Even after he finished looking at the last portrait, Ji Yunhuan still shook his head. "I don't like any of them, and I don't want to get married. I hope your Majesty will grant my wish."
The emperor was so angry that he slammed the table and shouted angrily, "This is simply nonsense! If you don't get married, how can you be worthy of your mother in the afterlife? How can a prince not get married? Wouldn't it be a joke for the whole world?"
Concubine Wu also advised: "The so-called starting a family and building a career, it is always better to start a family first and then build a career. Someone will take care of the backyard for you, so you can concentrate on your work in the Hanlin Academy. Your Majesty is doing this for your own good. Why don't you understand your Majesty's painstaking efforts?"
Ji Yunhuan knelt on the ground, looking unmoved. "Anyway, I don't want to get married. I think the current situation is good enough. I have someone to take care of me. I don't need to marry a strange woman and keep her in the house."
At this point, Ji Yunhuan could only use himself as an excuse.
Xiao Yan can marry, but he must not marry Sun Jiayi!
The emperor heard the hidden meaning and frowned, saying, "I know you have a convict in your room, but he's just a toy. You're a prince, so you should choose a good wife. How could I possibly treat you unfairly?"
Ji Yunhuan kowtowed three times with such sincerity that his forehead turned red.
"Of course I understand your father's kindness, but I don't like those women. I only like Xiaoyun! No matter how good the other one is, I don't want to marry her!"
The emperor had anger on his face, but he felt relieved in his heart.
He felt relieved that the eldest prince did not choose those women with prominent family backgrounds, but instead fell in love with a criminal slave.
"Since that's the case, I'll give her a status, which will also be considered as fulfilling the friendship between you two. If you make trouble again, I will be angry. If you are a sinner who misleads the master, I can kill her right now."
"I think the young lady from the Sun family is very good. Let the Ministry of Internal Affairs choose an auspicious date and get married as soon as possible, so that you won't be obsessed with those criminal slaves."
Ji Yunhuan knew that he could not escape today. The emperor and Concubine Wu had already planned it out and were determined to force Sun Jiayi to be with Xiao Yan.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will treat Miss Sun well in the future and will never cause Your Majesty to worry. After I leave the palace, I will not be able to always be by your side to show my filial piety. Your Majesty, please take care of your health."
The prince will move out of the palace and build his own residence after his wedding. Leaving the palace is a good thing for Xiao Yan, and this is the only benefit of this marriage.
Concubine Wu covered her mouth and laughed, "The eldest prince is truly filial. Your Majesty is reluctant to let him go. Why not let him stay in the palace for a while longer?"
The emperor also had this idea. "Ayan and I have been estranged for three years, and I can't bear to let Ayan go. Why not expand Qianhe Palace and let the prince's wife live in the palace together? After two years, we can move out of the palace and build a mansion."
Ji Yunhuan was simply shocked by the emperor's shamelessness.
I have never heard of a married prince living in the palace. How much was the emperor afraid of Xiao Yan that he had to keep a close eye on him and even forbade him from leaving the palace to build his own residence.
On the surface, Ji Yunhuan still looked respectful and said gratefully, "Thank you, Father! I am reluctant to leave you and want to be more filial to you."
The emperor was very pleased and specially invited the eldest prince to have dinner with him.
Ji Yunhuan was very nervous when dealing with the emperor and Concubine Wu, fearing that she would say something wrong and bring trouble to Xiao Yan. After the meal, she felt exhausted.
Finally returning to the East Palace, after sending everyone away, Ji Yunhuan slumped in the chair without any image and told Xiao Yan everything that happened in Zhengyang Palace.
Xiao Yan jumped up in shock. "What? You actually agreed? Ji Yunhuan! Are you trying to piss me off to death?"
Ji Yunhuan didn't expect Xiao Yan to react so strongly. She thought Xiao Yan looked down on Sun Jiayi. After all, Sun Jiayi's family background was indeed a bit low.
"I know the Sun family girl isn't a good match. The other girls are indeed better, with good family backgrounds and personalities. But if we choose them, it will definitely arouse the emperor's suspicion."
"Under the circumstances at the time, I couldn't disobey the Emperor. If His Highness were there, he would have no choice but to agree to this marriage."
Xiao Yan felt a surge of anger suffocating in his heart, burning his entire body and bones. He paced back and forth in the room, roaring:
"How do you know I will agree? I don't want to marry another woman, I want to marry you!"
Ji Yunhuan couldn't understand what was wrong with Xiao Yan. Could it be that frequent soul swaps had an impact on one's brain? Why couldn't Xiao Yan understand such a simple truth?
She could only patiently explain, "I've mentioned this before, but the Emperor wouldn't allow you to marry a convict. It would clearly tell everyone that he treats his eldest son poorly."
"Don't worry, the Emperor promised to give me a title, but Concubine Wu felt that my status was too low, so she reluctantly gave me the lowest rank of Fengyi. If you feel that I am not doing you justice, you can get a promotion in the future..."
Xiao Yan was so angry that he was shaking all over. "Fengyi? You were dismissed with just a Fengyi? Others look down on you, do you also look down on yourself?"
Ji Yunhuan was also a little angry. She was wholeheartedly considering Xiao Yan and was afraid that she would make a mistake and cause trouble for Xiao Yan, thus disrupting his path to succession.
She never looked down on herself. She was once the youngest daughter held in the palm of her parents' hands. But the reality is so cruel. What can she do given her status?
Ji Yunhuan sneered and stood up from the chair. She used Xiao Yan's body, pressing forward step by step, which was quite oppressive.
"What else? What else does Your Highness want from me?" Ji Yunhuan sneered, "Why would you ask me to go against the Emperor? If I anger the Emperor and have the Eastern Palace sealed off, if it happens again, I can't guarantee that I'll accompany Your Highness in his comeback!"
Xiaoyun's eyes were so cold and her tone was so distant. Xiao Yan seemed to see Xiaoyun when she first entered the East Palace. She was covered with a hard shell and fearlessly pulled him out of the darkness.
But he never knew what Xiaoyun was thinking.
Does Xiaoyun really love him? Is it because she loves him or for something else that she makes all these plans for him?
Xiao Yan suddenly lost the courage to question. He almost fled, not daring to face Xiao Yun again.
Ji Yunhuan didn't chase after him. She didn't even understand why Xiao Yan ran away. It was Xiao Yan who had angered her first by being unreasonable. Why did he make her act like she had done something wrong?
The two ignored each other for the entire afternoon and didn't even eat dinner together.
Ji Yunhuan asked Xia Yang to prepare two tables of identical food. The two of them ate behind a screen, feeling very depressed.
After dinner, Ji Yunhuan asked Xia Yang to clean up a room and went to sleep alone. Xiao Yan didn't seem to want to pay attention to her, and she was happy to have a quiet night.
Xiao Yan waited in the house for a long time, but Xiaoyun didn't come back. He was so angry that he almost exploded, but he couldn't bring himself to go find Xiaoyun, so he called Xia Yang in.
"Go call the little... the princess over here and tell her I'm waiting for her. If she doesn't come, I'll be really angry."
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