Chapter 193 Accomplishment

Princess Lingque stood beside Prince Yuliu, her eyes slightly red, like an innocent frightened deer.

Emperor Tai'an looked at Prince Yu Liu with a solemn expression, "I remember telling you that Yang Zhe is engaged to Princess Yi'an, and they will be getting married soon."

Prince Yu Liu looked embarrassed and helpless. "I know. I told my sister when I got home. Lord Ouyang and I have been looking for her everywhere today. We thought she was missing, but we didn't expect her to go to Shuntian Prefecture to file a complaint."

At this point, he bowed deeply and said, "My sister has lost her memory, like a painting faded to white paper. Her temperament is very different from before. I beg your Majesty to forgive her."

Emperor Tai'an glanced at the pitiful Princess Lingque, and his expression softened considerably. "It is an honor for Yang Zhe that the princess has chosen him, but he is already engaged and cannot marry the princess. There are many outstanding men in the Great Zhou. I believe that the princess will be able to find a good husband..."

Listening to Emperor Tai'an's words, Princess Lingque burst into tears: "I only have eyes for him, and he agreed in public..."

Emperor Tai'an frowned: "That's just a couplet, Princess, you misunderstood."

"I'm not mistaken." Princess Lingque stepped forward, her tear-washed eyes bright and charming. "Your Majesty, is Yang Zhe's knowledge and talent outstanding among the young talents in your country?"

Although he knew there was a trap waiting for him, Emperor Tai'an still nodded.

There will be a top scholar every three years, but even a top scholar who ranks among the top three may not appear for decades. It would be a joke to say that Yang Zhe is just an ordinary young talent if it gets out.

"The first line I came up with wasn't subtle. With Yang Zhe's talent, there's no way he didn't understand what I was asking. If he wasn't interested, he could have just said he couldn't come up with the answer, and I wouldn't have bothered. But since he gave me the second line, he's made a promise. Turning around and denying it, where does that leave me?"

Emperor Tai'an's heartbeat was throbbing, and he couldn't help but glance at Yang Zhe.

Yang Zhe bowed his head and clasped his hands. "At that time, the talented scholar Yu Liu took turns to come up with the first couplet. So when Princess Lingque said the first couplet, I didn't think about it in detail. I just regarded it as a competition between the two sides."

"Princess, you see, this is just a misunderstanding." Emperor Tai'an said patiently.

Princess Lingque became agitated. "Can he erase the insult he inflicted on me with just one misunderstanding? Brother, why didn't you say anything? Don't you understand what it means for young men and women in Yuliu to express their love in public by pairing couplets?"

Prince Yu Liu smiled awkwardly and explained to Emperor Tai'an, "In Yu Liu, couplets are very popular. There's an unwritten rule: if a young man and woman come up with a couplet that expresses love, and the other person offers the second couplet, it signifies a lifelong commitment. If they turn away and refuse to acknowledge each other, it's the same as abandoning the other person."

Emperor Tai'an listened silently and frowned.

The Minister of Rites understood and said, "We in the Great Zhou don't have such a custom, and Yang Zhuangyuan is even unaware that your country has such a custom. Prince, please enlighten the princess."

There are some things that the emperor is not convenient to say, but he, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites who is responsible for dealing with foreign guests, can say them.

"I have tried to persuade her long ago. If you could have helped, Your Majesty wouldn't have been bothered by this today." Prince Yu Liu said helplessly, "My sister has lost her memory. In her heart, I am no different from a stranger..."

It’s not that he didn’t try hard, it’s just that it’s not easy to listen to what a stranger says.

"Ahem." The Shuntian prefect, who had been listening silently, coughed and asked the key question, "Since the princess has lost her memory, why does she remember these customs?"

Prince Yu Liu remained calm and said, "My sister just forgets people, but she still remembers common sense. Otherwise, wouldn't she even be able to speak?"

The prefect of Shuntian Prefecture stroked his beard and was speechless.

"Brother Wang, please stop talking." Princess Lingque suddenly spoke, looking intently at Yang Zhe. "Yang Zhuangyuan, let me ask you again, do you acknowledge the promise you made that day?"

Yang Zhe said calmly, "I'm sorry, Yang has no other intentions."

"Okay, I understand." Princess Lingque pursed her lips, a look of determination flashed across her eyes, and she suddenly rushed towards the vermilion pillar.

Prince Yu Liu was quick to act and hugged Princess Lingque tightly just as she touched the pillar: "Sister, please don't do anything stupid!"

Princess Lingque, lying in Prince Yuliu's arms, closed her eyes tightly, her forehead purple and blue.

Emperor Tai'an suddenly stood up and said, "Quickly call the imperial physician!"

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites and others were all shocked.

This Princess Lingque is such a ruthless person!

After a period of confusion, the imperial physician examined Princess Lingque, who had been placed in a side hall, and reported: "The princess didn't suffer a serious blow, so she should be fine."

After hearing this, Emperor Tai'an felt relieved.

Prince Yu Liu bowed deeply to Emperor Tai'an and said in a grave tone, "Your Majesty, I have the audacity to ask you to grant my sister's wish. Since she lost her memory, her emotions have been extremely unstable and cannot be treated with common sense. If she can bang her head against the pillar once, she can do it a second time. If something were to happen in a foreign country, I would have no way of explaining myself when I return!"

Emperor Tai'an listened quietly, his eyes as deep as a pool.

Prince Yu Liu's frequent mention of Princess Lingque's amnesia was simply a reminder that the Princess's current state was the fault of the Great Zhou. This was the compensation Yu Liu sought for Princess Lingque's injury.

Emperor Tai'an was a rational emperor who would not let his emotions affect his judgment of trade-offs. He knew very well that no matter whether Princess Lingque was serious or just pretending, if something really happened, the Great Zhou would be in big trouble. Therefore, when Princess Lingque expressed her determination to never give up until she achieved her goal, he made a decision.

After a long silence, Emperor Tai'an spoke softly, "I have never seen a woman as infatuated as Princess Lingque... well, true love is hard to find, so I will take the initiative to make this marriage a reality."

Prince Yu Liu was overjoyed when these words came out: "I thank Your Majesty on behalf of my sister."

Emperor Tai'an looked at the tall young man in the hall and asked, "Yang Xiuzhuan, what do you think?"

When the Minister of the Ministry of Rites and others heard this, they twitched their lips slightly.

Now that you have said so, what else do you want Yang Xiu to write?

Yang Zhe looked relatively calm, lowering his eyes and saying, "Your humble servant will follow the emperor's instructions."

Emperor Tai'an laughed heartily, and after Prince Yu Liu left, he sighed, "I'm sorry, Yang Xiuzhuan, but Princess Lingque is making such a fuss, and we don't want to ruin the relationship between the two countries because of her."

"It is my humble honor to be able to share the emperor's worries."

"You should retire too."

The palace fell silent. Emperor Tai'an slowly rubbed his brows and said to Liu Chuan, who was accompanying him, "Yang Zhe is indeed quite good. It's rare that he doesn't have the stubbornness of a young man. Come on, accompany me to the Empress Dowager."

For Emperor Tai'an, another headache is the Empress Dowager.

In the Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager's laughter was heard, despite what Princess Yi'an said.

"Mother, if you have anything happy to say, please tell your son." Emperor Tai'an walked in.

"I'm listening to Yi'an telling jokes. Why is the emperor here at this time?"