Chapter 108 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

After coming out of the Mengqing Qian's place, Li Gongqin planned to go and see the Empress Dowager. After all, they were relatives. Visiting the imperial palace once, it would be improper to only visit his cousin's palace and ignore his aunt. Li Gongqin said to his colleagues who were with him, "Brother Huang, Brother Yang, Brother Liu, I'm going to the Fenghua Palace. You can leave the palace first." Yang Xingguang, eager to show his presence for Yang Zhe, said, "Brother Li, you are being too polite. It is our duty to visit the Empress Dowager after the late emperor's passing. I will accompany you." Liu Liang, having received orders from Jiang Wuyou to monitor Meng's movements, saw this as an opportunity and said, "I will come along as well." Huang Qinghe did not originally want to go, as there was nothing interesting about visiting the Empress Dowager. But with everyone else going, he didn't want to be left out and said, "I will come along too." The group strolled to the Fenghua Palace and waited outside for a while before being invited in by the Empress Dowager. Seeing these several people coming together, the Empress Dowager was quite surprised. Among the group, apart from his nephew Li Gongqin, the others rarely moved around, especially after Meng Qingqian held power. It was rare to see them a few times, and today they had all come. However, the most unexpected was Liu Liang. At the time when the Empress Dowager held power, Liu Liang was the confidant of the prime minister. How did he mix with the officials of the Meng family now? After settling down for a few days, the Empress Dowager hurriedly asked, "Liu Liang, why are you getting so close to Gongqin and the others? Aren't you afraid that Han Wenxin will suspect you?" Liu Liang: ... Li Gongqin and the others: ... Everyone had the same thought in their minds: The Empress Dowager truly lives up to her title, she hasn't changed a bit over the years. Liu Liang, feeling awkward, said, "Your Majesty, this humble official has already abandoned the dark in favor of the light and is determined to work for the royal family and the greater good of Qi." The Empress Dowager frowned and said, "Really? At that time, you were very loyal to Han Wenxin. You pledged your loyalty and accused this palace of 'interfering in politics' and 'exerting undue influence'." Liu Liang: ... Everyone: ... Liu Liang, feeling embarrassed, said, "I was young and foolish then. I was deceived by the Han family and failed to see through Han Wenxin's treacherous intentions. Now, I understand that it is Your Majesty and the Grand Princess who truly consider the best interests of our greater Qi." The Empress Dowager, with a frown, said, "Although Prime Minister Han has always opposed this palace, this palace does not believe that he harbors treacherous intentions." Everyone: ... Openly questioning and clarifying relationships, openly questioning the motives of a surrendered official, directly exculpating an old opponent... The Empress Dowager often acted on her intuition, and Liu Liang was silently grateful she wasn't leading the Meng clan now, or he would have a hard time "abandoning Han and siding with Meng". Liu Liang was speechless at the Empress Dowager's words and had to say, "Your Majesty's words are as decisive as before, unique..." Liu Liang really can't be so easily upset by the Empress Dowager. Li Gongqin saw the situation wasn't right and changed the subject, "Your Majesty, Princess Xiaoyue will soon turn twenty. According to protocol, a banquet should be prepared to celebrate, but given the princess's exceptional status, she is not an ordinary princess. We would like to hear Your Majesty's opinion." The Empress Dowager naturally said, "As per last year's banquet, the regulations can be relaxed." Li Gongqin bowed and said, "I understand." The group exchanged a few more meaningless pleasantries and guessed it was about time to leave. They planned to take their leave. At that moment, a palace maid hurried in from outside the door and whispered something to the Empress Dowager, who then exclaimed, "The Marquis of Wuqing has arrived! Quickly, invite him in." The onlookers were ready to leave, but upon hearing He Yuanhao's arrival, they decided to stay. Except for Liu Liang. Since coming to the Empress Dowager's side, Liu Liang had been awkward from start to finish. Now that He Yuanhao had arrived, it only added to the awkwardness. After all, he used to socialize frequently with the Marquis of Wuqing. However, with the change in factions, it was now difficult to speak. They could only look at each other in silence, feeling quite helpless. He Yuanhao was a well-known figure. He was not only a famous general in the state of Qi, but his son, He Yunxiao, was also a widely known and notorious playboy. Minister of the Ministry of Justice Huang Qinghe has not looked kindly on He Yuanhao since the incident where He Yunxiao had struck his son. Prior to that, he may not have been up to any good, but at least he showed some expression and appeared intelligent. Now, he had stopped causing trouble but always had a deadpan expression, a vacant gaze, appearing like a fool. Upon entering the Empress Dowager's bedroom, He Yuanhao first paid his respects to her, and upon seeing so many colleagues, regardless of their affiliations, he courteously greeted each one with the title "daren" or "Your Excellency" after their surname. "Huang daren." [T/L: dà rén. adult/grownup title of respect toward superiors.] Huang Qinghe did not give him a good look and snorted, "Is the daren here today to 'abandon the dark and emulate the light'?" He Yuanhao smiled and said, "As fellow officials of Greater Qi, serving the monarch and the people, where does 'light and dark' come into play?" Huang Qinghe retorted, "You're asking questions you already know the answers to." He Yuanhao said, "Please enlighten me, daren." The enmity between He Yuanhao and Huang Qinghe was well-known to the court, and seeing the two of them squabbling, Li Gongqin once again played the peacemaker and said, "General, you are dressed so meticulously today. Do you have important matters to discuss with the Empress Dowager?" He Yuanhao responded, "Indeed, Minister Li is perceptive. Yes, I do have important matters. Your Majesty, I have a request." The Empress Dowager asked, "Go on." "I would like to request Your Majesty's approval for the marriage of Princess Nan Zhu to my son, He Yunxiao, as his lawful wife." The Empress Dowager had already considered this and was about to give her consent when Huang Qinghe stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please consider carefully! Everyone in Yingjing knows about He Yunxiao, a person who lacks principles, arrogant and ignorant, and lecherous..." Yang Xingguang, hands clasped behind his back, watched the drama unfold. He Yuanhao was not known for getting into disputes with others, so this was a rare opportunity to enjoy the spectacle. After all, He Yunxiao's desire was not to marry Meng Qingqian. As long as he did not marry Meng Qingqian, there would be no intervention from the Yang family of Hexi. This was enjoyable. He Yuanhao did not plan to rebut Huang Qinghe's attack. He also agreed that He Yunxiao, that little rascal, was indeed like that. While some aspects were exaggerated, it was mostly true. But to He Yuanhao's surprise, upon not defending himself, the Empress Dowager chose to do so on his behalf. The Empress Dowager stood up and pointed at Huang Qinghe, scolding, "How dare you! I have personally seen Yunxiao! He is handsome, behaves properly, and is polite. How dare you speak of him in such a disparaging manner?" The onlookers were puzzled. He Yuanhao, who was not agitated, wondered why the Empress Dowager was so worked up. Huang Qinghe, feeling embarrassed, said, "Your Majesty, please consider carefully! The marriage of the princess is a major event and requires careful consideration and planning for the long term!" The Empress Dowager said resentfully, "This palace can be careful! This palace wants to..." He Yuanhao saw the situation was turning unfavorable, and the Empress Dowager had previously agreed with Zhang Jingxian. It would be difficult if she went back on her word now. He immediately took out a red document and presented it with both hands, saying, "The Marquisate has planned for this for a long time; the marriage gifts list has long been prepared. Please have a look, Your Majesty!" The Empress Dowager, upon seeing the list, temporarily ceased speaking and said, "Pass it to me." A palace maid took the list and handed it to the Empress Dowager. A silence filled the room. He Yuanhao felt serious. Liu Liang felt extremely awkward. Li Gongqin wiped his sweat frequently. Huang Qinghe felt upset and resentful. Yang Xingguang, enjoying the spectacle, sipped his tea with relish. After examining the list, the Empress Dowager said, "This is too little." Huang Qinghe didn't miss the opportunity to find fault with the He family and immediately said, "Lord He, if you can't even prepare sufficient betrothal gifts, what does it say about your intentions to marry the princess? Where does it place the face of our royal family of Greater Qi?" He Yuanhao was perplexed. He and Zhang Jingxian had repeatedly checked the list. They wanted to marry Nan Zhu, and the betrothal gifts were more than enough, not lacking in any aspect. The Empress Dowager handed the list to a palace maid and sat in her position in the bedroom, overlooking the court below. "He Yuanhao, your betrothal gifts are too few. Add more, and this palace will agree to hand over Xiaoyue to you." He Yuanhao: ? Liu Liang: ? Huang Qinghe: ? Li Gongqin: ? Yang Xingguang, upon hearing this, had his teacup tremble. "What?"