Chapter 128 The Unloved Princess 3

After traveling day and night, they finally arrived in the imperial capital before the Wanshou Festival. Even if one's temperament was indifferent, after spending more than a decade in the lonely temple, seeing such a lively scene suddenly made one curious.

But since he didn't like the crowds, he just opened the wooden window, raised the curtain, took a few glances, and then closed it. Jintang, on the other hand, was impatient to begin with, and when he heard the loud exclamations outside the carriage, he almost stuck his head out.

The carriage continued to move, and the noise on the street gradually died down as the carriage moved.

Knock knock knock.

The carriage stopped, and the palace servants outside the carriage could be heard greeting each other respectfully. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and after Jintang opened the carriage curtain, Nan Qiao slowly raised her eyes and looked out the door...

*

Located at the feet of the emperor, the lively and joyous atmosphere in the imperial capital reached its climax on the day of the emperor's birthday. Even though it was dark, the imperial capital was still decorated in red and green, and was full of joy.

The current emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty is mediocre in both civil and military affairs, but thanks to the laws and achievements left by several ancestors, he is still able to barely maintain the vast territory of the Great Zhou.

The solemn and dignified imperial palace was also a scene of prosperity and joy, with lights and decorations everywhere. In the Xuande Hall, which entertained all the officials and ladies, the sounds of orchestral music were endless, and charming dancers in bright clothes were dancing gracefully in the hall, creating a scene of prosperity and joy.

The emperor at the top was very old, with wrinkled skin and dark eye sockets. He smiled as he watched the dancer below twisting her waist. Without the dragon robe on his body, he would have looked like an ordinary old man with kind eyes.

The princes and grandsons of the emperor, and all the civil and military officials were on both sides, and below them were the envoys from various countries. The Princess Loulan was dressed coolly and looked charming, talking and laughing, and was very conspicuous in the whole hall.

There were also some unmarried ladies at the banquet. When they saw the foreign princess with her breasts exposed, their pretty faces flushed red and they dared not look at her directly.

As the chief civil official, Lin Qinghuai sat at the first seat on the left, smiling as he asked a palace servant to pour him some wine. The man, dressed in a scarlet crane official uniform, had a handsome appearance and an outstanding demeanor, attracting the attention of most of the ladies in the hall.

He has a handsome appearance, outstanding talents, holds a high position and keeps himself clean... In the eyes of most unmarried ladies in the imperial capital, Prime Minister Lin is exactly the husband they most desire.

The girls' gazes were burning like fire, but Lin Qinghuai seemed unaware of it. His calm gaze fell on the celadon wine glass that was shining under the light, and also seemed to fall on his scar that had not yet fully healed. He seemed a little absent-minded.

After the song ended, the dancers in the hall quickly withdrew. Without the cover of the singing and dancing music, the people who were still talking in the hall quickly quieted down, and their faces looked very respectful.

Sensing the awe of the people in the hall, the old emperor, who was looking down from above, smiled with satisfaction. As a supreme emperor, even though he was old, the feeling of being above everyone else since he ascended the throne still made him feel happy.

So what if he is mediocre among the many princes? So what if he is not favored?

The emperor who now holds power over the world and lies drunkenly on the lap of a beauty is Li Yan.

Thinking of this, the resentment he had originally felt due to his aging dissipated a lot, and the kind smile on his face became more genuine.

But when his eyes fell on the seat below on the left, he frowned and his cloudy eyes sank again.

"Lord Lin, could it be that the wine and drinks I prepared today are so good that you've lost your mind?"

An old and gentle voice sounded from the top. Lin Qinghuai's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he stood up, curling his lips and raising his eyebrows, saying: "Your Majesty is raised by the world, and the fine wine in the palace is naturally extraordinary. I was tempted by the wine for a while and inevitably lost my mind. I hope Your Majesty will atone for my sins."

He was as slender as a bamboo and had an elegant demeanor. As soon as he opened his mouth, he captured the attention of everyone in the hall.

The old emperor's cloudy eyes showed a bit more scrutiny: "Since Lord Lin likes it so much, I will have someone send a few jars of wine to your residence."

Lin Qinghuai showed gratitude and bowed to express his gratitude, saying, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your reward."

The old emperor narrowed his eyes, looked at Lin Qinghuai who seemed very respectful, and suddenly laughed.

"If I remember correctly, you are already twenty-four this year, my dear?"

Lin Qinghuai continued respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am indeed twenty-four."

The old emperor at the top nodded thoughtfully, his face flickering in the light, making people feel a chill for no reason.

At this time, the hall had become completely quiet. The court officials who had vaguely sensed that His Majesty was dissatisfied with Prime Minister Lin just lowered their heads and dared not say much.

As if thinking of something, the old emperor forced a smile and said, "You are twenty-four now, it's time for you to get married."

Get married.

Lin Qinghuai's smile faded a little.

The old emperor at the top continued, "...It is said that a man should first start a family and then establish a career. Lord Lin is extremely talented and promising at a young age. Now that he has achieved enough, it is time to consider starting a family."

The old emperor had a kind face, and he looked at Lin Qinghuai with gentle eyes, as if he was looking at his beloved nephew. His eyes seemed to be full of his sincere care.

Lin Qinghuai's expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of helplessness in his face: "Your Majesty, thank you for your concern. It's not that I don't want to get married, but I'm busy with official duties and really don't have time to care about anything else."

As if he had anticipated the other party's refusal, the old emperor smiled and shook his head, then said again in a serious tone:

"I know that Lord Lin is devoted to the imperial court, but Lord Lin is my right-hand man. If the affairs of the palace were taken care of by the mistress, I believe he would be more willing to do my work for me."

The implication is that if Lin Qinghuai does not get married, he will definitely devote some of his attention to family affairs.

"Lord Lin, do you have a woman you admire? If not, how about I grant you a marriage and choose a dignified and elegant noblewoman as your wife?"

The old emperor at the top smiled faintly.

The woman of longing.

A pair of beautiful eyes suddenly appeared in his mind. Lin Qinghuai's eyes dimmed slightly. He soon realized that he was thinking of the woman he had just caught a glimpse of, and suddenly came back to his senses.

The usually gentle Prime Minister Lin's eyes turned cold and his expression was a little chilly, as if something had touched his reverse scale. Even the aura around him seemed to become aggressive.

The old emperor at the top noticed Lin Qinghuai's sudden change in expression. His cloudy eyes darkened slightly, and his dissatisfaction with Lin Qinghuai's uncontrollable behavior grew stronger and stronger.

But after all, the old emperor has been in this position for decades, and he is not a fool who is completely ignorant of the situation. Lin Qinghuai is now powerful and influential in the court. If he really angers him, it may be more trouble than gain.

After mentally changing his mind, the old emperor concealed the gloom on his face and continued earnestly, "If Lord Lin truly does not wish to marry, I will not force you. However, the affairs of Lord Lin's mansion and the rear quarters still need to be managed by the mistress."

He once again pushed those eyes out of his mind, and a smile appeared on Lin Qinghuai's beautiful face again. He said with a hint of gratitude: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful."

The old emperor nodded and stopped looking at him.

The orchestral music sounded again, and the singing and dancing began again. The relaxing and pleasant tunes seemed to blow away the cold atmosphere just now.

Lin Qinghuai returned to his seat again, staring calmly at his celadon wine glass, his eyes flashing.

He knew that the emperor had already set his mind on his marriage.

The best thing to do now is to take control of his marriage as soon as possible. If he lets the emperor arrange his marriage, his marriage will be in a passive position.

For him, it is actually not difficult to take the initiative into his own hands.

Lin Qinghuai raised his eyes and looked at the women's seats opposite, his gaze sweeping through them one by one.

Not only were the wives of civil and military officials seated there, but also most of the famous ladies from the imperial capital, and even a princess from Loulan...

As long as he randomly chooses one of the ladies at the table as his legal wife after today, all his problems will be solved...

As a powerful official who would do anything to achieve his goals, this is what he should do.

Just sacrificing the position of his wife can dispel the old emperor's concerns about controlling his marriage. Why not do it?

His eyes swept over the women sitting opposite him one by one, but he didn't find any pair of eyes that looked like the ones in his mind. Lin Qinghuai pursed his lips and quickly shifted his gaze.

Lin Qinghuai raised his head and drank the wine in the celadon wine glass in one gulp. His expression was indifferent and his eyes were calm. It was unknown what he was thinking.

Almost all the noble ladies focused their attention on Lin Qinghuai. When they saw his eyes on the women at the table, their hearts were beating like deer.

The ladies of high social status were reserved, and even when they were happy, they would not let go of their pride. They held their heads high, chests puffed out, backs straight, and only when their shy gaze fell on the handsome man drinking across from them did they reveal a hint of their girlish feelings.

As a foreign envoy, the Princess of Loulan showed no sign of shyness. She had met Lin Qinghuai once before during his mission to Loulan, and being bold and lively by nature, she quickly smiled brightly when she noticed Lin Qinghuai's gaze.

The beautiful woman's smile was as bright as the sun, which was indeed attractive, but she could not keep Lin Qinghuai's gaze away.

After half of the drinking, the singing and dancing changed to a more intense tune, and the atmosphere became more and more heated. Even though Prime Minister Lin had a dull expression, he still couldn't resist the people who kept coming forward to try to make connections with him.

It was not until the singing and dancing in the hall stopped again that the officials who had been chatting returned to their original seats reluctantly.

The old emperor at the top seemed to remember something and waved his hand, and the noisy hall immediately quieted down.

He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and raised his voice slightly, saying, "Today is the Emperor's Birthday. My fourth daughter, Princess Lingqiao, has been worshipping Buddha outside the palace since she was five years old. She has returned to the palace to celebrate my birthday. I would also like to take this opportunity to let all of you meet my fourth princess."

He looked around the hall, and his eyes fell on Lin Qinghuai with a hint of deep meaning.

He didn't care about this daughter, but now this was the only daughter who was of the right age and was the most suitable princess to marry Lin Qinghuai.

Sensing the old emperor's gaze, Lin Qinghuai lowered his head, his expression calm. He scoffed inwardly, thinking that his majesty was becoming increasingly naive.

This method is a bit too superficial.

Did he really think that by giving him a princess, he could really give up the power in his hands?

You know, there are many ways in this world to make a princess disappear silently.

Lin Qinghuai was thinking carelessly when he heard the voice of the palace servant calling for Princess Lingqiao. He looked up nonchalantly.

A light green figure soon appeared outside the palace gate.

Lin Qinghuai was slightly startled, and his hand holding the celadon wine glass suddenly tightened, and the wine glass in his hand shattered again.

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