Chapter 3

Xie Qingzhou was unwilling to give up and wanted to ask again, but he was afraid that Ayao, who originally had no intention, would become interested in the Prince of Nan after he asked. He was caught in a dilemma.

Before long, the carriage had stopped in front of the mansion gate. Xie Qinghong got off the carriage with a normal expression. She looked up and saw her brother standing outside the gate. Her eyes crinkled with joy, and she ran up to him and called out, "Brother!"

Xie Qingya smiled slightly, not hesitating to give his younger sister a smile, but when he saw Xie Qingzhou lagging behind, his face darkened again, and he scolded, "Why are you so late coming home?"

Xie Qinghong was very loyal and said that he ate slowly and wanted to stroll around after finishing his meal, which was why he was late.

Xie Qingya said nothing more and led them into the mansion. Dinner had just ended, and Xie's father and mother were still sitting in the hall, talking in hushed tones. Upon seeing them arrive, they quickly changed the subject, though worry was still evident in their expressions.

Xie Qinghong was particularly good at reading people's expressions and had her suspicions, but her father and mother didn't say much, so she couldn't ask any more questions. It was a rare occasion for the family to gather together in the evening, especially since Xie Qinghong had been unable to leave the hospital for so many days due to her illness.

"How was the Huaiyang cuisine you had today, Auntie?"

"That's good, it's a pity Chef Fang still has half a month before he returns from his holiday." Xie Qinghong sighed, and then told about the interesting things he encountered when he went out. Inevitably, the conversation turned to the Prince of the South.

"That prince always carries a sword; that's a custom in the South, different from ours."

Unexpectedly, her words caused Xie's parents to change their expressions, and they repeatedly asked, "How did you end up running into the Prince of Nan?"

Xie Qingzhou quickly explained, "It was Fang Hong and his group who led the Prince of Nan to enjoy the delicacies of the capital. They happened to be at Yechunlou today and bumped into each other on their way out."

Xie Qinghong was still bewildered: "What happened if I ran into him?"

Xie Qingya stroked her head and comforted her, "It's alright. It's just that someone in court advised His Majesty to choose a member of the imperial clan to marry the Prince of Nan, so as to secure the Prince of Nan's position through marriage. However, there are only two or three unmarried members of the imperial clan, and they are only twelve or thirteen years old, which is far too young for the Prince of Nan's son to marry. Since a member of the imperial clan is not suitable, they want His Majesty to appoint the daughter of a court official as a princess."

Xie Qinghong understood immediately. Fortunately, since her brother entered the court, he would usually talk to her about court discussions that did not involve confidential matters. Over the years, she had gained a lot of experience and was not flustered when faced with problems.

Now that someone has offered advice, Your Majesty will naturally not ignore it. The Southern King dominates the southern lands, controlling three prefectures and eighteen counties. Even if he has no intention of rebellion, he is still a major threat to Your Majesty.

Unfortunately, His Majesty has few children; he is over thirty and still has no children, and he is extremely suspicious. However, the Great Zhou Kingdom is bordered by the vast grasslands to the north, where the Hu people often harass the borders, and there are also barbarian tribes to the south. Fortunately, the Southern King has guarded the borders for many years, which has ensured the stability of the court.

Therefore, on the surface, His Majesty not only cannot make things difficult for the Prince of the South, but must also reward him for his meritorious service in guarding the city. So what should be rewarded? How about a marriage? After all, in Wangjing's view, the South is a land of barbaric tribes, lacking the foundation of noble families, and the girls raised there are simply not comparable to the ladies of the capital. Choosing a marriage alliance for the Prince of the South's heir with a woman from the capital would be no less than a favor in the eyes of the suspicious Emperor.

However, there are currently no eligible girls in the imperial clan. If His Majesty insists, the unmarried girls in the capital will inevitably become pawns for His Majesty to consolidate his power.

Xie Qinghong had already mentally scanned all the eligible girls. Because of the late emperor's death a year ago, marriage was forbidden due to the national mourning period, and many girls had been delayed. Roughly speaking, there were more than ten. If you exclude those who were already engaged or whose status was not high enough, there were still six or seven girls, and she was one of them.

No wonder her father and mother became nervous when they heard that she had met the Prince of Nan. Xie Qinghong understood and said softly, "It's not settled yet. It's just a coincidence today. I won't go out from tomorrow." As she spoke, she smiled again, "If Mother is really worried, why don't you arrange a marriage for me?"

Liang Yu, who was full of worries, was amused by her words and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "What nonsense are you talking about? How can your mother arrange a marriage for you so casually? My little sister is gentle and beautiful, and she deserves to be matched with the best man in the world."

Xie Qinghong feigned regret and sighed, "That won't do. The best men in the world are my two older brothers. With such jewels by our side, no one else can compare."

Even the usually serious Xie Qingya couldn't help but chuckle at her words. He smiled helplessly, shook his head, and said, "There's no need to worry too much now. The Prince of Nan is quite shrewd. Judging from his noble bearing, he might not agree to marry a woman from Wangjing. I've heard that the Princess Consort of Nan is the daughter of the Zhou family, a prominent clan in the south. Her family has a deep and aristocratic background. The Prince and Princess Consort are deeply in love, so they should be more inclined to choose a wife for their son from the Zhou family."

Father Xie agreed: "What Chongshan said is true. The Prince of Nan's son must get the Prince of Nan's approval to marry."

Chongshan was Xie Qingya's courtesy name. Every time Xie's father called him that, it meant he was extremely satisfied with him. But at the same time, he was never satisfied with his second son. He would furrow his brow and start scolding, "Xie Qingzhou, what have you come up with? After you took on this job, you hardly use your brain anymore. You go out and cause trouble every day and even drag your sister down with you!"

Xie Qingzhou was also innocent, but his sister's encounter with the Prince of Nan today was indeed related to him. He could only humbly agree with his sister and promise, "I will not go out after I finish my shift tomorrow."

Since his elder brother still needed to discuss court affairs with their father, Xie Qinghong and Xie Qingzhou left the hall and, taking advantage of the pleasant moonlight, strolled leisurely back to their own courtyard under the eaves.

"Don't be afraid, little sister. There are three grown men in our family standing in the court. We certainly won't let those old scoundrels set their sights on you!" Xie Qingzhou, as a military officer, was surrounded by other military officers all day long. According to the usual tradition of military officers, they were not on good terms with civil officials. He referred to the censors in the court as "old scoundrels."

Xie Qinghong was not worried. His father held the position of Grand Secretary, his uncle was the Marquis of Pingning, and the Xie family was a century-old aristocratic family with outstanding achievements. His Majesty was so petty, how could he be willing to give such a marriage alliance to the Prince of Nan?

She sighed softly, "Brother, I'm not afraid. Father and Mother will take care of my marriage. But your marriage is still undecided."

Xie Qingzhou had just turned eighteen, the perfect age. He wasn't engaged because of his wild nature; Liang Yu was afraid that marrying him would cause enemies, which was why he hadn't arranged a marriage for him. Xie Qingya, on the other hand, was already engaged to the eldest daughter of the Cui family, and they were to get married at the end of the year.

Xie Qingzhou laughed heartily: "What's the rush? A real man should establish his career before starting a family. Besides, I have high standards; I don't want just any girl."

Xie Qinghong agreed wholeheartedly: "Like my brother, I don't want just any ordinary man."

The night passed, and Xie Qinghong had almost forgotten about meeting the Prince of Nan. As usual, she studied with her teacher until the afternoon when she had some free time. A-Yue quickly showed her the invitation she had just received; it was from the eldest daughter of the Cui family, inviting her to a poetry gathering in three days.

This poetry club was formed by several familiar girls and was named Qinghui, which was taken from the phrase "the weather changes from dusk till dawn, and the mountains and rivers contain the clear light." Xie Qinghong was not originally a member of the poetry club; she was brought in by Cui Luo, the eldest daughter of the Cui family, who was about to become her sister-in-law.

The Cui family's ancestral home is Bozhou, a renowned place of outstanding natural beauty and talent, producing countless literary figures. The Cui family itself is a scholarly family, of noble birth and refined taste. As the eldest daughter of the Cui family, Cui Luo is naturally exceptionally talented, with remarkable poetry. Xie Qinghong usually goes out, and three out of five times it's at Cui Luo's invitation, their relationship being very harmonious. Therefore, upon seeing Cui Luo's invitation, she immediately found some fine stationery to reply, promising to visit in three days.

Ah Yue whispered a reminder: "Miss, you said yesterday that you wouldn't be going out for the next few days." Ah Yue hadn't entered the hall last night and didn't know the specifics, but she had already received instructions from the madam that the young lady said she wouldn't be going out for the next few days, so she should go out and find some trinkets to keep the young lady from getting bored.

Xie Qinghong was now in a dilemma, but then she thought about it again. She didn't go out to avoid meeting the Southern Prince's group. She avoided meeting them to prevent the court from remonstrating or the Southern Prince's son from taking a fancy to her and marrying her off to the south. But after analyzing it thoroughly last night, she realized that His Majesty would definitely not be willing to give the Southern Prince a prominent family for marriage, and the Southern Prince might not be willing to have a daughter-in-law from Wangjing. So what did it matter whether she went out or not?

Furthermore, the Qinghui Poetry Society is full of girls, and she travels by carriage, so she shouldn't encounter anyone else.

"It's alright, I won't be leaving until three days from now." Xie Qinghong handed the letter to A Yue, asking her to send it to the Cui family.

Calming down, she couldn't help but think of the Prince of the South's long sword... Even though she only touched the scabbard, Xie Qinghong felt that the touch was extraordinary. Through the scabbard, she could almost feel the sharpness of the blade.

Like master, like pet. It seems this Prince of the South is not to be trifled with. I wonder how His Majesty will arrange a marriage for him.