Chapter 23 Who wants a marriage alliance in April?

The Prince of Xiping stared wide-eyed at Yue Shanling and Fu Sui, his clear eyes filled with confusion.

Why is Yong'an here? When did she meet this man? How come they are so familiar with each other, even behaving intimately? Does this man hold an official position? Who exactly is he?

From the moment Fu Sui entered, the already tense Prince of Xiping was in turmoil, bombarded by one question after another, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Fu Sui turned his face and revealed a bright smile: "Brother Prince, are you here to enjoy the lake? The breeze is gentle today, perfect for boating and playing in the water."

The Prince of Xiping was speechless, unsure how to answer. He glanced at Yue Shanling, thinking, "It wasn't my own idea to come here."

Seeing the Prince of Xiping looking at him, Yue Shanling stood up and cupped his hands: "I am Yue Shanling. I acted expediently in an emergency. I have offended you in many ways. I hope the Prince of Xiping will not take offense."

The Prince of Xiping hurriedly got up and was about to return the greeting in a daze, but he remembered that the person opposite him already knew who he was, and his outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

Yue Shanling seemed to have guessed what the Prince of Xiping was thinking, and explained, "I ran into the Prince on the street before, and heard the people around him address him in that way."

The Prince of Xiping couldn't possibly remember who he passed by every day, and the name Yue Shanling was completely unfamiliar to him, though it sounded like a name a young master from the Yue Marquis's household would choose. He hesitated for a moment, then called out "General Yue" along with Fu Sui.

Since Fu Sui and the Prince of Xiping are acquainted, some things are naturally easier to discuss. Yue Shanling revealed a gentle smile: "Your Highness can just call me Uncle He."

Fu Sui added from the side, "He sleeps in the same bed as his cousin Xu."

The same thing, said with a few different words, sounds so awkward. Yue Shanling's lips twitched.

Only then did the Prince of Xiping realize that the person before him was the "Shuhe" that Tian Ganyou always mentioned. Perhaps because of Tian Ganyou, the cold and stern feeling that the Prince of Xiping had when he looked at Yue Shanling disappeared by most of it, and his guard was unconsciously weakened.

Fu Sui's big eyes darted around, his face showing a thirst for knowledge.

Yue Shanling carefully considered his words before slowly beginning to speak: "I once had a brother in the army who is now a gatekeeper. Yesterday, I met him, and he said he had noticed a man loitering near the city gate, seemingly observing the shift change and the inspection habits of different guards. He went up to question him, but the man only said he was waiting for someone. He felt something was amiss, but lacking evidence, he didn't know how to proceed."

"I secretly followed that man and discovered that he was a wandering knight-errant from Pingkang Ward. He and several others had become sworn brothers, taking money to solve problems for people. Such a person would not spy on the city defenses for no reason, so I wanted to find out who was behind it, but unexpectedly I caught the Prince of Xiping." Yue Shanling said to Fu Sui, "It involves the imperial family, so I can't interfere. I suppose the Prince is also unwilling to tell me the truth, so he asked you to come."

Fu Sui frowned slightly, his face full of confusion. Why was the Prince of Xiping concerned about city defenses? He could leave the city openly and honestly if he wanted to; as long as he didn't sneak away, the Emperor wouldn't care.

"Why does the Prince need someone to guard the city gates for a change of guards?"

When the Prince of Xiping heard Fu Sui's question, he pursed his lips and curled his fingers, his resistance was self-evident.

Fu Sui had no problem finding the Prince of Xiping's weakness: "If you don't tell me, I'll have people watching you around the clock so you can't do anything. And I'll also tell Yanshan about this."

"Don't tell Yanshan," the Prince of Xiping hurriedly stopped him.

Fu Sui raised her small face and pretended to stand up: "I'll go tell her right now."

"Don't go." The Prince of Xiping reached out to stop him, but found Fu Suian sitting calmly in a chair, looking at him with a half-smile. He slumped back into the chair as if his strength had been released, and lowered his head.

After a long while, the Prince of Xiping finally raised his head, his eyes already red. He pleaded with Fu Sui, "Don't worry about it, just pretend you don't know anything, okay?"

If the Prince of Xiping had remained nonchalant, Fu Sui wouldn't have pressed him for details. But given the Prince's current demeanor, how could Fu Sui possibly pretend to know nothing?

“If you encounter any difficulties, please tell us and we can work together to find a solution. But how can I feel at ease with you looking like this? Don’t you think about how heartbroken Yanshan would be if anything happened to you?”

Mentioning Yanshan caused the Prince of Xiping to feel an overwhelming pang of heartache. He slammed his fist on the table, buried his face in his arms, and his shoulders and back trembled slightly.

Faced with the sudden pain of the Prince of Xiping, Fu Sui was surprised and remained silent. The Prince of Xiping was always upright and honest, and would not give anyone a handle to blackmail him. For the Prince of Xiping to be so reluctant to tell the whole story, it must be something extremely treasonous.

She got up and opened the door. Outside, Kouyun Dailing was standing guard three or four steps away from the door. Several attendants were scattered on the shore near the painted boat. Yan Tianqing squatted a little further away, drawing circles on the ground with a straw.

Fu Sui summoned Kou Yun and instructed her to arrange for people to guard the pleasure boat, prohibiting anyone from approaching within a ten-meter radius. Fortunately, the pleasure boat was moored in a secluded spot, so any sounds from inside would not easily escape.

It took the Prince of Xiping some time to compose himself, during which time Fu Sui and Yue Shanling remained silent in tacit agreement.

However, the first words spoken by the Prince of Xiping were shocking: "The sage wants to arrange a marriage between Yanshan and Kule."

“Impossible!” Fu Sui retorted without hesitation. “It would be more believable for the sage to marry Yanshan to his cousin than to arrange a marriage alliance with Yanshan.”

“But this is what the palace said. Kule proposed a marriage alliance, and the Emperor prefers Yanshan.” The Prince of Xiping’s eyes were red, and his voice trembled with despair.

Fu Sui still refused to believe it: "Didn't Kule come to submit? Why is he suddenly bringing up marriage alliance?"

“Kule did indeed propose marriage,” Yue Shanling interjected. “The Emperor hosted a banquet for Kule’s delegation, during which Kule asked for the Han woman to surrender. However, the Emperor did not agree, saying that state affairs should not be discussed during the banquet. After the banquet, the Emperor summoned Prime Minister Qiao to discuss matters, but no one knows what they discussed.”

Yue Shanling asked the Prince of Xiping, "There weren't many people at the banquet that day. When did you learn about the marriage proposal, and who told you?"

Several days had passed. As the Prince of Xiping recalled, he said, "It was the afternoon of the tenth. I met a court official on the street who claimed to be a purchasing agent from the palace. He congratulated me on my upcoming wedding. I was very puzzled. He said that if the emperor wanted to make peace with Kule, it would most likely be Yanshan."

“I was annoyed by his nonsense at the time, but I didn’t retaliate because of his status as an inner court official. Afterwards, the more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong, so I secretly inquired in the palace. It turned out that the Inner Palace also said that the Emperor wanted to marry Kule, but the candidate had not yet been decided. They also said... they also said that Yanshan was suitable regardless of age or status.”

Yue Shanling chuckled lightly: "When the Sage hosted a banquet for the Kule envoy on the evening of the 9th, there was still no conclusion, but by the next day everyone knew that it was a definite statement?"

Fu Sui, however, was thinking about something else entirely.

King Peng divided the clans and educated the people in the southwest, bringing order to the southwest on behalf of the sage. King Peng was not a strong-willed person, but the reason he endured enormous pressure to contend with the leaders of the various tribes in the southwest for power was entirely because of his love for his sons. He hoped to satisfy the sage so that his children could have an easier life in the capital.

If Fu Sui were the emperor, he would only keep the Prince of Xiping and Yanshan firmly in his grasp so that Prince Peng would continue to serve him. How could he possibly push Yanshan away?

Moreover, a marriage alliance is vastly different from an imperial marriage. Given the current emperor's arrogance, he would at most adopt a daughter or choose a distant relative to marry into a foreign tribe. Yanshan, however, is a legitimate descendant of the founding emperor and the only daughter of Prince Peng.

Fu Sui heard Yue Shanling continue to ask, "What does this have to do with your spying on the city's defenses?"

Prince Xiping looked at Fu Sui and then at Yue Shanling. He knew that he couldn't get away without telling the truth. He took a deep breath and made up his mind to tell the whole story: "I can't let Yanshan suffer in the borderlands. If it really is Yanshan, I will send Yanshan away quietly."

Yue Shanling thought the Prince of Xiping was just being ridiculous: "How do you intend to explain this to the Emperor?"

The Prince of Xiping said in a low voice, seemingly resigned to his fate, "Let's keep things under wraps for now."

"Deceiving the emperor is a capital offense!" Yue Shanling rebuked sternly.

The Prince of Xiping murmured in despair, "I cannot stand by and watch Yanshan go to marry a foreign ruler. If the Emperor is to blame me, it was all my idea, and I will bear the responsibility myself."

Fu Sui interrupted the two of them: "The message coming from the palace may not necessarily come from the Emperor." If there was one of the three present who understood the Emperor best, it would be Fu Sui. The first lesson Qin An taught Fu Sui was not the "Thousand Character Classic," but rather how to interpret the Emperor's intentions.

"You said you inquired with the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau. Which one in the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau replied to you?" Fu Sui began by questioning the palace eunuchs in detail.

Since arriving in the capital, the Prince of Xiping had lived a quiet and contented life as a wealthy prince, completely unaware of the intricate relationships between the palace officials and the court. He didn't even know where to send money when he wanted to gather information; it was only through the kindness of a junior eunuch that he was able to establish connections with the Inner Palace Secretariat.

“I don’t know his specific name, but he said he was an inner palace attendant.”

There were six palace attendants in total, and Fu Sui recognized them all. She asked the Prince of Xiping to describe the person's appearance and voice, but none of them matched up, clearly indicating that someone was deceiving the Prince of Xiping.

Upon learning he had been deceived, the Prince of Xiping was struck dumb, muttering to himself, "How could this be? What about the marriage alliance? Was that also a sham?"

He could not see through the sage, but he understood Kule: "Kule is weak, with the Mohe to the west and the Turks to the east, so he submits to us in order to seek protection. Kule's power is negligible to our dynasty, and the Kule king is old, with many children, and his tribe lives a nomadic life with no fixed abode."

With limited strength and difficult circumstances, there was no fear of rebellion; the chief was old, and even if a Han woman were to marry him, it would be difficult to find an heir to compete for power; with no fixed abode, even if the father died and the son succeeded to the throne, it would be impossible to control Kule at all times. Such tribal marriages, apart from adding prestige to Kule, were of no use to the dynasty.

Yue Shanling couldn't understand what benefit there was in deceiving the Prince of Xiping. Once the Kule delegation left the capital, wouldn't the marriage alliance theory fall apart on its own? "Did that imposter, the eunuch, make any demands?"

The Prince of Xiping was still in a daze. He asked twice, overcoming the mountains, before finally replying in a daze, "He didn't make any demands."

Fearing he might have missed some crucial information, the Prince of Xiping tried hard to recall and recount everything the man had said: "He said that the marriage alliance was a done deal, but the choice of the person was not yet finalized. If we could persuade the Emperor, Yanshan would not have to suffer such hardship."

“I know I am just an ordinary person, and I have no weight in front of the Sage. I had thought of asking the Princess for advice. However, that person said that the Sage was angry about the forged letter and that the Princess was making a mountain out of a molehill, causing chaos in the capital. If the Princess were to disagree with the Sage at this time, I was afraid she would be reprimanded. So... so I didn’t say anything to anyone.”

“Oh, right,” the Prince of Xiping recalled, “He also said that if Yanshan is already married, even if it is just a matter of asking her name, this could be used as a reason not to arrange a marriage alliance. But in this haste, I have nowhere to entrust her, so I thought I would send Yanshan away quietly first and then go to apologize to the Emperor.”

Fu Sui's mind raced, and he asked, "Has the Feng family made any moves recently?"