northernbook Chapter 129 The auspicious time has arrived!
Chapter 129 The auspicious time has arrived!
After the princess left, the ladies of the court also took the opportunity to bid farewell.
The group slowly made their way to the Zichen Palace, the residence of the newly appointed Imperial Noble Consort.
The snow continued to fall along the way. Jiang Yueli walked at the front, followed by the noblewomen. The procession was very quiet.
However, the ladies-in-waiting behind the scenes had clearly formed two factions.
The Duchess of Qi was accompanied by a group of people, while the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Qiu Fangyun, was accompanied by another group of people.
There was a dividing line between the two groups, and there was no communication between them.
Zhou Wei glanced back every now and then, looking somewhat curious.
"Princess, what happened to the Duchess of Qi and the Lady of Zhenyuan?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yueli also turned around and looked back.
Ziyu quickly replied, "Sister Wei, this is all thanks to you! Have you forgotten?"
"Last time you competed in medical skills with that fake divine doctor Gu Tianjiao and cured the leg ailment of the Duke of Qi's son, but the son wanted to ask to marry the two daughters of the Marquis's family."
"The Lady of Zhenyuan Marquis was unwilling to marry both of her daughters to the heir apparent, while the Lady of Qi State Duke believed that the heir apparent's current paralysis was all the fault of the Zhenyuan Marquis's family, and that their request should be granted and their two daughters should be married off to him."
Ziyu's reminder made Zhou Wei quickly realize that there was still a messy debt to settle.
Wan Qianliang is currently imprisoned in the Eastern Palace.
During the grand ceremony for cultural heritage, the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess chatted and mentioned this matter.
He said he would take some time to send Wan Qianliang to the Valley of Divine Healers, and have Zhou Wei accompany him.
As a result, a blizzard struck after the ceremony, and nobody mentioned it anymore!
"Now that you mention it, I remember. If nothing unexpected happens, these two days should be the wedding day between Shen Shuqing and the heir of the Duke of Qi, right?"
Ziyu nodded: "Yes, but now, because of the young master's request, the matter is at a standstill."
As Ziyu spoke, she glanced back and lowered her voice.
"I also heard that both ladies went to the palace to plead with the Empress. As a result, when the Lady of Qi went to the palace, the Empress readily agreed to stand up for the Crown Prince and approved the marriage."
"When the Lady of Zhenyuan Marquis requested an audience, the Empress changed her tune, saying that she could not make the decision either, and that the matter should be decided by His Majesty."
"But His Majesty has not attended court for a long time, and the memorials submitted by the ministers to Hexi Palace have not been touched, let alone such matters concerning the families of nobles."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yueli couldn't help but sneer.
This is just like Jian Xiyan!
Always appearing gentle and harmless, never wanting to offend anyone.
Essentially, the affairs of these two families have little impact on her.
Whether the two daughters of the Shen family suffer or enjoy happiness after marrying into the Duke's mansion is none of her business as the Empress.
She only needs to sit and watch the play while maintaining her warm and friendly image.
Zhou Wei thought about it and felt that things might change.
“Princess, if you hadn’t asked the Empress to return your military power today, she would still have tried to smooth things over between the Shen and Qi families.”
"But now that the Crown Prince's military power is threatened, the Empress has no choice but to make preparations on both fronts."
After all, the Marquis of Zhenyuan still commands an army of 300,000!
The former empress did not want the crown prince to be associated with the Shen family, fearing that the crown prince's military power would become too great and arouse the suspicion of the Great Zhou Emperor.
However, if the Crown Prince's military power is taken away by the Eldest Princess, then the Marquis of Zhenyuan will immediately become a hot commodity.
Jiang Yueli frowned. Her desire to regain military power was not to oppose the Crown Prince.
Instead, he wanted to stabilize the court and take control of the situation.
If Jian Xiyan really gets close to the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion for military power, things will inevitably take an unpredictable turn.
Seeing Jiang Yueli's expression, Zhou Wei knew what she was thinking.
"Princess, don't worry. The Crown Prince isn't a three-year-old child. He won't just listen to whatever the Empress says."
"The four members of the Mei family now live in the East Palace. Mei Xingyue has great ambitions and is clearly aiming for the position of Crown Princess."
"With her methods, how could she let the Empress get her way so easily? I don't think she'll stop until the Eastern Palace is in complete chaos."
Jiang Yueli thought about it and realized that it made sense.
Mei Xingyue was terrifying enough, but what was even more terrifying were her three children and a demonic monk.
If this family of four joins forces, Jian Xiyan will be the one who suffers!
Hearing the group talking about the Mei family of four, Zhu Qi perked up his ears: "Sister Zhou Wei, can we go to the East Palace today?"
“Not only do we need to go to the East Palace, but we also need to go to Hexi Palace,” the eldest princess replied.
The group braved the wind and snow and walked for a while before finally arriving at the Imperial Noble Consort's Zichen Palace.
Outside the Zichen Palace, the Imperial Noble Consort's ceremonial regalia stood at the palace gate, with the Imperial Guards lined up on both sides. Upon seeing Jiang Yueli, they all bowed in greeting.
Minister of Rites Chen Wenyu also stood guard outside the palace gate, holding the imperial edict in his hands.
The wind and snow gradually intensified, and Chen Wenyu's clothes were covered with snowflakes.
Seeing this, Jiang Yueli said with some displeasure, "My lord, the auspicious time has arrived, why are you still standing outside the palace gate?"
Chen Wenyu cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Noble Consort's eunuch said that the incense table and altar have not yet been set up, and asked me to wait outside."
The noblewomen were all extremely surprised upon hearing this.
Chen Wenyu was the Minister of Rites, so he was the chief envoy for the investiture ceremony of the Imperial Noble Consort.
The chief envoy was actually representing the emperor, but the Imperial Noble Consort made him stand outside the palace gates and wait for a long time.
Isn't this a contempt for imperial authority?
Everyone was extremely curious about this Imperial Noble Consort, and even though the snowy weather made travel difficult, they still wanted to enter the palace to see what she looked like.
Before even meeting the person, they were given a taste of intimidation.
"My lord, the auspicious time has arrived. Have the eunuchs come out to greet you."
Upon Jiang Yueli's instruction, Chen Wenyu immediately straightened up and had the master of ceremonies announce the ceremony.
As a result, despite calling three times, the gates of Zichen Palace remained tightly closed.
Chen Wenyu sighed helplessly, "Your Highness, it is my incompetence... this..."
Jiang Yueli waved her hand: "It's alright, Ziyu, help the old man stand back a bit."
After saying that, he glanced at Zhou Wei and mouthed, "Weiwei, it's up to you now."
Zhou Wei nodded and stepped forward to start moving her ankles.
Could a mere palace gate possibly stop the eldest princess?
My golden right foot is itching to get going!
Just as the noblewomen were wondering what use a little palace maid could be, Jiang Yueli sent out.
Zhou Wei shouted and rushed towards the gate of Zichen Palace.
boom---
After a loud bang, Zhou Wei kicked the heavy palace gates of Zichen Palace flying!
The shockwave blew away the snowflakes on the ground, making the palace path even cleaner than the one swept by the eunuchs.
Chen Wenyu stared in disbelief at the palace gate lying on the ground, his hands trembling.
Ziyu helped him up and said, "My lord, the door is open. Don't miss the auspicious time."
Chen Wenyu realized what was happening and shakily let the Ministry of Rites officials follow him inside.
Jiang Yueli said calmly to the ladies of the court, "Let's go in and watch the ceremony too!"
Before the shock on everyone's faces had faded, they quickly followed the princess.
Inside the Zichen Palace, the eunuchs and palace maids had already prepared the incense table.
But the Imperial Noble Consort said that she had not finished dressing and could not open the door.
So everyone just stood there waiting at the entrance!
To everyone's surprise, this heavy door was kicked open.