Chapter 78: Mother is actually so attentive to other people's marriage

As he walked out the door, Lin Jiaojiao followed him quickly with the prescription, "Your Majesty, your prescription!"

"Good, I will accept this prescription, and I will have Imperial Physician Chen look at it later, and then hand it to the Imperial Kitchen to boil." Qin Yuan folded the prescription and tucked it into his bosom.

But when he looked up again, he saw that Lin Jiaojiao didn't mean to walk away, and there was even a trace of expectation in her eyes.

Qin Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Miss Lin, is there anything else?"

"Uh," Lin Jiaojiao hesitated for a moment, but still spoke her mind, "My child is currently living in the General Mansion, I would like to..."

"You are missing your child, right?" The Empress Dowager interjected, "Send a message and let General Lu send someone to bring the child into the palace."

"In addition, Song Shijie is your future husband. If his letter contains anything related to Miss Lin, you might as well let Miss Lin see it."

When the Empress Dowager said this, she placed a white piece on the chessboard before raising her eyes to look at Qin Yuan.

"Miss Lin has an engagement with Song Shijie, and Song Shijie's mother Cheng Runiang is my bosom friend of many years. Since Runiang thinks highly of Miss Lin as a daughter-in-law, then I, looking at the friendship of many years, naturally want to facilitate their marriage."

Although the Empress Dowager was old, her eyes were clear, and she was Qin Yuan's mother. How could she not see the feelings her own son had for Lin Jiaojiao?

The look Qin Yuan gave Lin Jiaojiao today was clearly the look of a man looking at a woman, almost pulling silk.

It was just that Lin Jiaojiao was like a body that blocked fate, not only not feeling the feelings in Qin Yuan's eyes, but also thinking about other things.

That's fine, Lin Jiaojiao still had the suspicion of being the daughter of a criminal minister.

Moreover, she was a woman who had given birth to a child with someone else. If the Emperor married her into the Inner Palace, how should the child be dealt with?

If it spread, everyone would know that a woman who had been married could enter the court as a concubine, wouldn't that make all the married women in the world want to enter the palace for selection?

Ridiculous! If Qin Yuan really married Lin Jiaojiao into the Inner Palace, that would be the laughingstock of the whole world!

Fortunately, Lin Jiaojiao didn't seem to have any interest in her own dull Imperial son, and she had an engagement with the Song family. What she, the Empress Dowager, had to do next was to facilitate this marriage, so that Qin Yuan could give up early.

If she let her keep the child by her side, every time Qin Yuan saw Lin Jiaojiao, he would see her with a child by her side.

Even though this child was not Lin Jiaojiao's own flesh and blood, it could remind Qin Yuan at any time: this woman had been married. Perhaps this could make him give up on her.

After all, what man would want to see the woman he likes raising someone else's child with all his heart?

Qin Yuan looked at his mother, naturally knowing why the Empress Dowager said such things.

He smiled and replied, "Mother is actually so attentive to other people's marriage."

But how could he be willing to let Lin Jiaojiao marry Song Shijie!

Since ancient times, there have been emperors who married the divorced wives of others, just giving them a new identity and marrying them into the Inner Palace as concubines. What is wrong with that!

"I am equally concerned about your establishment of an Empress, Yuan'er." Xiao Taihou asked with a smile, "Yuan'er, although you have already established a Crown Prince, the position of Empress ultimately cannot remain vacant."

Qin Yuan's expression froze. What he never expected was that besides the ministers in the court urging the establishment of an Empress, even his own mother was concerned about it!

Before he could speak, Xiao Taihou struck while the iron was hot, urging with a loving tone, "Yuan'er, after the Mid-Autumn banquet, you still need to set the date for the selection quickly, so that some newcomers can enter the Inner Palace in the spring."

"I still need to see more lively and charming newcomers."

"Furthermore, more children are good. I am old, and I should enjoy the happiness of having children and grandchildren around."

Qin Yuan was speechless for a moment, and what he met was his mother's earnest gaze with a trace of expectation!

The Empress Dowager's words were earnest, and Qin Yuan could not refute, so he could only respond absent-mindedly, "I know, after the Mid-Autumn banquet, I will order the Ministry of Rites to arrange the relevant selection matters."

Lin Jiaojiao, standing on the side, had seen enough of the Imperial family's excitement!

Originally, they were discussing her marriage, but before she could explain that Song Shijie and she were going to cancel the engagement, the topic turned directly to the Emperor!

Good heavens! Lin Jiaojiao exclaimed in her heart, the Empress Dowager is worthy of being the Empress Dowager!

No matter what the topic was, she could change the subject and then remind the Emperor!

Although Lin Jiaojiao had heard Qingdai talk about some things in the Inner Palace privately, she was also deeply puzzled about the Emperor not establishing an Empress!

Now that the Crown Prince had been established, wouldn't it be fine to directly establish the Crown Prince's birth mother, Imperial Concubine Ning, as the Empress!

Why make the Empress Dowager so worried!

At this time, Eunuch Gao, standing outside the door, broke the silence and urged, "Your Majesty, General Lu has been waiting in the Yangxin Hall for a long time—"

Qin Yuan bowed to the Empress Dowager again: "Mother, I am going to handle official business, and I will come back another day to accompany you for dinner."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand lightly, looking at Qin Yuan with a smile: "Go, don't forget to take Miss Lin."

Then she turned to Lin Jiaojiao and said kindly: "After your child is brought into the palace and settled, don't forget to bring the child to the Shoukang Palace to accompany me."

Lin Jiaojiao thought that she would be able to see her child soon, and following Qin Yuan to the Yangxin Hall, she would also be able to see Lu Zhenting, and her heart was jumping like a little deer.

She knelt and kowtowed to the Empress Dowager to thank her, "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for fulfilling our mother and child."

Qin Yuan nodded to Lin Jiaojiao, "Good, then you follow me to the Yangxin Hall and wait. After General Lu finishes talking about the important matter with me, I will have him bring the child into the palace to see you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Lin Jiaojiao heard this, turned and kowtowed to Qin Yuan to thank him, and then followed behind the Emperor, walking out of the Shoukang Palace together.

Under the night curtain, a crescent moon rose in the sky, and Eunuch Gao held a lamp and walked in front to lead the way.

Lin Jiaojiao followed behind Qin Yuan. As she walked, Lin Jiaojiao suddenly kicked a protruding stone slab and stumbled directly into Qin Yuan!

Qin Yuan was bumped, but fortunately, he stood as steady as a pine and didn't fall.

At the same time, he turned around and reached out to support Lin Jiaojiao's waist to prevent her from falling!

In an instant, a pair of long, narrow black eyes met a pair of dark brown apricot eyes!

Lin Jiaojiao saw the flickering candlelight reflected in Qin Yuan's black eyes...

Qin Yuan's eyes were not right! Very wrong!

She felt a great sense of foreboding in her heart!

Lin Jiaojiao was so scared that she hurriedly stepped back, flashed away lightly, and after retreating from Qin Yuan's support, immediately knelt down to salute and apologize, "This commoner stumbled carelessly, I sincerely apologize, and hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"

Qin Yuan's movements stiffened. He had never thought that a woman would be so distant from him!

He used a smile to cover the bitterness in his heart and signaled her to get up: "How could I blame you?"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" Lin Jiaojiao rose from the ground, yet she still did not raise her eyes to look directly at Qin Yuan.

Eunuch Gao, walking in front, stopped his steps and, upon seeing Lin Jiaojiao's demeanor, couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly: This Lin Guniang is truly a piece of rotten wood that cannot be carved!

The Emperor has already gone to such lengths, yet she still doesn't know how to be sensible and throw herself into the Emperor's embrace sooner!