The three days of the autumn imperial examination passed in the blink of an eye.

After the exam papers were collected, gongs and drums were sounded, and the students left the examination hall one after another.

Some were spirited and smiling, while others were frowning and sighing.

The area outside the examination hall was just as lively as on the day of the examination, with family members or servants coming to pick up the students.

Prince Yanping and Tang Ze also came out. They had been locked up in the examination hall for three days, but they didn't die of suffocation.

Du Cheng'an was very anxious. After leaving the examination hall, he was about to return to his residence when Tang Ze stopped him. "Why are you in such a hurry? Go back to the city patrol office first."

Lu Cheng said, "Don't stop him. He's anxious to know whether he's engaged or not."

Tang Ze laughed and said, "Why bother going back to ask if you want to know? Didn't the servants from the Duke of Du's mansion come?"

Although they didn't participate in the autumn imperial examinations, they still spent three days at the examination hall, so the servants couldn't possibly not come to greet them.

As he spoke, Du Cheng'an's servant squeezed forward.

Tang Ze asked the servant, "Has your young master's marriage been arranged?"

The servant shook his head, "No..."

No?

Princess Huyang and her husband are incredibly inefficient.

Du Cheng'an asked anxiously, "Didn't my parents go to the Wang family to propose marriage for me?"

The servant's lips twitched as he said, "They brought it up, but still didn't agree..."

Du Cheng'an, "..."

Tang Ze, "..."

Lu Cheng, "..."

Prince Yanping, “…”

Why?

The four spoke in unison.

The last time Du Cheng'an proposed marriage to the Wang family failed because he didn't explain things clearly. The Wang family didn't think much of it, and it was understandable that the marriage didn't go through. So why did the Wang family still disagree when they came to propose again? It doesn't make sense.

Du Cheng'an's status was far more prestigious than theirs. He was the emperor's nephew, the empress dowager's grandson, the only son of Princess Huyang and her husband, and the heir of the Duke of Du's family. Any one of them alone would be enough, and together they could walk sideways in the capital.

Du Cheng'an felt frustrated both physically and mentally, and he stared at the servant.

Surrounded by people, the Prince of Yanping called his servant aside, who then said, "The girl Your Highness has taken a liking to is born of a concubine. Initially, Master Wang and Madam Wang refused the marriage, arguing that a girl born of a concubine should not presume to marry the heir of the Duke's mansion. The Princess said that a child born of a concubine could be registered under the name of her legal mother and marry as a legitimate child. Master Wang and Madam Wang hesitated, and the Princess became somewhat angry. Madam Wang said that when the girl was eight years old and seriously ill, a Taoist priest calculated her birth chart and said that she should not be betrothed before the age of fifteen and should not marry before the age of sixteen..."

"The Princess did not believe what the Taoist priest said and asked for the girl's birth date and time to have the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculate it. Lady Wang panicked at that time. The Princess asked Lady Wang if she felt that the Crown Prince had not grown up by her side since childhood and looked down on him, so she made an excuse to refuse him."

"Master Wang and Madam Wang were so frightened that they knelt on the ground. The Imperial Son-in-Law asked them if they had any unspeakable difficulties. Madam Wang was extremely uncomfortable and gave a vague answer, saying that they could not make the decision on the girl's marriage; the Minister of Justice had to give his approval..."

The servant spilled out everything he knew.

Prince Yanping and the others were looking at each other, each looking at the other.

Everyone found it strange that Mr. and Mrs. Wang couldn't make the decision about the Wang family's daughter's marriage; it required the Minister of Justice's approval...

"Could she be the illegitimate daughter of the Minister of Justice?" Tang Ze gossiped.

The Prince of Yanping said, "Don't make wild guesses. The Wang family is the maternal family of the wife of the Minister of Justice."

If Madam Xu's family were to help Minister Xu raise his illegitimate son, she would be furious enough to die of anger.

Furthermore, Minister Xu is an upright person and would never do something that would damage his reputation.

Du Cheng'an asked, "Didn't my parents ask the Minister of Justice?"

The servant said, "After two visits, the marriage was not settled. The princess was very angry and didn't want to arrange the marriage for the prince anymore. The prince consort appeased the princess and then went to find the Minister of Justice."

"And then?" Du Cheng'an asked again.

"..."

Is there even a question? If it had succeeded, he would have said so from the beginning.

The Crown Prince of Yanping realized what was happening and asked, "Even the Minister of Justice didn't agree?"

"Why?" Tang Ze asked.

The servant shook his head. "I don't know why the Minister of Justice disagrees. The Princess asked the Imperial Son-in-Law, but he didn't say. He only said it depends on the fate of the young master and the girl..."

Lu Cheng felt his brain was overwhelmed. "Brother Du has already persuaded the Princess and the Imperial Son-in-Law to come and propose marriage on his behalf. If this doesn't count as fate, then what does?"

Tang Ze said to Du Cheng'an, "It seems we can only ask the Emperor to grant you a marriage."

The Prince of Yanping said, “Don’t teach nonsense. The eldest son-in-law said it depends on fate. The Minister of Justice must have his reasons for not allowing the marriage. Once the imperial decree grants the marriage, there will be no room for maneuver. It might even kill someone.”

"Who will be killed?" Tang Ze asked.

The Crown Prince of Yanping said, "Xu Ji's cousin has been dressed as a boy since she was a child, so I'm afraid it's not as simple as just being sick."

Tang Ze and Lu Cheng taught Du Cheng'an to open his arms at the lantern festival and wait for the girl to come into his arms. Du Cheng'an believed it all. The Prince of Yanping probably wouldn't stop him, so Du Cheng'an actually went to ask the emperor to grant him a marriage.

The marriage was agreed upon by both the Minister of Justice and the eldest son-in-law, but fate still played a part. The obstacles involved were something that even the Minister of Justice and the eldest son-in-law, working together, could not overcome.

Du Cheng'an looked utterly dejected, and even the Prince of Yanping and the others couldn't bear to see him like that.

He finally found a girl he liked, but the marriage went through many twists and turns. He wanted to offer some advice, but he didn't know where to begin.

Du Cheng'an was in a bad mood, so the Prince of Yanping and the others didn't let him go to the city patrol office with them.

The three of them went to the city patrol office, while Du Cheng'an returned to his residence.

Princess Huyang hadn't seen her son for three days and was very anxious. But seeing her son's sullen expression, she knew that her son knew that the royal family had not agreed to the marriage.

So what if the marriage wasn't agreed upon? There are plenty of well-bred young ladies in Kyoto; it's not like she has to be a girl from the Wang family.

But Princess Huyang dared not say these words aloud, for her son's expression clearly showed that he was convinced.

Princess Huyang looked at the eldest son-in-law, who comforted Du Cheng'an, saying, "This marriage may not be without hope, but the timing is not right now. Although the Minister of Justice has not approved the marriage, he has said that when Miss Wang is of marriageable age, if you are not yet married, he will give her to you."

Du Cheng'an was a little bewildered. His life had been too simple for the past nineteen years, and the hidden message in those words was quite significant, which he couldn't quite process for the time being.

Princess Huyang sensed something amiss and frowned, asking, "Can't Miss Wang be betrothed at this time?"

As long as there is no engagement, what is there that cannot be promised?

If the engagement had been arranged earlier, they would have simply rejected them on the same day; there would have been no need to make excuses.

The eldest son-in-law was at a loss. His son didn't understand what he was saying, but his mother sensed the problem. The eldest son-in-law said with a headache, "This matter can't be explained in a few words. You'll understand later."

He just brushed her off again!

It's not something that can be explained in a few words. They have more than just a few words to say. If they can't explain it in one day, two days should be enough, right?

They went to the Ministry of Justice's residence, but the marriage proposal for their son fell through, and their relationship was on the verge of collapse.