Tianliangyuan

Chapter 314 Empress Qu

Xu Zhaozhao had no intention of interfering in Shana's marriage; after all, there wasn't that much affection between them.

However, if possible, she would still prefer Shana to live a relatively simple life.

Xu Zhaozhao found an opportunity to go to the palace to pay her respects.

Empress Qu's smile never stopped when she saw what she brought.

"Anle is married now, and things are definitely different."

"I will take this as a compliment. However, you must not let Princess Leyang know about the fine things I sent to you, otherwise she will definitely come to me to make trouble again."

"Since you know her personality, why don't you prepare more for her?"

"Your Highness doesn't know Leyang? She's always been generous. Once she has something good, she'll ask for some from this person and coax some from that person, and then the things are gone. She's a bottomless pit; she can't keep any good things."

Empress Qu laughed a few more times: "You came to the palace today just to deliver these things? If you're not in a hurry to go back, then stay and have lunch with me."

"Yes, thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

After Xu Zhaozhao finished her greetings, she brought up Shana again.

Every move made in the capital could not escape the eyes of the emperor and empress.

Therefore, Xu Zhaozhao might as well take the initiative herself, which would also bring her good fortune.

"Miss Shana went to the Duke's mansion a couple of days ago, bringing portraits with her. She said they were some potential husbands you had prepared for her. Shana said she couldn't read all the Chinese characters, so she came to me to discuss it. But I'm not familiar with those young men, and I've never even met some of them. So I could only say that I was just asking around for her."

Empress Qu smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Sana is a very straightforward person, and I like her very much. The fact that she wanted to come to you for advice shows that you two get along well."

"I suppose so. She used to like Sanlang and my second brother, but when she found out that neither of them had any feelings for her, she gave up on them early on. This grassland girl is quite the type to love and hate fiercely; when she realized there was no hope, she quickly gave up on her feelings."

Empress Qu was even more pleased with her because she saw that she had nothing to hide from her.

As the Empress, she naturally cared a lot about the choice of the Crown Prince.

At the very least, the Xu Marquis's Mansion and the Duke of Huguo's Mansion are now pure royalists. They are wholeheartedly acting in the emperor's best interests, which earns them the empress's absolute trust.

Empress Qu was willing to befriend Xu Zhaozhao because she was at least not on the same side as Consort Jiang and Prince Zhong.

As long as they are not enemies, there will always be opportunities to win them over.

"Yes, such a good girl, I am also thinking of choosing one for her carefully."

"The rest doesn't matter, but I think this Miss Shana is simple-minded and has always been straightforward. If we really marry her off to a family with complicated relationships, I'm afraid she will suffer."

“That makes sense. I still need to choose a better one for her. Her father is currently far away in the Protectorate. Since he is wholeheartedly working for Daxing, we cannot wrong his child.”

"Your Majesty the Empress is virtuous and kind; Shana will understand your good intentions."

A conversation allowed the Queen to perfectly avoid several families with complicated backgrounds.

Empress Qu understood that Xu Zhaozhao was unwilling to interfere in other people's affairs, but since Shana had come to her for help, she couldn't very well refuse.

Now that the matter has been explained to the Empress, she has realized that Shana's father and brothers are all officials of Daxing, so she still needs to be more cautious.

As the year draws to a close, Xie Zheng, on his day off, specially ordered someone to prepare New Year's gifts and accompany Xu Zhaozhao back to the Marquis of Anxin's residence.

The New Year's gifts were prepared by the Yu family, and Xie Zheng also took out a set of silverware from his private treasury before they all went to visit.

Xu Zhaozhao was pulled into conversation by Wang Ruolan, and involuntarily the topic of the two Xie family daughters came up.

"Your two cousins' marriages are now settled. One is marrying into the Fang family, and the other is marrying into the Fu family. These are both excellent marriages. I'm afraid it's precisely because of their marriages that the two Xie family members are even more eager to marry into the family."

Xu Zhaozhao, however, did not take it to heart.

"Those are matters for the Xie family elders to worry about, what does it have to do with me?"

Wang Ruolan poked her with her hand: "You silly girl, don't you understand what I mean? You're their eldest sister-in-law, and sooner or later you'll be in charge of arranging this marriage!"

"We'll see when the time comes. At least they haven't come after me yet, so I'll just pretend I don't know anything. I'll take whatever peace and quiet I can have."

It has a somewhat "get by" or "live for the moment" feel to it.

Wang Ruolan thought that what she said made sense. After all, Xu Chan and Xu Juan's biological mothers were still alive, and Xie Xiaolin was about to return to Beijing, so Xu Zhaozhao didn't necessarily need to worry too much about this matter.

“Your father-in-law will be back after the New Year, and that young Mrs. Song will be coming back with him. I’ve heard that she’s quite cunning, so you must be careful.”

Xu Zhaozhao, however, did not take the person seriously at all: "She's just a concubine, why should I care?"

"How can they be the same? Jia was just an ordinary concubine, but Xiao Song was different. She and Xie Sanlang's mother were relatives."

"So what? Even if they are sisters, once they enter the manor as concubines, they are still just concubines. Besides, the Duke of Huguo's manor is not a family without rules. The old lady is still alive, how dare little Song act presumptuously?"

Wang Ruolan choked. These days, she had been worried about these trivial matters, afraid that her daughter would suffer again.

But how come when she says it, it all seems so trivial?

"That's true, but there are always some shady dealings in the inner quarters. It's also my fault for raising you too well. Your father doesn't have any other women around him, and you don't have any half-brothers or sisters in the family, so you've become a bit naive. Zhaozhao, we won't harm people on our own initiative, but we also can't let others trip us up in secret."

"I understand, Mother. Don't worry, I'm not made of clay. If anyone dares to mess with me, I will repay them tenfold or a hundredfold!"

Wang Ruolan felt a little relieved after hearing her say that.

When women get tough, they can be just as ruthless as men.

This year marks the first time Xie Zheng has become a son-in-law. According to custom, when Xie Zheng comes to pay his respects after the New Year, the Marquis of Anxin's residence is to invite all of Xu's relatives to come as well.

Wang Ruolan instructed Xu Zhaozhao to bring some small gifts when she came to pay New Year's visits, just to give as good luck to the younger generation in the clan.

"Mother, Sun Qian's life has been saved this time, but what are Aunt and Uncle's plans for her future marriage?"

“I don’t know about this either. A few days ago, your aunt brought Sun Qian over and said that your uncle planned to marry Sun Qian off to a distant place and let her take all her original dowry with her. But your aunt disagreed and wanted to ask your grandmother and your father to make a decision for Sun Qian.”