Chapter 630 - Imperial Noble Consort Wens Doubts (1/2)

The banquet in the imperial palace did not last long. The marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom had been carved in stone. Now there was the last step left: which princess would Crown Prince Xieyue ask to marry? It was different from Princess Caifeng’s marriage. Although Princess Caifeng was also the candidate for marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom, she would be a member of the Qin Kingdom after she got married. Moreover, she was going to marry King Ning, so there would be little chance for her to become the ruler of the country.

Crown Prince Xieyue’s case was different. He was likely to be the future Emperor of the Southern Barbarian Lands, and thus the princess, who would marry him, would be the future Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands and had the right to decide the national affairs of the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom in the future. Therefore, the Qin Kingdom attached more importance to the marriage of Crown Prince Xieyue. And because of this, Emperor Zongwen had no definite candidate to marry him.

After he left the banquet in the hall, Emperor Zongwen did not return to his Qianqing Palace. Instead, he went straight to Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen’s place.

As soon as he arrived at the door, Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen came out and greeted him gently and respectfully in front of the imperial carriage.

Emperor Zongwen held Liu Xi’s hand and stepped out of the imperial carriage. He hurried forward and helped Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen up. Then, he said in a tender manner, “My love, you don’t have to be so polite. Let’s go in and talk.”

“Yes,” Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen replied softly. There was a hint of joy on her face. Even though she was not as ecstatic as the other consorts when they saw Emperor Zongwen, her look made others comfortable without any pressure.

After being in the palace for so many years, Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen seemed to have never competed with anyone. She was pregnant before, and the child had an accident when he was about to be born. A little prince did die after being born, which also involved another consort. Although Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen fainted in pain, she did not say a word when she woke up. She did not force Emperor Zongwen to punish the consort either and even plead for mercy, which made Emperor Zongwen feel guiltier about her.

In this way, he had always admired Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen’s generosity. Even though she did not have a son, she had also been promoted to imperial n.o.ble consort. She and Consort Su became the two imperial n.o.ble consorts below the Empress.

“Your Majesty, do you have anything to say to me today?” Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen took the porcelain teacup from the palace maid and placed it on the table in front of Emperor Zongwen with a smile.

“Isn’t Xuehe here?” Emperor Zongwen looked around and asked.

Usually, the Sixth Princess, Feng Xuehe, was in Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen’s place to embroider and fiddle with flowers and plants at this time. Compared with the Fifth Princess, who was arrogant and often caused trouble, the Sixth Princess was so obedient. She was gentle when she saw people, as if she was the same as Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen.

Emperor Zongwen was very satisfied with the Sixth Princess from the bottom of his heart. He had once said that no matter which family she married into, the Sixth Princess would lead a good life, which meant the husband and wife would be harmonious, and they would be filial to the elders and the family would be harmonious.

“Just now, Princess Caifeng of the Southern Barbarian Lands invited Xuehe to walk around the garden. Consort Xuan has always been in poor health, and Consort Yan has just experienced… We couldn’t let Princess Caifeng walk around the garden alone, so I asked Xuehe to accompany her. It’s always pitiful for her to marry far away. Even if she is a princess, she has no one to rely on. Fortunately, Princess Caifeng is a little tough, so she won’t suffer losses. If she were a gentle girl, well, alas…”

Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen did not finish what she wanted to say. She frowned slightly, and there was a trace of sadness in the corners of her eyes. Even the smile on her lips became bitter, she smartly did not continue.

The people in the palace of the Qin Kingdom knew Princess Caifeng’s temperament very well after these days. With such a strong temperament, she could not even decide her marriage in the end. What if she had a soft temperament? Then if a docile princess married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, where she had no family there, it would be very difficult for her to take root in the Southern Barbarian Lands.

At this moment, Emperor Zongwen hesitated. The Sixth Princess was gentle and kind. If she married into the Southern Barbarian Lands, would she really be able to take care of everything? Furthermore, the battle in the harem had always been a life-and-death struggle. It would not be easy for a woman to be the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Could the Sixth Princess Feng Xuehe really do that?

Emperor Zongwen couldn’t help frowning. In his heart, he was comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess.

In Emperor Zongwen’s opinion, the Sixth Princess had no advantage at all. Although Emperor Zongwen liked the Sixth Princess’ character, wouldn’t she be swallowed up by others with such a character if she married into another country? If she couldn’t even protect herself, how could she show the benefits of the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom?

Or maybe it would cause a war between the two countries because of the Sixth Princess’ suffering.

Thinking of this, Emperor Zongwen made the Seventh Princess as the candidate. The Seventh Princess was a little stronger than the Sixth Princess, but she was not strong enough in general. At this moment, Emperor Zongwen thought of the Fifth Princess. With the Fifth Princess’ character and the status of the Empress’s legitimate daughter, she was most suitable to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands.

Coupled with the fact that the legitimate princess had 100 secret guards, it could be said that nothing could go wrong. With the guards’ protection, and her strong character and the support of the Qin Kingdom, she was almost invincible. However, the Fifth Princess had already gone to the Yan Kingdom. Emperor Zongwen got a headache at this point.

Emperor Zongwen did not reply to Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen’s words. The hall quietened down immediately. When she saw that Emperor Zongwen was frowning and did not speak, Imperial n.o.ble Consort Wen did not urge him. She walked to the side and ordered her lead palace maid to prepare the sober-up soup. She even ordered to put two spoonfuls of honey inside.

Emperor Zongwen did not like things that were too bitter. He could only drink the sober-up soup when there was honey in it.