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Chapter 839: 839: Didn't Expect That, Did You? _1
Chapter 839: 839: Didn't Expect That, Did You? _1
Chapter 839: Chapter 839: Didn’t Expect That, Did You? _1
The Emperor seemed quite pleased with this Qiu Rong, laughing as he said, “Who would have thought that the boorish Qiu Qi could raise such a lovely daughter.”
Qiu Rong, confident and forthright, replied, “My features resemble my mother’s.”
“So, it is,” the Emperor chuckled, his gaze shifting to Jiang Ning, his face full of benevolence, “Princess Consort, you may take Qiu Rong back with you. Take care of her well.”
The imperial concubines were greatly shocked.
Did the Emperor just award Qiu Rong to the Crown Prince?
Was this still the same Emperor they knew, who couldn’t resist gathering all the beauties in the world?
The Empress, after her initial astonishment, chuckled inwardly.
The Princess Consort had it coming, with such power during the selection, she had just left such a beauty behind.
Did she not expect that this beauty was not favored by the Emperor, but was instead sent to the East Palace?
If the Crown Prince also fell for this woman, that would be a real spectacle.
The Empress immediately spoke, “Indeed, the Crown Prince needs more attendants.”
Since it was the Emperor’s decision, the concubines also chimed in agreement.
Only Concubine Yu remained silent, peering worriedly at Jiang Ning.
Despite their past animosity, since Jiang Ning helped her regain her child, she had grudging appreciation for her.
Jiang Ning caught the goodwill, returning her smile.
Before Concubine Yu could even speak, the voice of the beauty Qiu Rong pierced their ears.
“I only wish to serve the Emperor,” Qiu Rong declared confidently.
She… was defying the order!
In the middle of such a beauty pageant.
Everyone was struck dumb. Everyone except Jiang Ning.
Because she had anticipated this scene.
In fact, before the preliminary selection the previous day, she had accidentally overheard a conversation between Qiu Rong and Princess Ling’an.
The Princess Ling’an’s top priority was the Crown Prince, which had led to envy and a minor conflict with the most beautiful contender, Qiu Rong.
However, Qiu Rong promptly cleared the rift, explicitly stating she had no intentions of attending the Crown Prince.
She entered the palace for serving the Emperor only.
That had astonished the Princess Ling’an.
This seemed ordinary to Jiang Ning, who had seen this before.
Princess Zhenming was one such case. Having seen such a case, Jiang Ning felt no surprise at Qiu Rong’s statement.
Why these beautiful young girls would choose an older Emperor over the young and handsome Crown Prince was understandable.
The Emperor was already the Emperor, but the Crown Prince’s future was uncertain.
Especially with the arrival of the Prince of Zhao, the future was even more unclear.
Rather than waiting for the uncertain future, it made sense to seize the present opportunities.
It was practical.
And a wise decision.
Different people have different perspectives; it cannot be said which one is right and which one is wrong.
Therefore, when Jiang Ning heard Qiu Rong openly defying the order, her expression remained calm.
She even found a chance to give the Empress a suggestive smile.
Didn’t expect it, did you?
This trap was laid for you.
Once again, the Empress was chagrined.
However, she couldn’t believe that words said by the Emperor could be taken back.
Throughout the history of Great Sheng, an unsettled selection has never occurred, with a contestant openly defying the Emperor’s decision.
Would the Emperor be angry?
Everyone was waiting for the Emperor’s reaction.
The Emperor himself seemed a bit surprised, but he quickly laughed indulgently, “If you’re willing to serve me, then let’s fulfill your wish.”