Chapter 268: Chapter 268

"What are you trying to do this time?"

Facing his daughter's smiling eyes that sparkled with amusement, the middle-aged man behind the writing desk—dressed in deep red official robes with a gold and jade waist belt—couldn't help but massage his temples. After a long moment, he finally let out an almost imperceptible sigh that seemed filled with helplessness.

Perhaps because he had just returned from court, Zhao Zhen still wore his straight-footed headdress, his brows slightly furrowed, adding a touch of melancholy to his originally gentle and scholarly face.

Judging by this situation, it seemed this father had just been "frankly advised" by some censor in the court again!

Thinking this to herself, An Ning maintained a warm smile on her face and sat directly on the soft chair below: "Father, what are you saying? Since these ministers are so concerned, shouldn't they be the first to respond to this summons?"

"If they have such leisure to worry about your daughter's affairs, surely their own daughters must be exceptionally well-educated? With several young ladies accompanying and comforting me, I'm sure I can live up to the ministers' expectations and become increasingly diligent in the future..."

There's a saying after all—one takes on the color of one's company!

"Or perhaps..." Under the somewhat complicated gaze from above, An Ning couldn't help but ponder for a moment:

"The ministers' repeated claims of loyalty and righteousness to the monarch are just empty words? They can't even bring themselves to have their daughters enter the palace to serve?"

Staring fixedly at his eloquently speaking daughter for a long time, Zhao Zhen wearily rubbed his temples again, his tone indescribably complex as he looked at the person before him:

"According to the palace servants attending you, Fukang has been frequenting the Taiqing Hall recently, delving into classics, histories, philosophies, and literature. It seems you've gained quite a lot from it..." At least in terms of eloquence.

"Thank you for the praise, Father. Your daughter thinks so too. Books contain houses of gold—our ancestors were truly wise and perceptive."

"I must say, over the past half year, your daughter feels she has gained tremendously..."

"Hey host, do you think your emperor father will actually agree?"

"As the common saying goes, showing consideration for the ruler is a subject's duty. These ministers have been educated in Confucian teachings since childhood—they couldn't all be hypocrites who are all talk and no action, untrustworthy and unrighteous in everything, could they?"

Just look at him—he gets criticized left and right by various censors and officials every day. Appointing imperial relatives requires endless deliberation, and that look in your father's eyes just now felt... weird!

"Hey, he didn't see through your purpose, did he?" At this thought, the system couldn't help but feel a shudder of alarm.

Truth be told, An Ning wasn't particularly surprised.

An Ning thought to herself—Emperor Renzong of Song, a ruler during whose reign numerous talented individuals emerged. One might criticize him for being indecisive, overly benevolent and scholarly lacking boldness, but it's completely unnecessary to claim he's foolish or lacks discernment of people.

"In that case, will he still agree?"

"Of course he will, why wouldn't he?"

In fact, he definitely would.

In her inner chamber, playing with the plain wooden longsword recently commissioned from the imperial workshop, An Ning had no doubts about the outcome. She found the panicky dog system particularly amusing:

"Hey system, you don't actually think any emperor would willingly let himself be ordered around by ministers every day, getting pointed at and criticized at every turn?"

"Ask yourself—as the supreme ruler whose every word is law and none dare disobey, does he truly not desire that kind of authority?"

Thinking of the unfortunate original host, An Ning couldn't help but snort lightly, her gaze unconsciously growing complex:

"To put it bluntly, do you really think his earlier efforts to support his maternal family, even going so far as to use his only daughter as a bargaining chip, were driven solely by guilt?"

"Of course, if you really can't understand, you could think about the Tongjia clan during Kangxi's reign..."

In fact, interpreting all the political maneuvers of a reigning emperor through the lens of emotion is the most tedious and uninteresting approach.

Unfortunately, the pitiful original host didn't understand this, which is why she naively believed that crying, making scenes, even acting crazy before a monarch who had already made up his mind would be effective...

In the dimly lit room, a cold gleam flashed as a palm-sized clay figurine on the antique shelf instantly lost a piece from its right ear.

Looking at the seemingly sharp but actually not very smooth cut on the sword, An Ning couldn't help but sigh:

Ah, these hands are still rusty!

As the ice melted and snow thawed, spring grew warmer...

Indeed, as she had predicted, while An Ning was busy cultivating and regaining her touch, one morning news suddenly emerged from Empress Cao's Kunning Palace that the palace would host a spring banquet.

Importantly, most of those invited were noble daughters from Bianjing around ten years old, similar in age to An Ning. The official's intentions couldn't have been more obvious.

Considering this Highness's "track record," apart from those attempting to climb the social ladder through wealth and status, all invited families were horrified. The invitation in their hands instantly became burning hot.

And just at this time, An Ning immediately sent people to spread word...

Claiming that Minister Sima, Minister Cao, and several others had always been devoted to the monarch's affairs, concerned about the monarch's worries, and had been constantly anxious about the princess's education for some time. They had probably long intended to have their daughters serve by her side, and this spring banquet likely stemmed from this...

The ministers: "........."

The official who received the news: "........."

At the same time, in Kunning Palace

Looking at her clearly displeased mother and her elder sister-in-law who was visibly suppressing something nearby.

After a long moment, the seated Lady Cao finally couldn't help but sigh:

"Elder sister-in-law, rest assured, Xijie is just going through the motions. Regardless of whether she's selected, even if she truly is, I'm still here in the palace as her aunt—how could I possibly let anything happen to our eldest daughter?"

Hah, spoken so lightly!

It doesn't hurt when it's not your own biological daughter, does it!

Lady Cao, who had been suppressing her anger since entering, finally couldn't hold back anymore. Disregarding Old Madam Cao's attempts to stop her, she abruptly rose from her seat:

"Frankly, when we received Your Majesty's suggestion earlier and my husband wanted to memorialize about the princess matter, I already disagreed in my heart! Unfortunately, despite my repeated attempts to dissuade him, it was futile!"

"No matter what, Her Highness is just a princess after all, and the official's only child. Even if she often acts flamboyantly, ultimately it doesn't harm any of Your Majesty's interests. Her mother, Lady Miao, is merely a shallow person without substantial backing—she poses no threat to you."

Lady Cao truly couldn't understand—Her Majesty had always been dignified, wise, and reasonable. She clearly knew she shared little affection with the official, why did she need to interfere so persistently with a mere ten-year-old, meddling in every matter?

What good could come of it!

"Now look what's happened—we've provoked this ancestor! If something happens to my Xijie..."

As if thinking of something terrible, Lady Cao's face grew increasingly pale, her dissatisfaction with the person before her growing.

After a long moment, Empress Cao finally sighed and spoke with effort:

Ignoring the self-righteous comforting words from the person above, Lady Cao snorted coldly, her sharp gaze fixed unwaveringly on the person on the high platform:

"If she really takes action, could Your Majesty actually make her pay with her life?"

Empress Cao: "........."