Chapter 93 IF Line (4): Crown Prince, I'm in!
The Crown Prince was a student of a great Confucian scholar of the time. He had been immersed in the teachings of sages since childhood, and the principles of morality and etiquette were already ingrained in his bones. Naturally, he used his own standards to regulate those around him. He had never seen such a bold and shameless woman.
However, his words were law, and he could not go back on his word.
Lady Wu Ning was still incredulous. Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, she tried to speak calmly, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. Rest assured, this was a desperate measure to deal with King Mo Shan. Once the envoys from Xiliang have left, the Wu Ning Marquis's residence will not use this to harass Your Highness..."
Yun Kui became more and more confused as she listened, "Mother..."
"So, His Highness the Crown Prince was just using those words to fob off Prince Moshan?"
"My husband, whom I was about to marry, is gone?"
The Crown Prince pursed his lips slightly and said calmly, "This is not an excuse. The Marquis and his wife happen to be choosing a husband for Miss Sheng, and the Eastern Palace also happens to be lacking a Crown Princess. Miss Sheng is gentle, kind, and pure-hearted. The Empress Dowager is very fond of her. If the Sheng family is willing, I will discuss with the Ministry of Rites to choose an auspicious day for the three letters and six rites, draft the marriage certificate, and prepare for the wedding ceremony. Miss Sheng will be welcomed into the Eastern Palace when she comes of age."
Lady Wu Ning first went to see what her daughter wanted to do. Yun Kui, having received a wink from her mother, immediately winked at her.
"Mother, please say yes! I'll do it, Prince!"
Seeing her daughter's lovestruck expression, she knew her obsession with looks had struck again.
“But Yun Kui is still young. She has been spoiled by her father and me for so many years and has no manners whatsoever that a young lady from a respectable family should have. I’m afraid…”
Yun Kui lowered her head dejectedly and stood up straight obediently.
The Crown Prince said calmly, "It's alright. Before she enters the palace, the Imperial Household Department will send someone to her residence to teach her manners. The Empress Dowager and I will also teach her."
Lady Wu Ning gradually calmed down, but what followed was a deeper worry.
"The Crown Prince's words implied that His Majesty and the Empress had both agreed, and their daughter's marriage to the Crown Prince was a foregone conclusion. However, once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea. The young lady is innocent and naive; how will she serve a cold-hearted husband in the future, and how will she navigate the scheming and intrigue within the palace walls?"
Meanwhile, Marquis Wu Ning hurriedly returned to his residence from the capital, only to learn at the gate that the Crown Prince had arrived, not only to dismiss Prince Mo Shan, but also to marry his daughter!
He had been a seasoned official for many years, but even when he heard that the Prince of Moshan had asked for his daughter's hand in marriage before the emperor, he was not as shocked as he was now.
He strode into the hall and saw his daughter, her face flushed with joy and her heart pounding with excitement. He suppressed his turbulent emotions and first bowed to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince raised his hand and said, "No need for formalities. King Moshan will not bother you again, so Marquis Sheng need not worry. As for the matter of the Crown Princess's investiture, Father will discuss it with the Ministry of Rites and issue an edict on a chosen day."
Marquis Wu Ning, along with his wife and daughters, expressed their gratitude, but their feelings were somewhat complicated.
If it were an ordinary official family coming to propose marriage, he would definitely investigate the other party's relatives, ancestors for eighteen generations, and even the new son-in-law's usual friends and acquaintances to ensure that the other party was of good character, that the family was peaceful, and that the girl would not suffer after marrying into the family.
Because of these considerations, although I have been anxious these past few days, I have not yet made a decision on who to hire.
But now, he was betrothed to Emperor Jingyou, and his son-in-law was the Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor. He was both surprised and delighted. Not to mention the King of Moshan, even the Emperor of Xiliang wouldn't dare to compete with the Crown Prince of Dazhao for a wife. But he also worried that his daughter wouldn't be able to adapt to the strict rules and treacherous life in the deep palace. The Crown Prince was an unsmiling, icy man; how could he possibly share a deep affection with his daughter and be a devoted wife? He feared that his daughter would suffer if she married into the palace…
The Crown Prince listened silently to the couple's thoughts, his expression unchanging, and said calmly, "I still need to go to the palace to report to my father and mother, so I will take my leave now."
Marquis Wu Ning and his wife quickly composed themselves and respectfully saw the Crown Prince off.
Before leaving, the crown prince glanced at the little girl standing obediently in the corner, as if possessed.
Meeting his gaze, the little girl's almond-shaped eyes sparkled, and her lips curved into a smile. As if just remembering the rules, she quickly bowed to him and said, "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness!"
"Respectfully bidding farewell to my husband! May he live a thousand years!"
The crown prince withdrew his gaze with mixed feelings.
That's all.
She's just a young girl; we can teach her the proper manners gradually.
After returning to the palace, the Crown Prince went to Kunning Palace first.
After hearing Cao Yuanlu's report, the Empress learned that the Crown Prince had just returned from the Marquis of Wuning's residence, and she was quite satisfied.
"Have you seen Marquis Wuning and his wife?"
The prince nodded.
The Empress gazed at his perpetually impassive expression and couldn't help but chuckle: "I thought you were going to list a few well-educated and virtuous young ladies as candidates, but I didn't expect that the moment Prince Moshan went to the Marquis of Wuning's residence, you couldn't sit still anymore. You didn't even have time to come to Kunning Palace to report back, and you rushed out of the palace to declare your sovereignty..."
The Crown Prince said, “...I chose her only because I was following my mother’s wishes. Since my mother can guarantee that she will be well-educated, I have no objection to it. Since she is the Crown Princess chosen by my father and mother, I cannot allow the Prince of Moshan to offend her.”
The Empress waved her hand: "Alright, you always have a lot of reasons, but this person was ultimately chosen by yourself. Royal etiquette cannot be neglected. The Three Letters and Six Rites should be prepared slowly this year. I will also send people to the Marquis of Wuning’s residence to teach her etiquette and manners. When she comes of age next year, she can be welcomed into the Eastern Palace."
The Crown Prince replied calmly, "Yes."
The Marquis of Wuning's residence.
After discussing it, the couple had a long talk with their daughter.
Marquis Wu Ning: "Do you really like His Highness the Crown Prince? I've never heard of you ever having any intention of marrying into the Eastern Palace."
Yun Kui pursed her lips and said, "I never thought about getting married before, but now that things are urgent, I have to choose one. It just so happens that His Highness the Crown Prince is exceptionally handsome and a dragon among men. If I marry him, I can become the Crown Princess. It's a marriage that others would love to have. What else could I possibly complain about?"
Lady Qi sighed, "You only see his handsome appearance, but do you know what kind of person he is? Have you thought about what kind of situation you will face after marrying into the Eastern Palace? It is true that he is the Crown Prince, but how will you deal with the infighting and power struggles among the three palaces and six courtyards in the future?"
Yun Kui glanced at her serious-looking parents and whispered, "But Mother and Father, didn't they also meet for the first time, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, without even knowing who the other was, and then I was born..."
The Marquis of Wuning and his wife exchanged a shocked glance and almost simultaneously blurted out, "Did you tell her that?"
Marquis Wuning frowned: "How could I possibly discuss such things with a young, unmarried girl like her?"
Madam Qi was furious and embarrassed: "I will never say that to her!"
Yun Kui scratched her head guiltily.
Actually, she saw it in her dream.
She had dreamt of her parents' tryst in the cave more than once.
Strangely enough, she developed the ability to peek into other people's dreams, though it was sometimes accurate and sometimes not. Her parents were the closest people to her, and she visited their dreams most often.
Well... in short, it's quite different from their seemingly serious demeanor.
The couple almost got into an argument because they both felt that the other had corrupted their daughter's innocent mind.
Unable to sleep, the Marquis of Wuning pulled his wife into his arms and sighed, "Well, it's a done deal. We can only accept it. In fact, His Highness the Crown Prince might not be such a bad match."
Madam Qi sighed, “But he’s not like you. To put it nicely, he’s upright and polite; to put it bluntly, he’s cold and unapproachable. Unlike you, who can’t resist the slightest temptation.”
Marquis Wu Ning coughed twice, "What are you saying? In all these years, I've only been unable to control myself with you. I've never even glanced at any other woman."
Lady Qi sneered, "Your face is exactly like the Crown Prince's, and you've fooled the little girl completely."
Marquis Wu Ning stroked his chin: "My body and hair are given to me by my parents, and it's not my fault that I'm handsome, is it? Besides, you like me too, didn't you? Back in that cave, you were the one who kissed me first..."
Qi covered his mouth with a face full of shame and anger, but when she saw her husband's handsome features, her anger inexplicably disappeared.
She sighed and said, "What people say is true. I am indeed lucky to have escaped my brother's family who were clinging to me like bloodsuckers, and to have risen from a country girl to a noblewoman. Back then, I followed you to the capital without hesitation, thinking that if you betrayed me, I could just go back to being a doctor and treat it as a dream. I never expected that all these years, you would still treat me with such deep affection and loyalty... But the royal family has many rules and etiquette, and the Crown Prince is such a noble, aloof, and arrogant person. I don't know how Yun Kui will manage to live her life... Marrying into the royal family and becoming the empress is too far away for me. I only hope that she marries a good man, someone who will love her like we do for the rest of his life."
Marquis Wu Ning patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, His Highness the Crown Prince is polite and well-mannered. He won't be too enthusiastic, but he won't neglect her either. As the Crown Princess appointed by the royal family, he will give her the proper respect."
Thinking of his daughter's smiling face, Marquis Wu Ning laughed and said, "In terms of gentleness and virtue, you can find hundreds of well-bred young ladies in the whole capital, but our daughter's charming and adorable nature is unique, and everyone who sees her likes her."
Madam Qi nodded: "That makes sense. It must be because they saw Yun Kui's unknown side at the birthday banquet that she gained His Majesty and the Empress's approval. Otherwise, why would they choose our daughter over all the noble ladies in the capital?"
“That’s right,” said Marquis Wu Ning. “The Crown Prince is aloof right now because he hasn’t had any contact with her yet. Once he spends time with her day and night and discovers her loveliness, even an iceberg will melt. If he doesn’t even like Yun Kui, then there probably isn’t a single woman in the world who can catch his eye.”
The couple comforted each other and convinced themselves, finally putting their minds at ease.
The fragrant and soft lady pressed against him, and Marquis Wu Ning, whose urgency was about to recur next month, didn't think much and directly pressed down on her.
The candlelight flickered all night.
Madam Qi never expected that after so many years of marriage, with their daughter almost reaching marriageable age, her husband would still have such interest and energy, wanting to make love every night.
Marquis Wu Ning breathed heavily in her ear, "Teach your daughter a lot before the wedding. I see you're quite capable."
Qi Shi: "..."
In early May, the imperial edict conferring the title arrived at the palace, and imperial notices were posted all over the streets and alleys.
The noble families of the entire capital probably never expected that it would be that beautiful but unruly young girl from the Marquis of Wuning's mansion who would be made the Crown Princess and enter the Eastern Palace.
In mid-May, the Imperial Household Department sent people to take measurements and make clothes for the Crown Princess's wedding headdress and ceremonial robes. After going through all the formalities of the wedding ceremony, it was already the end of the year.
The Imperial Household Department sent a tutor to the residence to teach the Crown Princess the etiquette and rules for her investiture ceremony and wedding day, together with Granny Yan, who was by the Empress's side. Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
The night before the wedding, Madam Qi brought a fire-avoidance diagram to her daughter's room.
The image of mandarin ducks entwined in the picture book was not unfamiliar to Yun Kui, but out of respect and instinctive shyness, she would not look at it closely in her parents' dreams.
As Yun Kui flipped through the pages, she asked expectantly, "Mother, His Highness the Crown Prince seems so cold. Will he be willing to consummate our marriage?"
The little figures in the picture book are so open and intimate, just like parents in a dream, so loving and affectionate.
Thinking of the Crown Prince's handsome face, Yun Kui couldn't help but blush. Would His Highness kiss her lips and nibble on her neck like her father did with her mother?
Madam Qi didn't dare to make any guarantees, but she knew all too well that some men looked perfectly respectable in their clothes, but were completely different once they took them off. So she didn't want to put too much pressure on her daughter and simply said, "Men will like that."
Yun Kui immediately became eager to try: "Then I'll have to study it carefully!"
Qi Shi: "..."
Yun Kui lay on the bed, kicking her legs and twisting her waist all night long. This person, who was usually uneducated, managed to learn all thirty-six methods in the book.
I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, but to my surprise, I dreamt of His Highness the Crown Prince, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.
The red silk swayed gently, and the candlelight flickered red. It was the wedding night. His Highness the Crown Prince, dressed in a grand wedding gown, held a scale rod and gently lifted the red veil of the bride, which was embroidered with the pattern of a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons.
Yun Kui then saw the veil gently lift up, revealing a beautiful and incomparable face. Yes, it was definitely her.
And the "she" on the wedding bed was very impatient, her big eyes blinking, and she pouting her bright red lips as she kissed the crown prince.
But before she could see the prince's reaction, the dream abruptly ended.
Yun Kui also woke up from her dream with a start.
What's going on?!
She's very shy, okay!
Even in her dreams, she dared not easily disrespect His Highness the Crown Prince!
etc……
She suddenly realized that she was actually an observer in her dream, watching everything that happened in the bridal chamber, but she did not participate in it.
If it wasn't her own dream, then it could only be... His Highness the Crown Prince's dream!
So, His Highness the Crown Prince dreamed of consummating his marriage with her, and even dreamed that she kissed him!
Aaaaaahh ...
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