Chapter 120 Who is Lucky? Xuanye's Arranged Marriage is Difficult

Dorji could not accept Xuanye's statement. After all, he had learned since childhood that no matter whether you were born in the royal family or the Khan's family, you would not be yourself anymore. You were born to do things that you had to do for your own territory.

The Mongolian and Qing dynasties had a long history of marriage. How could the Qing emperor be so reluctant to part with a princess? This was simply impossible.

It was not until Xuanye ordered people to send the portraits of other princesses to Dorji, as if to say that anyone except Kejing would be fine, that Dorji vaguely felt that Kejing was different in the emperor's heart.

The walls in the palace are truly airtight, but as long as the emperor wants to make a wall airtight, that wall will become like a sieve.

As a result, Kejing soon received all the gossip about Dorji. Of course, although all the gossip came from different sources, they were all true.

"Mother, I heard that Dorji actually told my father that he wanted to marry me?" Kejing chatted with Xiu Yu while eating ice watermelon.

Xiu Yu was holding a teacup and slowly drinking hot tea. She said, "It's true. What do you think? Do you want to marry and go to Mobei?"

"Of course not!" Ke Jing shook her head like a rattle. "What kind of place is Mobei? It's not even as good as the capital, let alone Jiangnan. I don't want to go there."

Xiu Yu smiled and shook her head.

Ke Jing asked, "Mother, do you want your daughter to marry that Dorji? No way!"

"Of course not." Xiu Yu patted Ke Jing's head. "You are your father and mother's only daughter. We wish we could keep you by our side forever. How could we bear to let you marry off to Mobei?"

"That's what I told you." Ke Jing still liked to act like a spoiled brat in front of Xiu Yu. "I also heard that Father gave all the portraits of his sisters to Dorji. Isn't that a bargain for Dorji? They're all from wealthy families, and he can pick and choose?"

"Don't worry about this matter, and don't mention it to others." Xiu Yu herself has already stood out in the harem, and she is also well aware of the disadvantages of being outstanding, so when it comes to the education of her children, she still focuses on restraint, hoping that they will be capable but not ostentatious, and can live a peaceful life.

Ke Jing disagreed: "Mother, even if I don't mention this, others will find out. Do you think that Dorji will give in so easily? The Mobei prince came to the capital to propose marriage, and he can just marry any princess and be done with it?"

Xiu Yu looked at Ke Jing with amusement. "What do you think? Actually, as a princess of the Qing Dynasty, you originally had no say in marriage. With the title of princess, you enjoyed wealth and glory for the first half of your life, but for the second half, you had to marry in Mongolia or somewhere else, protecting the Qing Dynasty through a marriage contract. This was the fate of princesses for many dynasties and generations."

"Does the Qing Dynasty have to sign a marriage contract with the Mongols in the northern desert?" Ke Jing hesitated. "My daughter thinks that with the current strength of the Qing Dynasty, there's really no need to marry off several princesses to Mongolia. I don't want to go to the northern desert, and they won't be willing to go either."

Xiu Yu gently grasped Ke Jing's shoulders and said, "Are you the poor imperial sister who is about to marry Dorji? Perhaps one of your sisters likes Dorji and has the hope of going to Mobei."

"That's very far from the capital, very, very far away." Ke Jing was puzzled: "If I marry to Mobei, I will never be able to return to the capital in this life, right?"

Xiu Yu frowned slightly and said, "Actually, perhaps not all princesses like to stay in the Forbidden City. You have the protection of your father and mother, so naturally you feel that living in the Forbidden City your whole life is carefree. However, perhaps some princesses may not even see your father all year round. Wouldn't they think that going to Mobei is actually a good option? At least they can become the principal wife of a young prince, and maybe even become the overlord of Mobei in the future?"

Kejing had actually grown up surrounded by princes. She and her brothers had been doted on by their fathers since birth, thanks to their mothers' status. Naturally, she wasn't particularly familiar with the plight of those princesses whose mothers weren't favored.

"Mother, is it true that there are imperial sisters who would rather marry in Mobei than live in the Forbidden City? Father will definitely find a good match for them no matter what."

"How much energy do you think your father has? And how many of those famous ministers from the previous dynasty would want to give their children an unloved princess?" Xiu Yu plucked a bunch of grapes and handed them to Ke Jing. "Don't dwell on that. Everyone has their own destined path. You think the Mobei path is not good, but others may be more than happy to do so."

***

Xiu Yu didn't know if her idea was right or not, but if Xuanye just randomly found another princess to marry Ke Jing because Ke Jing didn't want to go to Mobei, she wouldn't feel comfortable. So that night, while Xuanye was reviewing memorials, Xiu Yu brought him a bowl of calming soup.

Xuanye saw the soup beside him, raised his head and looked at Xiuyu, saying with a smile, "It's been a while since you made soup for me. You're so attentive today, is there something you want?"

"Why do I have to ask for something before I can make soup?" Xiu Yu smiled, sat down next to Xuanye, holding a round fan in her hand and gently waving it at Xuanye.

"I'm absolutely certain you're asking for something." Xuanye put down his red brush, put his arm around Xiuyu's shoulders, and said, "Tell me, what have you set your sights on? Or where do you want to open a branch?"

"Neither." Xiu Yu shook her head slightly. "I want to ask, if Dorji takes a fancy to a princess in a portrait, will the emperor immediately arrange a marriage for them?"

Xuanye was stunned by Xiu Yu's question: "How can I answer your question? Besides, she's not our Ke Jing, so why are you asking?"

"Even if it's not Kejing, she's still Kejing's sister." Xiu Yu lowered her eyelids and said, "Actually, I also have selfish motives. I don't want any of the empresses in the harem to hold a grudge against our children because of their marriages."

"Yes, that makes sense." Xuanye clasped his hands together, pondered for a long moment, and then said, "Dorji is, after all, the young prince of Mobei. He has come from afar, so he does have sincerity. A marriage can win over Mobei and perhaps even avoid a future conflict. I think it's a good option."

"We should ask whether the princess Dorji has his eye on is willing to go to Mobei." Xiu Yu gently grasped Xuanye's wrist and said, "Just think of me as being selfish and favoring Kejing."

"I see you're not biased towards Kejing. You just want to be a good person, right? Being a good person isn't easy in the harem." Xuanye smoothed Xiuyu's hair and pulled her into his arms. "However, your idea is a good one. Perhaps one of my princesses really has a crush on Dorji. Who knows? If one of them does, then the Mobei prince won't be able to pick anyone he wants. I will arrange a marriage for them."

"You really are..." Xiu Yu was speechless: "Can't it be that they just like each other?"

"How can it be that easy?" Xuanye sighed. "You said that among all the women in my harem, you are the only one who truly loves each other."

Xiu Yu joked, "Your Majesty wouldn't say such things around everyone, would he?"

"Nonsense." Xuanye's face was stern. "I always tell the truth and never lie. In front of the woman next to me..."

"how?"

Xuanye's lips curled up. "You've always been pampered by me, but you've never known what it's like to truly sleep with me. Can I describe it to you?"

"Let's not describe it." Xiu Yu smiled and shook her head, then leaned on Xuanye's shoulder: "Actually, as long as I can be favored by the emperor, shouldn't I be content?"

"What else?" Xuanye stretched out his arms and put his arm around Xiuyu's waist: "Is there any place in this world better than your Yikun Palace or my Changchun Garden?"

"Maybe, there is." Xiu Yu thought back to many, many years ago, when she was still working as a chief engineer. Were those days better than now? At least from a material perspective, they were much better.

"These are the days in your dream." Xuanye explained for Xiuyu: "In a dream, you can have whatever you want."

After all, she had lived with Xuanye for many years and knew how to make the emperor feel very happy. Xiu Yu smiled and said, "In my dreams, there are not so many women around the emperor."

As expected, Xuanye was sold on this. He picked Xiuyu up and let her sit on his lap. "There's only one you?"

"Yes, there is only one me." Xiu Yu looked into Xuanye's eyes, her gaze full of affection: "Mingzhu, don't you have a son you love very much? He wrote a poem about a life together."

"That kid, who seems to be sad all day, is actually quite good at his job."

"Although it's a bit melancholic, the lyrics are indeed good." Xiu Yu saw a volume of Nalan Rongruo's lyrics on Xuanye's desk and smiled, "If you like it, then you like it. There's no need to hide it. His collection of lyrics is still here."

Xuanye simply took the collection of poems and handed it to Xiuyu: "This is a new gift from Mingzhu to show off his son's ability."

Xuanye and Xiuyu lived in Changchun Garden. Apart from government affairs, they didn't hear much news from the Forbidden City. The news of Prince Dorjin of Mobei coming to the harem to propose marriage spread because Xuanye had sent portraits of several princesses of marriageable age to Changchun Garden.