Chapter 21: I'd rather die than get married

"Suburbs of Beijing?"

"Where is the suburb of Beijing?"

Lu Chaofeng's voice suddenly rose and his expression pretended to be terrified.

"My Lord, it's... the Su family! The manor bestowed upon the Su family by the Emperor caught fire. When they were discovered, the fire was already out of control and everything was burned down..."

"Are there any civilian casualties?" the emperor asked anxiously.

"Your Majesty! There were no casualties among the nearby farmers, but..." The young eunuch looked panicked and hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Lu Chaofeng quickly got up from the ground, twisted his collar, and said anxiously: "Tell me! How is the Su family?"

"Everyone in the Su family was buried in the sea of ​​fire... Gone..."

Lu Chaofeng laughed miserably, "Oh my God, why do you treat me like this? If you really want to kill me, why not take it right now!!"

"Cousin, you..." The emperor stood up and said with concern: "Life is unpredictable, don't be too sad."

The queen mother sat on the back and looked over coldly, "Did you see everything carefully?"

"Replying to the Queen Mother, Commander Zhan personally led people to check it out, and there is no doubt about it."

"Oh? Really?"

The Queen Mother was folding the beads in her hands, with no expression of joy or anger on her face. Only her pair of phoenix eyes were scanning back and forth at everyone.

"I asked He Xi to pick up Su Weimin's youngest son. Where is he?"

"Reply...Reply to the Queen Mother, Eunuch He and the others..." The young eunuch pressed his forehead tightly against the ground and said tremblingly, "They were all burned to charcoal! It was Commander Zhan who found his badge and recognized him."

"Hmph!" The Queen Mother slammed her palm on the table.

Inside and outside the hall, everyone knelt down.

"Why did the fire suddenly break out? Investigate it thoroughly for me!"

"Queen, calm down! Commander Zhan has already found out that a child accidentally set the woodshed on fire while playing with fire. The fire spread too quickly when the north wind blew. Everyone was trapped in the fire and was powerless to save the situation."

"Mother, it is the Su family that is unlucky. They cannot bear your grace! Please take care of yourself."

"Tomorrow, I will help you select a few smart children from the ministers' offspring. They will definitely be more suitable than this Su family kid! Don't worry."

"His Majesty!"

The empress dowager slammed the beads in her hand on the table, her whole body emitting indescribable complex emotions, as if she was angry about the extermination of the Su family, and also worried about the emperor's immaturity.

The emperor looked puzzled, "My son, am I wrong?"

The Queen Mother sighed, "Forget it! I am tired, everyone please leave."

The emperor wanted to bow and leave.

However, Lu Chaofeng spoke again.

"Empress Dowager, please show mercy and allow me to marry the eldest daughter of the Su family!"

"What did you say?" she was surprised, and then began to shout loudly.

"The eldest daughter of the Su family is gone, how can you get married?!"

"Could it be that the Prince of Ningyuan wants to have a ghost marriage?!"

"You are also a member of the royal family, aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the world?!"

Lu Chaofeng raised his head and said, "I am not afraid! I beg the queen to have mercy on me and be more compassionate to me because I am about to die! I really want to live a little longer."

"Please have mercy, Queen Mother! Please have mercy, His Majesty."

"Let me fulfill this wish."

Empress Dowager Xiao looked at Lu Chaofeng with disgust. She didn't understand why the heroic King Ningyuan would give birth to such a useless son like him? !

He is a handsome man with a good-looking appearance, but unfortunately, he is not only physically weak, but also has no ambition at all, so he is not capable of doing anything important.

He's just like his dead mother.

"Empress Dowager, if I break my oath, I will be punished by heaven!"

"Besides, this is my mother's last wish. How dare I, as a son, disobey?"

"Please, for my father's sake, let my nephew live a little longer! I beg you."

Ever since he was old enough to understand, Lu Chaofeng has learned how to act in the deep palace, especially when facing the Empress Dowager Xiao, he knows what words are the killer moves.

Empress Dowager Xiao had always been most afraid that the emperor would not listen to her and would not allow someone from her mother's family to take power, so he calculated the timing and used this sentence to force her to agree.

"That's all!"

"I think you are a filial child."

"The Ningyuan Princess and Madam Su were close friends back then, so she naturally hopes that you and the girl from the Su family will live a good life."

"But Chaofeng...if this ghost marriage is arranged, I'm afraid you will want to marry someone from a prominent family in the future.

Girl, this is difficult. ”

This is Lu Chaofeng’s purpose!

He knew that the Queen Mother intended for him to marry the daughter of the new Minister of War, probably for the military power in his father's hands.

So he would rather risk his face, make a fuss, and marry the eldest daughter of the Su family who dared to fake her death and lie! Not only can it help you escape from the chess game, but it can also completely eliminate some people's vigilance.

"I don't care about these! After the wedding, I want to guard my mother's mausoleum for three years, so that my mother can take good care of Chengnan in the afterlife..."

"Oh?" The Queen Mother laughed.

"It seems that you have always been interested in the girl from the Su family."

Lu Chaofeng lowered his eyes and slumped his shoulders. "It's a pity that she and I are separated by life and death. I only hope to see her again in the next life."

The empress dowager was deceived by Lu Chaofeng's superb acting skills and really relented. Not only did she agree to let him choose a date for the wedding, she also took advantage of his deep affection to talk to the emperor.

"Emperor, your cousin is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty. I think you should learn from him and think more about your marriage!"

"This harem is empty, isn't it time to bring in someone?"

"I think your uncle's daughter Lian'er is quite sensible. What do you think?"

The emperor jumped up, waved his hands, and shook his head desperately.

"No! No!"

"My cousin has a fierce personality. I was bullied by her when I was a child. If we are to choose a queen, it would be better to choose someone with a dignified and calm personality."

"Who said she was aggressive?" The Queen Mother glared at him.

"Here! Mother, look!"

"When I was a child, my cousin and I were playing together and she scratched me. The scar on my arm is still there! Now I am the emperor and I must never fight with a woman again. It is shameful!"

"People grow up, and girls change a lot when they grow up. I think Lian'er is very good! She is dignified and steady, well-read, and very beautiful."

"Forget it."

"Lian'er, you think it's not possible? The daughter of the prime minister is a famous talented woman..."

Lu Chaofeng lowered his eyes and looked at his toes, trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

As he listened to the conversation between the mother and son, he could not help but sneer, thinking: His Majesty still has a lot to learn in acting. He just needs to tell others clearly that he just doesn't want the Queen Mother's faction to enter the harem.

However, he did discover that there was still a gap between the emperor and the empress dowager, and they were not as close as outsiders believed.

…

Lu Chaofeng just returned to the palace.

The current Princess Ningyuan, Liang, came hurriedly to greet her.

She frowned and asked, "Are you really going to have a ghost marriage and marry Su Chengnan?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Your mother has already passed away, why do you have to sacrifice the entire Ningyuan Palace? You will be laughed at by the world!"

Lu Chaofeng paused, his voice dropped to freezing point, "Who allowed you to mention my mother? You are a murderer, you don't deserve to speak!"

"you……"

"If you do it again, I will kill you!"