Chapter 88 New Year's Eve Family Feast, A Request for Marriage!

Lunar New Year's eve.

A family banquet was held at the palace tonight.

Most of those who were able to attend this banquet were princes and members of the royal family, as well as their families.

Apart from members of the royal family.

Some powerful ministers who were particularly favored by the emperor also attended this royal banquet with their families.

For example, Prime Minister Liu and his family.

For example, Xie Jingxing and his family.

Also present were the late Duke Lin and Marquis Chen Xiao, along with their families...

In short, apart from high-ranking officials, all the officials present today were of the highest rank.

It refers to military generals who wield significant military power and their families.

It can be said that this is the group of people who stand at the very top of the entire Dayong Dynasty!

The emperor sat upright on his throne.

The Empress sat gracefully beside him, adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, displaying her elegant demeanor.

The officials were all dressed in court robes, which shows that they attached great importance to this occasion.

The noblewomen, dressed in their official robes, had their hair adorned with pearls and jade, which shimmered brilliantly in the candlelight.

The palace maids carried celadon food boxes with lotus scroll patterns as they moved about, their steps as light and nimble as cats.

It's a family dinner!

Inevitably, we'll start chatting about everyday things.

Even royalty is not immune to this custom.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly lively.

The conversation gradually shifted from interesting anecdotes from the border to the studies of several young princes...

Finally, the conversation turned to the princes who were still unmarried.

Several elders of the royal family joked with each other.

With the princes so handsome and elegant, I wonder which lady will be fortunate enough to be their match in the future?

Especially when the crown prince is mentioned.

Their gazes, more or less, lingered on Crown Prince Xiao Qingxuan and Liu Yu, the eldest granddaughter of Prime Minister Liu.

Today, Liu Yu was dressed exceptionally beautifully and elegantly, with a blush rising on her cheeks, and her fingers nervously twisting her handkerchief.

Prime Minister Liu stroked his beard and smiled, looking confident and composed.

This is almost an unspoken understanding within the Central Committee!

The position of Crown Prince's principal wife belongs to the noblewoman of the Liu family. Only a strong alliance can stabilize the foundation of the nation.

Crown Prince Xiao Qingxuan was just wondering how to propose to Qian Yueshu!

These people started it.

Xiao Qingxuan took a deep breath and drank the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp, as if to bolster his courage, and then stood up abruptly.

His movements were not large, but because of his special status, he instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The music and singing that filled the hall suddenly ceased.

Crown Prince Xiao Qingxuan first straightened his gold-embroidered four-clawed python robe, a symbol of his status as heir apparent, with a solemn sense of ceremony.

immediately.

He lifted the heavy, luxurious hem of his python robe and solemnly knelt down on both knees on the cold bricks in front of the throne.

The next moment.

His clear and steady voice pierced through the silent palace, reaching everyone's ears: "Father, Mother, I have long admired Princess Qian Yueshu of Jingyang County, and heaven and earth bear witness to my heart. I humbly request that you grant me permission to marry Princess Qian Yueshu!"

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The crowd exchanged surprised and suspicious glances—the Lady of Jingyang County was actually just a merchant's daughter.

With such a status, even becoming a concubine of the Crown Prince would be a step up for her.

How can someone become the Crown Princess?

In a short time.

Various thoughts were swirling within the hall.

There were nobles and royalty who were simply there to watch the spectacle.

There are princelings who find the prince's actions absurd.

There were also ministers and princes who keenly sensed the potential shift in the political climate behind this.

The smile on Prime Minister Liu's face instantly froze, turning ashen.

The wine glass in his hand trembled slightly, and the wine almost spilled.

Liu Yu's face turned deathly pale, the blush from before completely gone, leaving only humiliation and shock.

She suddenly looked up at the kneeling prince, her eyes quickly welling up with tears, then she quickly lowered her head again, not wanting anyone to see her loss of composure.

The Liu family has managed their business meticulously for many years.

All for the sake of producing an empress!

For a time, the Crown Prince and the Empress were particularly kind to Liu Yu.

She thought the position of Crown Princess was easily within her grasp!

But all of this changed after Qian Yueshu appeared.

I originally thought that even if the Crown Prince liked Qian Yueshu...

At best, she was just a favored concubine.

But the moment the Crown Prince spoke, he addressed the Crown Princess.

Does this mean that she and the Liu family are no match for a merchant's daughter?

Liu Yu felt deeply humiliated...

The Crown Prince is trying to humiliate the Liu family.

Even the Crown Prince's birth mother, the current Empress, was shocked.

The crown prince proposed to her without telling her beforehand!

Didn't they say before that she would be given the position of a concubine?

Why are they offering her the position of Crown Princess now?

The Emperor hasn't spoken yet.

The Empress was the first to object, her voice sharp with urgency: "I disagree."

She turned to the emperor, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly, "Your Majesty, Qingxuan... he must have drunk too much tonight to be talking nonsense! The Crown Princess is the future Empress, she must be virtuous, beautiful, eloquent, and accomplished, and of noble birth, a role model for all women in the land. How could... how could a mere merchant's daughter possibly aspire to such a position?"

Xiao Qingxuan straightened his back and said, "Father, Mother, I am not drunk. I just want to ask for Qian Yueshu's hand in marriage, and I will marry no one but her."

At this moment, the old Duke Lin, who was sitting at the lower end of the table and who was stationed on the frontier year-round and only returned to the capital once a year for festivals, and was also the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, spoke in a deep voice: "Your Highness!"

He first called out, then spoke with the stern authority of an elder, “Young people may be moved by passion, which your grandfather can understand. If His Highness the Princess of Jingyang likes her, taking her into the Eastern Palace and bestowing upon her the position of a concubine would already be a great honor. The position of the principal wife is a matter of national importance, so I urge Your Highness to reconsider and not let personal feelings override the greater good!”

These are the words of the Duke of Lin.

It was both a piece of advice and carried an undeniable pressure.

Consort Yan, who had always been at odds with the Crown Prince's faction, spoke with a lazy and detached air: "Oh, I think the Crown Prince is so young, it's rare to find someone he truly loves. Why do you all have to be the ones to break them up?"

Then Consort Yan gave Xiao Qingxuan a meaningful look: "Our Crown Prince is outstanding in both literature and martial arts, and is a pillar of the country. Does he really need to rely on marriage to consolidate his position? Wouldn't that be underestimating the Crown Prince's abilities?"

Her words were clearly in support of the Crown Prince.

Secretly, however, they were fanning the flames, delighted to see the Empress and the old Duke Lin suffer a setback.

Upon hearing this, the Empress glared angrily at Consort Yan, her jeweled nail guards almost digging marks into the armrests.

The atmosphere inside the hall became even more tense.

Xie Jingxing then spoke up leisurely: "Your Majesty, speaking of Princess Qian Yueshu of Jingyang County, she is not entirely an ordinary merchant's daughter."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he successfully attracted everyone's attention.

"As far as I know, the county princess's elder brother is currently holding an important position in the Jingzhao Prefecture. Her cousin is none other than Minister Qian, a young and promising official of the Ministry of War, who is of the third rank. Even the county princess's two younger brothers have become successful candidates in the imperial examinations at a young age and are sure to make a name for themselves in the future..."

Xie Jingxing's words were perfectly flawless.

This not only points out that Qian Yueshu is not without a background, but also subtly elevates her status.

And they didn't even mention whether the position of Crown Princess was appropriate.

The power of judgment was returned to the emperor on his throne.

Xie Jingxing spoke up for a very simple reason!

Qian Yueshu was, after all, someone Qian Yueqiu cared about.

I'll lend a hand if I can.