Chapter 315 – Princess Furong

“A’Yi was supposed to come today. But the emperor said that he had fallen behind in many of his lessons, so he had to go to the imperial study,” Empress Dowager said with a smile.

That is so wonderful! Ye Zhen thought happily in her heart. She was worried that Mo Rongzhan would come to Baihua Garden today. Apparently, he would not be able to it seems.

“Little Prince is not around to accompany Her Imperial Highness, but there is me.” Ye Zhen intimately took the empress dowager’s arm. “Empress Dowager, let’s go enjoy the flowers. I just had a look and I saw that this year’s flowers have grown so pretty.”

“They are pretty, indeed.” The empress dowager smiled and nodded, and was led out of the waterside pavilion by Ye Zhen.

Old Madam Lu followed the empress dowager, laughing and talking all the way to enjoy all kinds of exotic flowers and plants in the garden.

After a while, the empress dowager unwittingly brought the topic back on Lu Yaoyao. “Over the years, the only regret Aijia has is having no daughter. In the past, when A’Yi was a child, there were many disasters. After he met Yaoyao, he averted many a disaster. Last time, I asked Mr. Chen to divinate for him, he said that he had escaped the catastrophe—”

As she listened on, Old Madam Lu was a little frightened. Empress Dowager doesn’t want to marry Yaoyao to the little prince, does she?

That’s absolutely not OK! How old is the little prince?

The empress dowager was oblivious to the unease in the old matriarch’s heart at this time. She sighed, and said, “If only Yaoyao could be Aijia’s daughter… .”

Old Madam Lu looked at the other in surprise. “Empress Dowager, what do you mean?”

Ye Zhen was dumbfounded as well. She wants me … treat me like a daughter?

All this time, Xu Huiru’s heart was on tenterhooks, afraid that Lu Yaoyao would enter the palace. Previously, there was a Ye Zhen who she couldn’t match up to. Now, if Lu Yaoyao … At this rate, she was afraid she would never get the emperor’s heart.

“Aijia wants to make Yaoyao a princess,” the empress dowager said in a low voice.

If Old Madam Lu had not controlled her emotions … she almost screamed out. “Empress Dowager, this… How can Yaoyao have such a blessing? You must not.”

“Why not?” the empress dowager countered and said with a smile, “Aijia loves her. It is not about happiness, it is about fate. Aijia believes Yaoyao is brought here by fate.“

Xu Huiru quirked up her eyebrows and said with a gentle smile, “What Empress Dowager means is, if there is no fate, how could Miss Lu save the little prince time and again, and get along with you like this.”

Old Madam Lu turned to Ye Zhen for she was too surprised to speak and wanted an opinion. But only when she saw the equally dumbfounded face of her granddaughter did she realize she too did not know of the empress dowager’s plan in advance. She quickly schooled her feelings, and said, “Your Imperial Highness speaks highly of Yaoyao.”

“Aijia hopes to have a daughter like Yaoyao but doesn’t know if Yaoyao wants to have Aijia as her mother….” the empress dowager said with a smile.

Although her heart would prefer Yaoyao to be a daughter-in-law, considering the many problems underlying that arrangement, she felt that it was not as good as being a daughter. However, if Yaoyao was interested in the emperor … She wouldn’t force it.

Ye Zhen was still a little dazed. It all felt surreal … she had never thought she would become a princess one day. This was different from being bestowed the title ‘Princess of Commandery’*. If she were a princess, even if she were not an imperial physician in the future, she could still come and go in the palace as pleased. She reckoned this way it would be easier to accomplish her goal than being a female medical officer.

[*This was the title Empress Dowager offered to YZ but she declined]

It’s much better than being a ‘Princess of Commandery’. She saw no reason in turning it down.

The biggest advantage … was that she could break away from the threat of Mo Rongzhan. If she became a princess, how could he brazenly do such things to her? After all, in name, she was his sister.

Ah, she would love that!

The empress dowager mistook Ye Zhen’s silence for hesitation. She smiled and said, “If you don’t want to, Aijia won’t force you.”

“Your Imperial Highness… .” Ye Zhen choked at her words. How could she not want to? Regardless of who she was, the Ye Zhen before or the Lu Yaoyao now, the empress dowager had always loved her dearly. She just didn’t know how to repay this woman’s benevolence.

Now, even Old Madam Lu was afraid her granddaughter would refuse. After all, if there were another princess in the Lu Family, there would be nothing to worry about.

“What’s the matter?” The empress dowager looked at her with a smile.

Ye Zhen resisted the impulse to rush into the empress dowager’s arms. “I don’t know how many people want to be your daughter. How can I be reluctant? I’m afraid… Yaoyao will fail to live up to Your Imperial Highness’s love and disappoint her in the future.”

The empress dowager lovingly touched her head. “The little princess* of Aijia, how can I be disappointed?”

[Little princes aka spoiled child/girl, in a good way.]

Xu Huiru wasted not a breath and immediately knelt down to congratulate. “Congratulations to Empress Dowager. We will have a princess in the state of Jin.” If Lu Yaoyao becomes a princess, she will never be a concubine.

Old Madam Lu nodded with a smile. In this way, Shuang’er should be really relieved. Yaoyao shall become a princess, and that is an emperor’s sister.

The empress dowager was in a great mood, holding Ye Zhen’s hand, she said, “Aijia has already thought about it. Later, you shall be Jin Country’s Princess Furong*.”