Rebirth of the High Gate Mistress

Chapter 369: Demoting Wife to Concubine

With Empress Cao's scheming government, it is easy to capture a little girl like Qingluan.

Empress Cao looked at Qingluan and said calmly: "As you can see, it's not that the queen mother is unwilling to help you, but that the wife of the eldest son of the Li family cannot tolerate you at all."

"I told her about you and General Li last time, and asked her to go back and think about it. She never thought of asking her again today, so she blamed General Li and said that General Li had concerns."

Qingluan had known that Jingshu couldn't tolerate her. When she heard this, she looked at Empress Cao and said bitterly: "Ms. Shen has always been jealous. My cousin has been married for so many years, but he didn't even dare to keep a concubine in the house. Such a situation How can a woman be worthy of being the mistress of a palace?"

Empress Cao smiled faintly: "Whether she is worthy of being the mistress of the palace or not, it is the Li family that has the final say. General Li is blindly promoting her, so who can do anything about it."

As soon as Qingluan heard what Empress Cao said, she immediately ran out of ideas. She stepped forward and begged with tears in her eyes: "Why is there no other way? You are the mother of the world. As long as you give an edict, you can help your daughter achieve her wish."

Glancing at Queen Cao's hesitant look, Qingluan immediately added: "Queen mother, please rest assured, if you can allow me to marry my cousin as I wish, I will definitely have a way to help the queen mother and help the crown prince and brother secure the throne."

Empress Cao picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said calmly: "It's not that my mother doesn't believe you, it's just that your child is too simple-minded. How can you handle someone like Li Ling?"

Qingluan hurriedly replied: "Don't worry, my mother, the palace is my mother's family, and the old lady loves me the most. Even if I really can't persuade my cousin to help my mother, I can definitely persuade my grandmother."

As she spoke, she gritted her silver teeth and said bitterly: "Don't you know, Queen Mother, that my direct aunt and concubine were both killed by Concubine Meng? But now that so many years have passed, Duke Zhen Guo The people in the mansion only care about their own future, and except for the old lady, they have completely forgotten about the deaths of my aunt and my mother-in-law."

"If I were to marry into the prince's palace, I would definitely remind my grandmother of this blood feud. I don't believe they are unwilling to surrender to the prince and brother. Are they going to support the son of the enemy?"

This is what Empress Cao wanted to hear. She patted Qingluan on the shoulder, with a loving smile on her face, and said: "Good boy, my mother knows that you are a filial and generous child. Don't worry, my mother is here." , it will definitely make you achieve what you want.”

 The moon was shining brightly, and in the Qinzheng Hall, Emperor Ming was reviewing the memorial for that day.

Li Dequan bowed his head and entered, reporting to Emperor Ming that Empress Cao asked for an audience.

Emperor Ming was unhappy when he heard that it was Empress Cao who asked for an audience. He sighed helplessly and replied lightly: "Let her come in."

 Empress Cao got the decree and went in with all the money.

Emperor Ming, who was busy at his desk, saw Empress Cao coming in. He raised his eyes and glanced at her, and asked lightly: "I am busy, what is the important matter for the Queen to see you?"

Emperor Ming was wary of the power of the Cao family. Although he did not want to see Queen Cao, he had to give her face.

Emperor Ming thought that Empress Cao was here to express her heartfelt feelings to her again, but Empress Cao unexpectedly said: "Your Majesty, the ninth princess Qingluan has been raised under my knees. She has now passed her twenties and has already reached the age of marriage. "Originally, I have been waiting for the eighth princess's marriage, but now the eighth princess's illness has not improved, and it is really hard for the ninth princess to waste any more time." Emperor Ming was already exhausted in the fight for the throne, so how could he care about one of them? When he heard Empress Cao mention the marriage of the unloved princess, he sighed slightly and said smoothly: "Didn't the imperial sister mention that she would be surrendered to the Murong clan in Jiangdong a while ago? Murong is the maternal grandmother of her mother's clan. My natal family is also from a prominent family, and it is a good marriage, but Qingluan disagrees with it. She is so picky, what can I do?"

After hearing what Emperor Ming said, Empress Cao smiled and replied: "Your Majesty, does your Majesty know why Qingluan refused this marriage?"

Emperor Ming shook his head and said with a sneer: "This child's mind has always been unstable. I don't know what she thinks."

Empress Cao took two steps towards Emperor Ming and replied with a smile: "That's because Qingluan has someone else in mind."

Even if Emperor Ming dislikes his daughter Qingluan, he will never allow his daughter who has not yet surrendered to be obsessed with a foreign man.

When Emperor Ming heard this, his face immediately darkened. He rolled his eyes at Queen Cao and said displeasedly: "This matter is of great importance, so the queen should be careful what she says."

Qingluan was nominally raised under the knee of Queen Cao. If she was obsessed with her foreign man, Queen Cao would naturally not be able to escape the blame. She had already thought of a countermeasure.

Empress Cao smiled and explained to Emperor Ming: "Your Majesty, don't be upset. Qingluan has been raised under my knees. Although this child is a little sensitive, he is the most polite. When she has grown up, have you ever seen her behave?" She missed it by mistake, so she definitely can't do anything against the palace rules."

Seeing that Emperor Ming's expression softened, Empress Cao continued: "When a girl is older, it is normal for her to have some thoughts on matters between men and women. This child lost her mother when she was young. As a mother, I see that her marriage has not been settled for a long time. This After a lot of effort, I asked her what I was thinking. It turned out that this child had always wanted to be surrendered to the mother clan. Since I knew the child's thoughts, I naturally wanted to come to discuss with Your Majesty. All of this had to be done. Your Majesty is the one who makes the decision."

Empress Cao had already said this, and Emperor Ming, who was driven by curiosity, frowned and murmured to himself: "How can there be a suitable candidate among Qingluan's mother clan?"

Empress Cao smiled indifferently and replied slowly: "Why not? Your Majesty, your nephew and the eldest son of Zhenguo Palace, Li Ling, is not the most suitable candidate?"

When Emperor Ming heard this, he shook his sleeves in anger and said coldly to Queen Cao: "Nonsense! Boyue is already married, doesn't the Queen know?"

Queen Cao smiled and replied: "I naturally know this, but how can Li Ling's wife Shen compare with His Majesty's daughter? As long as Your Majesty nods, I will let Li Ling divorce Shen."

Although Emperor Ming was not a wise king, he was not an inhumane person. After hearing this, he said with a stern face: "Bo Yue has always loved the Shen family. He has done nothing wrong. How can I force him to divorce his wife for no reason for the sake of my daughter?" .”

Empress Cao advised: "Li Ling is a rare general in Da Qi. He has extraordinary talents. Don't you want to win over him firmly and make him obey and willing to serve the Zhao family?"

Seeing that Emperor Ming's face softened, Empress Cao continued to persuade: "As the saying goes, 'a son-in-law is half a son'. After all, this nephew is not as reliable as a son-in-law. From the perspective of Daqi's Jiangshan Sheji, if Qing can be Luan descended to Li Ling, this is really an excellent marriage."

 (End of this chapter)