Chapter 23: What Ungratefulness Is

Murong Qi Qi’s modesty made Duanmu Qing feel great joy. Especially the last ‘crown prince’ made Duanmu Qing feel really good. She stroked her belly as if she’ll immediately be able to conceive a boy and the moment he is born, he’ll inherit the empire.

“After bengong1 gives birth to the crown prince, the first one to reward is you!”

Not long after Duanmu Qing went back to Qing Luan Palace, Longze Yu came over. Duanmu Qing was very surprised at seeing Longze Yu. Could it be that he already knew of the matter with Jin Mo? She hadn’t thought of a good explanation yet! The emperor already didn’t love her. If he used that excuse and put the blame on Duanmu family for colluding with Bei Zhou, then what should she do? In just one moment, Duanmu Qing’s mind had already turned thousands times. Her palms had become wet because she was so tense.

“Empress, zhen2 has come today to tell you something.”

The thing that Duanmu Qing expected didn’t happen. Longze Yu changed his normal attitude and sat beside her. He put her hands into his palm. Such intimate action made Duanmu Qing startled. How long had it been since they had such intimate action? One year, three years or has it been five years? Even Duanmu Qing herself didn’t remember anymore.

Longze Yu was unaware of the difference in Duanmu Qing. He was just still angry about the thing from a moment ago.

“Today, zhen received a marriage proposal from Bei Zhou. Wanyan Lie wants zhen to marry a princess over! You also know, our national forces simply can’t compete with that of Bei Zhou’s!”

“Wanyan Lie?”

It’s not what she thought, Duanmu Qing immediately felt relaxed. But the moment she thought about the princesses who were at a marriageable age, only her daughter Longze Yu Er was at a marriageable age, Duanmu Qing immediately panicked.

Looking at the frown on this man in front of her who has accompanied her for many years, Duanmu Qing spoke carefully: “Emperor, you are not thinking of marrying Yu Er over, right? But Wanyan Lie’s age, he could already be her father!”

“Empress, that’s not the case.”

Longze Yu pulled Duanmu Qing in his embrace. His chin was against Duanmu Qing’s hair. His voice also became sad: “Wanyan Lie is asking marriage for Nan Lin wang 3 Feng Cang! I heard that Feng Cang’s body has always not been good. Wanyan Lie wants to let a princess marry over for the peace and tochongxi for Feng Cang……”

Chongxi: arrange a wedding for a very ill young man with the hope that the ’event of great joy’ will drive away his bad luck and hasten his recovery

“No!”

Hearing the words Nan Lin wang Feng Cang, Duanmu Qing’s heart went into her throat once again.

Connecting the matter of now and that of before, Duanmu Qing finally understood why today Jin Mo took such a big risk to go see her. Could it be that it was because she is the future mother-in-law of his master? So it was like that, ah! So it was like that, ah!

“Emperor, this cannot happen! In this world, who doesn’t know that Nan Lin wang has a violent personality, is cursed and caused the death of eight wives. Now Wanyan Lie wants our Yu Er to marry over, isn’t that pushing her into a pit of fire?!”

Just thinking about those rumors of Feng Cang, Duanmu Qing couldn’t help but shudder. Bloodthirsty, cold, without love……Making her daughter marry such a demon, even if she dies, she wouldn’t agree!

Duanmu Qing’s reaction was in the expectation of Longze Yu, but he couldn’t help it! Bei Zhou has strong soldiers and sturdy horses and Nan Lin wang Feng Cang commanded the army like a god. If he doesn’t agree and angered Bei Zhou, the consequences were simply unimaginably disastrous!

Strong soldiers and sturdy horses: a well-trained and powerful army.

“Empress, zhen also doesn’t want it to be like this. The war at Yandang Mountain of that year, Xi Qi lost 400,000 men. Although fifteen years had passed, our country had only just recovered our strength. We don’t have the ability to fight with the powerful Bei Zhou, ah……”

For the first time, Longze Yu felt failure. He was not a qualified father. Even if he knew that it’s a pit of fire, he still had to send over his own daughter, because he was incompetent and he couldn’t say no to Wanyan Lie’s proposal.

“Empress, zhen is sorry to you, sorry to Yu Er……”

“Don’t!”

A figure in yellow rushed in.

“Emperor father, empress mother, daughter doesn’t want to marry demon wang! Don’t want to marry him!”

“Yu Er……”

Seeing her daughter’s face full of tears, Duanmu Qing’s heart felt very painful. She immediately moved away from Longze Yu’s embrace and pulled Longze Yu Er into her embrace.

“Yu Er, empress mother won’t let you marry him! Won’t let you go chongxi for him!”

“Muddleheaded!”

Hearing Duanmu Qing’s muddleheaded words, Longze Yu opened his mouth to reprimand.

“Could it be that you want to let go of the citizens of Xi Qi country because of Yu Er?!”

“Emperor father, why is it daughter?”

After hearing Longze Yu’s words, Longze Yu Er, immediately stood up.

“Emperor father can bestow the title of princess on a daughter of an official and let her marry in the place of daughter! Weren’t there such examples in the past? Why must daughter marry over?! Bei Zhou only said they wanted a princess. They didn’t say it must be a princess from the royal bloodline!”

Longze Yu Er’s words made the original troubled heart of Longze Yu brighten up.

“That’s right, ah! It can be like that! How come zhen has forgotten?! It was zhen who panicked!”

After Longze Yu said that, Duanmu Qing was immediately aware that there’s a turning point. She must strike the iron while it’s hot and consolidate his ideas.

“Who should become princess?”

As Longze Yu was thinking about this problem, Duanmu Qing was also thinking about it. Searching through the four great families as well as officials with high posts; to find a suitable candidate was really not easy.

Suddenly in Duanmu Qing’s mind emerged a figure, Murong Qi Qi. After thinking it through, Duanmu Qing finally decided to push Murong Qi Qi as the ‘scapegoat’.

“Emperor, this subject consort has one candidate.”

Duanmu Qing waved at Longze Yu Er to let her excuse herself. She went to Longze Yu’s side and told him everything that had happened today, but she concealed the fact that Murong Qi Qi gave her a ‘having children’ pill.

“Jing Tian wrote a letter of breaking the engagement?”

After hearing that Longze Jing Tian broke off the engagement with Murong Qi Qi, Longze Yu was somewhat surprised. In the surprise, he also understood the reason. He understood his son. He was such a proud and arrogant person, how could he accept a rubbish as wife?!

“It’s alright that he broke it! Murong Qi Qi’s reputation doesn’t seem that good. If we let her marry over, zhen is afraid that they will not accept……”

“Emperor, if it really cannot be helped, we can give her more dowry. Beside the mountain is high and the road is far, by the time the rumors here spread over to Bei Zhou, she had long married over. Whether she can or cannot survive the wedding night is still a question!”

Duanmu Qing took the initiative and held Longze Yu. Her voice was surprisingly gentle. Although her mouth was saying that but in her heart, she had another idea.

She was eager for Murong Qi Qi’s bad reputation to be spread far and wide and to let Fang Cang know the truth quickly, that Murong Qi Qi was just a woman to warm the bed. By that time, if Bei Zhou came to demand an explanation, then she could say that they all have been lied to by Murong family. By that time, she wanted to see how much longer Longze Yu could protect Murong family! If Murong family was ruined, she’d like to see how Murong Xue Lian, that bitch, coudl still show off in the palace!

After hearing Duanmu Qing, Longze Yu was in a good mood. Just now, the tough problems, which made him get a headache, has been solved so easily. Now Longze Yu had completely accepted Duanmu Qing’s suggestion.

“Qing er4, you really are zhen’s good empress, ah! Tonight, zhen will rest here!”

1. Bengong: this palace, I used by the females of the imperial family

2. Zhen: I, used by the emperor

3. Wang/wangye: the prince of first rank

4. Er: term of endearment

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep