Chapter 10: Meet Again

Xia Yanjing lay on Xia Yang's back, recalling his time with Xia Yang, he could only say that the two of them had very few interactions.

Xia Yang is the legitimate son of Marquis Yongning, and Xia Yanjing is the child of a young servant. Fang Yu naturally would not let Xia Yanjing and Xia Yang have too much contact.

Fang Yu thought in his heart that Xia Yanjing was not worthy, and secondly, he didn't want Xia Zhiyong to see and think about Xia Yanjing often.

Xia Yang's life since childhood has been fully arranged by Fang Yu, which is one of the reasons why the two have little contact.

After Xia Yang passed the examination to become a scholar, he spent most of his time in the academy. Xia Yang never made things difficult for Xia Yanjing, so Xia Yanjing had a relatively good impression of Xia Yang.

Compared to Xia Yang, Xia Huan actually had more opportunities to get along with him. Xia Huan grew up under Fang Yu's pampering and often bullied Xia Yanjing when he was a child.

Even now, he doesn't take Xia Yanjing seriously at all, and Xia Yanjing also knows his identity. He has been cautious since he was a child and tries not to leave his courtyard.

Seeing Xia Yang sweating profusely, Xia Yanjing couldn't help but say, "Put me down. I can walk slowly and it won't be a problem."

Xia Yang was indeed almost at his limit. The eunuch beside him said slowly, "His Majesty is still waiting in the palace."

Xia Yang gritted his teeth and said, "It's okay, I can hold on."

Xia Yanjing felt a little guilty, then turned to look at Xia Zhiyong. He felt even more unhappy towards his adoptive father. Seeing his son working so hard, he didn't even bother to help.

Xia Yanjing felt that Xia Yang was willing to carry him from the palace gate to Baohe Hall, either because the emperor was waiting or because he was kind-hearted. He would remember this favor today.

After another cup of tea, the three finally arrived at the door of Baohe Hall. The eunuch came in to report, and Xia Yang was able to take a breath.

Not only did Xia Zhiyong not care about the two of them, he was only focused on tidying up his appearance, fearing that he would lose face when entering the palace. However, Xia Yang still supported Xia Yanjing attentively.

After the eunuch entered the hall, he came to Eunuch De's side and whispered. Eunuch De waved him away and then bent down to the emperor's side. "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Yongning and his son are waiting outside the hall."

"Let them in." The emperor spoke without lowering his voice. As the words fell, everyone looked towards the palace entrance in unison.

"Announce that the Marquis of Yongning and his son are present in court."

Shengxia was a little nervous at this time. He was afraid that Xia Yanjing would not cooperate with him, and he couldn't even say his name. If he was exposed, although his life would not be in danger due to his great military achievements, he might really be granted marriage by His Majesty and marry the Queen's nephew.

Prime Minister Zhao naturally also stared at the door. After all, if His Majesty really granted the marriage, then their Zhao family would have the final say in the court.

Marquis Yongning wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked Xia Yanjing to endure the pain and not lose his manners in front of the palace.

Xia Yanjing cursed his scumbag father in his heart for being so concerned about his reputation, but for the sake of his life, he had no choice but to obey and do as he was told. After all, his leg was nothing serious.

"Your humble servant, I pay my respects to Your Majesty." Xia Yanjing had never been to a palace, so he could only follow what he had watched in TV dramas before and what the two men did.

"Stand up." The emperor's majestic voice sounded.

"Lord Xia, I heard today that General Sheng and your son are in love. Is this true?"

"Your Majesty, I am not aware of this matter. Please forgive me." Marquis Yongning wanted to beat Xia Yanjing up at this moment. He hesitated when asking him questions in the carriage, making him unable to answer at all.

"In that case, whoever of you has won the favor of General Sheng, please stand up." The emperor didn't want to wait any longer and asked Xia Yang and Xia Yanjing directly.

As soon as Xia Yanjing came in, he secretly looked for Shengxia. When they met again, his heart still beat wildly for Shengxia. When he saw Shengxia's pleading eyes, Xia Yanjing was no longer afraid.

"Your Majesty, I am Xia Yanjing, the son of Marquis Yongning, and I am here to pay my respects to Your Majesty." Xia Yanjing took the initiative to tell Shengxia his name so that she would not be caught unawares.

"Oh? It's you." The emperor looked at Xia Yanjing with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Your Majesty, General Sheng and I have been communicating with each other for a long time. I hope Your Majesty will grant us your blessing." Xia Yanjing said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Your Majesty, Yan Jing and I are of the same mind. Please help me." Sheng Xia stood up at the right time and came to Xia Yanjing's side.

Seeing Shengxia so close to him and with such a nice voice, Xia Yanjing looked straight at Shengxia. His idol was so handsome.

The emperor did not respond immediately because this was not the result he wanted to see.

Prime Minister Zhao tried to calm himself and then asked, "Marquis Yongning, I remember your husband only has one son."

Marquis Yongning said nervously, "Xia Yanjing was born to my concubine and rarely appears in public."

"If that's the case, how did you two know each other?" Prime Minister Zhao didn't believe it and asked immediately. If the other party couldn't explain it, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

"Your Majesty, five years ago, I went with my father to Guangji Temple to burn incense. I got lost and encountered a wild wolf along the way. Later, I met General Sheng, who saved me from the wolf's mouth. Since then, I have loved General Sheng."

"Later, whenever I had time, I would go look for General Sheng. At first, General Sheng only treated me as a younger brother, but after my persistence, General Sheng began to develop a liking for me."

"Later, the border war became tense, and General Sheng went to the border to defend the country and repel the barbarians. We agreed to meet when the army returned victoriously."

After Xia Yanjing finished speaking, the hall fell into a long silence. Even Shengxia was extremely shocked. How could this man talk nonsense so seriously in front of the emperor?

"Marquis Yongning, is this true?" The emperor felt a little ashamed after hearing this. It sounded like the story in the vernacular novels. He was a little skeptical.

Marquis Yongning was deep in thought. He couldn't remember anything that happened five years ago, let alone this illegitimate son whom he had always ignored. Even if it was true, it would not have reached his ears.

But no matter whether it is true or not, he has decided on this marriage with the General's Mansion today. Since his father's generation, their Marquis' Mansion has been on a downward trend. If he can marry into the General's Mansion, there is no need to worry about the future of the Yongning Marquis' Mansion.

"Your Majesty, this incident did happen five years ago. I have always been cautious, but when the general returned to the city that day, I suddenly changed my ways and fought for General Sheng. If this isn't a sympathetic connection, then what is?"

"Oh? Did this happen the day the general returned to the city?"

The emperor had already believed most of what the Marquis of Yongning said. If Shengxia married the Marquis of Yongning's illegitimate son, it would probably not increase Shengxia's power.

After all, the Zhao family's influence in the court is growing, so this may not be a better choice. If the Sheng family and the Zhao family check and balance each other, it will be a good thing for him.

Although it would be a good thing for the prince to ascend the throne in the future if he had a powerful relative, it might not be a good thing for him as the emperor. Before he could figure out how to regain the military power, letting Shengxia marry a powerless bastard was the best option.