"They're getting married when the geese return?!"

In the teahouse, Zhan Xinjia suddenly spat out a mouthful of tea, greatly shocked.

Sitting opposite her, Yan Xiyue calmly raised her sleeve and wiped her face.

"You could say that; it's practically a done deal."

Fu Shouan, who was just watching, was completely baffled.

"Holy crap, this is too sudden! How come we didn't hear a thing about His Highness the Crown Prince marrying the Crown Princess? Shouldn't this be a widely publicized announcement and a cause for celebration?"

Compared to the shock, melancholy, or confusion of the other three, Shen Suqing, sitting next to Zhan Xinjia, was clearly in a very pleasant mood.

He smiled and took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, handing it to Azhi beside him. After she wiped the water stains from her lips, he took the handkerchief back, folded it, and put it back into his sleeve. The whole process was smooth and effortless.

Even his tone of voice was perfectly gentle.

"It's only natural that the Crown Prince has reached the age where he should get married."

Regardless of what others thought, Yan Xiyue had a gloomy face and a worried expression. She rested her chin on one hand and sighed as she fiddled with the tea set on the table. Clearly, she did not approve of the marriage at all.

"Sigh, it's that Princess Liuyu from Nanjun! We killed her fiancé, who was like a black bear, and then her mother went crazy and insisted on giving Liuyu to my brother. The scariest thing is that Father didn't refuse."

Ryutama?!

Zhan Xinjia frowned upon hearing this.

“That shouldn’t be the case. Even if Princess Liuyu is the daughter of the Princess of Nanjun, she is still just a princess of a small country. How could she possibly become the Crown Princess of Dasheng?”

"If that young man with the ancient style ascends the throne in the future, does that mean she can also become the empress? And if her eldest son is half Great Sheng blood and half Southern County blood, wouldn't that be confusing my Great Sheng bloodline?"

"Oh dear, they didn't say they wanted to be the Crown Princess. They said they'd be happy with any concubine or something, they weren't picky."

Yan Xiyue poured herself a cup of tea, looking dejected and listless as she answered the question.

Zhan Xinjia was even more surprised.

"Your brother agreed?"

"How could that be! Forget about agreeing, my brother has been acting like a madman in the Eastern Palace these past few days. One minute he's threatening to set the house on fire, the next he's threatening to hang himself, and then he keeps saying how tragic it is that he shouldn't be in the court but should be wandering the martial world..."

But it was no use. My father sent eight hundred elite soldiers to guard him, and seven or eight of the dog holes were blocked up.

"..."

It's not really easy for Zhan Xinjia to say anything about this. After all, Yan Huishi was just a close friend of hers, and her marriage was none of her business. She had no right or position to interfere.

Moreover, when Yan Hui returned, he was the crown prince of a country, nearing the age of twenty, yet still a single man on the roadside. In contrast, the crown prince of another country at his age would already have sons and daughters who could run and jump.

It's really a bit embarrassing to say it out loud...

But also because he was one of her best friends, if he really didn't want to marry Liuyu, she would have to rack her brains to come up with a bad idea for him out of their sixteen years of friendship.

Moreover, thinking in a darker light, Zhan Xinjia vaguely felt that the Emperor might have secretly reached some kind of agreement with the Southern Kingdom.

For example, selling your precious son to get a secret weapon recipe in return.

After much deliberation, Zhan Xinjia decided to wait and see how things went. At least for the time being, there was nothing she could do but wait and see what Yan Huishi would do.

"Didn't your brother think of a way to save himself?"

When asked about this, Yan Xiyue was taken aback. Her face turned slightly red, but it wasn't the shy blush of a young girl in love; rather, it was the embarrassment of someone who had done something stupid and was too ashamed to show their face.

She looked at her younger sister with a complicated expression, as if she was hesitating and making a decision. Then, she glanced at the harmless, frail young man next to her sister, and finally looked back at her, forcing out a strange reminder from her throat.

"Well, if my brother writes letters to harass you these next few days, just burn them like trash. And he's responsible for everything he does; it has nothing to do with me. I'm innocent, okay..."

I don't understand this letter. Why would you bother me with a letter when the geese have returned?

I'm not his father, and I can't control his marriage.

On her way home, Zhan Xinjia was puzzled as she thought this, but she soon found the answer—

——

The Eastern Palace, the study.

The cicadas chirping outside the window were annoying, and the sunlight was dazzling.

He put down his pen, and in a fit of frustration, Yan Hui crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it on the ground. Upon closer inspection, several ruined pieces of paper had already piled up under his desk and on the floor by the door.

Rubbing her aching temples, Yan Hui felt somewhat discouraged.

"Could Mother be lying to me...? Something feels off... This is just too ridiculous!"

Upon seeing this, the old eunuch who was serving the brush and ink immediately ran to the door to pick up the crumpled paper that his master had just thrown away. He greeted him with a smile on his white, beardless face.

"How could that be? Her Majesty the Empress said that she had asked Miss Zhan what kind of young man she liked when she was young. At that time, Miss Zhan clearly answered that she liked a refined scholar. This old servant heard it clearly! There is absolutely no way she could be wrong!"

Oh, Your Highness~~~

Don't worry, the Emperor said that as long as you have the ability to bring back a Crown Princess yourself, he won't force you to marry Princess Liuyu.

Miss Zhan wasn't interested in you before because you weren't refined enough! Let's step up our efforts immediately!! We'll definitely win her over!!!

As he spoke, the old eunuch chuckled, smoothed out the crumpled piece of paper he had picked up, and handed it to his master with a fawning expression. He then observantly bent down and went to the side to help his master grind ink.

As he ground the object, the old eunuch couldn't help but let out a strange, creaking laugh.

Although something felt off, I managed to regain some confidence when the geese returned.

Looking at the paper and pen laid out in front of him, he felt uneasy.

Are you sure your daughter will really like this?

The old eunuch gave him a straight thumbs-up, praising him highly!

"It's all taken care of! Your Highness, rest assured, no young lady could refuse such a love letter."

It contains both a domineering spirit and tender affection, moving heaven and earth and penetrating the heart. Even this old servant was moved to tears upon reading it. This letter, if sent to Miss Zhan, will surely win her heart!

With the old eunuch's assurance and the Empress Dowager's confident expression, Yan Huishi immediately began to write with great inspiration.

——

End of July.

This is almost the hottest time of the year, with waves of heat surging in the air that can easily make people sweat.

The trees were still with their green leaves, motionless due to the lack of wind. The sticky heat day and night made people feel listless and lethargic all day long. Only the noisy cicadas remained, hiding among the branches and chirping monotonously.

At that time, Zhan Xinjia was resting by the window in the study, enjoying the cool air. There were two basins of ice in the room, which barely managed to dispel some of the heat.

The blinding sunlight streamed through the bamboo blinds and fell on the windowsill. Zhan Xinjia lazily shifted to the side, her gaze drifting to the young man behind the desk in the distance, who was working on the homework of the students at the Imperial Academy.

He sat upright, pen in hand, wrist suspended, eyes lowered, serious and meticulous.

Even in a simple white satin robe with a grayish-blue front opening, her beautiful appearance and elegant demeanor could not be concealed.

What Zhan Xinjia found most strange was that even Jide was panting from the heat, but Master Shen sat there all afternoon without feeling hot at all. He didn't sweat at all, and his buttons were all neatly fastened.

But it must be said that Ms. Shen does look more beautiful when she is working seriously than usual.

Lost in these random thoughts, I was suddenly pecked twice at the windowsill, "tap tap."

She got up and looked out the window to find a plump white dove flying in. It tilted its head, had round, black bean-like eyes, and a fluffy, orange-red beak. It looked very polite.

A small letterbox was also tied to its leg.