Noble Consort Xian was about to go crazy.

What had she just heard? His Majesty thought that Jiang’s girl was not bad!

A girl who had broken off an engagement and came from an ordinary background, and he thought she was suitable for the position of a prince’s consort?

That Jiang girl was a femme fatale!

Noble Consort Xian looked at Emperor Jingming with a very peculiar gaze.

There were rumors back then that His Majesty wanted to bring Lady Su into the palace, so it must have been true.

Emperor Jingming furrowed his brows.

What was that look in Noble Consort Xian’s eyes? Did she think he was blinded by beauty?

He wasn’t that kind of person; he was just a father who could tolerate a son blinded by beauty.

After all, who hadn’t been young once—

“Your Majesty might not know, but this Miss Jiang from the Earl of Dongping’s family was once engaged to the son of the Duke of Anguo. The engagement was only broken off early last year…”

Emperor Jingming said indifferently, “Uh, I know about this. Miss Jiang’s broken engagement was due to your nephew’s foolishness.”

Noble Consort Xian faltered, then said with pursed lips, “Although Old Seventh grew up outside the palace, he is still a prince. How can he marry a woman who has broken off an engagement as his consort—”

Emperor Jingming said nonchalantly, “A broken engagement is not such a big deal. Our ancestor’s empress was even previously married and had even borne two children with her former husband. Later, didn’t she and the emperor still create a prosperous era together, becoming a beautiful story?”

The ancestor Emperor Jingming referred to was Fengde Emperor, the third emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When Fengde Emperor was still a prince, he took a liking to a maid who had just been sold into the manor and made her his concubine.

This maid had been married before. Her family had fled to the capital during a disaster, and unable to survive, her husband sold her to the prince’s manor.

It was fated that this maid would have an extraordinary destiny. Fengde Emperor favored her, cherishing her like a pearl or jade, and never took in another woman in his rear court after that.

Later, when the crown prince died of illness and Fengde Emperor became the new crown prince, his principal wife had passed away two years prior when he ascended the throne, leaving the position of empress temporarily vacant.

Despite repeated urging from his officials, Fengde Emperor refused to take another wife. After three years, when he had the court under his control, he directly announced the appointment of the former maid as empress.

At that time, there was overwhelming opposition. Several remonstrating officials committed suicide by crashing into walls, but the Fengde Emperor remained unmoved and even resolutely executed two censors.

The officials fell silent, and no one dared to oppose the appointment of the former maid as empress again.

Thereafter, the nation prospered, ushering in an era of peace. People gradually had only praise for the emperor and empress, and no one mentioned the empress’s background anymore.

What was even more remarkable was that the empress’s former husband was given a sinecure, and the two children she had with him also had promising futures.

Noble Consort Xian, of course, knew about this extraordinary tale from over a hundred years ago.

Seeing Emperor Jingming bring up this story to deflect, Noble Consort Xian raised her phoenix eyes slightly: “How is this the same—”

There was only one Empress Chunrong in this world; how could that Jiang girl compare?

Emperor Jingming smiled, “Indeed, it’s not the same. At least Miss Jiang hasn’t been married. My dear, choosing a consort for Old Seventh isn’t like selecting a crown princess. As long as he likes her, it’s good enough…”

Noble Consort Xian’s face turned green, her lips trembling with anger: “Your Majesty, I refuse to let Old Seventh marry such a woman as his consort—”

Emperor Jingming’s suddenly darkened expression made Noble Consort Xian instinctively stop what she was about to say next.

She hadn’t lost her composure like this in a long time. It was just that the actions of this father and son were more shocking than the other, making it hard for her to control herself.

“If you don’t approve of Miss Jiang, do you want to choose a top-notch noble lady for Old Seventh in every aspect? When I chose the crown princess for the crown prince, I didn’t put in so much effort.”

The crown princess was the granddaughter of Yang Deguang, the Minister of Rites. Yang Deguang was one of the candidates in his mind to enter the cabinet as a prime minister in the future. Choosing his granddaughter as the crown princess was to help the crown prince handle state affairs more smoothly in the future, not to struggle as he did in his early years.

Although the crown princess’s background was certainly good, it couldn’t be said that she excelled in all other aspects.

Hearing Emperor Jingming say this, Noble Consort Xian felt a chill in her heart.

Was His Majesty suspicious of her?

Indeed, seeing that the crown prince wasn’t competent and had no birth mother to protect him, she had naturally harbored some thoughts. But those thoughts weren’t for Old Seventh.

She wanted her son to become emperor, and she wanted to be the empress dowager. That son was Old Fourth, who had no connection with Old Seventh at all.

Noble Consort Xian gently pursed her lips.

Should she insist on her opinion for the sake of Old Seventh, that ungrateful wretch who didn’t even respect her, and risk His Majesty becoming wary of her, potentially affecting Old Fourth’s prospects?

That absolutely couldn’t happen!

Noble Consort Xian’s thoughts raced, and she softened her tone: “That’s not what I meant. How can Old Seventh’s consort compare to the crown princess? Since Your Majesty thinks Miss Jiang is suitable, then betrothing her to Old Seventh is fine. Everything will be according to Your Majesty’s wishes.”

As Noble Consort Xian said this, she felt as uncomfortable as if she had eaten a fly.

After all, she was just a consort. All her glory came from His Majesty. Once her opinion differed from His Majesty’s, she had no choice but to yield.

If only she were the empress, at least she would have the confidence to negotiate with His Majesty. And if she became the empress dowager, even the emperor of the country would have to respect and placate her.

Noble Consort Xian’s heart burned with desire.

For Old Fourth’s sake, she would take a step back for now. Sooner or later… sooner or later, there would be a day when she could hold her head high!

After comforting herself, Noble Consort Xian completely calmed down.

Emperor Jingming felt much more at ease seeing this and smiled, “Since Miss Jiang received your invitation, it shows that there are no problems with her in any aspect. My dear, you can set your mind at ease. In the future, having a daughter-in-law who can perform magic tricks to amuse you, wouldn’t that be interesting?”

Noble Consort Xian suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and said with a faint smile, “Your Majesty is right.”

Interesting my foot!

It infuriated her. Not only was she being forced to accept such an unsuitable daughter-in-law, but she also had to express joy and acceptance!

Especially since she had clearly shown her disapproval in front of so many noble ladies at the flower banquet, only to end up fulfilling that Jiang girl’s wishes in the end. Just thinking about it made her feel utterly humiliated.

“How about this, I’ll ask Old Seventh’s opinion again. After all, we can’t be careless about such an important matter as marriage.”

Noble Consort Xian gripped the broken fingernail in her hand tightly and said word by word, “Your Majesty is right.”

Just now when talking about her, he said it was good enough, but now he says they can’t be careless. What exactly does His Majesty want?

Soon, Yu Jin was summoned by Pan Hai.

“Father Emperor, Mother Consort.” As soon as he entered, Yu Jin bowed respectfully.

Noble Consort Xian didn’t make a sound.

“Old Seventh, you seem to be very pleased with Miss Jiang. Do you want her as your consort?”

Yu Jin grinned, “Father Emperor truly understands your son’s heart.”

Inside, he was overjoyed.

“But Miss Jiang has broken off an engagement before. You might not mind her past now when you find her attractive, but what about in the future? If you find her unsatisfactory then, are you going to blame me for my golden words being ineffective?” Emperor Jingming looked at Yu Jin with a serious expression, “Give me a reason why you don’t care about these things.”

Yu Jin was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “If others are blind enough to throw away gold, why can’t someone with discerning eyes pick it up and take it home?”

Emperor Jingming laughed heartily, “Very well, since you put it that way, I’ll grant you your heart’s desire and let Miss Jiang become your consort.”