Chapter 14: Once Proposed
There are many good things in the palace's storehouse, all of which were collected for the prince when the late emperor was alive.
Now these things come in handy.
He watched his prince grow up and treated him like his own child.
He was also the first person to understand the prince's thoughts.
With the arrival of the imperial decree granting marriage, many noble ladies in the capital tore up the handkerchiefs in their hands.
In the Lotus Garden of the Prime Minister's Mansion, spring is in full swing, and the petals are dancing lightly, but they cannot cover up the heavy atmosphere in the room.
Lin Wanqing, the Prime Minister's legitimate daughter, was standing in front of the window in a plain long dress. The handkerchief tightly clasped in her hand had been unconsciously crumpled into shape by her fingertips, as if reflecting her current mood - confusion, entanglement, and even anger.
The sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, casting patches of light on her pale and tense face. Her eyes, which usually seemed full of clearness, were now burning with resentment and anger.
She turned around suddenly and threw the handkerchief in her hand, which had become tatters, to the ground.
"Xuanyuan Yi, how could you marry someone else, how could you..." She murmured in a low voice. This name was like a sharp blade, cutting her already fragile heart.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her surging emotions, but her tears kept falling, dripping onto the bluestone floor, splashing tiny circles of water, just like the ripples in her heart that took a long time to subside.
She had been in love with Zhennan King Xuanyuan Yi since she was a child. No one knew how much effort she had put in to be worthy of him.
She had already reached the age to marry, and was waiting for his triumphant return, always rejecting the good man her mother had chosen for her.
But she never expected that he would return triumphantly. She thought her chance had come, but unexpectedly it was snatched away by someone else.
If this person was a lady from a noble family like her, she would have accepted him, but this person was Xia Xing'er, the abandoned woman who had just divorced yesterday. How could she be willing to accept this?
No, she has to go find her father. He will definitely find a way.
At this moment, she no longer cared about her daughter's modesty and walked straight to Prime Minister Lin's study with her maid.
In the Prime Minister's study, Lin Wanqing knelt beside her father, her eyes red, her hands clenched into fists, her nails almost embedded in her palms, but it was difficult to hide the glimmer of unwillingness and despair in her eyes.
Prime Minister Lin Yuanfeng was still wearing his court robes, with a look of deep worry between his brows.
Seeing that her daughter had disregarded her image and barged into the study without informing anyone, she scolded her, "Wanqing, look at you, how disgraceful! If others saw you like this, what would they think?"
Lin Wanqing didn't care what her father said at this moment, and said directly, "Father, I have been in love with the King of Zhennan for a long time. Please help me."
Lin Yuanfeng's face darkened visibly. He had invested a lot in his daughter, and he didn't want her to marry a dying man.
His daughter must bring benefits to the family, otherwise it would be better not to have her.
He slowly took out a secret letter from his sleeve and placed it gently on the table.
"Wanqing, take a look at this. It's talking to your father."
His voice was low and heavy, and every word was like a hammer hitting Lin Wanqing's heart.
With trembling hands, she slowly unfolded the secret letter, and saw densely packed records of the "evidence" of Zhennan King Xuanyuan Yi's "collaboration with the enemy and treason."
Those words, like cold daggers, pierced her heart word by word, making her feel unprecedented coldness and despair.
"Father, this is impossible. He wouldn't do such a thing. Someone must have framed him."
Lin Wanqing would never believe that Xuanyuan Yi would collaborate with the enemy and commit treason. He had just defeated the Northern Di and signed a ten-year peace agreement that would not lead to war. How could such a war god prince collaborate with the enemy and commit treason?
Looking at his daughter like this, Lin Yuanfeng decided to tell her the whole story in order to make her give up.
"Of course Xuanyuan Yi would never collaborate with the enemy and betray his country. The Northern Di people would rather drink his blood and eat his flesh, so how could they possibly cooperate with him? This is the intention of the higher-ups. All of this was prepared by me and Grand Tutor Liu Yuan."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqing felt as if struck by lightning, her face pale. She asked in a trembling voice, "Father, are you saying... this is His Majesty's intention? Why? Why would he treat Xuanyuan Yi this way?"
Lin Yuanfeng sighed deeply, his eyes complex. "The mind of an emperor is unfathomable. Xuanyuan Yi's achievements are so great that they shock the emperor, and he commands a large army, so it's inevitable that he will be suspected. Your Majesty didn't mention this marriage beforehand, so there must have been some unexpected event."
Lin Yuanfeng pondered for a moment and continued, "You are my daughter. Even if the marriage is not granted, I will not let you marry him."
After saying that, he stood up, put his hands behind his back and looked out the window, leaving Lin Wanqing with a lonely and resolute back.
Lin Wanqing stood there in a daze, feeling mixed emotions. It was true that she liked Xuanyuan Yi, but she loved herself more.
Changxin Marquis Mansion
Everyone gathered in the main hall, all looking unhappy.
"Xing'er, why did the emperor do this? Granting the marriage at this critical moment?"
Xia Chengsheng was puzzled. He couldn't figure it out himself, so he asked.
Everyone's attention was on Xia Xing'er, and no one noticed the unnatural expression of Madam Liu Youran.
She might know the reason, but she didn't know whether she should say it out loud. After hesitating for a moment, without waiting for Xia Xing'er's answer, Liu Youran spoke lightly.
"Maybe I know the reason?"
Everyone turned their eyes to her.
Xia Chengsheng asked with a hint of surprise, "Madam, do you know the reason?"
Liu Youran felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by them. She coughed and then spoke slowly.
"Three years ago, the Prince of Zhennan, Xuanyuan Yi, came to ask for Xing'er's hand in marriage, but I rejected him."
Xia Qingyun was so shocked that she jumped up from the stool. She looked at her mother in disbelief and stammered, "Mom, you... you are... saying that Ayi once asked me to marry you?"
Liu Youran looked at her second son and glared at him.
"Sit still. Look at you. You're like a monkey every day, making a fuss over the smallest things. How disgraceful! If Wan'er hadn't fallen for you, you'd be single forever."
Bai Wan'er immediately stepped forward to help her husband. "Mother, my husband is a very good man. It is Wan'er's blessing to marry him."
Everyone was forced to eat some dog food.
His parents couldn't say anything, but as the eldest brother, he was still okay. Xia Qingfeng put his hand to his mouth and pretended to cough.
"You two should stop being so sweet and talk about business now."
When Bai Wan'er heard her uncle say this, her face turned red and she hid behind Xia Qingyun embarrassedly.
"Mother, you said the Prince of Zhennan asked for Xing'er's hand in marriage, but we didn't know about it. Why did you refuse?"
Not only Xia Qingfeng couldn't figure it out, but all the members of the Xia family couldn't figure it out.
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