"I am the emperor, the ruler of a nation, how could I be afraid?" the emperor retorted stubbornly.
"You know better than anyone how this emperor came to be." She bowed several times before the Buddha shrine, then stood up. She felt contempt, contempt for this man, and even more contempt for his actions.
It was just that in her youth, she had been deceived by a few sweet words, leading her to believe he was a good man, and for him, she had done so many things, only to end up in such a state now.
As she turned, she revealed a face covered in wounds. The emperor, as if seeing something dirty, averted his gaze from her face.
She let out a scoff, then ignored the emperor, walking towards a chair. Her movements were slow and hesitant, unsure if it was from kneeling too long or physical discomfort.
"After she died, Fu An's body got much better."
"Fu An?"
"That's the daughter of the Prince of Yingchuan. I bestowed the title Fu An upon her."
"Heh, this title is rather ironic, isn't it?" The person who least wished for her to live was the one who bestowed upon her the title of Fu An.
"But it's also normal. With Rou Niang dead, the power of the curse naturally weakened." She didn't take this matter to heart.
Moreover, she no longer wished to harm the child. Since the child had broken free and was strong-willed, she didn't want to act again.
The emperor also knew that a child was not enough to pose a threat, but with the child's health improving, it meant one less means of controlling the Prince of Yingchuan.
For years, this child had occupied the Prince of Yingchuan's mind, preventing him from thinking about other matters.
Now that her health had improved, he would have the energy to attend to other things.
"Then can you make her fall ill again?"
"It's difficult. Since they killed Rou Niang, they also learned that the little princess's illness was related to Rou Niang. They must have taken precautions, making it hard to strike again."
They had the little princess's birth details, but Rou Niang had paid a great price when using this method before. To do it again now, they no longer had the same conditions.
"It's difficult, not impossible. I will have the resources you need prepared. In a few months, I will summon Fu An to the capital, making it convenient for you to act."
"Even if she were healthy, it wouldn't matter. She's just a princess, after all." She wasn't a son, and she didn't believe the Prince of Yingchuan truly desired the throne.
Even if he did, few would support him. After all, he only had a daughter and no heir, and the ministers would never support such a ruler.
In her opinion, he was too cowardly. Such a timid person was the one she had fallen for, how ironic!
The emperor could not express his inner thoughts to her; it was his hidden pain.
"You don't want Hong Xi to have any problems in the future, do you?"
Hong Xi was the child of him and this woman, the current Prince of Yan. He was also the male protagonist of this book.
Prince Zhao Hong Xi of Yan was deeply favored by the emperor. At a young age, he had surpassed his many elder brothers to become a prince, with his own fiefdom and stipend.
He had a smooth journey until he met the female protagonist. The only regret was the early death of his birth mother, but this also made the emperor dote on him even more.
However, he had never expected that his birth mother was not dead but was living in this palace that resembled a cold palace.
Though the emperor doted on him, he had never considered passing the throne to him. The explanation in the book was that he had always been accustomed to freedom and did not wish to be constrained, hence his unwillingness to be emperor.
Furthermore, if he became emperor, he would inevitably have a harem, making it impossible to promise the female protagonist a lifetime of devotion to one person.
However, seeing this, there seemed to be hidden reasons why he could not ascend the throne.
"Only if I am the emperor can he be the high and mighty Prince of Yan. If I were no longer emperor, who would tolerate him?"
Her hands clenched tightly within her sleeves. Was he using his son to threaten her? Even beasts do not eat their young; his heart was truly worse than that of a brute.
"I will try again. I will list the items I need and give them to you." Her son was her only tie to this world, and she could only compromise.
"Hong Xi should also get married. I will carefully select the young ladies of the capital and surely choose the best for our Xi'er." He smiled a condescending smile, but still did not look at her face, thus missing the resentment in her eyes.
Lin Yan and the others changed into their new scholar attire and then waited at the palace gate to be presented.
Listening to the eunuch announce names one by one, Lin Yan eagerly awaited her own. First, the top scholars were announced. The Zhuangyuan was a scholar from Jiangnan, from a prominent family, and handsome and refined.
What a handsome young man!
Lin Yan saw that the emperor's gaze towards him held a hint of satisfaction, and she understood that the emperor likely had some plans.
The second place in the top scholars was Lin Yan. She had once again come in second. However, compared to the Zhuangyuan and the Tanhua, her ranking as Bangyan was much more low-key.
After the announcements, they collectively paid their respects to the emperor and were then arranged to ride horses in a parade.
As a top scholar, Lin Yan's equestrian skills were good. Initially, the Ministry of Rites had worried about the riding skills of Lin Yan and the others.
Later, seeing that the new scholars this year were all in good health (as those with poor health had been eliminated by the heavy snow), they did not arrange any further training for them.
The Zhuangyuan in front and the Tanhua behind were both exceptionally good-looking. Lin Yan, still a child not yet fully grown, seemed to lack their demeanor and temperament.
Moreover, Lin Yan had deliberately made herself appear even more low-key, thus not appearing as outstanding.
Along the way, people filled the windows on both sides, throwing flowers, handkerchiefs, and sachets.
Lin Yan carefully dodged them, and since few people threw anything in her direction, her journey was relatively safe.
However, the Zhuangyuan and Tanhua were not so lucky. Especially since they had tucked a flower behind their ear, which provoked people to throw more flowers down.
Although there were no greenhouses in ancient times, there were still warm rooms. Otherwise, in this chilly spring weather, where would these fresh flowers have come from to be thrown down?
Even the messenger of the second rank was covered in a mess, while Lin Yan remained clean and fresh.
After the parade, they were to attend the imperial banquet. Lin Yan had prepared a few poems praising the emperor, so she was not worried.
In the evening, the emperor seemed to have lost the anxiety of the day and appeared rather calm and collected.
He raised his cup, encouraged the new scholars with a few words, and then began listening to their praises.
For those whose words were pleasing and writing elegant, he bestowed many rewards.
Observing this seemingly exaggerated display, Lin Yan once again blended into the crowd.
At the imperial banquet, the Zhuangyuan and Tanhua stole the spotlight. The emperor even inquired if they were married.