her face that look like fresh wounds, and they are hideous.
Your daughter believes this person must have used sorcery on my brother. Father Empress, what should we do?" Dan Rong was pacing frantically. She had only this one younger brother and didn't want him harmed by a villain.
"Why the hurry?" Xu Qingfeng, true to his name, remained unfazed by the situation. He continued to ask, "Did Qing'er change upon seeing her for the first time, or after hearing her name?"
"This, this, this, your daughter doesn't know. It was when they were trying to escort Qiao Ci out that my brother impulsively rushed out to stop them. Then he said he wanted to talk to her alone. When I saw them, they..." Dan Rong stammered, unsure if she should tell the Father Empress, who valued rules the most.
"They what? Speak!" Xu Qingfeng's tone suddenly turned cold.
Dan Rong closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, and said, "Your daughter saw them embrace, so I rushed into the private room, and then I saw my brother, tears streaming down his face, nestled in that beggar's arms. He seemed possessed, saying he only recognized this one person and wanted her to be his Wife Sovereign."
She felt she hadn't protected her brother well enough and that he had been taken advantage of. She knew a severe scolding was inevitable. However, more than facing punishment, she was worried about her brother. Thus, she laid out the rest of the events in meticulous detail.
"Father Empress, should your daughter capture her?" Dan Rong cautiously inquired, seeing that Xu Qingfeng wasn't showing anger.
"No need. Let's first see if she keeps her word," Xu Qingfeng shook his head. "I'll go and probe Qing'er first. Don't spread this matter around for now, and you don't need to tell your Mother Empress. Father Empress will handle it."
"Yes, yes," Dan Rong was immensely confident in her Father Empress's abilities.
After all, he had managed to protect her and her brother safely in this cannibalistic harem. It wasn't just relying on the Mother Empress's favor, but also on his shrewdness and methods.
Dealing with a mere Qiao Ci would be more than enough.
Dan Qing returned to his chambers, his mind in a daze. He hadn't expected his A'Ci to truly follow him to his world.
Lying on his bed, he tossed and turned, too excited to sleep. It was only well into the night that he finally drifted off, a faint smile playing on his lips as he slept.
The next morning.
While having breakfast served by his personal guards, Dan Qing was in an exceptionally good mood, even eating several extra crystal dumplings.
Qiao Ci disliked him being too frail. In this matriarchal society, men were generally delicate. He needed to nourish himself well so he could have many chubby daughters with Qiao Ci!
Not only that, but they would also grow old together, making up for all the regrets of their previous lives.
Xu Qingfeng arrived and saw Dan Qing with a shy and bashful expression, reinforcing his belief that his son had indeed been bewitched.
"Greetings, Father Empress," Dan Qing quickly rose to bow upon seeing Xu Qingfeng.
He assumed his elder sister had already told Father Empress about him and A'Ci.
"Hmm, seeing how cheerful you are, have you encountered something joyful?" Xu Qingfeng asked knowingly.
Dan Qing stood up, affectionately linking arms with Xu Qingfeng, and said shyly yet boldly, "Not only have I encountered something joyful, but I have also met the woman I cherish. Father, your son will marry no one but her in this life. I request your blessing."
He had the closest relationship with his Father Empress, speaking about his beloved like any ordinary son to his father.
"What is her surname and given name? Where is she from? What is her position? What does she look like? What is her character?" Hearing Dan Qing address him as "Father," Xu Qingfeng's eyes darkened slightly.
It seemed his youngest son was deeply infatuated with Qiao Ci, so much so that he was using endearing terms like "Father" that ordinary sons would use for their parents when speaking of her.
"Her name is Qiao Ci. Although her appearance has flaws, I don't mind; I only pity her for the harm she has suffered."
"She publicly exposed Qiao Shan's plagiarism and generously contributed the eight hundred poems and lyrics. Her character is evident."
"As for her origin and position... she is my future Wife Sovereign, and naturally, we are one."
Dan Qing earnestly answered Xu Qingfeng's questions.
Xu Qingfeng sighed upon hearing this, looking as if he saw through everything. "Actually, it's mainly because her name is Qiao Ci, isn't it? You feel that the obsession in your dreams has found a concrete manifestation in reality, so you've placed that hope onto someone with the same name and surname as the wife in your dream?"
Xu Qingfeng stared intently into his son's eyes, his heart filled with anguish. "That woman is as ugly as sin and possesses nothing. Do you think this is demeaning yourself, or is it tearing at my heart?"