Fourth Prince's words were like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up a thousand waves in everyone's hearts. The marriage alliance was inevitable. Apart from the Seventeenth Prince, who was not yet married, every family of the clan present had an unmarried princess.

The delicious food now tasted like cardboard, and the wives all wore expressions of fear, looking worriedly at their daughters and praying that the Fourth Prince would not choose them.

Fourth Master acted as if nothing had happened offstage, speaking calmly as if it were just a casual remark, and even exchanged glances and jokes with Lanqin.

Just then, after pondering for a moment, the Third Prince Cheng suddenly stood up.

All eyes turned to the Third Master. The two princesses in the brothel instantly turned pale and looked at their father with despair as they stood up.

The Third Prince first bowed respectfully to the Fourth Prince, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, my two daughters are of marriageable age and have reached the point of marriage. I am unable to share Your Majesty's burdens in matters of state, but I am willing to send my daughters to marry into a foreign power in exchange for the long-term peace and stability of the Qing Dynasty..."

Fourth Master stopped eating with his chopsticks, stared meaningfully at Third Master, a slight smile playing on his lips, and then looked at the two princesses in the boudoir.

The Third Prince immediately explained, “Your Majesty, they are my two daughters born out of wedlock. You may not have met them. Although they are daughters born out of wedlock, I have been strict with their education since they were young. They are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and can read and write, making them no less literate than the legitimate daughters…”

The Third Master introduced his daughter as if he were selling an item, without showing the slightest reluctance. Lanqin felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She saw the Third Prince's wife sitting coldly and indifferently beside him, also adopting an attitude of indifference.

The daughter that the Third Prince wanted to send for a political marriage was not born to the Third Prince's wife, but was the daughter of Lady Tian. The Third Prince's wife's daughter was already married, so the Third Prince's wife had no objection to the proposal that the princess be sent from the Third Prince's residence for the political marriage.

The Fourth Prince laughed and said, "I am extremely grateful that Prince Cheng has such an idea..." After saying that, he raised his wine cup slightly towards the Third Prince as a toast. The Third Prince excitedly returned the toast, and they both drank it down in one gulp.

The two princesses in the corner couldn't believe their ears. They slumped into their chairs, their hands trembling slightly beneath their clothes. They had watched helplessly as their father selfishly disregarded their wishes, treating them as objects to please others, and handing them over to him.

Lanqin saw the pain and despair on the two princesses' faces and felt a pang of heartache in her heart.

The Third Prince, however, flattered the Fourth Prince with great excitement, saying, "A marriage alliance is a good thing. It is an honor for the Prince Cheng's mansion to send my daughter to the grasslands, representing the Qing Dynasty. It is my duty to relieve the Emperor's worries and the people's troubles..."

Fourth Master was very satisfied with Third Master's performance, but his eyes still glanced at others intentionally or unintentionally. Third Master had really stolen the limelight, but this limelight cost his two illegitimate daughters their lifelong happiness.

Lanqin felt a pang of sadness, both heartbroken for the princess who was about to be married off to a distant land for political reasons, and relieved that her own Bechuk was already engaged. Otherwise, it might have been Bechuk who was married off, and Lanqin couldn't bear to imagine Bechuk marrying into the wild grasslands, never seeing her again, and spending her life only able to cherish memories of her.

Fourth Master noticed Lanqin's dazed state early on. When no one was paying attention, a pair of warm hands tightly grasped Lanqin from under the table. Lanqin was startled and turned to look at Fourth Master, who was still chatting and laughing as usual!

Lanqin couldn't bear to part with her daughter, so another woman had to be sent as a substitute in a political marriage—a symbol of status and power. At that moment, Lanqin was incredibly grateful that her husband was sitting on the emperor's throne; otherwise, her daughter would have been at the mercy of others…