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Jiang Xi raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself how the Emperor had just returned to the palace, filled with anger, and now the Empress Dowager was summoning her. How impatient could she be?
The Emperor had just bottled up his rage at Jiang Xingzhi's Birthday Banquet and returned to the palace, and immediately after, the decree summoning Jiang Xi arrived.
Fong Yang held Jiang Xi's hand, casting a cold glance at the Eunuch. "Lady Jiang has just been startled and needs to return to the manor to rest. Tell the Empress Dowager that she is unavailable today."
The Eunuch looked up at Jiang Xi and reminded her in a deep voice, "Lady Jiang, this is the Empress Dowager's command, and it cannot be disobeyed."
Feigning difficulty, Jiang Xi replied, "You heard the Regent say that I am unavailable. How could a common girl like me go against the Regent's wishes?"
Even though the Empress Dowager was usually imposing, the Eunuch lacked much courage in front of the Regent.
Hearing Jiang Xi's words, he lowered his voice and said, "Lady Jiang, please do not make things difficult for me."
Fong Yang tightened his grip on Jiang Xi's hand and began to walk away. "No need to waste words with him; we should discuss the wedding arrangements."
Jiang Xi couldn't help but tease, "It seems that not only the Empress Dowager but also you are quite eager."
The Eunuch watched as they left, unable to muster the courage to say another word.
Once they returned to the manor in their carriage, Fong Yang immediately instructed Han Yue to discuss wedding arrangements with a matchmaker and choose an auspicious date to expedite the marriage.
Although their engagement did not require parental consent or a matchmaker's mediation, certain formalities still needed to be observed.
Han Yue was responsible for discussing marriage matters with the matchmaker while Jiang Xi silently followed Fong Yang back to Zhaochin Palace, not uttering a word along the way.
Fong Yang glanced at her in silence and asked, "Why do you suddenly seem unhappy?"
Jiang Xi looked somewhat melancholic as she replied, "It's not that I'm unhappy; it's just that with my mother gone, I fear I won't see her for a long time."
Fong Yang shook his head slightly. "You won't have to worry. Before your sixteenth birthday, someone from the Tianqi Royal Family will come to take you back."
Jiang Xi furrowed her brow. "My sixteenth birthday? That’s this December! Why would they come for me before my sixteenth birthday?"
Fong Yang explained, "Because the Crown Prince chosen by Tianqi Deity—who will become the next Empress—must ascend to the throne on the day following their sixteenth birthday."
As Jiang Xi was about to step through the palace door with her right foot paused mid-step, she said, "Does that mean I have to part ways with you? No way! The journey from Dazhou to Tianqi is so far; I don’t want to be separated from you."
Fong Yang joyfully said, "Don't worry, we won't be apart. I'll go back with you as if we're just going on a trip. You don't need to think too much; I'll make the arrangements."
Fong Yang reached out and hugged Jiang Xi, softly asking, "Do you have any special requests regarding our marriage? Anything you want can be told to Han Yue so they can prepare together."
Jiang Xi kissed Fong Yang's cheek and replied gently, "I don't have any special requests. After all, what's truly important isn't the marriage itself, but the outcome. Once we're married, we can enjoy our time together every day, and the prince won't have to see something he can't have anymore."
Fong Yang looked at Jiang Xi with a subtle expression, momentarily at a loss for words.
Jiang Xi smiled brightly, meeting Fong Yang's gaze. She asked, "Why aren't you speaking, Your Highness? Is it because my words are too bold and scared you?"
Fong Yang instinctively tightened his arms around her waist and said, "You're right; what matters is the outcome. Once we're married, Jiang Xi will truly belong to me in body and soul, inside and out. No one can tear us apart."
With his eyes slightly closed, his long-empty heart felt full: "Let's set the date for three days from now; it's an auspicious day."
Jiang Xi nodded and said, "I’ll follow your lead. I don’t plan to return to the Prime Minister's Residence. On the day of our wedding, I’ll go to my shop to get ready for the ceremony. Any shortcomings can be made up for with the wedding arrangements and dowry."
Speaking of accompanying maids, Jiang Xi thought of the few girls still at Jinglan Courtyard.
"Later, have Han Shuang go to the Prime Minister's Residence to bring Juxiang, Haitang, and A Meen over. If they stay there too long, Feng might grow jealous and take it out on them later."
Meanwhile, in the palace, the elegantly dressed Empress Dowager wore a dark expression and angrily exclaimed, "That despicable Regent dares to act so disrespectfully! Does he want to rebel?"
Fong Gaoyun frowned.
He said, "The Regent holds command over four hundred thousand troops in Da Zhou; his Xuanjia Army is among the elite. As the emperor, I can't afford to confront him just yet. This Little Prince has always been cold and unruly; he has never shown loyalty to the throne. Even when my father was alive, he was indifferent and unapproachable. Now everyone in court fears him; no one can restrain him even slightly."
The Empress Dowager thought of Fong Yang and regarded her sister-in-law with disdain, coldly shouting, "Can't you find a way to make him relinquish his military power?"
Fong Gaoyun's eyes darkened as he helplessly replied, "How I wish I could! But right now, the Regent's influence in court is greater than mine as emperor. I haven't thought of any way to reclaim his military authority."
The Empress Dowager spoke sharply: "Is there really no way? In Da Zhou, who is the emperor— you or him?"
Fong Gaoyun's expression shifted subtly as he fell silent.
Suddenly, the Empress Dowager sneered. "It’s clear that the Regent has genuine feelings for Jiang Xi. Thus, this Eldest Daughter of the Jiang Family is his only weakness and the only one who can restrain him. I believe we can make good use of this."
This former champion of palace intrigue was quite confident; having entered the palace at sixteen to serve the Former Emperor for over thirty years through various schemes and plots in the harem, she not only survived until the Former Emperor’s death but also saw her son ascend to the throne.
She didn’t believe that someone like Jiang Xi would be difficult to deal with.
Tilting her head, she asked the chief eunuch, "Aside from the Regent, who does Jiang Xi usually get along with?"
Steward Zhang respectfully replied, "Empress Dowager, Lady Jiang used to have feelings for the newly appointed top scholar Huo Xingwen, but it seems they have become enemies now. Other than that, the Huai'an Princess from the Eldest Princess's family seems to get along quite well with Lady Jiang."
Both the Empress Dowager and Fong Gaoyun were somewhat surprised and asked in unison, "How could Jiajia get along with Jiang Xi?"
Steward Zhang recounted the birthday banquet of the Huai'an Princess and the events at Qingyin Pavilion, then began to explain the entanglement between Huo Xingwen and Jiang Xi.
Fong Gaoyun impatiently interrupted him, "Enough of that. What’s the point of bringing up old stories now?"
However, the Empress Dowager chuckled and said, "I find it quite worth mentioning. Jiajia is your elder sister's daughter; we can't act against her unless absolutely necessary. But Huo Xingwen can indeed be utilized."
Fong Gaoyun pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you mean by that, Mother?"
The Empress Dowager's tone turned cold and deep: "The girl Huo likes is getting married; how can we not let him know? Steward Zhang, summon him to meet the Empress Dowager immediately. The Empress Dowager wants to discuss this matter with him personally."
While the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were scheming in the palace, a carriage from the Regent's Palace had already left the city overnight.
Jiang Xi sat on Fong Yang's lap and asked in confusion, "Where are we going?"
Fong Yang remained silent for a moment before replying, "Kunlun Mountain."
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