Chapter 20
Now that the Xie family had made up their minds, the betrothal was to be put on the agenda. In order to avoid giving others cause for criticism and to prevent the historical records from being unfavorable, Emperor Xingde ordered the Empress to summon the two young people to the palace for an audience so that he could inquire about their wishes in person.
This was a procedure that was always followed in the past when marriages were bestowed. After all, emperors could not arbitrarily arrange marriages. Therefore, it was necessary to inform the world that the two people who were about to get married were also interested in each other, rather than the emperor making a random decision. This shows that the emperor was enlightened.
Entering the palace today, she could not be careless. Xie Qinghong wore a long brocade dress in the color of begonia with matching dark patterns, and her makeup was exquisite. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she suddenly remembered what Qin Zheng had said and couldn't help but sigh. She was indeed a beauty that could topple cities, but whether she could make Prince Pei fall in love at first sight was another matter.
She straightened her hairpins, and her maids, Ah Xing and Ah Yue, helped her adjust her skirt while telling her about the exciting things they had heard recently.
"Seventh Sister of the Zheng family was planning to open a clothing shop, and the shop was located on the busiest Jiqing Street. Everyone said that the shop was hard to come by. Who knew that the daughter of the Imperial Censor also had her eye on the shop on that street, and it is said that she was going to sell rouge and face powder. What a coincidence."
"They have such a good relationship?" Xie Qinghong asked curiously.
Ah Yue said, "That's not true. I heard that when they were looking at the shop, the two of them didn't say a word when they met. However, Qin Sanlang was originally accompanying Zheng Qi Niang, but he chatted quite well with Song's daughter. It's strange that Zheng Qi Niang wasn't angry at all."
Xie Qinghong frowned slightly. Had Qin Heng gotten Zheng Yingluo under his control? In the past, when Zheng Yingluo was infatuated with Qin Erlang, she would be sarcastic and unfriendly if any other girl spoke to Qin Erlang. Because of the relationship between the Qin and Xie families, she had been given the cold shoulder every time she visited the Qin residence.
How come she fell in love with Qin Sanlang in this second life and is so devoted to him and generous, not even jealous of other girls?
If she couldn't figure it out, she stopped thinking about it. She would never believe Qin Heng anyway, that he would deliberately try to lure her into being his mistress, probably thinking she was too young and naive to be fooled. So what if he was more than ten years older than her? Did he really think he was invincible?
Her skirt was quickly straightened, and she got up and went out. Her brother escorted her carriage on horseback to the palace gate, but she was not allowed to enter the palace without being summoned by him. At the palace gate, a young eunuch led the way. The eunuch was cautious and discreet, walking in front without uttering a single unnecessary word.
Xie Qinghong was enjoying his leisurely walk when he heard a voice behind him. It was a young eunuch: "Young Master, please slow down. This way is closer."
She stopped and looked back. The eunuch who had led the way also stopped at the right time and asked, "Does the young lady wish to wait for Prince Pei to come along?"
Xie Qinghong remained indifferent and hadn't spoken when two figures, one tall and one short, appeared at the end of the road. Pei Du, dressed in black, stood out. When Pei Du saw her, he paused almost imperceptibly before quickly stepping forward until he was a step ahead of her, walking side by side.
Neither of them spoke. The two eunuchs leading the way exchanged a glance, knowingly keeping quiet and simply leading the way.
Upon reaching the central palace, they needed to climb a flight of stairs. Xie Qinghong's elaborate attire today made it easy for her to slip on her skirt as she ascended the stairs. She held the hem of her skirt with both hands, about to step onto the white jade steps, when Pei Du suddenly asked, "Do you need me to hold up your skirt for you?"
Xie Qinghong tilted her head in surprise, and refused him without hesitation: "No need, thank you."
After entering the Empress's palace, the two bowed and were offered seats. The Empress was also dressed in heavy palace attire, with an extremely gorgeous peony-shaped hair ornament in her hair and a phoenix hairpin on each side. When she sat upright, she exuded the elegance of an empress.
"I heard that you two met at the flower viewing banquet and found a connection. His Majesty has been troubled by the Crown Prince's marriage for a long time, and this is quite a rare occasion." The Empress smiled warmly. "However, I have watched Qinghong grow up. She is gentle and obedient. I hope the Crown Prince will not let her suffer any grievances. In that case, I can entrust this child to you with peace of mind."
Pei Du remained calm, but spoke eloquently: "I will do my best to ensure that Miss Xie is not wronged."
Xie Qinghong stood to the side with her head down, feigning shyness. She only answered a few words when the Empress called her name, but her words were always about the Emperor's favor, and she played the submissive role very diligently.
The Empress was quite reassured by her appearance; she seemed like an obedient child, much less troublesome than the one from the Qin family. After exchanging some intimate words, she ordered the palace servants to bring out the rewards that had been prepared beforehand. Xie Qinghong received a set of gold and ruby jewelry, very suitable for a young lady about to get married. Pei Du received a jade pendant, with an antique design, but it didn't seem quite suitable for a young man of seventeen or eighteen.
The process was thus completed. The imperial edict of marriage, which Emperor Xingde had already prepared, would soon be issued, and a Yellow Gate messenger would be sent to the south to read it aloud. Neither the Xie family nor the Southern Prince's Mansion had any room to refuse.
After the two men took their leave and left the palace, Emperor Xingde received the news: "They only said that one sentence when they entered the palace?"
The eunuch bowed and replied, "The Xie family's young lady appears rather aloof, with a graceful and poised demeanor, but she doesn't speak much. The young master Pei speaks a bit more and is quite proactive in his attitude towards the young lady."
Emperor Xingde smiled with satisfaction. It seemed that the Xie family's daughter was not entirely willing, which also represented Xie Wen's attitude, and that was good. What he wanted was for the Xie brothers to have a falling out, so as to disintegrate the Xie clan from within. Since the Xie family was not on good terms with the Pei family, they would naturally not become an ally of the Southern Prince's Mansion.
The wife of the Prince of Nan's wife was from Wangjing, so she must have had a very unhappy time in the south, with unrest in her household and the beginning of chaos for her clan.
The powerful families have held power for too long; the imperial power is the rightful mandate of heaven.
Xie Qinghong and Pei Du had already arrived at the palace gate. The Xie family carriage was still in the same place, but Xie Qingzhou, who had come with them, was nowhere to be seen. Ah Xing said that he had been called away by his colleagues and was instructed to go directly back to the mansion when the young lady came out, and not to wait for him.
Pei Du, standing nearby, said, "I'll take you back."
But Xie Qinghong didn't want him to take her, and since her brother wasn't home, she wanted to wander around by herself.
Seeing her displeasure, Pei Du understood. After thinking for a moment, he said that he had something urgent to attend to and could only escort her part of the way. Xie Qinghong agreed, and when they were almost at the busiest Jiqing Street, Pei Du changed his route.
Xie Qinghong breathed a sigh of relief, still unable to adapt to this sudden change in their relationship. Ah Xing felt the same way; it was because there had been too many rumors lately about the cold-blooded and ruthless Prince of the South, and the thought of her daughter marrying into the South made her both anxious and afraid.
"Let's take the Shumo Street route; there are too many people here." Xie Qinghong remembered that there was a long-established bookstore on Shumo Street, so he decided to look for any interesting new books.
However, since her dress was too heavy to get out of the carriage to go shopping, she stayed in the carriage and asked Ah Xing to pick out a few books for her.
Shumo Street is mostly lined with calligraphy and painting shops, and there aren't many tourists during the day, making it far less bustling than Jiqing Street. Xie Qinghong pushed open half of the side window and looked at the shops facing the street. As she looked, she saw a young man walking towards the carriage and bowing to her after taking two steps.
“Miss Xie, my surname is Sun. I have something to tell you. Please take the time.”
"No need." Xie Qinghong was slightly wary and had no intention of getting out of the car. He was about to close the side window.
Sun Langjun seemed helpless. He glanced at the pedestrians on the street, and in that instant, his thin body burst forth with tremendous strength. With lightning speed, he pushed the coachman in front of the carriage off the road, leaped up, and whipped the horse's rump several times. The horse reared up in pain, neighed, and galloped away.
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