Sensing her protest, Sang Shijing abruptly pulled away from her lips.
He was panting heavily, his gaze lingering reluctantly on her excessively red lips. Finally, he resisted the urge to continue and pulled her tightly into his arms.
His voice was terribly hoarse, "Yanyan, I will ask my mother to go to the Li family to propose marriage as soon as possible!"
"Okay," she replied obediently, her voice soft and sweet. "I'll wait for you."
*
Three days later.
The family reunion banquet at the Li family residence.
The banquet was extremely grand, and invitations were sent to all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital.
Li Yunyan, dressed in a milky white embroidered skirt with gold thread, the hem of which was decorated with delicate and intricate lace, with a pear blossom hairpin on her forehead and a long, openwork red gold hairpin in her hair, walked gracefully from a distance, surrounded by a crowd, looking exceptionally eye-catching.
Her hands were clasped together in front of her left, and she wore a serene smile, elegant and noble. Her form-fitting dress accentuated her perfect figure, long neck, and delicate profile, making her as beautiful as the bright moon in the heavens, almost too beautiful to look directly at.
Sang Shijing stood with Jiang Shi, watching the banquet that belonged only to her from afar, her eyes full of tenderness.
Lu Shuhua had been waiting for this day for a long time. With tears in her eyes, she and the rest of the Li family carried out the various ceremonies in an orderly manner.
The matriarch of the Li family also made an unprecedented appearance. After giving Li Yunyan a jade ruyi as a gift, she was helped back by her nanny.
Li Mingzhu seemed to have suddenly become much more sensible. She did not cause any trouble today, but quietly watched the family recognition process proceed, her eyes vacant, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Everything seemed to be going very smoothly, with guests showering each other with praise, the family reunion ceremony being particularly touching, and the scene being both warm and unforgettable.
Inside the palace.
At the morning court session.
Pang Xingyu stood with his brothers, pondering how to start the conversation.
Just yesterday, he had made Li Mingzhu, the eldest daughter of the Li family, his woman!
If he waits a moment and asks his father for a marriage decree, the Li family will become his allies.
However... he searched among the officials to find out why Prime Minister Li had not attended the morning court session today.
Could it be that Li Mingzhu has already told her family everything and is now crying and making a scene, wanting to marry him?
He subconsciously rubbed his temples, a slight smile playing on his lips. Li Mingzhu was the prime minister's legitimate daughter; based on that alone, no matter how ordinary her looks were, he would still give her the position of his principal wife!
Finally, when the officials in front stopped talking, Pang Xingyu strode out of the crowd.
He stood in the very center of the Jinling Palace, bowed deeply to the emperor, and said respectfully, "Father, I have a request to make!"
The emperor frowned slightly as he looked at the sixth prince, whose behavior had become increasingly outrageous lately.
After all, he was his own son, and the emperor wouldn't embarrass him in front of all the officials, so he asked, "What is it?"
"Father, I wish to marry Li Mingzhu, the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Li's family. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me this marriage!"
The fourth prince's eyes flickered, a hint of mockery flashing across them, before he lowered his gaze again.
"Dawn Pearl?"
The emperor kept repeating the name. In the past, how would he have known the name of his ministers' daughters?
But yesterday, Li Zewen excitedly came to the Imperial Study to ask for leave, and tearfully recounted the bizarre story of how his daughter had been switched at birth.
With Li Zewen's repeated instructions, the emperor remembered the names of the two daughters of the Li family: one was named Li Mingzhu, and the other was named Li Yunyan.
It seems that this Li Mingzhu is the fake daughter that the Li family has raised for sixteen years in vain.
The emperor looked at the sixth prince, "Yu'er, are you sure you want to marry this woman named Li Mingzhu?"
Pang Xingyu didn't know why his father was repeating Li Mingzhu's name, he just kept nodding, "Yes, Father! I am deeply in love with Miss Mingzhu, and I beg you to grant us marriage!"
The emperor hesitated. Although Li Mingzhu was nominally the legitimate daughter of the Li family, her background was ordinary, and she was actually not a good match for the prince! She was more suitable to be a concubine!
As he hesitated, Sang Bosen, the head of the civil officials and a Hanlin scholar, stepped forward, raised his hand, and congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The addition of a new member to the royal family is a great joy for the nation. Your humble servant wishes Your Majesty a long and prosperous reign and a long line of descendants!"
As soon as he spoke, all the civil officials offered their congratulations, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty enjoy a long and prosperous reign and have many descendants!"
Pang Xingyu was surprised that Elder Sang would actually speak up for him, and gave him a grateful smile.
Then, he received a meaningful look from the other party.
The atmosphere had been built up to this point, and the emperor had no reason to refuse.
Anyway, he has many sons, so as long as the princess's family background is presentable on the surface, that's fine!
Moreover, this was the sixth prince who took the initiative to ask for the marriage, so he might value the other party's character and appearance rather than her family background.
The emperor waved his hand and immediately agreed, "Granted!"
Pang Xingyu was overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty!"
Just as Pang Xingyu was pondering whether to strike while the iron was hot and ask his father to bestow Li Yunyan upon him as a concubine.
Sambosen suddenly burst into tears.
An elderly minister with white hair was weeping bitterly in the Jinling Palace. This scene had a strange and inexplicable quality.
The emperor's expression tightened. Could this old man be planning to retire again?
He asked gently, "Minister Sang, what is the cause of your sorrow?"
Sang Bosen wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face. His hands trembled as he pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped away his tears, and slowly said:
"This old minister envies Your Majesty! Your Majesty has many children and grandchildren, who are happy to be around you every day, enjoying the bliss of family life! As I look at you, I think of my good-for-nothing grandson. He is almost twenty and still single! I don't know... I don't know if I will live to see the day he gets married!"
Hearing him say this, everyone remembered that Old Man Sang had very few descendants.
His only son died young, leaving him with only a grandson. I heard this grandson was previously plagued by illness but has recently improved; I wonder if he will be able to continue the family line?
Given the family's current situation, seeing other families with many children inevitably brings back painful memories.
It's only natural to have a good cry.
The ministers felt a pang of regret, and their eyes were filled with sympathy as they looked at Senbosen.
The emperor was speechless when his subject frankly admitted to envying him and suddenly opened up to him. He didn't know how to comfort him.
The Fourth Prince, Pang Xingzhu, stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "Father, since we're going to bestow a marriage today anyway, I suggest we also bestow a marriage upon Elder Sang's grandson. That would be a comfort to Elder Sang!"
The emperor's brow twitched. Could it really be this convenient?
Isn't this a bit too frivolous?
To everyone's surprise, Sang Bosen suddenly burst into laughter through his tears, his old eyes shining brightly as he looked at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, may I choose my own granddaughter-in-law?"
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