Du Chengan was stunned.

How could that girl be Xu Ji's cousin?

Not all daughters of noble families are law-abiding. They might not stay at home all the time, but they certainly wouldn't be so unconventional.

He had always assumed the girl came from a poor family and even wanted to help her out. The niece of the wife of the Minister of Justice couldn't possibly be so poor that she had to compete to eat meat buns to win a prize.

Thinking that he was the heir of the Duke of Du's mansion, the emperor's own nephew, and that he had even lost, Du Cheng'an fell silent again.

Perhaps the girl, like him, participated just for fun, not entirely for the 100 taels of silver as a prize.

However, it would be even better if we knew whose household the girl belonged to, and that she was Xu Ji's cousin.

Du Cheng'an's previous disappointment vanished, and he became happy.

Seeing that he was happy, Tang Ze patted him on the shoulder and said, "Since you like that girl so much, you should have your parents come and propose marriage as soon as possible, understand?"

Du Cheng'an's ears turned slightly red.

Once he saw the girl disappear into the crowd, he knew it was her, and that's when he chased after her.

Lu Cheng said, "The eldest son-in-law will probably agree to this marriage, but the eldest princess may not."

The Minister of Justice was the first to formally request the Emperor to appoint Prince Ling as Crown Prince. Du Cheng'an's decision to marry Xu Ji's cousin meant that the Du family was on Prince Ling's side. Since the matter concerned the struggle for the Crown Prince, the Eldest Princess might not agree with Du Cheng'an.

Prince Yanping asked Du Cheng'an, "Are you sure you want to marry her? Marriage is a lifelong commitment, so you must make a careful decision."

Du Chengan nodded.

Tang Ze asked again, "Is it absolutely her?"

Du Chengan nodded emphatically.

Without knowing that the other person was a girl, he kissed her forehead, hugged her twice, and held her hand. Although he didn't know much, he knew the principle that men and women should not touch each other, and he should be responsible for the girl.

Seeing that Du Cheng'an was very determined, the three of them gave him advice and taught him how to dig a pit for his own mother, Princess Huyang, so that she would agree to his marriage to Xu Ji's cousin, the Wang family girl.

Du Cheng'an carefully noted it down, and without disturbing the Prince of Yanping and his entourage who were following behind to protect his wife and fiancée, he went to continue looking for the girl.

Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find her. However, knowing that she was Xu Ji's cousin, a girl from the Wang family, Du Cheng'an returned to the Duke of Du's mansion in a good mood.

The Princess's Mansion and the Duke of Du's Mansion are right next to each other. Because the original Duke of Du was exiled, and the Princess of Huyang inherited the title, the Princess moved into the Duke of Du's Mansion with the Duke of Du. Previously, the Duke of Du's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion were only connected by a crescent-shaped archway. Now, much of it has been demolished, and the two mansions have been merged into one. The mansion is so big that even Du Cheng'an's legs would ache after walking around it.

As soon as Du Cheng'an returned to the manor, the gatekeeper said, "Young Master is back. The Princess wants you to see her after you return to the manor."

Du Cheng'an thought his parents had gone to sleep, so he immediately went to find the Princess and her husband.

The eldest princess and her husband were drinking and enjoying the moon at the pavilion in the middle of the lake, and Du Cheng'an did not dare to go forward to disturb them.

It was the eldest prince consort who noticed him. The eldest princess said, "What are you doing standing there? Come here quickly."

Du Cheng'an walked over, and Princess Huyang, in a very good mood, asked, "After browsing the lanterns for so long, have you found a girl you like?"

Du Cheng'an blushed and said, "I'll talk to Mother about it tomorrow."

Princess Huyang asked, "You say it's not going to work today?"

Du Cheng'an said, "The eldest son of the Duke of Tan's mansion told me to talk about it tomorrow. My father should agree to the girl I like, but my mother might not. Today is my mother's birthday, and they told me not to spoil her good mood."

Princess Huyang was displeased with these words. She said, "Your father and I are of one mind. If your father agrees, how could your mother disagree?"

Du Cheng'an looked at his father with some doubt, "Is what Mother said true?"

The eldest son-in-law was very clever; he could tell at a glance that his son was being taught by someone behind the scenes. He immediately cooperated, saying, "Father doesn't know either. Just believe what your mother says for now."

Princess Huyang was furious. She glared at her husband and said, "What do you mean by 'I'll believe what I say for now'? How can you tarnish my reputation as your mother in front of An'er like this?"

The eldest prince consort looked at Princess Huyang and said, half-coaxing and half-provocation, "It's better for me to ruin things than for you to ruin them yourself. What if you really don't agree?"

Princess Huyang said, "If you agree, I will not object at all!"

The eldest son-in-law then looked at Du Cheng'an and asked, "Which family's daughter do you wish to marry?"

Du Cheng'an blushed and said, "It's the Wang family, the maternal family of the wife of the Minister of Justice."

Almost instantly, Princess Huyang's brows furrowed.

She looked at the eldest son-in-law, who said, "I agree."

Before the eldest son-in-law could finish speaking, Du Cheng'an quickly added, "Mother just said that Father agrees, and she will never object."

Princess Huyang was losing face; she had actually been tricked by this father and son. She said, "Mother doesn't object, but what about the Empress Dowager..."

The eldest son-in-law said, "Prince Ling and Young Master Xu just saved the eldest prince's life. As long as the Wang family's daughter is of good character, the Empress Dowager won't say anything. As for An'er's marriage, you and I can make the decision. The Empress Dowager is ill and it's not appropriate to disturb her. If you're worried, you can ask the Emperor for his opinion."

If they want us to ask the Emperor's opinion, then there's no need to ask.

The Emperor has always valued the Minister of Justice. He doesn't consider the issue of the succession struggle, and since An'er is his own choice, and both the eldest son-in-law and she agree, it would be strange if the Emperor objected.

Du Cheng'an was very anxious. "Father and Mother, please help me propose marriage tomorrow."

The eldest princess said, "So impatient? Afraid that the Wang family girl will run away?"

Whether the Wang family girl ran away or not is unknown, but their son definitely ran away.

Watching Du Cheng'an disappear in a flash, the Princess was neither angry nor happy.

The eldest prince consort knew what the eldest princess was thinking, and he said, "You and I owe An'er too much. His life should not be sacrificed for the struggle for the crown prince position."

The eldest princess certainly didn't want her son to sacrifice himself for the struggle for the crown prince position, but, "If An'er had taken a fancy to another girl, that would be one thing, but it just so happens to be the niece of the wife of the Minister of Justice. Are you sure this is just a coincidence and that no one deliberately brought them together?"

The eldest son-in-law chuckled, "What's there to matchmake? Even if you follow An'er's lead in everything, it won't affect the Empress Dowager's determination to support the eldest prince."

The eldest princess had no way to refute him. She glared at the eldest son-in-law and walked away.

The Imperial Son-in-Law asked, "Why did you leave?"

"Going back to sleep!"

"It's still early..."

"Go to bed early, we still have to propose marriage to An'er tomorrow!"

The prince consort walked forward with a smile, and said to someone in the shadows, "Your father and mother will go to propose marriage for you tomorrow. Go back to sleep."

In the shadows, a figure darted away.

Yes, Du Cheng'an left, but he didn't go far.

Because he ran away quickly, his parents didn't agree to help him propose marriage the next day. But since he ran away, it wouldn't be good for him to go back. So they just paced back and forth, not knowing what to do.

He had excellent hearing; he heard everything the eldest princess and her husband said.

The thought of finalizing the marriage tomorrow filled him with joy, and he, who usually slept well, suffered from insomnia for the first time ever.

My mind is filled with the image of that girl with disheveled hair and angry almond-shaped eyes.