Emperor Jingming’s face darkened. “Nonsense!”
This foolish boy was too straightforward. Even if he had found someone he truly liked, couldn’t he have been more discreet?
The Worthy Consort seized the moment to speak: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I’ve already told Prince Yan to redistribute the flowers.”
In front of the Emperor, she didn’t believe this rebellious son would dare to be stubborn.
Yu Jin’s lips curled slightly, a flash of mockery crossing his face before quickly being replaced by an expression of pure innocence. “How can one take back a gift and give it to someone else? Since I’ve already given these flowers to Miss Jiang, I certainly won’t give them to anyone else.”
“You dare to be so insolent in front of your father the Emperor—”
Emperor Jingming waved his hand, signaling the Worthy Consort not to get angry so quickly. He asked in a deep voice, “Seventh, why did you give all the green plum blossoms to Miss Jiang alone? Among all the young ladies present, was there not a single one whose talents caught your eye?”
Yu Jin smiled and said, “Your son is a simple man. I thought every young lady’s performance was excellent, and I couldn’t distinguish between them. The reason I gave all the green plum blossoms to Miss Jiang is that I admired her other qualities.”
The other ladies sighed inwardly: Miss Jiang’s trick of making the plum blossoms bloom had indeed stolen the spotlight.
The Worthy Consort sneered, “It was just a magic trick to make the plum blossoms bloom, and it’s made you lose your senses? Prince Yan, your judgment disappoints me.”
Yu Jin heard this and laughed coldly in his heart.
Disappoints you?
How presumptuous, as if he cared about her opinion.
Emperor Jingming was also displeased by what he heard.
What did she mean by “just a magic trick”? He still couldn’t figure out how it was done.
The Worthy Consort spoke so lightly of it, why didn’t she show him such a “magic trick”?
“That’s not it, Your Highness. Didn’t I just say that all the young ladies’ earlier displays of talent were excellent, and I couldn’t distinguish between them? I gave all the green plum blossoms to Miss Jiang for one simple reason: as soon as I saw her, I felt she was just right.”
The King of Shu’s mouth twitched slightly as he listened.
The seventh prince was speaking the plain truth. Who wouldn’t find a great beauty satisfactory?
“Your Majesty, look at how Prince Yan—”
Emperor Jingming’s face darkened slightly. “Enough. It’s just giving flowers, why make such a fuss? Since the flower banquet has ended, let’s disperse.”
The Worthy Consort had become increasingly long-winded. What good could come from scolding a prince in front of so many noble ladies? Couldn’t she say what she needed to say behind closed doors?
Hearing Emperor Jingming’s words, the Worthy Consort’s face flushed. Seeing Yu Jin’s calm and unperturbed demeanor, she became even more furious. She struggled to maintain composure and said, “Your Majesty is right. Giving flowers isn’t such a big deal.”
A prince giving flowers to select a candidate for princess consort was just a custom, not a written law. The final decision on which family’s daughter would become the princess consort wasn’t up to the prince.
The final say was still in her hands.
Thinking this way, the Worthy Consort felt that she had indeed been too hasty earlier. It was all because that wretched seventh prince’s outrageous behavior had thrown her off balance.
Understanding this, the Worthy Consort’s smile became a bit more relaxed.
As the young ladies were led out by the eunuchs, those who hadn’t received green plum blossoms all thought about the same thing: judging from the Emperor and Worthy Consort’s words, did Prince Yan’s flower-giving not count? Did this mean they still had a chance to become Princess Yan?
Prince Yan’s interest in Miss Jiang was probably just a momentary attraction to her beauty. If they became Princess Yan and treated the prince gently, then chose a few stunning concubines and bedchamber attendants for him, they would surely be able to win Prince Yan’s heart.
Men were fickle; they had seen plenty of examples from their fathers and brothers.
In any case, they surely had a better chance with the Emperor and the Consort than Miss Jiang, given her ordinary background and the fact that she had broken off an engagement before.
With this thought, the young ladies felt a bit better about the double blow dealt by Jiang Si and Yu Jin.
Indeed, what did giving flowers matter? As long as the Emperor and the Consort didn’t approve, there was no way Miss Jiang could become Princess Yan!
The pavilion emptied, leaving only Emperor Jingming and the two consorts.
Consort Zhuang was quite perceptive and said calmly, “Your Majesty, I shall take my leave first.”
“Mm.” Emperor Jingming nodded slightly.
He had always been satisfied with Consort Zhuang.
Intelligent, causing little trouble, and speaking little – if all his consorts were like her, his ears would be much more at peace.
Left alone with the Worthy Consort, Emperor Jingming spoke more casually: “My dear, why did you need to get so angry just now? The seventh prince has grown up outside the palace and lacks sophistication. It’s not a major flaw.”
“Your Majesty, we can’t let him run wild like this. Look, he gave all the plum blossoms to Miss Jiang, which shows he only values beauty. With such shallow judgment, how can he amount to anything…”
Emperor Jingming’s eyebrows twitched as he listened.
The seventh prince was just an idle prince, with enough wealth and glory to last a lifetime. What great achievements did he need?
If he achieved more, did that mean he wanted to become the Crown Prince?
Emperor Jingming was a man of gentle temperament, especially in the harem, always appearing good-natured. This had given many consorts the false impression that this emperor was simple-minded.
Little did they know that Emperor Jingming was extremely thoughtful. He could be completely indifferent to certain matters, but when it came to fundamental issues, he was a thousand times vigilant.
His Crown Prince had lost his mother early on, and there were many princes. Could it be that these little brats and their mothers still harbored ambitions?
Emperor Jingming looked at the Worthy Consort again, his heart now full of scrutiny.
The Worthy Consort continued to criticize Yu Jin endlessly, her words becoming increasingly harsh: “I don’t expect the seventh prince to be as sensible as the fourth prince, but for him to act so recklessly and not show any respect for me as his mother is truly outrageous…”
Emperor Jingming frowned, suddenly remembering the scene from this morning.
The unparalleled handsome youth stood before him, his face slightly flushed, his eyes bright and full of expectation: “Mother has also promised me that she will surely choose a wife to my liking at this flower banquet. With Father Emperor and Mother’s word, I can rest assured. I never thought Father Emperor and Mother would treat me so well…”
Heh, the seventh prince thought his mother was good to him, eagerly hoping she would let him choose someone to his liking. Little did he know that his mother was now describing him as completely worthless…
The more Emperor Jingming thought about it, the more displeased he became.
“A girl who has broken off an engagement before, just because she’s pretty, he’s eager to make her his princess consort. It’s simply delusional. Does he have any regard for the dignity of the royal family—”
“Enough!” Emperor Jingming’s voice cut off the Worthy Consort’s complaints.
Isn’t being beautiful a great virtue? Would any of the consorts in the palace have been chosen if they were ugly?
Moreover, how is wanting to marry a beautiful wife delusional?
Emperor Jingming suddenly paused.
Indeed, if the seventh prince had other intentions, wouldn’t he consider more than just appearance when choosing a princess consort? This showed he was honest.
“I think Miss Jiang is quite good.”
Ordinary background, beautiful appearance, and the seventh prince finds her satisfactory – isn’t that quite nice?
“Your Majesty!” The Worthy Consort was shocked, looking at Emperor Jingming in disbelief.
The seventh prince had been blinded by beauty, had the Emperor also been blinded by beauty?
What had she just heard?
“Your Majesty, Miss Jiang has broken off an engagement before!”