Chapter 364 Things Are Strange in Every Way
Ever since the old lady of the Min family visited Min Pan'er, Min Pan'er has remained holed up in her courtyard and has never left the house again.
Originally, Min Pan'er tried every means to get close to her, dancing and singing for her, going to great lengths to please her, and wholeheartedly wanted to stay by her side. She would rather be a maidservant to her than go back to the Min family.
However, it is unknown what Grandma Min said to Min Pan'er that day.
Ever since Old Mrs. Min came, she has become completely secluded and stayed at home.
This was the first time Min Pan'er had taken the initiative to see him since then.
Madam Min naturally wouldn't stop her from entering, and had someone call her in.
"Pan'er greets the old lady." Min Pan'er bowed respectfully.
"Please sit down," Madam Min Qiao said, getting straight to the point. "I heard you wanted to see someone?"
Min Pan'er bit her lip and said in a frightened expression, "I heard that the old lady has become an imperial envoy and is responsible for escorting Princess Xihe to Xixi for a marriage alliance?"
Does news travel that fast?
That makes sense; receiving the imperial decree was a major event, and the princess's marriage was an even bigger one. She hadn't issued a gag order then, so half an hour was enough for the news to spread throughout the entire Qiao household.
No, half an hour is enough for this news to spread throughout the entire city of Huizhou.
Madam Min Qiao did not hide anything and nodded, saying, "Yes. I am honored by His Majesty's trust and have been appointed as the Imperial Envoy to assist in the princess's marriage arrangements."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Min Pan'er's fear became even more pronounced. "Then, what should I do? Can the old lady still escort me to Xi'an?"
Princess Xihe's marriage to the Western He Kingdom naturally required her to travel openly and directly to Xijing, the capital of the Western He Kingdom.
After crossing the border, she needed to travel to a town in the south of Daxi, where she would change her appearance before heading to Xijing and embarking on the preordained path.
The two paths, though not exactly diametrically opposed, are quite far apart.
Min Qiaoshi had clearly thought of this problem as well.
Between Min Pan'er and Li Sanqi, needless to say, she would choose Li Sanqi.
Regardless of the closeness of their relationship, the imperial edict from Emperor Xiaozhao was pressing down on her, making it impossible for her to abandon Li Sanqi and choose to send Min Pan'er away.
Or should the two teams travel together? After crossing the border, she can follow the Chu King's wedding procession and have the old woodcutter escort Min Pan'er to her destination in the south.
Just then, a golden light suddenly flashed in Min Qiao's mind.
Li Sanqi, Min Pan'er, Min Pan'er, Li Sanqi...
The original plan was to escort Min Pan'er to Xixi tomorrow, but coincidentally, Li Sanqi arrived two days before their departure.
The imperial edict had just arrived.
We received the imperial decree today, and will set off for the wedding tomorrow.
...
Was this a coincidence? Or was it premeditated?
Suddenly, a crazy idea flashed through Min Qiao's mind.
Could it be that all of this was planned in advance?
Seeing that Madam Min Qiao remained silent for a long time, Min Pan'er was extremely frightened. "Old... Old Madam? Old Madam?"
Min Pan'er called out twice, finally bringing Min Qiao back to her senses.
Madam Min Qiao glanced at Min Pan'er and swallowed hard.
After much deliberation, he finally said, "You should go back first. There are some things I need to discuss with the princess and the King of Chu before we can make a decision."
After thinking for a moment, Madam Min Qiao added reassuringly, "Don't worry, I will make sure you get to Xixi safely no matter what."
"Yes. Thank you, Madam." Min Pan'er stood up, bowed, and left the main courtyard dejectedly.
After Min Pan'er left, Madam Min paced back and forth in the room, carefully going over the details of Min Pan'er and Li Sanqi. After a long while, she finally made up her mind and sent someone to invite Li Sanqi and the Prince of Chu over.
At that time, the brother and sister were sitting facing each other, talking and crying at the same time.
Yes, both of them were crying. The King of Chu cried even harder than Li Sanqi. If it weren't for the fact that, no one would know that the King of Chu was actually such a crybaby.
The maid who delivered the message didn't dare go inside. She stood outside the door and loudly announced that Madam Min Qiao had invited them over to discuss something.
The two then wiped away their tears, tidied themselves up briefly, and went to the main courtyard.
Upon entering the house, the two noticed that Madam Min's expression was somewhat off.
Madam Min dismissed everyone, leaving only the imperial brother and sister.
"Madam, is there something you want to say?" Li Sanqi was the first to notice that something was wrong with Madam Min Qiao, and asked nervously, "What happened?"
The King of Chu belatedly realized the problem and looked at Min Qiao with a serious expression.
Madam Min Qiao took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Princess, perhaps His Majesty does not really want to send you to a marriage alliance!"
"How could this be?" Li Sanqi instinctively denied. "The imperial edict has already been issued! How could it be fake?"
The King of Chu echoed, "Father was truly determined to send Seventh Sister to marry a foreign ruler. I knelt outside the Imperial Study for a day and a night, begging Father to retract his decree, but he did not waver in the slightest."
"In the end, my mother cried and had me carried back."
The King of Chu sighed, "My mother and grandmother have pleaded with my father many times, and my grandmother even scolded him for being unfilial and threatened to disown him as her son, but they still couldn't change his mind."
Min Qiao shook her head gently, "That's not what I meant."
"I believe His Majesty is serious about the marriage alliance. Sending Princess Xihe to the marriage alliance is a decision His Majesty has made and will not easily change."
"Then why did you just say that Father Emperor didn't really want to send me to a marriage alliance?" Li Sanqi was full of doubts.
The King of Chu looked at Madam Min Qiao with great confusion, "Isn't the old lady's statement contradictory?"
"Since Father has made up his mind to send Seventh Sister to a political marriage, why do you say that Father doesn't really intend to send Seventh Sister to a political marriage?"
Well, His Highness the King of Chu has successfully confused himself.
"No! His Majesty intended to send someone else for a marriage alliance from the very beginning; it was just that he needed to use the title of the Seventh Princess, the legitimate daughter of the princess!"
"What do you mean by that, Madam?" Li Sanqi and the Prince of Chu both looked at Madam Min Qiao in disbelief, their expressions revealing a hint of excitement.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Min Qiao briefly explained that Min Pan'er was going to Xixi.
"Is there really such a coincidence in the world? I was just about to send Min Pan'er to Xixi when the Seventh Princess and the imperial edict arrived."
"Besides, don't you think there's something strange about this whole thing?"
"The Crown Prince and the Third Prince, who were once at odds, suddenly joined forces. The Emperor, who had always doted on the Seventh Princess, suddenly turned cold-hearted."
"The most crucial problem lies with the Earl of Annam!"
"He is a general with outstanding military achievements, and is recognized by the current court as a capable talent. Otherwise, His Majesty would not have sent him to replace the General of the State and guard the West Pass, even though he knew that he was on the side of the Crown Prince."
"But this man, in his first battle guarding the West Pass, actually suffered a defeat and fell silent."
Don't you find this strange?
"And, most importantly, after the Earl of Annam was defeated, the Emperor did not want to punish him or replace the generals, but instead chose to listen to the advice of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince and send the princess to Xixi for a marriage alliance."
Isn't that strange?
"His Majesty's greatest wish in life was to conquer the Western Barbarians, so how could he be willing to send a princess to marry a foreign ruler just because of a minor setback at the border?"
"And the gift was none other than the only legitimate daughter of the current emperor!"
"Isn't that even stranger?"
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