"Miss Mo… did this servant hear correctly?"
This choice was the least of his expectations. "I choose Grand Prince He Yu", Lingxi said calmly. The eunuch cast a glance at Mo Qinshan, perhaps to see if he knew what this meant but Mo Qinshan looked firm.
"I shall pass the message to His Majesty", he bowed before leaving.
[The Palace]
"Your majesty!" the Head Eunuch, Eunuch Go, rushed up to He Jingcheng like he was being chased.
"What's going on? Why are you running like that?" He Jingcheng was visibly annoyed. He was practicing calligraphy with Shen Ruihua.
"Your majesty, there is no need to be angry. Eunuch Go probably has some important matter to report", she smiled.
"What do you have to say?" He Jingcheng asked.
"Your majesty, Miss Mo, Censor Mo....." Eunuch Go hesitated to speak.
"Go on"
"Miss Mo has chosen the Grand Prince as her spouse"
"What?!" He Jingcheng was shocked and had abruptly stood up and the smile on Shen Ruihua's face stiffened.
"What do you mean by 'chosen?'"
"Just this late afternoon, Censor Mo's Residence received the edict of the late emperor permitting her to choose any member of the Imperial bloodline as her spouse and she chose the grand prince. The eunuch just delivered the message".
He Jingcheng's gaze landed on Shen Ruihua, "do you care to explain what's going on here?"
Shen Ruihua knelt down, "Your majesty, calm down"
"Did you send out the edict?" He Jingcheng asked.
"Yes but it is not as your majesty thinks"
"You really have some nerve going behind my back, Shen Ruihua"
"It was absolutely not my intention. Please let me explain"
"Someone!" He Jingcheng called, "see her highness out"
[Fengyin Hall]
[Noble Consort Su's Residence]
"Hahaha ha...." Gu Wenlan almost died of laughter. "Mother, I don't understand why you are laughing. This is an important matter", He Rui was surprised at his mother's behavior. "Ah..." She breathed a satisfying sigh, "Relax. Things are in our favor"
"But how? Censor Mo's daughter has chosen He Yu"
"Shh", Gu Wenlan cautioned, "walls have ears. Do not casually call the Grand Prince by his name"
He Rui forced a smile, "but then, why are you so happy?"
"You don't understand something this simple? Right now, Shen Ruihua has lost His Majesty's favor because she made a big mistake. She underestimated Mo Lingxi. It's no wonder she is in this situation", Gu Wenlan sat down and leisurely sipped a cup of tea, "from the moment I set my eyes on that girl, I knew she was not simple"
"But the fact is she has strengthened He Yu..." Gu Wenlan's eyes darted at him. "....I mean Grand Prince He Yu", he corrected himself.
"You are focusing on the wrong thing", Gu Wenlan said as she set her teacup down and turned to look at him, "right now, the grand prince is not your rival, the first prince is. Now that Shen Ruihua has lost her golden trophy, we should throw her down in one strike. After that, we can think of the grand prince"
[Grand Prince Residence]
"Your Highness, it went according to your expectations", Jun Jie said.
"I made the right move", He Yu responded. "I heard that her highness was escorted out of the palace today. Rumors have circulated in the palace that she has the emperor's favor" "That was expected"
"I have some inside information saying the emperor would be sending Miss Mo over for tea tomorrow",
"So His Majesty wants to test her. I'll wait for her choice then", He Yu said sipping his tea.
|The Next day|
Mo Qinshan and Lingxi were riding in the same carriage to the palace. The emperor had summoned Lingxi. Qin Yan was seated next to the carriage driver.
"His Majesty is not simply calling you over for tea," Mo Qinshan warned.
"I know," Lingxi responded.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace gates. Mo Qinshan alighted, and Qin Yan helped Lingxi get down.
"I have some work to do before seeing His Majesty. I won't go in with you; be careful," he advised. Lingxi nodded.
He turned to Qin Yan. "Take good care of her."
"Yes," Qin Yan answered.
Lingxi went on to meet the emperor with Qin Yan behind her.
"Do you need me to go in with you?" Qin Yan asked before she entered.
"No need. I can handle it myself," she responded and entered the hall alone.She walked in and knelt down.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Rise," He Jingcheng said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." She stood up.
"Be seated."She took an available seat by the side, and a maid poured her tea.
"I received your answer yesterday," He Jingcheng started.She could feel the tension in the air.
"I chose the Grand Prince."
"The Grand Prince is indeed a great choice for you."
"I am flattered."
"He is indeed a great choice, but I think you should reconsider your decision."
"May I know what Your Majesty's concerns are?"The tension in the air thickened.
He Jingcheng studied the girl before him for a minute.
"I will state the facts then. Imperial Uncle is currently not in a favorable position in the court. Secondly, he is frail. The Imperial Physician has clearly stated that he might not live long."
Lingxi was silent, as if in deep thought.He Jingcheng felt he had the upper hand for a moment.
"Imperial Uncle isn't the only prince with imperial bloodline. There are others. If you want, I can..."
"Your Majesty," Lingxi interrupted, "I am very much satisfied with the Grand Prince."
"What did you say?"Lingxi knelt down. "Actually, I've admired the Grand Prince for a long time. I fell in love with him the very first time I met him in the palace as a child, and his face has been etched deep in my memory since then."
She looked up at He Jingcheng, tears already streaming down her face. "Actually, when the rumors of him being sick reached my ears, I was devastated. I had had feelings for him for years and had no chance to express them, and when I got the chance, I heard he did not have much time left. To be honest, the reason I had braved all costs to arrive at the banquet that night was just so I could catch a glimpse of him. When the edict was brought before me, I realized only the Grand Prince was alone in this cruel world and I wanted to be by his side till the end", Lingxi delivered a full heartfelt speech and even He Jingcheng couldn't tell if it was an act or not. Before he could comprehend all she said, she added her last sentence.
"Therefore, I hope your majesty will grant me my heart's desire"