My Beloved Concubine Only Wants to Eat Melons

It's uncertain whether it was due to the argument with her sister-in-law Princess Consort of Ruyang in the Hall of Gentle Ceremony that day which had drained her energy, but for some time afterwards, Princess Shou'an did not appear in public.

However, Yanshu had been fed quite a juicy piece of gossip, which took her several days to fully digest.

Apart from sincerely believing that Princess Shou'an was a formidable person, she had no other opinions on the Nanzhao affair, only hoping that this fierce player would stay far away from her idol.

Fortunately, with the Emperor's personal decree that day, the Songhe Academy was closed to visitors, allowing her idol Chancellor Qi to teach peacefully in the academy without further harassment from Princess Shou'an.

As the days passed, Yanshu's pregnancy symptoms finally improved. She was no longer as sleepy, and her appetite had somewhat recovered. She could finally eat some meat dishes like braised beef and roast chicken.

However, given the hot weather, her favorite treats were still various iced fruit bowls.

Whether it was honeydew melon, watermelon, snow pears, or grapes, the imperial kitchen tried their best to come up with different varieties to please her. Eating one every day not only made her body feel comfortable but also improved her mood.

At first, Rendong was a bit worried, but it wasn't until Doctor Jiang personally said that pregnant women could moderately consume ice that she was allowed to do so.

On this day, while Yanshu was enjoying her iced honeydew melon bowl, she suddenly heard the system say, "The latest news from Nanzhao: King Mu, Mu Zhengping, received an anonymous tip saying that the current heir in his household is not his own flesh and blood. He immediately had all of Lady Pu's personal maids arrested and after severe torture, the truth was indeed uncovered."

Yanshu's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly asked, "He knows the child isn't his own now?"

The system affirmed, "The whole story has been uncovered, so of course he knows."

Yanshu quickly asked again, "How did he deal with that Princess Consort?"

The system replied, "He directly bestowed her with a white silk cord. The main members of Lady Pu's natal family, including her parents and siblings, have all been charged with crimes and are currently imprisoned in Nanzhao's death row."

Hearing this, Yanshu silently sighed. The Pu family was indeed bold enough, but after keeping the secret for over a decade, the day of exposure had finally come.

But come to think of it, this anonymous tip...

Could it have been arranged by the Emperor?

It must have been. After all, she only told the Emperor about this matter, and Nanzhao had been peaceful for decades. Who else but the Emperor would do such a thing?

Then she heard the system confirm, "That's right. After hearing about it from you, the Emperor sent people riding day and night to Nanzhao the very next day. The Pu family was a major force in the local area. Without outside help, Mu Zhengping might not have been able to deal with them so smoothly."

So that's how it was.

Yanshu thought for a moment and suddenly understood—

This way, only Princess Shou'an's son remained as the true Mu family bloodline in the Nanzhao King Mu's household. When Mu Zhengping grows old, he will undoubtedly succeed as King Mu.

And with half of his blood from the Yuwen Clan, it's believed that the future relationship between Nanzhao and Great Liang will become even closer.

The system said, "That's exactly the idea."

Yanshu couldn't help but exclaim that gossip indeed had its great uses!

Looking forward to the future friendship between the two countries, she had made no small contribution!

But come to think of it, as things have developed to this point, Princess Shou'an could truly be called a winner in life!

To think that she spent her days traveling and enjoying life, had no shortage of romance, and now the throne has returned to her child.

Tsk, it's truly enviable.

Of course, Nanzhao is far from the capital, so Princess Shou'an probably doesn't know this good news yet. In a few days when she learns about the fate of her dead rival sister-in-law...

She'll probably be even more delighted.

As several more days passed, Yanshu's appetite improved further, and the palace became busy.

This was because the Emperor's birthday was approaching.

Of course, at the Emperor's age, if he were a commoner, it wouldn't be a time for celebration yet.

But after all, he is the supreme ruler, and for the country, the monarch's birthday is also an important day.

Not to mention, it's an extremely important opportunity to communicate and exchange foreign policies with various foreign countries.

Therefore, since Yuwen Lan's ascension to the throne, the Ministry of Rites had designated his birthday as Great Liang's Changning Festival, held every three years, inviting envoys from various countries to gather in the capital.

Apart from Princess Shou'an, who arrived a month early to see Chancellor Qi, the rest of the foreign envoys were only now starting to arrive in the capital.

And surprisingly, the first to arrive was Tibet, a country that has never had a good relationship with Great Liang.

As is well known, Tibet is located to the southwest of Great Liang and has been eyeing Great Liang covetously for decades, with occasional wars breaking out.

If it weren't for the buffer state of Nanzhao in between, the wars would likely have been even more intense.

Everyone knows they have always harbored wild ambitions towards Great Liang, yet unexpectedly, this time they took the initiative to propose a marriage alliance with Great Liang.

As soon as this news came out, it immediately sparked a wave of discussions throughout the court and the country.

Some officials were strongly against it, believing that this proposal should not be accepted. Tibet is a distant land with high mountains and far waters, and it's a barbaric place, unlike Nanzhao which has been a generations-long friendly neighbor to Great Liang.

Once a Great Liang woman is married off there, who knows what torment she might suffer, not to mention that the other side might not even abide by the agreement to guarantee they won't invade Great Liang's territory in the future.

Especially since with the marriage alliance, Great Liang would certainly send a generous dowry. These Tibetans are very likely to swallow the dowry first and then turn around to cause trouble, leaving Great Liang's efforts in vain.

But there were also officials who strongly supported this. They believed that war is costly and damaging to the country, and if they could use peaceful means to make the two countries friendly and strengthen mutual exchange and integration, why not do it?

Thus, for several days in a row, there were endless debates in the court.

However, before the officials could debate to a conclusion, the Princess Consort of Ruyang came to the Empress Dowager with a heart full of worry.

As it happened, that day the chef from Princess Shou'an's mansion had made some Nanzhao-style flower-flavored pastries, and Princess Shou'an personally brought them to the palace for the Empress Dowager to taste.

The Empress Dowager, concerned about Yanshu, had also summoned her to the Palace of Benevolent Peace.

So, as the three were savoring the pastries, they heard a palace servant report, "The Princess Consort of Ruyang requests an audience."

Yanshu, who was immersed in the sweet fragrance of the flower pastries, was startled. She thought to herself, why has the Princess Consort of Ruyang come at this time?

— Could it be that she heard her sister-in-law Princess Shou'an had entered the palace today and came specifically to argue?

Tsk tsk, if that's the case, she might be able to catch another wave of gossip today.

Thinking this, she secretly glanced at Princess Shou'an, only to see her with an unconcerned expression.

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "Let her in."

The palace servant complied, and soon the Princess Consort of Ruyang entered the hall.

Seeing her sister-in-law there, the Princess Consort of Ruyang initially hesitated, but she could no longer care about arguing. With a face full of worry, she kowtowed to the Empress Dowager and said, "I beg Your Highness to save me, to save Xiu!"

As she spoke, tears even fell from her eyes.

This surprised the three in the hall. The Empress Dowager quickly said, "What has happened? Get up and speak."

She then instructed the palace servants to help her up.

Only then did the Princess Consort of Ruyang say, "I heard that a few days ago, the Tibetan envoys came to the capital and proposed a marriage alliance to His Majesty. Many officials in the court even agree with it. But looking at our Yuwen family, only my Xiu is still unmarried. If she were to be married off to Tibet, wouldn't that be the death of me..."

As she spoke, she began to cry again.

Everyone finally understood.

— What the Princess Consort of Ruyang said was not wrong. After the bloody upheaval during the Emperor's ascension to the throne, the Yuwen Clan has never been particularly populous.

And looking at the current royal family, only their Ruyang Prince's household had a girl of suitable age who was not yet married, namely Yuwen Xiu, the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Ruyang.

She was also the Princess Consort of Ruyang's only daughter, who had been doted on by her since childhood.

The Prince of Ruyang's other two concubine-born daughters were both under ten years old, clearly not under consideration.

So when this matter came up, the Princess Consort of Ruyang was extremely anxious. For several days in a row, she couldn't eat or sleep, fearing that her daughter would be sent for the marriage alliance.

As she spoke, she couldn't help but cry to the Empress Dowager again, "Your Highness knows that Xiu has been pampered by me since she was little. How could she endure that barbaric land of Tibet? Moreover, I've heard that those people, when a father dies, the son can marry his stepmother, and when an elder brother dies, the younger brother has to marry his sister-in-law... Wuwuwu, how can we let Xiu marry into such a barbaric place..."

As soon as those words were spoken, before the Empress Dowager could say anything, Princess Shou'an, while eating a flower cake, said, "Most of those foreign countries are like that, what's the big fuss about? If sister-in-law is reluctant to part with Xiu, I actually have an idea."

This statement startled everyone, and they quickly turned to look at her.

The Princess Consort of Ruyang also probed cautiously, "What idea do you have?"

Princess Shou'an replied, "Isn't your niece from your maiden family worried about not having a marriage prospect? Why not marry her off instead? It doesn't necessarily have to be a daughter of the imperial clan, as long as big brother recognizes her as an adopted daughter, it would work."

Puff...

Upon hearing this, Yanshu almost spat out the flower cake she had just put in her mouth.

No wonder people called her ruthless, even at a time like this she didn't forget to stab her opponent.

The Princess Consort of Ruyang was stunned and immediately said, "How is that possible? She's already that age..."

Princess Shou'an continued nonchalantly, "So what? The Tibetans don't care about those things anyway, as long as she can bear children, it's fine."

Hearing this, the Princess Consort of Ruyang was at a loss for words. It was the Empress Dowager who couldn't help but say to Princess Shou'an, "At a time like this, stop teasing your sister-in-law."

She then turned to the Princess Consort of Ruyang and said, "You're also too impatient. This matter is still under discussion, and the Emperor hasn't even spoken yet. Why are you getting anxious on your own?"

The Princess Consort of Ruyang cried, "Xiu is my own flesh and blood, how can I not be anxious?"

Princess Shou'an finally became a bit more serious and said, "Sister-in-law, being anxious won't help. If it really comes to that and this task falls on Xiu's shoulders, you'll have to accept it whether you want to or not. This is the responsibility of a daughter of the Yuwen Clan. You've been enjoying the empire and luxuries built by our ancestors, so when it's time to fulfill your duty, how can you not?"

Hmm?

Upon hearing these words, Yanshu couldn't help but feel a new respect for Princess Shou'an.

Come to think of it, when she had volunteered to marry into Nanzhao back then, was it also with such an aspiration?

However, to be honest, the matter of political marriages was indeed quite cruel.

This wasn't a thousand years in the future; transportation was very underdeveloped. Throughout history, how many of those women sent for political marriages ever got to return to their homeland and see their families again?

Moreover, as the Princess Consort of Ruyang had just mentioned, in those foreign countries, it wasn't uncommon for sons to marry their stepmothers or brothers to marry their sisters-in-law. The women sent there were not only humiliated, but with one misstep, they could also die in political struggles in a foreign land.

Those ministers' talks of benefiting the country and the people were all built upon the backs of those women who had no way of returning.

Yanshu sighed silently, thinking that this matter could only depend on the Emperor's decision now.

Tsk, this just goes to show that being a royal woman isn't easy either.

...

The Empress Dowager thought the same, so she could only say to the Princess Consort of Ruyang, "What Shou'an said isn't without reason. Although I'm reluctant to see Xiu suffer, this is a matter of national importance. I can't interfere. I can only advise you to be prepared. If this task really falls on Xiu, you'll have to let her go even if you don't want to."

Hearing this, the Princess Consort of Ruyang paused, then burst into tears again.

The Empress Dowager was at a loss and could only comfort her while sending someone to the imperial court to inquire about the situation and see when there might be a result.

As luck would have it, not long after, the person who was sent out hurriedly returned and reported, "Your Majesty, after unanimous discussion among the court officials, Tibet's marriage proposal has been rejected."

Oh?

Everyone was stunned, their eyes brightening.

The Empress Dowager inquired further, "Why did the ministers suddenly come to a unanimous decision?"

The messenger replied, "Because we just received news that there has been a coup in Nanzhao. Lady Pu, the queen of Nanzhao, had apparently brought in a commoner's son and passed him off as the crown prince, deceiving the king. Recently, when the truth was exposed, the king of Nanzhao executed Lady Pu and punished her maternal family. He then established his nephew as the new crown prince. As a result, Nanzhao has become even closer to our dynasty, and we can unite against Tibet. We no longer need to fear Tibet causing trouble."

"What?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall, except for Yanshu, was shocked.

Yanshu, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, the news had arrived, and she could join everyone in discussing this juicy gossip.

These past few days had been suffocating for her, trying to keep this information to herself!