Xiao Tian wasn't swayed. "Your Majesty, it doesn't matter whether you solve this or not. I can handle it myself. I will never allow Yi Qing and her child to feel on edge in their own home!"
"You... You're determined to humiliate me, aren't you?"
Xiao Tian said, "I've already thought of an excuse for Your Majesty. Just say that I'm not yet cold in my grave, so you can't take a concubine for me now!"
The emperor retorted, "What kind of excuse is that? Besides, it's a co - wife, a co - wife!"
"Except for merchant families, which family has a co - wife?" Xiao Tian frowned tightly. "I'll go find Ping Xinian first and ask her to write a petition to decline for Your Majesty. Then I'll go back and ask Yi Qing to write one too. Since neither side thinks this is a good thing, Your Majesty might as well just drop it."
This matter wasn't widely known anyway. Who would nitpick about it?
The emperor wasn't willing to give up. "Is Ping Xinian really not suitable?"
"It's not about Ping Xinian."
"Then what do you mean?"
Xiao Tian enunciated each word. "No one is suitable!"
Just as the emperor was about to fly into a rage, he heard Xiaodezi outside saying, "Your Majesty, great joy! Great joy!"
The emperor roared, "Get in here! What joy?!"
Xiaodezi came in, smiling from ear to ear, and knelt down. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The imperial physician said that Concubine Xue is pregnant!"
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then his face beamed with joy. "Really?"
Just now he was complaining to Xiao Tian about this matter, but unexpectedly, such good news came so soon.
Xiao Tian's already - frowning eyebrows now knitted into a deep furrow.
However, the emperor, upon hearing this good news, was so preoccupied with Concubine Xue that he had no time to pay attention to Xiao Tian or notice his expression.
The emperor waved his hand. "Xiao Tian, do as you please. But you must get the 300,000 taels of silver for me. The rest is up to you!"
He couldn't wait to go and accompany Concubine Xue. Leaving Xiao Tian behind, he rushed off in a hurry.
Xiao Tian: "..."
The matter of the Ping family wasn't resolved yet, and now there was another headache, which was even more vexing than the matter of Ping Xinian.
Because he had never considered Ping Xinian from the start, he was very clear that this matter must and could be resolved.
No matter how insistent the emperor was, in matters of marriage, you can't force a bull to drink water if it doesn't want to.
But Concubine Xue was different.
The lineage of the eldest prince was in doubt. Xiao Tian now basically believed that Xue Ci must have done something wrong to the emperor. He just needed time to find evidence.
But now it was different. The poison on the emperor's body had been cured by Yi Qing. So the child Xue Ci was carrying now should be the emperor's.
If her true nature was exposed in the future, what would happen to this child?
Moreover, a worse scenario was that if the person who poisoned the emperor was from Concubine Xue's faction, wouldn't they now know that the emperor's poison had been cured? Wouldn't this tip them off?
But he couldn't tell the emperor any of these things.
One wave hadn't subsided when another rose. Xiao Tian was in a very gloomy mood.
But thinking of Yi Qing, he still decided to resolve the matter of Ping Xinian first.
He had previously inquired about the location of the Ping family, so after leaving the palace, he headed straight for the Ping residence.
"The eldest young lady isn't at home," the gatekeeper told him.
"Then I'll wait for her here."
Ping Xinian had finished inspecting two shops and was sitting in the carriage.
Her maid, Liu'er, saw her reclining with her eyes closed and asked carefully, "Are you tired, eldest young lady? Should we go back to the mansion or visit another shop?"
Ping Xinian said expressionlessly, "Go back to the mansion first. I need to prepare my wedding dress."
Liu'er had served her for many years and was a favored maid. Hearing this, she hesitated to speak.
Ping Xinian opened her eyes and glanced at her. "If you have something to say, just say it."
Liu'er smiled obsequiously. "You're so smart, eldest young lady. I can't hide anything from you."
Ping Xinian was pleased with the flattery. In a good mood, she said, "You've been with me for so many years. If I can't even understand you, how can I compete with those old foxes in the business world? If I'm not wrong, what you want to say is still related to my marriage, right?"
Liu'er nodded repeatedly. "You're amazing, eldest young lady! I was thinking that with your looks and character, you could marry anyone you want. Over the years, you've rejected no less than a dozen marriage proposals. Why on earth do you want to marry a memorial tablet and become a co - wife?"
What hope did a woman who was widowed and childless have if she didn't remarry?
If a woman became a widow after marriage, it was bad luck. But Xiao Jinghan had died for the country. It was clearly a pitfall, yet she was still willing to jump into it. Liu'er really couldn't understand.
In her eyes, Ping Xinian was omnipotent, more capable than many men combined. So her decision was even more confusing.
Ping Xinian rubbed her temples and smiled. "Liu'er, you know I've always admired Xiao Jinghan. I've met so many men, but none of them can catch my eye. They can do something, and I can do it better. Only Xiao Jinghan is different. I want to marry a peerless hero."
"I know, I know you've had this thought for years. But now, General Xiao is gone!"
"What if," Ping Xinian's eyes were full of affection and ambition. Her black eyes were bright, and the corner of her mouth curled up in a confident smile. She said in a very low voice, "What if he comes back?"
Liu'er was extremely shocked. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Ping Xinian.
Ping Xinian slowly raised her finger to her lips. "Shh... Do you understand now?"
How could she, Ping Xinian, do a losing business?
It took Liu'er a long time to find her voice again. "Is what you said true, eldest young lady? The emperor has already given the order... How is that possible? Did the emperor tell you?"
Ping Xinian said, "No. But the emperor's attitude makes me more convinced that this is the case."
"Then how do you know?"
Ping Xinian's voice turned cold. "That's not something you should know!"
How did she know? Of course, she found out by using money.
To secure the position of co - wife, she promised the emperor 300,000 taels of silver. But the emperor didn't know that she had spent 500,000 taels of silver for this piece of information!
For Xiao Jinghan, she was willing to sacrifice anything.
Compared to being able to be with him in the future, silver was nothing.
Liu'er was used to her mood swings and quickly lowered her head to admit her mistake.
Ping Xinian waved her hand. "I'm in a good mood today, so I won't argue with you. But you must keep this secret!"
She was a scheming person, but she was really too happy about this matter to hide it completely.