Chapter 81 The Absurd Imperial Marriage "No...no! I don't want to..."

"No...no! I don't want to..."

She struggled desperately, but her limbs had already been restrained by someone with foresight.

His cold and indifferent eyes slowly softened, and I wondered what he was dreaming about this time.

Why did she struggle so much when all I was doing was giving her some warm water?

The man put down the water glass and picked her up again.

Qi Fan was tall and strong; his soft body was too big to be fully embraced, but once he touched her, he couldn't bear to let go.

"Like a furnace, did it burn your brain?"

The man frowned, muttering to himself as he touched her forehead again; her temperature was not noticeably higher than before.

"In all my years, I have never seen anyone who has caused as much trouble as you."

He gently patted Jiang Zhuoying's back until her hazy peach blossom eyes slowly opened, half-awake.

The man paused, glancing at her dismissively, his voice indifferent: "Awake?"

Jiang Zhuoying tilted her head back, and a light slowly appeared in her eyes.

Her voice was hoarse and dry: "You are..."

"Now that you're awake, drink some water first." The man interrupted her coldly, stretching out his long arm and casually bringing back the glass of warm water from before.

As the cup touched his lips, the little girl's amber eyes flickered slightly, and Qi Fan immediately felt a sense of unease.

The next instant, her lips parted, and her tiger's mouth was bitten hard.

The man closed his eyes, veins throbbing on his forehead, his face suddenly turning dark: "Give in."

Jiang Zhuoying bit hard. She was convinced that this man was lying to her, and she wanted to bite him until he stopped having all his bad intentions!

When she finally opened her mouth, I could already smell a hint of blood in her throat.

Qi Fan exhaled a breath of stale air, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. He glanced down and realized the bite was quite firm.

However... the teeth marks were fairly neat.

Not a drop of warm water was wasted, but the girl had closed her brown eyes again, and it was unclear whether she had fallen asleep or fainted again.

...

After tossing and turning for most of the night, Jiang Zhuoying woke up at noon the next day.

As soon as there was any movement, Xiangyue poked her head in and asked, "Miss, are you up?"

Jiang Zhuoying slowly propped herself up, not fully awake yet, only vaguely remembering having a bizarre dream last night.

In the dream, both the second and third princes were present, and the events that occurred were extremely bizarre...

"Young lady? If you're awake, shall we leave after we've had our meal?"

Jiang Zhuoying turned her head, her tone somewhat surprised: "Leave?"

Xiangyue nodded, and as she walked inside to fold up the bed curtains, she whispered, "Yes, someone came to inform you this morning that Miss can leave at any time."

"I have already gone to check. The gate to the courtyard is open, and Wujiu has woken up. However, it is best to carry him around because of his injuries."

Jiang Zhuoying shook her head. They were just letting her leave like that?

She took Xiangyue's hand: "Has anyone told you who owns this courtyard?"

Xiangyue gently shook her head.

"Alright, let's hurry up and pack up. We need to get back to the Duke's mansion immediately. Who knows what might happen if we stay out all night?"

They let her stay there unharmed for one night and then let her leave.

This matter seems very strange; I must hurry back to the manor to investigate.

Hearing her words, Xiangyue panicked, nodded, and turned to inform Xiangxing and the others.

Since Wu Jiu was unable to move around easily, Jiang Zhuoying, accompanied by Xiang Yue, returned to the mansion ahead of time.

As for Xiangxing, he will stay here for the time being to take care of Wujiu, and wait for Jiang Zhuoying to send someone to pick him up later.

She had prepared herself for being questioned and condemned, and had also prepared several reasons for not returning home at night.

Can……

What's going on with this scene?

Steward Zhang, who served her grandfather, was actually waiting at the door to greet her...

Jiang Zhuoying walked slowly, and Zhang Li led the way with a smile: "The Duke is waiting for you. If it's convenient for you, Miss, you can walk faster."

The girl felt a little uneasy; the situation was truly perplexing. She had just asked Manager Zhang, but he only smiled and remained silent.

It seems I'll only know the reason after meeting my grandfather.

After an incense stick had burned, Jiang Zhuoying arrived at Ninghui Hall, where she froze on the spot, holding the bright yellow imperial edict in both hands.

A marriage arranged by imperial decree?

And he even betrothed her to the crown prince?

The girl's peach blossom eyes widened, her oval face filled with astonishment.

"Has Ah Zhuo seen it clearly?"

A voice, both aged and authoritative, came from ahead.

Jiang Zhuoying suddenly looked up: "Grandfather, do you know who the Crown Prince mentioned in this imperial edict is?"

She held the imperial edict and read it carefully several times. It only said that she was a suitable match for the Crown Prince and ordered her to marry on the sixteenth of August...

The girl blinked, then rubbed her eyes. "Grandfather... this imperial edict can't be fake, can it?"

Where would such a hastily issued imperial edict come from?

August 16th, how many days has it been?

It's absurd that they didn't even mention the crown prince's name.

"shut up!"

The old Duke slapped the crescent-shaped armrest beside him, and coughed a few times in his anger. Steward Zhang, who was beside him, handed him a handkerchief.

Jiang Zhuoying immediately shut her mouth, obediently closed the imperial edict, put it back in its original place, and then ran to Jiang Yun's side to coax him.

"Grandfather, please don't be alarmed. What A-Zhuo said just now was all nonsense."

Jiang Yun glanced at her sideways, wiped the corner of his mouth, and slowly opened his mouth.

“The imperial edict came at just the right time. You went to take a look, and Liu Li arrived with the edict right afterward.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "I originally wanted you to marry Lord Xiao, but... in the end, it didn't happen."

Jiang Zhuoying frowned upon hearing this: "Then do you know who the Crown Prince mentioned in this imperial edict is?"

The girl's hands, hanging at her sides, were clenched into fists, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Is it the Second Prince? Or the Third Prince?" she asked softly, with a hint of anticipation that she herself was unaware of.

The old Duke paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "The edict establishing the heir has not yet been proclaimed to the world, so naturally it cannot be known to anyone."

No matter how he tried to probe indirectly, Liu Li remained tight-lipped.

How could this be?

Jiang Zhuoying felt even more panicked. How could such a thing happen in the world?

"Then why has the imperial edict to bestow a marriage arrived before the edict to establish a crown prince has even been issued?"

The girl's voice was strained, and disbelief flickered in her eyes.

"Ah Zhuo." The powerful and deep voice commanded respect without anger.

The old duke glanced at her and sternly reminded her, "What about your manners?"

The girl paused for a moment, then slowly lowered her head.

Jiang Yun said earnestly, "Given your personality, if you had married Lord Xiao, your grandfather could have helped you a bit while he was alive, but things have come to this..."

"From now on, A-Zhuo will have to rely on herself more."

Jiang Zhuoying kept her head down, her eyes instantly reddening, and the sound of coughing continued to ring in her ears...

"Cough cough cough... Sit down."

The girl slowly sat down, keeping her head down and not daring to look up.

Jiang Yun glanced at Zhang Li beside him, who dismissed all the servants in the room and gently closed the door.

“This marriage has come too soon. Your grandfather has something to tell you.”

Jiang Zhuoying nodded gently: "Grandfather, please speak."

"Our Duke's mansion is already involved with the Imperial Concubine's affair. Your aunt has been missing since she entered the Ministry of Justice, and now, at this time, she has bestowed this marriage upon you..."

Jiang Yun's tone was slightly serious: "Have you ever had any dealings with any prince?"

Jiang Zhuoying froze. She... they had a history with each other.

And it was all because she had severely offended the other party...

Seeing her expression, Jiang Yun already knew what was going on.

He gently advised, "Since things have come to this, you can only go with the flow. You have no fate with Xiao Wei, so there's no need to persist."

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

She understood the reasoning, but she had just decided yesterday that she would agree to his proposal if nothing unexpected happened.

"The imperial decree has been issued and cannot be changed. Regardless of who the crown prince is, your status has already been determined."

The girl unconsciously crumpled the skirt in her hands into a ball.

"The position of crown prince has been vacant for decades. Whoever wins in the end, this person is definitely not simple. You... should restrain your temper."

Jiang Zhuoying kept her head down and did not respond immediately.

She knew that no matter who the crown prince was, she would not have a good outcome.

You can't lie about your feelings. Only now does she realize that she truly favors Qi Fan.

If only it were him...

The imperial edict was really unsettling her. If the Third Prince became the Crown Prince, then the Consort's faction might be fine, and Zhao might even be exonerated.

And then there's Qi Fan... The struggle for the crown prince has always been extremely cruel throughout history. Will he still be alive?

"And then there's the matter of your father."

Jiang Zhuoying was suddenly startled, and she raised her head abruptly, her voice trembling: "Father?"

When she met that aged face that bore a striking resemblance to her father, her breath hitched slightly: "Grandfather, Father..."

"He is indeed still alive."

Jiang Zhuoying clenched her fists tightly. Without blinking, she spoke quickly: "Grandfather, you found him? What about Chengyun? Is Chengyun still alive? I know..."

She already knew from Qi Fan that her father was still alive, but the people she had sent out had not yet returned. However, since her grandfather could say this, it proved that he must have found him!

Jiang Yun nodded slightly, her tone a little somber, tinged with helplessness: "The time isn't right yet. I originally planned to tell you when Zheng'er returned to the manor..."

"Zheng'er and Chengyun are already on their way back to Luoyang. No one knows about this. You must keep this to yourself."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded without hesitation, her peach blossom eyes already red, and large tears fell uncontrollably one after another.

"I know, I know everything..."

She was quick-witted, and after a moment's thought, she understood immediately.

"Grandfather, is it because of this that you are in such a hurry to arrange my marriage?"

My father, as the commander-in-chief, suffered a defeat and should have been punished, but the Emperor, considering that his fate was unknown, did not punish him.

Although his fate was unknown, there were countless corpses on the battlefield, and most people in the court, including the emperor, believed that his father had died in battle.

Now it's suddenly back...

"The Emperor's heart is unpredictable; it's a good thing that your marriage is settled sooner rather than later."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded repeatedly. It's good that she's back, it's good that she's back, but Zhao Shi, who killed her mother, has not yet been brought to justice...

As the young girl emerged from Ninghui Hall, she clutched the farmland and shops—her dowry—that her grandfather had left her, hidden in her sleeve. Xiangyue and Xiangxing, upon seeing her, immediately gathered around her.

Jiang Zhuoying turned her head: "Xiangxing? Why aren't you going to Wujiu's place?"

“He is resting in his room now. Although it takes him some effort to walk, it doesn’t bother him.”

Xiangxing was telling the truth. Wujiu was resting in the house and had nothing to do, except go to the outhouse to relieve himself.

Even if she were there, she couldn't help with something like this.

Jiang Zhuoying nodded, then turned and gave another instruction.