Chapter 112: Marriage

The night fell over Yushou Peak, with tents scattered all over the place and fires burning all around, the flames dancing.

Many guards, armed with weapons and walking steadily, patrolled between the tents.

The palace maids were moving around with all kinds of things in their hands.

Shen Yuning returned to the tent and saw Quan Minghe sitting upright in the tent. His posture was as firm as a pine tree and his face was calm, but there seemed to be undercurrents surging in his deep eyes.

The calmer this man is, the scarier he is.

Shen Yuning was almost certain that he saw himself and Ye Jinshu meeting by the stream.

But she was surprised that Quan Minghe didn't come over to question her directly.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

"Get up, where have you been?"

Quan Minghe leaned back in his chair and looked up at her.

Shen Yuning walked towards him and answered truthfully: "After I woke up, I took a walk with Zhao Qizi by the stream."

Quan Minghe looked at her for a long time, as if he wanted to analyze her soul, but then he stood up and walked away without saying a word.

"Let's go, the bonfire party tonight is about to begin."

Shen Yuning followed Quan Minghe to the banquet venue, which was very spacious. Although the autumn breeze blew, no one felt cold.

Because of the hunting trip, the ministers put aside their court restraints and looked relaxed.

The palace maids were busy between the tables, placing plates of roasted meat on them. The aroma of meat filled the air.

Quan Minghe walked straight to the upper seat and sat down. The empty seat on the left was reserved for Shen Yuning, while on the right, Yan Xin was already sitting with her eyes flickering, as if she was thinking about something.

Quan Minghe scanned the entire room and finally stopped at Ye Jinshu.

He asked casually, "Ye Qing won the first prize in hunting today. Do you want any reward?"

Ye Jinshu stepped forward and clasped his hands in a salute: "Your Majesty, I am humbled by your kindness. I only ask Your Majesty to give me a few jars of fine wine so that I can drink with my colleagues to celebrate this achievement."

A slight smile appeared on Quan Minghe's lips.

"Li Ming, take a few jars of the Yuquan wine I brought to General Ye."

After a brief pause, he changed the subject.

"However, how can these jars of wine be enough? Ye Qing is a young and talented man, but he has not yet married. Since you have come to the capital, how about I help you arrange a marriage today?"

Shen Yuning's heart sank.

As expected of an emperor, he acted decisively and although he seemed calm, he actually had plans in place long ago.

When he dealt with Feng Moheng, he not only made him inhumane, but also sent a woman over.

Now, as for Ye Jinshu, he directly granted her marriage and cut off her thoughts.

Ye Jinshu's expression did not change, but his eyes flickered slightly, and he glanced in the direction of Shen Yuning calmly.

Immediately, he stood up and said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your grace. However, since I joined the army, I have been determined to quell the rebellion on the border and protect the country and the people. In recent years, I have been on the battlefield and have no time to take care of my children and personal affairs."

"Besides, I like freedom by nature and am not bound by the constraints of family. If I marry rashly, I am afraid that I will not be able to take care of both in the future, and it will ruin my life. Therefore, I have no intention of getting married. I hope Your Majesty will grant my wish."

When Quan Minghe started to ask Ye Jinshu questions, his eyes were fixed on Shen Yuning.

I saw her head lowered, and it was difficult to see her expression.

But the hand on the armrest was trembling slightly, and the knuckles were white, obviously tense.

Why doesn't she want Ye Jinshu to get married and start a family?

Quan Minghe narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold light flashed in them, but he said nothing.

His eyes fell on Ye Jinshu again, as if he was thinking about whether to agree to his request.

At this time, the Dali Temple Minister stood up. Judging from his appearance, his face was flushed, perhaps because he drank a few too many glasses of wine during the banquet, and he sounded a little arrogant when he spoke.

His eldest daughter was very successful and gave birth to two princes for the royal family. With this support, although he did not hold the highest official position, no one in the court dared to provoke him easily.

The Dali Temple official stepped forward, bowed to the ground, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I have a little girl in my family. She is kind and virtuous. She has been well-read since she was young."

"Now that I see that General Ye is young and promising, it is truly a match made in heaven. Although General Ye is devoted to serving his country and has no intention of getting married for the time being, we can still make an engagement first. When the general retires after achieving success and gives up the desire to venture out into the world, we can then calmly discuss the marriage."

"This will not only not hinder the general's ambitions, but also help to establish a deep friendship between the two families. It is truly a win-win situation. I hope Your Majesty will grant my approval."

Ye Jinshu never expected that the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple would openly ask for a marriage in front of His Majesty.

His eyes instantly turned icy cold.

Last time he thought that he had already rejected the marriage proposal politely by not responding to it, but he did not expect that the Dali Temple Minister would be so ignorant and stubborn.

If His Majesty really agrees to grant the marriage, Ye Jinshu will definitely not be a person who will just accept it.

There are many ways to deal with the arranged marriage, but I don't know whether the daughter of the Dali Temple Minister can withstand his next move.

Quan Minghe held the wine glass with his slender fingers, raised it slightly to his lips, and took a sip.

As the wine went down his throat, he raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Ye Jinshu with a half-smile, "General Ye, are you willing?"

Ye Jinshu responded in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Your Majesty, I only wish to meet the woman I love and marry her, so that my life will not be in vain. The daughter of the Liu family is gentle and virtuous. I am afraid that my wandering will delay her best years. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

The Dali Temple Minister was standing aside, his face suddenly changed and he was furious.

Ye Jinshu really doesn't know what's good for him!

Everyone knew that his eldest daughter had given birth to two princes, and that he would most likely become the grandfather of the new emperor in the future. Yet Ye Jinshu dared to openly refuse.

Quan Minghe's face darkened.

Beloved woman?

There seemed to be something hidden in Ye Jinshu's words.

Before this, he had not investigated Shen Yuning's past in the Northwest. Could it be that there was really some unknown affair hidden between the two of them?

"Ye Qing's words reveal his personality, but..."

Shen Yuning's heart tightened.

It seems like Quan Minghe is determined to grant the marriage.

She turned her head slightly, frowned slightly, and called in a low voice: "Your Majesty..."

Her voice was very low, and if one did not listen carefully, it would easily be drowned out by the noise around her. Because of this, the ministers below only felt that His Majesty's words came to an abrupt halt, but they did not know why.

Quan Minghe turned his head, and his deep black eyes seemed to be filled with suppressed inquiry.

Could it be that she wanted to reject this arranged marriage on behalf of Ye Jinshu?

But what qualifications does she have to do this?

Naturally, Shen Yuning would not easily offend Quan Minghe's bottom line now.

But both Liu Shihan and Liu Jingyi had a grudge against her, and she certainly couldn't bear to see the Liu family's daughter marry Ye Jinshu.

She blinked her eyes, and in an instant, she changed into a pitiful look, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, and whispered, "My stomach hurts..."

Quan Minghe locked his eyes on her, and for a moment, he could not tell whether what she said was true or false.

Seeing that he was indifferent, Shen Yuning moved her small hand to her abdomen and pressed gently. The corners of her eyes gradually turned slightly red, and a layer of grievance mist emerged in her eyes.

After a moment of stalemate, Quan Minghe finally slowly stretched out his hand.

Shen Yuning put her hand on his, stood up from her seat and sat on Quan Minghe's throne.

The ministers below did not know what had happened between His Majesty and Concubine Shen, but His Majesty had never behaved so intimately with the Emperor's concubine in public.

Concubine Shen actually sat next to His Majesty.

In His Majesty's heart, Concubine Shen is truly unique and favored.

After Shen Yuning sat down next to Quan Minghe, she hugged his waist and leaned her whole body against his shoulders, curling up slightly, looking as if her stomach was really in unbearable pain.

Quan Minghe enjoyed her intimacy, but when he saw that she really started to have abdominal pain again, he frowned, placed his hands on her abdomen, and massaged it gently.

He whispered, "Go to the tent to rest? I'll ask Doctor Hu to check you out."

Shen Yuning shook her head and looked up at him with a hint of dependence and weakness in her eyes.

"Maybe I just drank some cold wine and my stomach feels uncomfortable."

"Your Majesty, please rub this for me and it will ease the pain."