48 Auspicious Marriage
◎Master Gu doesn't want people to see us together, right?◎
Gu Ningxi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her heart, which was already tense because of the previous topic, became even more tense.
She stared at His Royal Highness Prince Zhao for a few moments, and Lu Jing said calmly, "Why are you so nervous?"
"I... don't have any."
Gu Ningxi flatly denied it. Looking at her expression, Lu Jing thought to himself, it's just the daughter of Marquis Nan'an who's there. What's there to worry about?
Since Yuan Le has no interest in her, could Miss Luo still force him to marry her?
Gu Ningxi carefully took in Prince Zhao's expression and felt a little relieved, figuring she had only frightened herself. It was just a few idle words about a woman disguised as a man; Prince Zhao wouldn't immediately suspect her.
The winner has been decided, and Nan'an Marquis's daughter Luo Yun has won.
The envoy from the palace held up a golden ruyi and presented it to Miss Luo on behalf of the emperor.
The next four people will receive gold ingots as rewards from the palace, with different weights.
The golden ruyi was shining brightly under the sky, and Lu Jing roughly knew what Yuan Le was worried about.
The golden ruyi symbolizes a good match. Although the emperor can grant a marriage to the winner and make it a happy occasion, he must first consider the wishes of both parties.
Lu Jing remained calm, having already seen clearly that Yuan Le had no interest in Miss Luo. Therefore, he could support Yuan Le in any future matters concerning the Nan'an Marquisate.
Gu Ningxi lowered her head to eat the cakes, trying to keep herself busy.
This archery game was so tormenting to her. If she had known this would happen, she should have stayed at home and studied.
"Your Highness," Sun Jing came forward to deliver the message, "Master Gu's servant has requested an audience. He says he has something to report to Master Gu."
Gu Ningxi originally wanted to leave Ruiyuntai, but His Royal Highness Prince Zhao said, "Let someone in."
She had no choice but to sit back down.
The servant of Leyouyuan was also smart. He greeted several nobles and hesitated, not knowing whether to speak.
It didn't seem like it was a family matter, so Gu Ningxi asked, "What's wrong?"
"The Nan'an Marquis's Mansion has sent someone to say that her mistress would like to invite you for a chat at 9:00 PM. You can choose the place."
Gu Ningxi looked at the sky outside and it was almost 9:00 PM.
Without hesitation, she said, "Just say I'm not feeling well and can't keep the appointment."
Their voices were not loud, but everyone present was a martial artist with excellent hearing.
Xie Qian keenly noticed some interesting news and couldn't help but exchange glances with Zhen Yuan who was nearby.
"Your Highness," Gu Ningxi thought this was a good opportunity to escape, "I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave first."
This was her private matter, and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao did not ask any further questions.
Seeing that the person was hiding like a loser, Lu Jing directly rejected Miss Luo and said, "What's the harm if I don't want to see her?"
But His Royal Highness Prince Zhao still felt indescribably happy in his heart, and he just asked Sun Jing to send the person out properly and remember to avoid some idle people.
After watching Lord Gu leave, Xie Qian, who had only heard half of his words, became more and more curious. Why did His Highness not ask any further questions?
Qin Yu knew some inside information about his sister's marriage, so he briefly mentioned the past events between Lord Gu and Miss Luo.
"So that's how it is!" Xie Qian suddenly understood after hearing about such a remarkable romantic affair. "No wonder Lord Gu avoided me and didn't respond just now."
This old story was once a hot topic in Kyoto, but in the past two years, fewer and fewer people have talked about it.
Xie Qian was very satisfied after hearing this. They all admired the temperament of the girl from the Luo family. She was bright and outgoing, not inferior to men in the field, and she also pursued her true heart in marriage.
Xie Qian said, "But I'm not surprised at all that Miss Luo is interested in Master Gu."
Lu Jing opened his eyes.
Zhen Yuan continued, "Yes. In terms of family background, character, and talent, Lord Gu is unrivaled in every respect. Especially since Lord Gu has a refined and elegant appearance, like a banished immortal. I think he would be particularly popular with the ladies in the boudoir."
"Really?" Lu Jing questioned.
Qin Yu thought of his sister at home and agreed: "Your Highness, that's right."
His usually well-behaved and obedient sister desperately wanted to marry Master Gu and even ran away from home secretly. Fortunately, Master Gu was an upright man and thoughtfully escorted his sister back without spreading any news.
After returning home, the younger sister was sad for a long time and never mentioned marriage. Qin Yu felt sorry for her younger sister and after discussing with her mother, she decided not to rush to arrange a marriage for her, hoping that her younger sister would get over this situation well.
He couldn't help but admire Lord Gu's decisiveness in handling the matter. Lord Gu didn't keep his sister hanging, and Qin Yu was grateful in his heart.
Seeing his sister so distressed, Qin Yu couldn't help but waver. Lord Gu might not be interested, but marriage is a matter of parents' decision. Given Lord Gu's character, even if he didn't have any romantic feelings for his sister yet, he would undoubtedly protect her well after they were married.
However, when Qin Yu mentioned it, he found that his sister seemed to have completely given up the idea this time, and only treasured Mr. Gu's paintings.
Qin Yu was moved and reminded Zhen Yuan, "I think your little princess will have to see less of Lord Gu when she comes to the capital in the future."
He looked like someone who had been through it all. Zhen Yuan asked, "Is it really that powerful?"
Qin Yu nodded heavily.
Xie Qian smiled and said, "Then your highness and I don't have any sisters, so it seems we have escaped a disaster."
"That's enough," Lu Jing said, "We've seen enough of the excitement, let's go."
The three of them responded and stood up with His Highness.
They had to return to Prince Zhao's Mansion to discuss government affairs during the Wanshou Festival, but Xie Qian and the others had no complaints.
After returning to Beijing for half a year, they have already adapted to the situation in Kyoto.
In the study, Lu Jing turned the Pisces bottle in the corner of the Duobao Pavilion, and a secret door appeared immediately.
Pushing open the secret door, one can see a sandalwood table and chairs in the center of the secret room, with cabinets stacked with reports on all four sides reaching the ceiling.
The wall on the north side is a little thinner, and there is another cave behind it.
The door of the secret room is closed, blocking out all the noise from the outside.
Although His Royal Highness Prince Zhao never said it explicitly, Xie Qian, Zhen Yuan and Qin Yu all understood it tacitly.
Half of the Jin Dynasty was conquered by them following His Highness. Now that the country is stable and the four seas are unified, there is absolutely no reason for them to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor and hand the world over to others.
The Crown Prince held a high position in the government, and the only thing that initially surpassed His Highness was the title of eldest son.
The power of the two factions was clearly divided. The Crown Prince had been in power for many years, and he was kind and tolerant to his subjects, which won him the hearts of the court officials. As long as the Crown Prince did not make any mistakes, it would be difficult to shake his position as the crown prince.
In the palace, Empress Yao is in charge of the harem and is respected by all the palace members. Her words have a great influence on His Majesty.
There was nothing that could be done about the fact that Prince Zhao's palace had no business in the harem.
Thinking of his aunt who passed away young, Zhen Yuan sighed softly.
He still remembered that when his aunt was seriously ill, his grandmother asked for permission to come to the capital to take care of her, and His Majesty treated her with courtesy.
The Prince of Jin's Palace and the Prince of Zhending's Palace searched for famous doctors but to no avail. After His Majesty ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to enthrone his dying aunt as the Empress of the Central Palace, so as to leave some regrets.
Among my grandmother’s children, my aunt was the one she loved the most. She was so sad to see her son die at such a young age.
But the harem cannot be without a master for a day. Your Majesty succeeded the current Queen Yao, and the eldest son born to Queen Yao naturally became the eldest legitimate son.
According to etiquette, she was His Majesty's first wife, and the prince was born two years after their marriage. Later, His Majesty went on a campaign, and was separated from Empress Yao, who lived in the ancestral home in Jinyang.
In terms of age, the Crown Prince is much older than the other princes. When Your Majesty ascended the throne, Crown Prince Lu Heng was the only prince who was over seventeen years old.
When the Jin Dynasty was first established, it needed a calm and steady crown prince to reassure the people.
The Zhending Palace had thought about fighting, but was stopped by the young prince at that time.
Even though they were once relatives by marriage, with Your Majesty's ascension to the throne, there is now a distinction between ruler and subject. His Highness advises that the Zhending Palace must not become complacent due to its achievements, as this is the only way to maintain a century of peace.
Your Majesty is not a cold-hearted person. In recent years, he has been kind to his loyal and obedient officials. It was because of your Majesty's character that my grandparents were willing to lead their troops to surrender and even marry my aunt to your Majesty.
If your aunt were still alive, Your Highness would not have to compete with the Queen's son for the throne.
Your Majesty is benevolent, but this may not be the case after the Crown Prince and the Prince of Huai come to power. No matter when, the Zhending Palace will always stand behind His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Qin Yu had been a study companion to Prince Zhao since childhood, and had been blessed with his father's kindness. He had followed him on his campaigns, helping him rebuild the Duke of Qi's mansion. From the very beginning, he had never considered serving two masters.
Xie Qian surrendered midway through his career, and his concerns were fewer than those of the previous two. His Highness Prince Zhao had helped him rescue his mother and reclaim the Xie family fortune, a debt of gratitude unfathomable. He had no ties to the aristocratic families of Kyoto, and his loyalty lay solely with His Highness, a man he trusted with his life and death.
There were many generals like him in the army. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao fought everywhere and gained a great reputation, and all the generals sincerely surrendered to him. They were not the same as the original founding nobles of the Jin Dynasty. They all regarded His Royal Highness Prince Zhao as their lord.
Despite the political situation, Prince Zhao's palace always fought and never retreated.
…
The lights are bright and brilliant. Tonight is the banquet for His Majesty's birthday. The whole court has been preparing for it for two months in advance, and it is an exceptionally grand occasion.
In Zhaoming Hall, civil and military officials, accompanied by their families, sat in the second row. Smaller states from all directions sent envoys to pay homage, and the Great Jin, as the undisputed ruler of the Central Plains, gained widespread fame.
Countless palace lanterns illuminated the hall as bright as day, and the banquet seats stretched out like flowing water.
The warm yellow light reflected on people's faces. Lu Jing looked past the noisy and festive crowd and looked at the man in the crimson official uniform in the distance.
The entire hall was ablaze with light. Amidst the clamor, he remained calm and composed. His handsome face, tinged with crimson, was radiant, like a figure in a painting. Occasionally, he would enjoy a drink with those around him, chatting and laughing freely.
"Sir." The servant beside Gu Ningxi quietly handed over a note and reminded him in a low voice.
Gu Ningxi opened it and looked at it. When he looked up again, he saw that a seat in the Nan'an Marquis Mansion was indeed empty.
Tonight is a grand banquet, the palace has complicated rules and regulations, and there are countless guests coming and going.
Gu Ningxi knew the other person's temper, and she might wait for her there forever.
After finishing the remaining half piece of cherry biro on the plate, Gu Ningxi said, "Let's go."
The elegant music of stringed instruments never stops, and the dancing is graceful and moving.
Xie Qian sat at the same table with Qin Yu. He raised his wine cup and asked, "Your Highness seems to have been out for a long time?"
He asked twice in a row, and Qin Yufang distractedly answered him: "It seems to be true."
Xie Qian noticed something and raised his eyebrows: "Brother Yanming, who were you looking at just now?"
Qin Yu clinked his wine bottle with him and said, "Don't worry too much."
…
The clinking of glasses in the Zhaoming Palace made the rippling Penglai Pond seem quite quiet.
Next to the rockery, Luo Yun had been waiting here for a long time.
"Master Gu!" She smiled brightly, as if she had known that Gu Ningxi would come to the appointment.
Luo Yun dressed up carefully today, wearing a rose-red dress embroidered with cloud swallows, and a headpiece inlaid with red gold gems, which made her already bright facial features even more majestic.
"Miss Luo." Unable to stay any longer, Gu Ningxi asked, "Miss Luo, what do you want to see me for?"
Luo Yun's gorgeous skirt danced slowly in the night breeze. She smiled brightly and said, "Did Lord Gu watch the archery competition yesterday?"
She didn't mind at all that Gu Ningxi didn't come to see her yesterday. She took out something from the rockery and said, "This is for Master Gu."
Under the moonlight, a red-gold Ruyi, carved with flowing cloud and ruyi patterns, gleamed brightly. Not only was it extremely valuable, it also represented the supreme honor bestowed upon it by the Emperor himself.
"I can't—"
"Your Majesty's words are as good as mine. The Jade Ruyi can be given as a gift."
"No, Miss Luo——"
Luo Yun pulled Gu Ningxi's hand and stuffed the golden Ruyi into her hand.
"Master Gu has put it away. There are too many people at the banquet, so I will go back first."
After saying this, she didn't give Gu Ningxi a chance to react. She took a few steps back and said with a relaxed smile, "I won this specially for Master Gu. Master Gu can do whatever he wants with it."
With a heavy Ruyi in his hand, Gu Ningxi tried to refuse.
Luo Yun asked, "Master Gu doesn't want people to see us together, right?"
She left gracefully, leaving Gu Ningxi standing there in a daze.
She looked at Luo Yun's back, then at the golden Ruyi in her hand. Even if she didn't want to take it away, she couldn't just throw it away, right?
Gu Ningxi was caught in a dilemma and had no choice but to turn around. She had originally wanted to take another route back to Zhaoming Palace, but she saw a familiar tall figure beside a palace lantern not far away.
Their eyes met for a moment.
After approaching, Gu Ningxi asked, "When did Your Highness come?" She didn't notice at all.
Lu Jing said expressionlessly: "When you took Ruyi."
【Author’s words】
Xiao Lu: Why can everyone else pursue Yuan Le, but not me?!
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