ster-in-law, Zongbei chuckled sheepishly and continued to work diligently.Yu Lian scowled, her hands covered in both the intestines and meat filling. The harder she tried to stuff the meat into the ca...Fu Ming frowned deeply. His father wanted to favor Zong Yu, so he definitely wouldn't oppose Yuan Buyu's suggestion. On the contrary, looking at his father's expression now, he should already be considering which woman from the family should be chosen to marry Zong Yu.

What will happen to Fang Jinshi then

He had truly thought before that if Zong Yu could die on the battlefield, he would take Fang Jinshu into his backyard and completely make her his.

This way, she could fully utilize herself.

Later, after some guidance from his uncle the Emperor, Fu Ming-jang dismissed this idea.

Even if we don't know whether Zong Yu will die on the battlefield, and even if he really does, Fang Jinxiu might not choose to marry someone else because of her feelings for him.

Furthermore, even if he were to really take Fang Jinshi as his wife, would she be willing to become a concubine and share a husband with other women given her personality

As a prince, his empress consort would definitely be chosen by his father. This thought, no matter how he thought about it, seemed unlikely to come true.

Fu Ming had long since recognized reality.

So he's now in a hurry to help Fang Jinshu, the more he helps her, the more grateful their couple will be to him in the future. Fu Ming has always had a premonition that this couple coming to Beijing would inevitably bring earth-shaking changes to the city.

He ignored the dissuasion of his trusted officials behind him and insisted on stepping forward to stop it.

"Father, please don't!"

"Do you still remember the royal merchant Fang, whom you personally designated at the banquet some time ago"

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, and then he remembered.

At that time, Fang’s impression on him was quite deep. In addition, the dishes and snacks sent to the palace by Jinshu Mountain Villa were indeed well-received by all the palaces. Even he missed the taste of Jinshu Mountain Villa's ingredients during his recent trip to the ancestral temple.

This woman is truly extraordinary, quite unbelievable.

"Why bring up the Fang family now What does she have to do with my bestowing a reward upon General Zong Xiao"

Fu Ming continued, “Your Majesty, you may not know, but that Fang family is General Zong Xiao’s wife, and the two of them even have a son.”

"If you insist on giving General Zong a marriage, I'm afraid it will backfire."

The Emperor's face darkened immediately upon hearing this, his gaze shifting to Yuan Buyu.

"Mr. Yuan, have you heard of this"

"You just said that General Zong Xiao's inner house had no virtuous woman, could it be that you are deceiving me"

Yuan Buyu calmly and immediately replied.

“Your Majesty, I am terrified. How could I possibly deceive you”

"That Lady Fang who attended the Emperor's last birthday feast truly did say she was a widow."

Although there might be some misunderstanding, the old minister has received definite information that these two have already divorced. That Madam Fang even had a divorce letter prepared for General Zong Xiao.

"Your Highness, is what the old servant said correct"

Fu Ming frowned deeply. How did this old geezer know so much about Jiang Xiushi's affairs

Could it be that there are still spies he planted within the Jinxiu Mountain Villa that haven't been removed

"Ming'er, is there such a thing"

Fu Ming dared not conceal anything from the emperor, so he could only nod helplessly.

But that's just a little disagreement between husband and wife, they'll make up eventually.

The emperor, however, didn't give him a chance to continue. He rose directly and said,

Since the Fang family is so blind and ungrateful, I naturally cannot mistreat the talented person who has made great contributions to establishing the Daxixi Dynasty.

"Lord Yuan, after court today, come to the Imperial study with me. Help this Emperor think of some eligible young ladies in the capital who could be married off to General Zong."

Yuan Buyu smiled and nodded, "The old minister obeys your command."

As soon as the morning court ended, Fu Ming hurried to leave the palace. What he was going to do outside the palace was self-evident, of course, to report to Fang Jinshu.

This foolish woman, if she doesn't hold onto her reputation tightly, someone else will steal it!

If the imperial decree of marriage from the Emperor were to truly be issued, it would be difficult for them to change their minds then.

After all, you're not joking. Getting the Emperor to revoke the imperial decree for marriage is harder than reaching the heavens, so we absolutely have to stop it before that happens.

But as soon as he stepped off the stairs, he was pulled back by an official close to him.

"Seventh Highness! What are you doing"

"The old minister has been hinting to you non-stop just now. Your Majesty, you already have a plan in mind for this matter. It wasn't easy for you to make your way from the inner palace to the court. Now that your foundation is unstable, you absolutely cannot oppose the Emperor."

"But what were you just talking about"

"It's a good thing the Emperor wants to give Zongyu a marriage, tying him down and raising him up to compete with Yuan Prime Minister! Wouldn't that be a way to check each other"

That way, you'll have time to catch your breath and fully prepare yourself.

Fu Ming froze and stopped in his tracks.

"What you said makes some sense."

He struggled internally for a while, but the incessant advice of his trusted ministers still echoed in his ears.

But only one sentence touched Fu Ming.

He finally made it from the cold palace to the court, appearing before his father alongside his brothers. He gradually regained the dignity and prestige that befitted a prince.

Is it really worth destroying his hard-earned favor in front of his father for Fang Jinshu and Zong Yu's reputation

Besides, wasn't this caused by Fang Jinshu herself If she hadn't been so overly sentimental and insisted on separating from Zong Yu, how could she have given others an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"Your Highness, why don't we take this opportunity to sit back and watch the tigers fight This General Zong will surely become a major obstacle and enemy for the Chief Minister in the future. He has already cut off Yuan Buyu's arm before even entering the court."

"Now that the position of Minister of Household Affairs is vacant, it's a great opportunity for us to place one of our own in the Ministry."

Fu Ming nodded, and finally raised his foot to turn around. The palace gate was getting farther and farther away.

At this very moment, within the Jinxiu Mountain Villa, Fang Jinxiu was completely unaware of what was about to happen. She frowned and looked at Zhao Xingzhou on the bed, impatiently telling Qiuju to give her the medicine.

"Go down first, I'll come."

Qiuju had to leave.

Fang Jinxiu sat down at the edge of the bed, and Zhao Xingzhou felt this slight movement. His body hidden under the covers trembled slightly.

And then he ducked under the side of the bed.

Fang Jinxiu took in all of his little movements, feeling utterly helpless.

"Zhao Jiu Gongzi, at your age you're still afraid of taking medicine"

How could she have never known this guy was so cute before.

"Don't you understand that your body can't recover without medicine"

"Do you want to spend your life lying in bed like a useless cripple and be supported by me"

"Didn't you say you would protect everyone in Jinshi Mountain Villa from now on"

"What, you're already forgetting your promises"

The tactic of goading still worked on Zhao Xingzhou. As soon as she finished speaking, the blanket stirred, and after a while, Zhao Xingzhou showed his eyes. He just didn't have the face to look at Fang Jinxiu who had been staring sideways all this time.

He pointed at the table, "Put the medicine down. I...I will drink it."

"You go out."

Hearing this, Fang Jinshu couldn't help but laugh.

"Should I go out"

"This is my estate. You treat me like your maid on my own territory and you even dare to kick me out"

"No, I spent a lot of money to bring you two back! If you get disabled, wouldn't that be a huge loss for me!"

"A man should act like a man, don't hide in your shell like a turtle."

"I told you, I can definitely cure you. Don't you still believe in my medical skills"d as she began to eat breakfast. After finishing, she walked alone to the county office.All the guards at the gate knew her, and when they saw her coming, they immediately ushered her in."Miss Zong, p...