Chapter 286 Taking the initiative to marry

The eldest master was anxious and didn't want to wait a moment, so he immediately took Zhao Yi to the Qi family.

After leaving the Duke's Mansion, Prince Rui went straight back to Prince Rui's Mansion and summoned his staff.

The staff saluted King Rui and observed his expression, but did not feel the relief and joy he had hoped for.

He asked, "Your Highness, did Zhao Yi reject you?"

"Zhao Yi asked me to report the Ministry of War's affairs to the Emperor truthfully, and let him make the final decision."

Prince Rui threw the letter on the table and said solemnly, "Zhao Yi has always been a man who protects himself. He does not participate in the struggle for the throne. He is loyal only to our father and has never been close to any of the princes."

"When I saw that he didn't shy away from the question, I thought he agreed to lend me a hand. I tried to probe him again regarding Princess Guangning's marriage, but Zhao Yi refused to get involved."

Prince Rui was a little irritated. "I can't figure out what Zhao Yi is thinking. Did he accept my offer, or is he willing to give me some pointers because of the Ministry of War's mistakes that affect the court?"

"Your Highness, if you want to know Zhao Yi's attitude, it's quite simple," the aide pondered. "Report this matter to the Emperor. If he wants to get to the bottom of it, then consult him. If he continues to give you guidance, it means he's on your side."

After a pause, he continued, "Zhao Yizhi is almost a demon. He knows what to do and what not to do. Since he reminded you, you naturally know what it means."

It means taking sides.

When King Rui thought of this, he felt a little relieved.

"My mother sent a message from the palace saying that my father intended for my brother to marry Princess Guangning. Then Princess Guangning was frightened in Yanxiang Palace. This is quite suspicious."

Prince Rui pondered, "Given the methods used by Concubine Ling and my brother, they will most likely force Princess Guangning to back down."

Upon hearing this, the staff smiled and said, "Your Highness, this is not a bad thing for you."

"Oh?" Prince Rui raised his eyes and looked at him: "Tell me about it."

The staff suggested: "If Your Highness trusts me, please take the initiative to ask the Emperor to marry Princess Guangning."

Prince Rui was stunned and pursed his lips.

He and Prince Yu were unwilling to marry Princess Guangning because they were worried that it would affect the succession to the throne.

If he takes the initiative to ask for marriage...

The staff member pointed out: "Your Highness, Northern Qi was defeated and just sent a princess to marry. This princess poses no threat to the Great Zhou."

"The final say lies with our Great Zhou. The Emperor can personally choose who Princess Guangning will marry, and Northern Qi will have no say."

"The Emperor hasn't made a decision yet, but instead asked Princess Guangning to choose personally. Isn't this just testing your and Prince Yu's attitudes?"

Prince Rui's expression suddenly changed.

"If Your Highness takes the initiative to ask to marry Princess Guangning, in the eyes of the Emperor, you are not only courageous but also visionary. You will not be trapped by a mere princess of a defeated country."

"Your Highness, from another perspective, you are sharing the Emperor's worries. For the sake of the people and the country of Great Zhou, you do not want to see the two countries go to war. You voluntarily marry Princess Guangning to promote an alliance between the two countries."

"The Emperor is a wise ruler. He cares about the people and the country. Naturally, he hopes that Your Highness will care about the people as much as he does."

At this point, the aide said meaningfully, "The Emperor was once a prince, so he naturally understands the mindset of a prince. The more you resist marrying Princess Guangning, the more you reveal your ambition for the majestic imperial power."

King Rui's heart moved, and he murmured, "Struggle without fighting."

No emperor could tolerate someone coveting his throne.

Prince Rui made up his mind: "I will enter the palace now."

He wrote a memorial, changed into casual clothes, and went to the palace to meet Emperor Jing'an.

Eunuch Deng was on duty at the door. After understanding the purpose of Prince Rui's visit, he went into the inner hall to inform him. Only after obtaining Emperor Jing'an's permission did he invite Prince Rui into the hall.

Prince Rui entered the hall and saluted Emperor Jing'an. "Father, I have taken over the Ministry of War. When I was handing over the matter to my brother's men, I discovered that the money allocated by the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of War was missing..."

He looked up at Emperor Jing'an, and seeing that he was looking at him seriously, his scalp immediately tightened, and he handed over the memorial and account book with both hands.

"Father, I have written down all the problems of the Ministry of War in this memorial. This account book records the income and expenditure of the Ministry of War for the past three years. Please review it."

Eunuch Cao immediately took the memorial and account books to Emperor Jing'an.

Emperor Jing'an first opened the memorial and read it quickly, then opened the account book. The further he turned, the gloomier his expression became.

With a bang, Emperor Jing'an slammed the account book on the table and shouted angrily, "Check it for me."

Prince Rui, worried that Emperor Jing'an would protect Prince Yu, he heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the Emperor's decision. However, he didn't dare propose marrying Princess Guangning while the Emperor was furious, planning to bring it up after the court tomorrow morning.

-

Shen Qingtan returned to Lanxueyuan, washed his hands, changed into casual clothes, sat on the couch, and looked through the account books sent from the shop.

It took two hours to check the account books.

Shen Qingtan's eyes were sore and swollen. He pinched the corners of his eyes and told Liu Yue, "Go get a hot towel and I'll put it on my eyes."

Liu Yue responded and left.

"Second Madam." Madam Liu walked into the room quickly and handed over a letter: "This is a letter from Miss Qin."

Shen Qingtan opened the letter and couldn't help laughing after reading its contents.

Qin Yao said in the letter that she had someone beat Pei Wuyan up, and then extorted some money from him to give to her nephew as a full-moon gift.

Shen Qingtan stared at the words "little nephew" and couldn't help but hold his forehead. It was too early.

Zhao Yi's poison had just been cured not long ago. He was worried that if he had a child now, the child would still be affected, so he planned to wait another year or two.

She was two years older by then, so having another child wouldn't be too hard for her.

Shen Qingtan read the letter again. Pei Wuyan had already left the Duke's Mansion and lost the opportunity to climb up to the Duke's Mansion. Pei Wuyan also lost his value to Prince Yu.

Now he can only hold on to Qin Yao tightly, and when he has no other choice, it is easier for him to fall into the trap.

If Prince Yu still wants to use Pei Wuyan again, that would be exactly what she wants.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingtan sighed.

That day, the Qin family was invited to visit the Zhenbei Palace. After the banquet, she privately asked Qin Yao what she thought of her three brothers.

Qin Yao said, "Sister Shen, your eldest brother will inherit the title in the future and needs to marry a lady of equal status. I am the daughter of a merchant family and cannot bear the heavy responsibility of being a clan wife. Your third brother is as careless as I am and doesn't have much sense. If I were cheated, he would go to seek justice for me and might get cheated too."

She asked, "Where is my second brother?"

Qin Yao said: "Sister Shen, your second brother and I don't get along, and his personality makes it very tiring to get along with him."

Shen Qingtan put down the letter in his hand and was about to say something to Mother Liu.

At this time, the housekeeper came to report: "Second Madam, someone has come from the palace, please invite the Second Master into the palace."