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Thinking of the Empress, he sighed once more; although their relationship had eased somewhat, she still wouldn’t let him near, and he had been living like a monk for almost a year.

"Can you even call yourself a Prince? Do you ever attend the morning court sessions? Have you even glanced at your fief? I suspect you don’t even know how much property and land deeds you possess," she retorted.

Xiao Jinyu blinked his beautiful peach blossom eyes a couple of times, reluctant to wake up early for the morning court sessions, procrastinating because he held an idle position.

Indeed, the Emperor was right, he didn’t know anything about it~

The Emperor asked another question, "Are you as busy as I am?"

Xiao Jinyu froze.

Seeing his son at a loss for words, the Emperor snorted, "Since you’re not, then why don’t you have time to accompany Miss Han?"

Xiao Jinyu feeling guilty didn’t mean he was afraid to retort.

"This son can’t be like father, surrounded by many. I only want Miss Han, and she must become the official wife."

"You’re getting bolder, comparing yourself to me? Out, I have important matters to attend to." The Emperor didn’t wish to waste time with his son; he was eager to finish his duties and see the Empress.

Xiao Jinyu stood straight in front of the imperial desk, not intending to leave but instead said solemnly, "Father, I only wish to marry Miss Han."

The Emperor, tired of the arguments, had to point his son in a clear direction, "If your grandmother, the Dowager Empress, is insisting on you marrying Miss Wanxin, then you’ll need to convince her, and I will reluctantly agree."

"Alright, this son takes his leave." Xiao Jinyu cheerfully turned around and left.

The Emperor called after him, "The Dowager Empress is getting old and is in poor health. Watch your manners when you speak to her."

"This son understands." Xiao Jinyu responded and hurried off to the Ci’ning Palace.

At Ci’ning Palace, the Dowager Empress was lying on a bed, being tended to by Miss Wanxin, who massaged her legs that often ached, a bit of relief for the old woman’s pain.

Xiao Jinyu strode in and greeted her, "Your grandson greets his imperial grandmother."

Seeing Xiao Jinyu arrive, Miss Wanxin stood up and bowed respectfully, "Prince Jinyu."

The Dowager Empress, smiling, beckoned him over, "Yuyu is here."

Miss Wanxin turned to leave for the Side Hall to brew tea, passing by Xiao Jinyu with a shy and timid gait.

Xiao Jinyu, however, didn’t notice Wanxin; he came straight to the Dowager Empress and said earnestly, "Grandmother, I am here to tell you, I do not wish to marry Miss Wanxin."

The Dowager Empress was taken aback, not expecting her grandson to visit for this matter, and she asked puzzledly, "What’s wrong? Isn’t Miss Wanxin a good match?"

Xiao Jinyu replied seriously, "Miss Wanxin is excellent, but no matter how excellent, I cannot marry her. I only wish to marry Miss Han."

The Dowager Empress, distressed, responded, "Why, child, why do you do this? What does Miss Han have that Wanxin doesn’t possess?

Xiao Jinyu said, "To me, Miss Han is the best, a thousand times better than Wanxin."

The Dowager Empress desperately tried to persuade him, "You’ve been with Miss Han for so long, of course, you think that way. If you were to marry Wanxin and spend time with her, you would see that she is more than a thousand times better than Miss Han."

Xiao Jinyu couldn’t stand Miss Han being spoken of as less than someone else. The person in front of him was his grandmother; with anyone else, he might have lost his temper.

The Emperor was not wrong; Xiao Jinyu’s temperament was a lot like the Empress’s from back then.

"Grandmother, don’t you like Miss Wanxin? Then how can you bear to let her marry off? If you like her, you should keep her close," he pointed out.

The Dowager Empress seemed upset, probably angered by his words.

"How can you speak like that, child? Wanxin, as a young lady, must marry. It is because she is a good girl that I’m allowing you to marry her. Could I possibly harm you?"

Xiao Jinyu quietly retorted, "I wouldn’t harm you either."

The Dowager Empress wasn’t young anymore, how could she tolerate being contradicted at every turn?

"In any case, you must marry Wanxin. What’s so good about that Miss Han? A woman so tall, I suspect she might have some hidden illness."

Xiao Jinyu, upon hearing this, grew a bit angry, "Grandmother, how can you speak of Miss Han like that? She is wonderful. I only wish to marry Miss Han, not any other woman."

"You, you..." The Dowager Empress clutched at her chest, seeming to be in discomfort.

Xiao Jinyu, frightened, asked, "Grandmother, what’s wrong?"

The next second, the Dowager Empress fainted.

Seeing this, Xiao Jinyu urgently called for help, "Quick, someone fetch the Imperial Doctor; grandmother has fainted."

Wet Nurse Yu from the doorway hurriedly summoned the Imperial Doctor who, after a thorough examination,

made Xiao Jinyu extremely anxious.

The Emperor and Empress heard the news and rushed over, giving Xiao Jinyu a stern lecture.

"Weren’t you told to be careful with your words? How could you have made the Dowager Empress faint from anger?"

"Father, I didn’t know," said Xiao Jinyu, bowing his head, filled with guilt. "I just spoke casually, unaware that grandmother was so fragile."

The Emperor, furious, said, "We’ll deal with this later."

After speaking, he flung his sleeve and went over to check on the Dowager Empress’s condition.

The Empress pulled her son aside and whispered, "What on earth happened?"

Xiao Jinyu, feeling very remorseful and lacking confidence, replied, "I merely expressed my stance."

Seeing her son resolute on marrying Miss Han, just like her eldest son who only wanted Shen Chuwei, the Empress realized both her sons were nothing like their father, the dog Emperor.

After the Imperial Doctor’s assessment, it was determined that the Dowager Empress had fainted due to anger and emotional agitation.

"The Dowager Empress is old and can’t be agitated like this; she needs to be placated, or next time, her life might be at risk," the Imperial Doctor advised.

Shen Chuwei and Xiao Jinyan heard this as they arrived, and realized the seriousness of the situation.

Xiao Jinyu, regretting not having held his tongue, thought if only he had kept quiet.

When the Dowager Empress woke up, seeing so many people around her bed, she slowly said, "I am old, and my health is failing."

Xiao Jinyu, sitting on the bed, readily admitted his fault, "Grandmother, I was wrong; I should not have said so much to upset you."

...

ps: The love story of the man in black and Xu Concubine will be developed and will make significant progress.