The old emperor frowned. Although the fourth prince had saved him on the day of the palace coup, he no longer disliked him as much as before.

But as soon as he saw his face, he would be reminded of Consort Duan's identity as a princess of the previous dynasty, and then of the concubine who had been released and who was plotting to overthrow the Great Zhou Dynasty. He felt very disgusted.

Just as he was about to say he wouldn't see her, Zhu Dan said, "Father, Fourth Brother must have something important to discuss with you. Why don't you let her in?"

The old emperor looked at his beloved son, Zhu Dan, who smiled slightly at him. The old emperor relaxed his brows and waved his hand, and Zhang Zhongwei went out to summon people.

Lu Xiaoyun was somewhat surprised to see Zhu Dan when she came in. She thought that at this time, Zhu Dan should be in the Imperial Study, reviewing memorials or meeting with ministers, so why was he in Zhaoyang Palace?

Zhu Dan stared at her intently, the glaring number -8000 on his right thumb ring making his eyes hurt.

"What brings you to see me? Why have you remained silent for so long?" The old emperor glanced at Lu Xiaoyun indifferently.

Lu Xiaoyun came to her senses and bowed to the old emperor and Zhu Dan.

Zhu Dan smiled slightly and nodded to her: "Fourth Brother."

Lu Xiaoyun knelt down before the old emperor, lifting her robe: "Father, I wish to marry Miss Lu Xiaoyun of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Please grant me your permission."

"Bang!" A heavy hand slammed onto the table in front of the old emperor.

"Zhu Yu, do you think marriage is a child's play? We got married last December and divorced a month later. How long has it been since then, and you want to marry her again? Do you think this is a joke?" The old emperor was furious.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Dan's face turned pale. He stared at Lu Xiaoyun, feeling as if his heart was being slowly sliced ​​apart with a dull knife. Everything around him went silent, leaving only the word "marry".

Yun'er, why?

Am I, Zhu Dan, not good enough?

Why do you want to run away from me again?

Lu Xiaoyun knelt motionless. She had come to plead with the emperor today without telling Zhu Yu that, as he had said, Zhu Zixuan had only recently died, and now was not a good time.

But she couldn't wait any longer.

Zhu Yu said those words to her that day, and afterwards her heart was filled with unease for a long time. Zhu Yu was a person who lacked a sense of security, and she wanted to protect his safety.

Therefore, as soon as Zhu Zixuan's funeral was over, she entered the palace today.

"Father, all the things that happened before were my fault. I was blinded by greed and couldn't see his good qualities. I didn't want to divorce him back then, but after these past six months, I know that I will marry no one but him. I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission."

"What if I don't allow it!"

"Father, whatever you say, I will marry him. I only wish to spend my life with him." She looked straight at the old emperor, not even glancing at the pale-faced Zhu Dan.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll strip you of your title of 'Prince An'?"

"These were originally given to me by my father. If you wish to take them back, I have no objection. I am willing to become a commoner, living a simple life with plain clothes and a humble dwelling, just to stay with him. I beg my father to grant my request!"

Lu Xiaoyun kowtowed heavily.

"Zhu Yu, how dare you! You dare to defy me for the sake of a subject's daughter!" The old emperor coughed violently.

Zhang Zhongwei hurriedly patted the old emperor on the back and handed him a cup of tea: "Your Majesty, please calm down, please calm down."

The old emperor swept the teacup aside, splashing tea everywhere, and porcelain shards flew towards Lu Xiaoyun.

Lu Xiaoyun remained kneeling, neither dodging nor flinching.

Zhu Dan, who had been in a daze, suddenly came to his senses and lunged forward to shield Lu Xiaoyun. A shard of porcelain cut his arm, and since he was dressed in thin summer clothes, blood immediately gushed out.

Zhu Dan seemed oblivious to the pain, her eyes pleading as she looked at Lu Xiaoyun, her throat feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton, sore and unable to utter a single word.

"Your Highness, you're injured! Someone, come quickly! Summon the imperial physician!" Zhang Zhongwei hurriedly shouted as he tore off a strip of cloth to bandage Zhu Dan's wound.

"I'm fine," Zhu Dan said calmly.

The old emperor was even more furious when he saw the blood on Zhu Dan's arm. He shouted, "I hereby issue an edict to kill Lu Xiaoyun. Let's see how you will marry her then!"

"Father!"

"Father!"

The words "death sentence" struck Zhu Dan's heart like a heavy hammer, and he and Lu Xiaoyun cried out in alarm.

The old emperor's angry, murky eyes swept over Zhu Dan: "What, you want to persuade me too!"

Zhu Dan closed his eyes tightly and knelt down side by side with Lu Xiaoyun: "Father, I am not advising you. However, I feel that the Crown Prince has just passed away. Although he is young, it is still a time of national mourning. Therefore, I implore you to issue an edict that no member of the Zhu imperial family shall marry within three years."

Lu Xiaoyun stared at Zhu Dan in shock.

"And what about yourself? Don't you plan to get married either?" the old emperor demanded.

Zhu Dan forced a smile: "Your Majesty has bestowed upon me the title of Crown Prince, and I should set a good example. Furthermore, I have been traveling with the Imperial Preceptor for the past few years and know very little about noble ladies. The selection of the Crown Princess is also a matter of great importance, so we must be cautious."

The old emperor took a deep breath, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Seeing that the old emperor remained silent, Zhu Dan continued, "Besides, so many things have happened recently. Zhu Heng and Zhu Chen have practically emptied half of the court. There are so many things to do, and I really don't have the energy to think about matters of love and affection at this time."

He looked at the old emperor and said sincerely, "Father, our Great Zhou is not yet wealthy, nor are its people strong. Although the Northern Qi and Chen have submitted their surrender documents, these two countries are preparing for war and may launch a joint counterattack at any time. Great Zhou has suffered two major blows this year and urgently needs to recuperate and strengthen itself. The national treasury is also in deficit. Therefore, your son humbly requests that Your Majesty issue an edict that all members of the Zhu imperial family shall not marry for three years."

The old emperor let out a heavy, hoarse breath, glanced at Lu Xiaoyun, and said, "Granted!"

"Father!" Lu Xiaoyun cried out urgently.

"Thank you, Father. Your son will now draft the decree, and after you have reviewed it, I will announce it to the world." Zhu Dan interrupted Lu Xiaoyun before she could say anything.

"Fourth Brother, Grandmother was talking about you this morning. If you have time, please visit her at Cisui Palace. The weather is hot, and Grandmother hasn't been feeling well these past few days."

The old emperor snorted coldly.

Lu Xiaoyun had no choice but to agree. She gave Zhu Dan a deep look, then got up and headed towards Cisui Palace.

When she left the palace, she thought Zhu Dan would be waiting for her at the palace gate and tell her the reason.

However, no.

When Lu Xiaoyun returned to the Prince An's mansion, the imperial edict forbidding Zhu clan members from marrying within three years had already been proclaimed to the world.

The people all praised His Highness the Crown Prince for his benevolence.

Your Highness the Crown Prince is already of age, but the Crown Prince's marriage is a major national event and will cost a great deal of money. At present, the country is not rich and the people are not strong. We should wait for three years to allow the people to recuperate and rebuild. This will be beneficial in every way.

Lu Xiaoyun had just returned to the Prince An's residence when Zhu Yu arrived.

He looked at her and asked, "Did you go to the palace to ask my father for permission to marry me?"

Lu Xiaoyun nodded.

Zhu Yu glanced at her: "I knew it. It seems you still didn't take what I said that day to heart."