The Imperial Study.

Outside, cold wind assailed people.

Inside, tea fragrance swirled around.

Consort Yin stood to the side and spoke: “Miss Yun, although the two children like you, you and Yi’er truly have fate but no destiny together. This marriage matter, let’s just call it off.”

She had originally already accepted this marriage alliance.

Who would have thought that the Imperial Astrologer would calculate that their eight characters were incompatible.

She had sought out the Imperial Astrologer to ask in detail and only then learned that the so-called incompatible eight characters meant that Yun Chu’s fate was one that brought misfortune to husbands.

Yun Chu’s previous husband, Xie Jingyu, had not yet reached thirty years old—it was precisely when he was young and vigorous—a perfectly healthy person who died just like that.

As it turned out, he had been brought to death by her misfortune.

The Xie family’s decline—was that also related to Yun Chu bringing misfortune to her husband?

Any mother would probably be unwilling to have her son marry a woman with inauspicious eight characters.

“The two children don’t understand what incompatible eight characters mean,” Consort Yin continued. “I will arrange for Miss Yun to meet the two children face to face and politely decline the marriage matter in front of them.”

What she feared most was the children making a fuss—when they made a fuss it was truly unbearable.

The Emperor also feared those two children crying in his ear; thinking back on it was simply a nightmare.

He clapped his hands, and Eunuch Gao walked in carrying a tray with precious jade objects inside.

The Emperor spoke: “Bestow these upon Lady Yun.”

Yun Chu knew this was compensation for her.

She kept her head lowered, but her eyes narrowed slightly. She knew very clearly what level of skill the current Imperial Astrologer possessed.

Why would he calculate that she and Chu Yi had incompatible eight characters?

Just who was meddling in between?

Although Consort Yin was dissatisfied with this marriage alliance, she absolutely could not do such a thing.

The Emperor even less so.

The Empress would wish for nothing more than for the marriage to succeed, so she also wouldn’t be likely to interfere.

Then who could it be?

Yun Chu pondered over it but couldn’t figure it out.

Just as she was contemplating how to break through this situation, she heard from outside the Imperial Study door the voice of a young eunuch paying respects: “Greetings to the Empress Dowager, please allow this humble one to go in and report…”

Before the young eunuch had finished speaking, the Empress Dowager had already stepped inside.

“This dowager has also heard about the Imperial Astrologer matching the eight characters for Yi’er and Lady Yun.” The Empress Dowager looked toward Yun Chu and said, “Lady Yun’s eight characters show an extremely weak husband star—whoever she matches with brings misfortune to husbands, just like Rui’er’s eight characters, whoever he matches with brings misfortune to wives. Therefore, all these years, this dowager has never dared to find a princess consort for Rui’er, fearing it would harm someone’s life.”

Hearing this, the corners of the Emperor’s lips twitched.

Ever since Chu Rui turned fifteen, the Empress Dowager had found two or three noble young ladies each year to show to Chu Rui, only they were all rejected by Chu Rui.

In the Empress Dowager’s mouth, it had become so sanctimonious.

For a moment he didn’t understand what the Empress Dowager was doing saying all this.

“The Imperial Astrologer said that great misfortune matching with great misfortune, misfortune meeting misfortune can transform calamity into auspiciousness.” A smile appeared on the Empress Dowager’s face. “This dowager then asked the Imperial Astrologer to match Lady Yun’s and Rui’er’s eight characters, and who would have thought—it turned out to be a match made in heaven.”

The Emperor was stunned.

The Empress Dowager actually wanted Yun Chu to marry Chu Rui?

He knew very clearly what the Empress Dowager was thinking—she had always wanted Chu Rui to marry a powerful wife to help assist in rebellion.

Now with the Yun family in such a situation, why would the Empress Dowager…

However, he had heard that previously the Empress Dowager had ordered people to take Yun Chu’s heart’s blood. Could it be that she wanted to marry Yun Chu over and then take her heart’s blood?

Yun Chu was also shocked to the extreme.

So the person meddling from between was actually the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager actually wanted her to marry Chu Rui?

Why was this?

The Empress Dowager wholeheartedly wanted to restore the former Crown Prince, racking her brains to win over various forces. Now that the Yun family was no longer what it once was, why would the Empress Dowager go through great pains to have Chu Rui marry her?

“Lady Yun, are you willing to marry Rui’er?”

The Empress Dowager inquired with a face full of warmth.

“Green pines on the mountain, dust on the road—how can clouds and mud be intimately matched?” Yun Chu kept her head lowered and spoke slowly. “Please ask the Empress Dowager to retract this decree.”

These words gave the Empress Dowager plenty of face. The meaning was that Chu Rui was like the green pines on the mountain, while she was like that dust—she was not worthy of Chu Rui, and therefore declined the marriage.

The Empress Dowager secretly scoffed. Yun Chu naturally wasn’t worthy of Rui’er.

Who told Rui’er to take a fancy to Yun Chu?

She could only bribe the Imperial Astrologer, then take this opportunity to intercept.

The Empress Dowager spoke: “If you truly feel it’s reaching above your station, then after marrying over, take good care of Rui’er. His body is weak, and many matters will need you to manage.”

Yun Chu slowly raised her head, but her gaze still looked at the tip of her own nose: “In response to the Empress Dowager, this subject previously was willing to marry Prince Pingxi because those two children had no mother, and this subject had once lost a child… Now that the Imperial Astrologer has calculated that this subject’s eight characters are inauspicious and cannot marry Prince Pingxi, it does not mean that she is willing to marry any other person casually. This subject can understand the Empress Dowager’s protective feelings toward her child, and also asks the Empress Dowager to understand this subject’s determination not to marry someone casually again.”

Previously she had politely declined, but the Empress Dowager pretended not to understand the meaning.

Now, she could be considered to have spoken quite clearly.

The Empress Dowager’s face showed disbelief, then she became greatly enraged: “You’re a woman who has been married before, and this dowager favors you to be Rui’er’s wife—this is fortune you cultivated in your previous life. Who gave you the audacity to actually dare refuse?”

“Empress Dowager, please calm your anger.” Consort Yin couldn’t help but speak. “Anyone who suddenly lost one marriage prospect and suddenly gained another marriage prospect would have some difficulty accepting it…”

No matter what, both Yugeer and Changsheng liked Yun Chu, and she couldn’t bear to watch Yun Chu be forced into marriage by the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager said coldly in anger: “You’re just a consort—do you have the qualification to speak here?”

The words stuck in Consort Yin’s throat, and she said nothing more.

The Empress Dowager looked toward the person on the dragon throne: “What does the Emperor think of this marriage match that this dowager has proposed?”

The Emperor twisted his fingers.

He had just thought for a long time but still couldn’t figure out why the Empress Dowager would want to marry a Yun family daughter to Chu Rui.

The only explanation that made sense was that she wanted to legitimately take Yun Chu’s heart’s blood.

Such an obsessive matter could indeed only be done by the Empress Dowager.

The Emperor slowly spoke: “Marriage joins families, not enemies. No matter how much a match made in heaven this marriage is, it must have the consent of both Lady Yun and Rui’er.”

“Rui’er naturally consents,” the Empress Dowager said. “As for Lady Yun, whether she consents or not is not up to her. Emperor, please issue an imperial edict bestowing this marriage.”

What the Emperor detested most in his life was precisely this attitude of the Empress Dowager’s.

Clearly he was the Emperor, yet he was always suppressed by the Empress Dowager using her status as legitimate mother.

He spoke: “Although I am honored as ruler of a nation, I will also not force a woman to marry. This marriage bestowal edict, I will not issue.”

Yun Chu lowered her head.

She had bet correctly. She knew that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager opposed each other, and he definitely would not allow the Empress Dowager to act recklessly.

What the Emperor was protecting was not her, but the dignity of being Emperor.

“Who says only the Emperor can bestow marriages?” The Empress Dowager spoke coldly. “This dowager can also issue a dowager edict. Will the Emperor interfere with this dowager’s edict?”

The Emperor forcefully pinched his own tiger’s mouth.

Of the hundred virtues, filial piety was foremost. If news of him not respecting the Empress Dowager spread throughout the court and countryside and he lost the people’s hearts, wouldn’t that be just as the Empress Dowager wished?

The Empress Dowager spoke loudly: “The Yun clan has a daughter, Yun Chu, virtuous and kind, accomplished in household management. A marriage is specially bestowed—to the legitimate wife position of the eldest son of Crown Prince Yici. An auspicious date shall be chosen for the wedding!”

Crown Prince Yici was the posthumous title given to the former Crown Prince after his death. The eldest son of Crown Prince Yici—that was Chu Rui.

Yun Chu’s heart sank. The Empress Dowager was determined to have her marry over. What exactly was her intention?