Inside the study, Liu Wan bowed respectfully and poured three cups of tea, then left without a word.
When he left, he thoughtfully closed the study door behind him.
Beside the medium-sized pearwood table, Su Tiyue's father sat directly opposite her, while her elder brother Su Lin sat to her right.
The tea on the table was still steaming, and the room was filled with its aroma, but the three of them felt as sullen as a stagnant pool.
The silence in the air was like the calm before a storm.
The father glanced at Su Tiyue, picked up the tea in front of him, took a sip, and then put it down.
His face was filled with helplessness and heaviness.
This topic, no matter where you start, keeps him from opening his mouth.
It was Su Tiyue who broke the silence first, looking resolutely at Su Sui and saying, "Father, I will not marry."
“I heard everything you said to the Prince of Huainan... I will never marry him no matter what.”
Su Sui asked her, "Why? Yue'er, if you can give me and your older brother a reason that can convince you, then we'll agree to your terms..."
Su Lin turned to look at her, nodded slightly, and indicated his agreement.
reason……
Su Tiyue thought about it and realized she had many reasons why she didn't want to marry the Prince of Huainan.
For example, she has someone she wants to marry;
For example, the King of Huainan is a treacherous person who is only interested in profit and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. If you follow him, you might be kicked aside by him one day.
For example, her first marriage was out of necessity, and now that she finally has a chance to start over, she doesn't want to go down that path again...
But do these so-called reasons really convince my father and brother?
She didn't know.
Because this matter has developed to this point, it is no longer just her own affair, nor is it just the Su family's affair.
This matter has already involved the Rouran prince, and if the King of Huainan were to simply say a few words, the situation would become much more complicated.
Therefore, no matter how many reasons Su Tiyue gives, it will be difficult to convince her father.
She paused, not answering directly, but instead throwing the question back at him. She said, "Father, then tell me, why do I want to marry him?"
"Because if you don't marry the Prince of Huainan, you'll have to marry far away to the Rouran; because the Prince of Huainan just saved your elder brother a few days ago, and we can't forget that kindness; and... most importantly, when you were little, I, a shaman, once divined your destiny, and he said that your destined person is a member of the royal family." In Su Sui's bright eyes, there was reluctance and helplessness.
Some things are destined, and no one can change them.
After going around in circles, we've returned to where we started.
It seems that her destiny is to be trapped in the palace and entangled with the so-called royal family for the rest of her life.
Hearing this, Su Lin frowned and looked at Su Sui with a puzzled expression: "Father, did the shaman master really say that? How come I've never heard you mention it before?"
"I didn't believe it entirely at first, but ever since Yue'er entered the palace and became Consort Shu, I've started to believe it halfway."
Su Sui continued, "Later, Yue'er left the palace and returned to our side. We thought that the shaman's explanation had been resolved... but unexpectedly, the Prince of Huainan came knocking on our door again."
Su Lin looked at his sister and said in shock, "One late emperor wasn't enough, and now there's another imperial uncle? So, the shaman master had already foreseen Yue'er's fate?"
Su Lin wasn't such a stubborn person, but this was perhaps a bit too accurate.
The accuracy of the statement left him with lingering fear.
...
"Alas... Fate is hard to defy, fate is hard to defy!" Su Sui sighed bitterly.
This seems to be a deeply ingrained obsession for every person from Beiliang.
They believe in the way of Heaven, in destiny, and in every true word spoken by the shaman master.
Whether it's a coincidence or not, people will eventually unconsciously believe that what the shaman says is the will of Heaven.
However, the will of Heaven cannot be defied.
If someone goes against the will of Heaven, there will always be people who criticize them behind their backs, accuse them of being ungrateful, and curse them to suffer retribution.
"Yue'er, from childhood to adulthood... your older brother has always indulged you in everything. Whatever you want, your older brother will give you. Your older brother is not an unreasonable person. I have always hoped that you can marry someone you like, and someone who will treat you sincerely..." Although Su Lin is a mighty and straightforward general, he is especially fond of this younger sister.
Now that the Prince of Huainan is so sincere, even if he is not truly sincere, at least Su Tiyue will have the support of the Su family after marrying into the family, and her life will certainly not be too difficult.
However, if Su Tiyue were to marry far away to Rouran, Su Lin might not be able to protect her from the uncertainties and calamities that might follow.
Having said all that, she roughly understood what her father and brother meant.
Su Tiyue frowned slightly, her cool hands gripping the teacup tightly, the warmth in her palms spreading to her fingertips. "Father, elder brother, I still can't marry him. I don't like the Prince of Huainan, and I don't believe he can protect me or give me happiness."
Her voice was clear and resolute: "When I think of shaman masters, I only think of the late Crown Prince Zhou Yuheng, who was demoted to a commoner and sent to the top of the Nine Heavens Snow Mountain. Also, the late emperor's posthumous son, Zhou Ziqi, almost followed the same path as the late Crown Prince because of a single sentence he uttered."
"The shaman said Zhou Yuheng was a jinx, a cursed star, that his fate was incompatible with Northern Liang... In the end, he died without a trace, and even his name couldn't be engraved on his memorial tablet. Everyone believed the shaman's prophecy, but I refused to believe it..."
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