The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 353 Husband and Wife and Mother and Son

Zhu Xuan clenched her fists, meeting Cai Min's gaze without flinching: "But compared to power and status, there are many other important things in this world. If Your Majesty cared about these material things, you wouldn't be so depressed, would you?"

"Melancholy?" Cai Min's silvery laughter rang out.

Zhu Xuan stepped forward and pinched her mouth shut: "Keep your voice down."

Queen:......

She's always been very conscious of her appearance; when has she ever lost her composure like this? Her face must be distorted from being pinched!

Unable to contain herself any longer, she reached out and slapped Zhu Xuan's hand away: "How dare you!"

Zhu Xuan awkwardly knelt back down again: "In short, this humble subject believes that Her Majesty the Empress must have some other pursuits."

The Empress did not deny it: "What? You also think I'm stupid?"

"Your Majesty, I am not well-informed and have not read many books, but I understand one thing: in this world, some seek freedom, some seek loyalty, some are so noble that they cannot bend their backs, and some are so wealthy that they cannot change their nature... As long as it does not harm others, all pursuits are neither high nor low," Zhu Xuan paused for a moment in reminiscence, a calm smile appearing on her face. "I also gave up the glory and bright future of the palace to leave. Although what I have is insignificant compared to yours, my thoughts and yours should have some similarities."

The Empress remained silent: "You all seem to know me quite well. Is that why they specifically chose you to enter the palace?"

"Yes."

"Even if I don't care about everything now, I still have my family behind me. What makes you think I would betray the Brown Kingdom and the Cai family?"

"Does Your Majesty really not know how?"

Zhu Xuan has been able to run her brokerage business to its current level because of her keen insight into people's hearts.

She concluded that the queen had little affection for her family and the Brown Kingdom.

"Then you're mistaken. You can leave now. Although there's no evidence this time, if there's a next time, you'll be leaving just as badly as you came in."

Cai Min was in a very bad mood.

Zhu Xuan's words shattered the peace she had been trying to maintain, making her realize her resentment.

Even though she was unwilling, she wouldn't do anything more.

She has lived a carefree life under the protection of her family for so many years, there's no reason for her to be an ingrate when it's time to give back.

She offered tea to the guest as a farewell.

Zhu Xuan's lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back.

She calmly kowtowed and said, "This humble subject takes his leave."

Then she left without looking back.

The Empress sat alone in the palace for a long time before finally picking up the note and going to the Imperial Study.

When Qi Yongji saw her coming, he quickly went to greet her: "Thank you for your hard work, Zitong."

Seeing the genuine tenderness on his face, the Empress forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty works tirelessly day and night without ever complaining. What I have done are merely trivial matters; how could I possibly find them arduous?"

“My queen, you only need to enjoy wealth and luxury. I, your husband, will take care of the hard work. If I didn’t need you, I would not want you to have to do any hard work.”

Cai Min almost burst out laughing.

Qi Yongji's feigned affection was truly disgusting to her.

She was filled with regret and didn't know if it was too late to call Zhu Xuan back.

Ha, all this talk about not wanting her to work so hard, but really it's just that they don't want her to be in power.

She's not stupid; how could she possibly relinquish her real power just because of a few sweet words?

But she had to swallow her nausea and feign emotion as she cried out, "Your Majesty..."

Qi Yongji patted the back of her hand, and after she calmed down, he got to the point: "What did Zhu Xuan say to you?"

"The Emperor's prediction is correct. She believes that her father has sided with the Great Yong Dynasty and is now asking me to pass on a message to them."

Cai Min handed the note she had received from Zhu Xuan to Qi Yongji.

She knew that Qi Yongji was suspicious by nature, so she never mentioned that Zhu Xuan wanted to cooperate with her.

Qi Yongji stared at the contents of the note and asked casually, "Didn't she suspect anything?"

"How could she not suspect anything?" Cai Min asked, twirling a strand of hair that fell across her chest. "I told her a little white lie, that I hated my family for restricting me in every way, and that I disliked the complicated rules of the palace. Only after hearing that did she lower her guard against me."

Cai Min's words were half true and half false. Qi Yongji pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "How about this, I'll issue an imperial decree that exempts you from following palace rules from now on?"

Cai Min scolded playfully, "Your Majesty!"

"My dear, call me husband."

"Husband..."

Cai Min lowered her head shyly, and no one saw the impatience and disgust in her eyes.

Qi Yongji deserves to die!

Is he doing this for her own good?

No, he's putting her on the hot seat!

For these young ladies from well-to-do families who have been strictly raised since childhood, rules have become instinctive, and even if they dislike them, they are not too unbearable.

Following and utilizing the rules is her means of survival.

Qi Yongji is now trying to destroy her environment, a tactic of flattery that will make her arrogant and ultimately destroy her!

Such malicious intent left Cai Min completely unmoved, only feeling disgusted.

She learned her lesson and decided that she should never eat too much before seeing Qi Yongji in the future, otherwise she was afraid she would throw up.

"If only that were possible, but I also want to share some of the burden with my husband. If I only see him working hard, my heart will also be sad."

Qi Yongji was shuddered by her affected and sycophantic tone.

Leaving aside how the couple tormented each other, the grand probing of Qingyu on the Dayong side has come to an end, and apart from the Eighth Prince, there is no trace of Qingyu left in the entire royal family.

Although everyone had agreed not to disturb the Eighth Prince, they couldn't help but show something strange when they were with him.

These expectant gazes were like subtle, fine thorns, pricking at the interactions between the Eighth Prince and others.

As time went on, a gloomy look crept into the Eighth Prince's eyes, and he even began to fear communicating with people.

When he hid in an abandoned palace once again, Consort Shu accurately found him.

The Eighth Prince never expected to see his ever-glamorous mother in such a dilapidated and remote place.

He rubbed his eyes and pinched his thigh to make sure it wasn't a hallucination before stammering, "Mother..."

Consort Shu slowly sat down next to him.

The Eighth Prince jumped up as if his bottom was on fire: "Mother!"

"how?"

The Eighth Prince did not answer. He picked a clean, large leaf and laid it out, then took off his large open cushion and placed it on top of it: "Mother, it's cold. Please sit here."

Consort Shu was stunned for a moment, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

She initially chose to have a child as a protective charm for herself and Xuanxuan.

Those in the palace with children are different. She couldn't bear to see Xuanxuan suffer the pain of childbirth, so she went to great lengths to conceive her own child, Xiao Ba.

Unexpectedly, her feelings for the child grew stronger day by day, and in the end, she even sent him away to keep him away from the conflicts.

She even thought that as long as he was safe and happy, she wouldn't mind enduring the pain of missing him for the rest of her life.