"A prince consort?" The emperor and empress were both shocked, their emotions a mix of feelings. "You're only ten years old, and you're already in a hurry to be engaged?"

Xingxing didn't understand why her father and mother were reacting so strongly. She said confidently, "It's just an engagement, not an immediate marriage. Of course, we should hurry up and snatch up a good young man to avoid any unforeseen problems. It would be a huge loss if someone else snatched him away."

The emperor was so angry he laughed. "Judging from what Long'er is saying, Zhu Lin is the best man in the whole world, and there is no one more outstanding than him?"

“That’s the truth, Father. You should know that. Tell me, in what way is Brother Lin not strong? Who among the young men of this age is more capable than him? No one, absolutely no one.” Xingxing said with absolute certainty.

The emperor paused for a moment, then said, “The young master of the Tie family is about the same age as Zhu Lin. He is also outstanding in both appearance and talent. Although he was a bit weak a few years ago, he was later guided by a master and recovered. I heard that he can now practice martial arts.”

"Father, you're not talking about Tie Qingfeng, are you? He's no good, and he can't compare to Brother Lin. Even if he can learn martial arts now, it can only improve his health at most. I don't believe he can beat Brother Lin. He's still inferior in other aspects. In short, no one can compare to Brother Lin." Xingxing emphasized Zhu Lin's perfection again.

The Emperor and Empress were heartbroken. It was all Zhu Lin's fault for the girl's outward appearance. If he hadn't been pursuing Long'er for so long, how could Long'er have devoted herself to him?

The Emperor and Empress felt a deep sense of crisis. The more Xingxing praised the boy, the more uneasy they became. If the princess really married Zhu Lin, would they still have a place in the princess's heart?

But a direct rejection won't work either, as it would anger the princess, and she's not easy to appease if she gets angry. So we have to find another way to refuse.

"Since Long'er says that Young Master Zhu is so powerful, as if no one in the world can defeat him, I really don't believe it. Unless he dares to accept the challenge, choose a day to gather all the talented and skilled eldest sons of the noble families of the Great Jin Dynasty to compete with him. If he can defeat everyone, I will grant your request." Emperor Taikang presented a difficult problem.

"It's just a matter of Father's word, why do you have to make such a fuss? Fine, as long as you and Mother are happy, it's just that Brother Lin will have to suffer. But he's not afraid of anything, let's compete, who's afraid of who?" Xingxing pouted, feeling a little annoyed.

"Hmph, originally I just wanted to settle things once the marriage was settled. But now that things have gone through so many difficulties, if Brother Lin wins against the others, I will immediately marry him. Father and Mother, please have the Ministry of Rites begin preparing for my marriage. This matter is not to be taken lightly. My mind is made up." After saying this, Xingxing took her leave with a proud and arrogant air.

"This is ridiculous! Can't I even say anything to her?" Emperor Taikang laughed in exasperation again.

"This child is so stubborn, I can't do anything with her." The Empress shook her head with a light laugh.

After leaving the Emperor's Kunning Palace, Chen Yueru whispered in Xingxing's ear, "Is the princess really going to marry Young Master Zhu?"

"How could it be false? I was the one who wanted to be engaged to Brother Lin. He didn't dare to disagree. But even after Brother Lin agreed, Father and Mother came to stop us. Sigh, good things always come with difficulties." Xingxing shook her head, clearly a child, yet she acted like an old woman and insisted on getting engaged.

"Princess, in the future, don't fawn over Young Master Zhu too much in front of the Emperor and Empress. I don't think they really want to obstruct you; they just don't like that you only have eyes for Young Master Zhu." Chen Yueru was also present earlier. Although she didn't say a word from beginning to end, she secretly observed the Emperor and Empress's expressions and roughly understood why they reacted that way.

"You mean Father and Mother are jealous of Brother Lin? That can't be true, can it? I wasn't exaggerating. Brother Lin is perfect in every way." Xingxing felt a little amused and exasperated.

Fine, next time she won't praise someone so much in front of her father and mother, and she'll focus all her attention on them. They should be satisfied then, right?

Three days later, Zhu Qiuyu and Zhu Lin stood outside the Changyue Tower, the busiest place in the city, looking at the contents of the imperial edict. They found it rather amusing. The emperor wanted to find a husband for the eldest princess and had set up a literary and martial arts competition, open to the legitimate sons of all the noble families and meritorious officials in the entire Great Jin Dynasty.

The competition was held a month later, and the emperor even issued an imperial edict to inform the world.

"The capital is getting lively lately. All sorts of people will be flocking to the capital. Junior Brother, although you are very strong, there are always stronger people out there. You can't be careless. If you lose the competition, losing face is a small matter. I'm afraid you'll lose the princess." Zhu Qiuyu teased casually.

The white-robed youth's cold gaze swept over them, his eyes carrying a hint of murderous intent, startling the senior brother.

Oh ho, you've got a sharp tongue. How dare you joke about the princess? Junior Brother values ​​the princess so much, even jokes are unacceptable.

"Junior brother, calm down. Senior brother apologizes. Junior brother will definitely win this competition. No one can beat you." Zhu Qiuyu changed his words very tactfully and coaxed the boy.

"I won't lose, otherwise no one can win. 'Long'er' won't leave me unless the world ends." The boy's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resolute, showing his determination to win.

The senior brothers and sisters felt a chill run down their spines when they sensed the powerful aura emanating from the young man. Their junior brother truly possessed the strength to destroy the world; this was no joke.

Now the whole capital is talking about the deeds of the eldest princess, and the storytellers in various teahouses have also made up many stories to tell, which has made Xingxing quite famous.

"The eldest princess is named Linglong, also known as Princess Linglong. She is the first princess of the Great Jin Dynasty and its most beloved. It is said that when the princess was born, auspicious clouds filled the sky above the palace... Sure enough, the Great Jin Dynasty enjoyed a few years of good harvests. But the hateful Prince Gong, for his own selfish reasons, had the lucky princess tied up and forced to live among the common people, causing continuous disasters throughout the land..."

The storyteller spoke with great enthusiasm, his saliva flying everywhere, and the audience listened with great interest, frequently exclaiming "Bravo!"

Then the storyteller said, "After the fake princess was exposed, the real princess finally returned to the palace. However, the real princess did not stay in the palace for long. Instead, she led a group of talented people to various places to provide disaster relief. The princess is a person with great blessings. It is because of her hard work over the years that the Great Jin Dynasty has achieved its current stability."

"Really? Has the princess really been providing disaster relief in various places all these years?" someone asked loudly.

"How could that be false? If you don't believe me, just ask around in any disaster-stricken area. Everyone knows there's a pretty, young girl who, along with a group of people in white, always arrives at the disaster site as soon as possible to provide relief. That's how refugees get food and shelter after a disaster, preventing them from becoming homeless, and enabling them to rebuild their homes as quickly as possible," the storyteller replied emphatically.

After listening for a while, Zhu Lin guessed that there were two people behind this. One was Emperor Taikang himself who ordered someone to do it intentionally, so that the princess could gain a good reputation.

Secondly, Consort Duan and her associates deliberately publicized the princess's deeds, making her reputation surpass the emperor's and arousing his suspicion. Their intention was to sow discord.