After Lin Ying's case was settled, the Lin family was not affected at all, but the Wu family was implicated instead. This should have been a cause for celebration.

  Just as the Lin family was about to rejoice, news came from the Eastern Palace that the Crown Prince had fallen ill.

  He's just ill, after all. The prince merely caught a chill and it's nothing serious. Although the Lin family is worried, they're not overly alarmed.

  But what's strange is that in the palace, Empress Cui took care of the Crown Prince on imperial orders. After the Crown Prince recovered from his illness, he actually burst into loud sobs in front of Empress Cui and said emotionally: "When Mother Cui was taking care of me by my side, I thought I saw my mother. From now on, I will treat Mother Cui as my mother..."

  This news spread outside the palace, and everyone was at a loss for words. Then they looked at the Lin family with a complex gaze.

  This remark, made at the moment when Lin's daughter is about to become the empress, leaves too many things open to speculation. At least it shows that the crown prince is not so welcoming of Lin He becoming the empress. Going deeper, is it that the crown prince has had a falling out with the Lin family and no longer wants to rely on them but instead wants to rely on the power of the Cui family?

  Like the Lin family, which guarded the northwest, the Cui family of Bohai was also a military general's family that guarded the east. The Lin family was the protective wall of the northwest, and with the Lin family present, the Hu people did not dare to invade. The Cui family was the barrier along the eastern coast, and with the Cui family present, the Japanese pirates did not dare to land. The Lin family had military power, and the Cui family also had it. The Lin family produced an empress, while the Cui family produced a virtuous concubine of the first rank.

  Mr. Li was also shocked when he heard this, and angrily pounded the table: "What is the prince doing? He usually looks quite clever, how can he say such nonsense. Doesn't he understand that we went to great lengths to make Yuanyuan the empress, who it was all for."

  Lin Yong and Lin Ying also furrowed their brows deeply, especially Lin Ying, whose two eyebrows were almost wrinkled to the top of her forehead.

  Mr. Qi turned his head to look at Mrs. Zhuang, only to see her pale face, moving her lips, wanting to say something, but ultimately clenched her fist and endured without speaking.

  Qī's heart felt a pang of sympathy, and he turned his head to look at Lín Xiǎo. Lín Xiǎo, however, still had a gentle expression on her face with a faint smile that was often seen, as if this matter had not affected her in any way.

  Mr. Qi thought to himself, this kid can indeed remain calm under pressure.

  Dong Shi also furrowed her brow at this time and opened her mouth to say: "You guys think, could it be that Cui Xianfei and the Cui family want......"

  Lin Yong shook his head and said, "I don't think so. I heard that when Crown Prince said those words, Empress Cui was also very shocked, and the next day she asked the Emperor to let her go to Ci'an Palace to accompany Empress Dowager Cui. Besides, Third Prince has a disability, even if Empress Cui becomes the empress again, what can she do? Can she still push Third Prince onto the throne? That would be offending our Lin family. Our Lin family and Cui family have always been like well water not interfering with river water, I don't think Cui family would want to be enemies with our Lin family either."

  Dong Shi said: "I'm just afraid that Your Highness is young and vigorous, but not yet mature in mind, and since you often have no one by your side to offer guidance, you might be misled by those with ulterior motives."

  Li also has such concerns.

  This made her even more determined to let Yuan go and take the throne. Whether it was to stabilize the position of the crown prince or to prevent the prince from becoming estranged from the Lin family, there should be a member of the Lin family in the palace.

  Lin Yingdao said, "Anyway, let's just see the emperor's attitude. As for Your Highness..." He really didn't know what to say about this nephew of his who had suddenly turned against his own family. If he were born into an ordinary family without the distinction between ruler and subject, he would have really wanted to pull him over and give him a good scolding.

  My daughter is in no way inferior to you... as a stepmother, and he didn't even mind that your father is old.

  Despite all sorts of turmoil, the royal naming ceremony after birth went ahead as scheduled.

  The procedure for asking names and the procedure for offering sacrifices are no different, still with Ta Wei Song as the chief envoy and Zong Zheng Si Gong Tan as the deputy envoy.

  "This time, the imperial edict reads: 'We, the Duke of Wu State, of the Lin family, in harmony with heaven and earth, assisting the heavens and governing all things, properly positioned within, must await the noble clan. Reviving old rituals, we now dispatch the Envoy Holding the Imperial Edict, Taifu Song Mou, and the Minister of Rites, Tan Mou, to inquire about your name with propriety.'"

  "Lin Ying received the imperial edict, and replied: 'The Emperor's gracious command has been proclaimed to me by the envoy. I am asked about my name and clan. I was born of my parents, a descendant of the late General Lin Ci, a great-grandson of the late Grand Tutor Lin Xing, a grandson of the late Minister of War Lin Ye, and an outside granddaughter of the late Commander-in-Chief Lin Yue. I am fourteen years old. In accordance with ancient tradition, I respectfully obey the imperial edict.' Lin Ying, Commander-in-Chief of Shaanxi, kowtowed twice and bowed again to receive the imperial decree."

  Thus, two of the Six Rites have been completed.

  After the envoy left, Lin Ying stood up and looked at her daughter beside her, gently patted her shoulder, let out a soft sigh, and then said nothing.

  The next day after asking for her name, the aunt from the palace who taught Lin Xi about etiquette also came.

  But Lin Xiao was still greatly surprised when she saw the person coming.

  It was not someone else who came, but Mu Qing, who had served Lin Xiang in the past. Lin Xiao remembered this person who followed her aunt Lin Xiang's side, almost inseparable, very loyal to Lin Xiang and also very trusted by Lin Xiang.

  She still remembered when she was little, she had brought her pastries. When she was young, she played with the prince in the palace, and at that time, the prince was just a mischievous young prince who loved to play in the mud. The palace maids would always follow behind them, nagging "Your Highness, be careful not to get hurt... Miss, please advise His Highness, he listens to you the most..."

  But Mu Qing was never like others, she wouldn't persuade the prince to behave himself, she would only send a plate of pastries when they came back tired from playing. She still remembered the taste of her chestnut cake, soft and fluffy, very delicious.

  Mu Qing didn't seem as surprised as Lin Yao, looking at her with gentle and kind eyes, smiling softly: "Cousin Miss, it's been many years since we last met?"

  "How could it be you?"

  She also thought that after her aunt passed away, Mu Qing would serve by the crown prince's side and help take care of him.

  Mu Qing seemed to know what was on her mind and explained, "It was the slave who took the initiative to ask the emperor to come and serve Miss."

  "What about the crown prince?"

  Mu Qing replied: "When the immortals left one after another, they did not instruct me to take care of the prince."

  Seeing Lin Xuan's puzzled face, Mu Qing continued: "Before passing away, he told me to be loyal and devoted to the next master."

  So, it can be said that when Auntie passed away, she already knew that the Lin family would send another girl to the palace as a concubine. Or rather, sending another Lin family girl into the palace was originally something that had been discussed and agreed upon by Auntie and her parents.

  But Lin Yi still didn't understand, even if Auntie knew that the ones entering the palace later would be her sisters or nieces, they couldn't compare to her own born crown prince. Mu Qing was the person Auntie trusted the most, shouldn't she have been arranged to protect the crown prince by his side?

  Mu Qing's eyebrows drooped slightly as she smiled faintly, not saying a word. Perhaps Miss Bao couldn't understand, but having served by her side for over a decade, Mu Qing could see through every thought of hers at a glance, just like how Miss Bao could also see through hers in an instant.

  Later on, although there was an agreement between Lin's family and the Emperor that they would choose another girl to enter the palace to protect the Crown Prince after Lin's departure, no specific candidate had been decided at that time.

  But earlier and later she said: "In the future, those who enter the palace must be Yuanyuan, because in Lin's family, only I can do a good job as an empress, except for me, there is only Yuanyuan."