"Disband the engagement?" Emperor Yongning repeated, his distracted eyes finally falling on Zheng Ji.
Zheng Ji nodded heavily: "Yes, Father, please allow me!"
She entered the palace today just to break off her engagement with the Anlehou Mansion.
Emperor Yongning pondered for a moment and said, "Are you sure? This marriage is a gift from me, and there is no reason to dissolve it easily."
"Father, I am absolutely sure, please have mercy on me!" Zheng Ji nodded again, looking extremely sure.
The emperor granted marriage, which was a supreme honor and also a supreme constraint. She knew that it was difficult to withdraw from the marriage, but it did not mean that she could not withdraw from it.
From the first day she came back from rebirth, she had been planning to break off her engagement with Song Zan. It was only now that the time was ripe that she proposed it in front of Emperor Yongning.
It's okay if she doesn't mention it, but it will definitely happen if she mentions it!
At this time, Emperor Yongning stopped asking questions and tapped his fingers on the imperial case, obviously thinking about the matter.
To be honest, he was not surprised when he heard that Chang Ding proposed to break off the engagement.
In fact, when the rumors about Prince Anlehou and Lin Heyun's granddaughter spread, he had thought about when Chang Ding would come and propose to break off the engagement.
Now, she did come, and it took a little longer than he expected.
He didn't need to ask why. What happened in Japan and Korea during this period was the reason why Chang Ding wanted to break off the engagement.
With Chang Ding's temperament, the more he liked Prince Anlehou before, the more he disliked him when he learned that Prince Anlehou had someone in his heart.
For other princesses, perhaps they would have tolerated it for the sake of someone they liked so much, but if they were used to being arrogant, they would definitely not be able to tolerate it.
However, he still asked suspiciously: "Chang Ding, are you really willing to give up? Marriage is not a child's play. If I really agree, then there will be no possibility between you and Prince Anle in the future. Don't regret it then."
She liked Prince Anle so much before she was married, and she personally asked for this marriage. In less than a year, she asked for an annulment in person. This was too thorough.
Zheng Ji lowered his eyes, looking sad, but his tone was extremely firm: "Father, I will never regret it!"
After saying that, she looked up at Emperor Yongning and said proudly: "Father, do the Anlehou Mansion do what they do, are they worthy of me? I was blind before and allowed the Anlehou Mansion to do what I did, so I accepted it. I am my father’s daughter, so since I don’t like it anymore, why should I still wrong myself?”
His father didn't want her to be arrogant, but he liked to see her arrogance.
Sure enough, Emperor Yongning nodded and said, "That's right. My daughter, why should I wrong myself?"
"Then, father, can this marriage be canceled? I really don't want to have any more contact with the Anlehou Mansion." Zheng Ji continued.
Emperor Yongning twirled his beard and said, "Renouncing the engagement is no small matter, let me think about it."
"Yes, my dear, thank you for your kindness!" Zheng Ji was not impatient. She knew very well that it was not realistic to get a clear answer from her father right now.
She didn't want her father to issue an order now. After all, she wanted to use this matter to lure out some people.
Before leaving the Zichen Palace, she deliberately added a sentence with hatred: "Father, the Anlehou Mansion and the Lin family are unclear. If they dare to bother me again, I will not let them have an easy time!"
The three departments have not found out the truth about the one hundred thousand taels of silver that Song Zan lent to Lin Jun, but this does not prevent her from giving Song Zan eye drops.
She didn't want her father to issue an order to break off the engagement now, but she wanted to make sure that the marriage could be called off.
With Zheng Ji's deliberate connivance, she proposed to break off the engagement at the Zichen Palace, and soon word spread throughout the harem.
This night happened to be the fifteenth day, and according to the rules, Emperor Yongning stayed at Queen Xue's Kunning Palace.
Queen Xue personally served Emperor Yongning to change his clothes and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Ninth Princess proposed to break off the engagement? Is it not good for the royal family to take the initiative to regret the engagement?"
"What's wrong? The Anlehou Mansion has committed suicide, why shouldn't my daughter be unhappy?" Emperor Yongning said displeased.
Empress Xue looked behind him and replied: "Your Majesty, you know that this is not what I mean. I am just doing it for the reputation of the royal family."
Okay, how can I be willing to let the Ninth Princess suffer? In the final analysis, these are just rumors. Since the emperor has granted marriage, how can the Anlehou Mansion dare to do such nonsense? I am worried that someone has noticed the temperament of the Ninth Princess and deliberately spread these rumors to provoke the Ninth Princess to withdraw from the engagement. The ultimate goal is to affect your majesty, the Emperor. "
Emperor Yongning knew that the queen cared most about the royal reputation, so it was reasonable to say so.
Once Yuci's marriage is withdrawn, it will indeed affect his majesty as an emperor, but...
He thought of Concubine Jiang Guifei and what Chang Ding said before leaving, but insisted: "It doesn't matter. The courtiers all know that this is the Anlehou Mansion's nonsense, and the Anlehou Prince is a confused man. If he continues to maintain this Marriage is what truly damages the majesty of the royal family.”
Seeing his resolute attitude, Empress Xue said nothing and meekly waited on him to change clothes and sleep.
On the second day, the Zichen Palace became lively. Concubine Tao Xian, Concubine Zhou Shu and Concubine De all came to ask for an audience one after another. They were all concerned about Princess Changding's breakup of the engagement.
Concubine Tao Xian was the most direct, saying to Emperor Yongning: "Your Majesty, can the marriage that Yuci has been given be cancelled? Then isn't this a mess?"
Her tone was a little angry, and it was obvious that she didn't want Zheng Ji to get his wish.
Just kidding, how much is Jiang Zhao being pampered these days? Concubine Jiang is the only one in the harem, where are the other concubines?
She couldn't see Jiang Zhao being so favored, let alone getting everything he wished for. It was rare that Princess Changding, whom Jiang Zhao loved most, wanted something, so she would definitely stop her.
Even if it can't be stopped, it would be better to add some obstruction to Jiang Zhao.
Emperor Yongning replied: "What's so messy about this? If I agree to cancel the engagement, I will naturally act according to the rules."
"But..." Concubine Tao Xian wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Emperor Yongning: "Okay, there is no need to talk about this matter, I will make my own decision."
Concubine Tao Xian made no secret of her unwillingness. As an emperor, of course he could see it at a glance.
This kind of jealousy between concubines is a trivial matter. When he is in a good mood, he is willing to follow their wishes and fool them.
But now that he was in a bad mood, he naturally didn't bother to pay attention.
Concubine Tao Xian only dared to act petty in front of Emperor Yongning. She was not willing to risk offending Long Lin.
Concubine Zhou Shu and Concubine De, who arrived later, had similar thoughts and were testing within the limits of what the emperor could tolerate.
As soon as the emperor showed displeasure, they withdrew very tactfully.
However, after leaving the palace, Concubine Zhou Shu said to her aunt casually, "I heard that the Ninth Princess went to the Taifu's Mansion and had a very happy chat with the Taifu's youngest son. This could not be the reason for the Ninth Princess to cancel the engagement. One of them, right?"
Zhu Yi, who was hiding, heard this sentence, and then said it exactly as it was in front of Emperor Yongning.
