Chapter 28

It was almost time for dinner when I got home, so I sat in my father's room for a while and played with Anqi.

When my mother came back, she was surprised to see me and asked, "Why are you here today?"

Before I could answer, my father said, "You can't ask that any day."

The mother smiled and took the father's hand to sit at the table. "You know that's not what I meant."

The husband and wife are old, but they still show their love.

I put down the toy in my hand and looked at my mother and father seriously. Seeing my attitude, my mother and father looked at each other and became serious.

"Is something wrong?" asked the father with concern.

I was a little embarrassed, "Mother, Father, I want to settle down with the little prince."

Now, the two of them were really shocked. After all, I had been resisting a few days ago.

After his father's surprise, a smile began to spread across his face. "Okay, okay, that's a good thing. What made you suddenly come to your senses?"

I scratched my head and said, "Oh, don't worry about it. Anyway, you should talk to the Queen first." Seeing my mother's happy face as if she were going to hold her grandchildren, I added cautiously, "Just settle it first. I have to wait until I'm twenty to get married."

The smile on my father's face froze. "What do you mean by 'after twenty'? You're dreaming! Whether they agree to the engagement or not is another matter!"

My father said angrily, "Go, go, go and eat."

Having conveyed my meaning, I ate my meal honestly and returned to my room.

Now that I've spoken, my father will definitely tell the Queen about my family's intentions as soon as possible. If I'm not mistaken, my father should submit his invitation to the palace tomorrow.

It's not that I want to make a decision quickly, but mainly because this happened today. If I don't have a letter, the little prince will definitely cry again.

And it would be very serious. After all, whether it was an accident or not, what I did was beyond the normal range. Whoever it was, would be held responsible.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but reflect that I really need to stay away from other men in the future and resolutely not allow any accidents to happen.

Sure enough, the next afternoon, my father went to the palace and didn't return until evening. He gave me a reassuring look during dinner, and I felt relieved.

In the palace, the queen looked at the little prince, making him feel very uneasy.

The little prince looked himself up and down, patted his head and face, and asked, "What's wrong, father? Is there something wrong with me?"

The Queen then spoke slowly, "What happened between you and An Lan? Tell the truth, and don't make me ask anyone else."

The little prince's face suddenly turned red and he stood up nervously.

"What does the Queen Mother mean?"

The Queen took the little prince's hand and pulled him to her side, "Don't pull it. You pull at the corner of your clothes when you're nervous."

After the little prince sat down, he continued, "This afternoon, your uncle from the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion came over. Although he didn't say it directly, his words implied that he wanted to ask for your hand in marriage on An Lan's behalf."

"If I remember correctly, An Lan had no intention of getting engaged or married before. There was the example of your brother-in-law An Ran. Your mother and I have estimated that, if nothing unexpected happens, An Lan might not get engaged until she is nineteen or twenty years old at the earliest."

The prince picked up the teacup, took a sip of water, and looked at the little prince. "Besides, you two have never had any private feelings before. So something must have happened for An Lan to make such a sudden decision."

The little prince kept his head down with a red face. The Queen could not help but frown and said seriously, "Chen An, could it be that something like what happened to your third sister has happened?"

The little prince later learned about the previous incident. When he heard his father ask this, he jumped up and waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no." Then, he said hesitantly, "It was just unexpected. She kissed me on the cheek."

After hearing this, the Queen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That's not bad, you're quite responsible."

The little prince couldn't help stamping his feet, "Father Queen!"

The Queen pulled the little prince over and asked him to sit down, patting his hands. "You know what your mother and I mean. We are very fond of An Lan. Firstly, your aunt, Marquis Jing'an, has a high status in the court. I won't go into details about this, but a royal man has the responsibilities of a royal man." The little prince nodded.

"Secondly, we have a very close relationship with her family. We have watched each other's children grow up. You won't be wronged if you marry her. Thirdly, your brother-in-law An Ran is in the past, which makes the relationship even closer. And since An Lan asked your brother-in-law to marry only one person, she can't possibly get anywhere. You don't have any ulterior motives, so your life will be easier in the future. I'm also relieved."

The Queen patted the little prince's head and said, "An Lan herself is capable. Many things in the imperial court were proposed, created, or improved by An Lan and your brother-in-law An Ran. You know part of this, but a large part of it is hidden behind the scenes. Even if An Lan doesn't take the initiative to rise in the future, her achievements alone will ensure her rapid advancement and a comfortable life. Moreover, her family is a treasure trove. Even the palace benefits from her family's influence. Although I can't say it directly, this is the truth. Your father is very relieved that you can marry into her family."

The little prince's eyes were red at this moment, "Father, Queen."

The Queen was very happy. "My Chen An is a blessed child. Your mother and I had originally agreed to keep you until you were nineteen. If An Lan had not had that intention, as long as he didn't have someone in mind and wasn't engaged, we would have arranged the marriage directly. But now they've taken the initiative. I'd like to keep you for a few more years."

The little prince leaned on the Queen's arms and said coquettishly, "Father, Queen, I will not marry now."

The Queen laughed, "Yes, yes, my Chen An is still a little darling, and father is reluctant to let you get married now."

After a pause, the Queen continued, "However, Chen An, you must make plans to get married when you are nineteen or twenty."

As soon as these words came out, the little prince sat up immediately and looked at the Queen with a puzzled look on his face, "Father Queen?"

"It's not that your mother and I are reluctant to let you get married, but An Lan may not want to get married so soon."

The little prince's face turned pale, and his voice trembled a little, "Does she not like me and is just being responsible? Then I... I..." He couldn't say that he didn't want to get married.

The Queen quickly hugged the little prince and comforted him, "That's not the reason. I just think that she might not want to get married soon, just like your sister-in-law. The probability is very high. Don't worry."

The little prince calmed down, "I know, father and queen."

The Queen felt very distressed when she saw her son looking a little lonely.

"Chen An, this is just my father's guess."

The little prince grinned, "Father, I understand everything. Don't worry. It's just right for us to get to know each other better over the next few years. Regardless, it's already going much better than I expected. She even knew to propose marriage as soon as possible!"

As he spoke, the little prince actually became happy. He was full of confidence in himself and was sure he could win Yu Anlan over. Moreover, he had figured out her weaknesses and was afraid that she would cry!

Seeing the little prince slowly become happy again, the Queen finally felt relieved, "Good boy."

After a while, the emperor came over. The little prince paid his respects and then said goodbye and left.

The emperor was very confused. "Why did this child leave after seeing me? Isn't he going to eat here?"

The Queen stepped forward to greet the Emperor, "Maybe you're shy because of what you're going to say later."

This made the emperor even more confused.

Dinner was served one by one, and the two sat down at the table. The Queen said, "This afternoon, Lord Yu came to chat, and the meaning of his words was that he wanted to ask for Chen An's hand in marriage."

The emperor was confused. "Which Lord Yu?" He asked, and seeing the empress smile and raise an eyebrow, he quickly realized, "The Marquis of Jing'an? An Lan?"

Seeing the Queen nod, the Emperor couldn't help but clap his hands and said, "This is good news! An Lan is only seventeen, why is her family so proactive this time?"

"What are you saying?" The Queen tried to hold back but couldn't help herself. "An Lan accidentally kissed Chen An. Ahem."

The emperor's eyes widened. "You little bastard, you have to take responsibility. If you dare not take responsibility, I will beat them up."

Having said that, it would be nice if I could just suppress the corners of my mouth.

The Queen whispered, "It will relieve me of my worries."

The Emperor patted the Empress's hand and said, "You're being overly suspicious. This marriage is going to happen. It's just a matter of time. Marquis Jing'an is a man of measure. It's just that it would be better if they took the initiative."

The Queen nodded and said, "I didn't respond directly today because I wasn't aware of the situation. I'll talk to Chen Xi's family tomorrow and have him pass on a message."

"Let's eat." The emperor picked up the chopsticks.

After my brother conveyed the message, my father understood what was going on and began to happily prepare things for my engagement.

I was in the middle of a tizzy when my brother came into my room. Looking up, I felt like he was covered in numbers. I leaned back in my chair, tilted my head back, and blinked hard to soothe the soreness.

"Are you looking at the account book?" My brother came over, pulled over a chair and sat next to me.

"Isn't it almost the end of the year?" I closed my eyes and rested, wanting to give up.

"I heard from your sister Chenxi that they plan to have you go to the Imperial Academy first, and then take up your position after the New Year. Did mother tell you about that?" The brother pulled the account book over and took a look. "This account is quite detailed."

"Not really." I wasn't surprised at all. Most of the top-ranked Jinshi from the capital went to the Hanlin Academy to cultivate their tempers. "Anyway, they'll all be in the six ministries in the future."

My brother snorted at me, "You are quite confident."

"Your sister does have this confidence. By then, mother will be promoted to another level." I did the eye exercises seriously.

"Mother has been in this position long enough." The brother frowned, feeling a little dissatisfied.

I sighed, "There's nothing I can do. The emperor needs my mother to run the Ministry of Revenue for him, and I'll just have to wait for me to climb up."

My brother looked at me, feeling very lazy, and stood up and patted my forehead in annoyance.

"Brother, are you still my gentle and kind brother?" I sat up straight and complained in an exaggerated manner.

My brother couldn't help but laugh angrily, "I can be even more gentle, do you want to experience it?"

I touched my forehead and muttered, "Sister-in-law has spoiled you."

My brother pretended to attack me, and I twisted my body to avoid him.

"Is it settled? Chen An is going to be your lifelong partner?" My brother looked at me seriously.

Speaking of the little prince, I thought of the scene that day and chuckled softly.

"Brother, I kissed him that day."

My brother suddenly understood. "I was wondering why you suddenly asked Father to arrange a marriage for you. I was quite surprised when the Queen found me. Did you take the initiative?"

"No, it's an accident. I just want to be a responsible and good person!" I waved my hands. It would be fine if you took the initiative, and I could kiss you for a while longer.

My brother looked at me with a look of nostalgia, and said with a sour taste in his mouth, "It's fine as long as you like."