"Elder Gu, what is it you wish to say?" the Beili Emperor asked, turning to him.

"Your Majesty, General Xiang is simply anxious for his beloved daughter. The girl grew up in the countryside and is used to a lax lifestyle. It’s understandable that the General is reluctant, having only just been reunited with his daughter." ’Internally, Elder Gu cursed every last one of the Imperial Family’s ancestors.’

"She may come from the countryside, but she will grow up to marry the Crown Prince and become the Crown Princess Consort. This is a blessing countless people would envy. What does he have to be reluctant about?"

’A blessing?’

’A blessing, my foot!’

’Only the Emperor himself would think this is a blessing.’

"Your Majesty is correct, but she is just a child, after all. With her carefree nature, being suddenly burdened with rules will be a difficult adjustment. It would not be too late to issue the marriage decree when she is older."

"Our imperial word is final. Once spoken, it cannot be changed. Elder Gu, if you speak further, you will be dragged out as well." The Beili Emperor was clearly displeased. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider! I believe that for a marriage to be happy, there must be mutual affection when the children are grown." At his age, Elder Gu had no fear of death.

’If I can get my great-granddaughter out of this engagement, what does it matter if I’m dragged out and beheaded?’

"Elder Gu, are you criticizing Us?"

"This humble servant would not dare. It is simply that I feel... the little girl is from the countryside, uncouth and unbearable. She’s six, but has the height of a four or five-year-old, which is a clear sign of poor health. Furthermore, she is fat and lazy, and her education is a complete disaster. The Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent and destined to be the pillar of Beili. What makes this little girl worthy of the title of Crown Princess Consort?" As he spoke, Elder Gu’s face was a mask of disgust.

"..."

The corner of Ye Qianning’s mouth twitched. She pressed down on her Master’s hand, signaling for him not to speak for the moment.

"Your Majesty, what Elder Gu says is absolutely right." Zhan Yi rose to his feet.

Qian Fu, fingering his Buddha Beads, also stood up. "The position of Crown Princess Consort must not be decided so rashly. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."

With these men leading the way, many officials who had grievances with Xiang Minghou also rose to their feet.

"The position of Crown Princess Consort must not be decided so rashly. We implore Your Majesty to reconsider."

"Your Majesty, please reconsider."

The entire assembly of court officials, regardless of whether they were on good terms with Xiang Minghou or not, rose and knelt in supplication, their voices thundering through the hall.

Sang Qi was quite pleased to hear this. Clutching his chest, he shot a sideways glance at the little fatty. ’With a face like that, she wants to be the Crown Princess Consort? She can dream on.’

A shadow crossed the Beili Emperor’s brow. ’If I didn’t know about Ye Qianning’s relationship with the four great families, I might have been fooled by this charade. They’re pretending to plead for her, but in reality, they just don’t want her to marry into the Imperial Family.’

’It’s true the girl is unworthy of being the Crown Princess Consort. When I heard the Hidden Guards’ report just now, my first thought was that I couldn’t betroth her to the Gao family, so I subconsciously named the Crown Prince.’

’Now, it’s too late to change it to another Prince.’

Consort Yuan also shot the Emperor a subtle look, her meaning clear: General Xiang’s daughter was not worthy of becoming the Crown Princess Consort.

The Empress was quite delighted, her eyes sweeping over Consort Yuan. ’If that country bumpkin becomes the Crown Princess Consort, let’s see what she’ll have to brag about regarding the Crown Prince in the future.’

Noble Princess Consort Zhan’s brow was furrowed in a tight frown. She knew her parents’ feelings on the matter, and she, too, did not want her niece to spend her life trapped in the Imperial Palace. ’I’ll have to sound out the Emperor’s intentions after the banquet.’

The envoys from the three kingdoms watched silently, each with their own thoughts.

"Our mind is made up. There is no need for further words," the Beili Emperor’s voice boomed.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider."

"Your Majesty..."

"Enough!" the Beili Emperor snapped. "Another word from anyone will be considered defiance of an imperial decree."

As expected, the officials below fell silent.

’Prime Minister Gao racked his brain but couldn’t understand why the Emperor was so adamant. Before the banquet, His Majesty had mentioned betrothing Ye Qianning to Gao Qi.’

’The heart of an emperor is truly impossible to fathom.’

’From now on, I can never trust a single word the Emperor says!’