Marriage proposal
After receiving the imperial decree of marriage from Cui Shenzhi, Cui Lingxian ran to the Qianqing Palace.
"Shen Zhi, what are you doing? Didn't I say I..."
“Ling Xian,” Cui Shenzhi said with his head down, “Give me one of your and Feng Ping’s children, just for the sake of the people.”
Cui Lingxian was stunned. After a long while, she said in disbelief, "Shen Zhi, what do you mean by that? You wouldn't... plan to grow old alone?!"
Cui Shenzhi did not answer, but said to himself, "I will treat him well. As long as I know it, I will teach it to him without reservation. If you want to go to the palace to see him or live in the palace to accompany him as he grows up, that's fine with you. However, for the sake of the stability of the country, you can only ask that he be my child in public."
"Cui Shenzhi, answer me! If you keep this up, I'll go to Qingshui Town, find Ping An, and bring him back to question you!"
Cui Shenzhi then raised his head to look at Cui Lingxian, his face showing visible fatigue and sadness.
“Ling Xian, as I said, I haven’t thought about anyone else but Ping An. But she doesn’t want me. She’s someone who enjoys life so much, yet she’d rather give up all the riches and glory than have me. But my heart is only so big. If it’s filled with her, there’s no room for anyone else. Why force myself and delay other girls?”
Cui Lingxian wanted to persuade her, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't say anything.
She couldn't persuade Cui Shenzhi to ignore Ping An's wishes and bring her back, nor could she persuade him to force himself to marry. She could only sigh heavily and turn away.
Back at her residence, Cui Lingxian looked at Lu Fengping with a worried expression and said, "Fengping, I regret it a little. I shouldn't have agreed when Shenzhi said he wanted to send Ping'an away. I should have insisted on keeping Ping'an here."
Lu Fengping, however, had a different opinion.
“Ling Xian, I think you made the right choice in sending it. There’s something I know you don’t like to hear, but I still have to say it: Ping An and Shen Zhi have never been from the same world. If they’re together, there will definitely be a lot of conflicts in the future. It’s better to end it now than to suffer for a long time. It’s better to separate now than to force them to stay together.”
"As for Shenzhi's current inability to let go, it's only because of the many troubles that have happened over the past year. He subconsciously sees Ping An as a lifeline, which is why he can't let go of him. He's such a perceptive person, he'll probably come to his senses soon and let go naturally. You don't need to worry too much."
Cui Lingxian shook her head.
"Think it through? Let it go? If Shenzhi could think it through and let it go, he wouldn't have told me he wanted to take our child away and claim it as his own."
Lu Fengping choked up.
"You mean Shen Zhi..."
“Yes,” Cui Lingxian sighed and said, “He said he only wanted to be with Ping An. Now that Ping An doesn’t want him, he can’t be with anyone else. But for the sake of the country’s stability, he must have an heir to the throne, so he can only have our child.”
Lu Fengping now realized that he shouldn't have sent Ping An away.
He and Cui Lingxian weren't even married yet, and there wasn't even a child in sight, yet he was already destined to be taken away. What kind of situation is this!
He scratched his head and said with a bitter face, "Then let's wait and see. If Shenzhi can let it go, we'll pretend this never happened. If Shenzhi can't let it go... we'll go to Qingshui Town and see what Ping An's situation is."
"If she still seems to have some feelings for Shenzhi, we'll tell her about Shenzhi's situation and try to bring them together. If she has no feelings for Shenzhi at all, then we'll have her go back to the capital to persuade Shenzhi, or write a letter to persuade Shenzhi to let go. If all else fails... I'll go ask the priests I know in Miao territory if they have any Gu worms that can cause amnesia."
"That's all we can do. Let's take it one step at a time."
However, plans can't keep up with changes. While Lu Fengping and Cui Lingxian were still observing Cui Shenzhi's situation, news came from Qingshui Town that Ping An had started looking for men.
*****
When Cui Shenzhi learned that Ping An had started looking for men, he was reviewing memorials. The moment he heard the news, he unconsciously snapped the pen in his hand. The shards cut fine, dense wounds on his hand, but he seemed completely unaware and just sat there blankly.
Seeing this, Cui Lingxian sighed and stepped forward, gently picking out the crumbs from his hands as she said, "Shenzhi, since you can't let go of this, then bring Ping An back."
Choi Shin-ji shook his head.
“I’ve said it before, I will never let her suffer. I can’t force her to stay by my side because of my own selfishness and make her struggle in anxiety. She is fine as she is now.”
"She's doing well, and what about you?"
"If she's doing well, then I'm doing well."
Cui Lingxian was a little sad. She wanted to teach Cui Shenzhi a lesson but didn't know where to start. After all, if Lu Fengping said he didn't like her, she would do the same as Cui Shenzhi and choose to let go no matter how sad she was.
It seems she needs to find some time to secretly go to Qingshui Town to check on Ping An's situation.
Qiao Siyu, who was standing aside reporting the situation, felt a little guilty and touched her nose when she saw the sad looks on the two siblings.
— She did not tell Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian about Ping An's unusual behavior.
*****
Qiao Siyu had been playing the game of life for years without ever making a mistake, but she suffered a major setback with Ping An. Naturally, she was somewhat unconvinced. So, after Ping An arrived in Qingshui Town, she began to think about how to get revenge. On one hand, she tried to get information out of Qingya, and on the other hand, she kept an eye on the news coming from Qingshui Town, searching day and night for the place where Ping An had misjudged.
She actually found it.
That is, Ping An doesn't believe Cui Shenzhi.
It's not that Ping An trusts Cui Shenzhi, but rather that she misjudged why Ping An doesn't trust Cui Shenzhi.
She thought that Ping An had never seen the light, so she didn't believe that there was light in the world, and that's why she couldn't see Cui Shenzhi's sincerity and didn't believe what Cui Shenzhi said or did. But the truth was not so.
Ping An had seen the light, albeit only a faint ray, but she had seen it—Qing Ya. During those ten-plus years in the Cold Palace, no matter how hard life was, no matter how much resentment Qing Ya harbored towards Ping An, Qing Ya always stood by her side, doing everything she could to care for her.
However, after Ping An learned about her true identity, Qing Ya risked her life to seek justice for Fu Yun Jin.
From that moment on, things changed.
Because this action was clearly telling Ping An that there is light in the world, but not even a ray of it belongs to her. Qingya's faint light shines on her, but what Qingya shines on, what Qingya wants to warm, has never been her, but the blood flowing in her body that belongs to Fu Yunjin.
The damage caused by this situation is undoubtedly greater than never having seen the light at all.
After this incident, Ping An probably doesn't even trust himself anymore, let alone others. That's why he was swayed by Fu Xiuzhu's few words, why he couldn't see Cui Shenzhi's true feelings, and why he was lost in his own thoughts, even refusing to tell Qingya, and choosing to fake his death and leave.
If Qiao Siyu wants to get revenge, she naturally needs to address the root cause of the problem.
Ping An clearly likes Cui Shenzhi, so all she has to do is wait, wait until Ping An's suppressed feelings for Cui Shenzhi reach their limit, until she has no choice but to face it. When that time comes, she will then deliver this information to Cui Shenzhi and guide him to Qingshui Town to find Ping An.
When Ping An realized her feelings for Cui Shenzhi, she was in a state of panic. Upon learning that the stability of the past few days was all Cui Shenzhi's doing, she was caught off guard by Cui Shenzhi's sincerity and was bound to develop some trust. With mutual affection between the two, their hearts naturally connected and things fell into place.
As for not telling Cui Lingxian and Cui Shenzhi, it was truly unavoidable. Those two cherish Ping An like the plague. If they knew that Ping An had exhibited these abnormalities, they would probably rush to pick him up immediately, and Ping An would never have a moment's peace.
*****
The first person Qiao Siyu saw after stepping out of the palace gate was Lin Yimo, whose face was displeased.
She smiled and walked over with light steps.
"Worried about me?"
Lin Yimo's face darkened slightly.
"Husband and wife are one. You are about to become my wife. I'm afraid that if you do something reckless, it will implicate me."
“I see… Then I’ll go and talk to His Majesty and ask him to rescind his decree? Although we have an engagement, we’re not married yet. Now I’m both the head of the Qiao family and a princess. I’m young, beautiful, rich, and powerful. I don’t have to worry about not finding someone.”
Lin Yimo's face darkened even more.
"You are the best choice for me right now, and I will never let you go."
Qiao Siyu chuckled: "So what do you want to tell me?"
Lin Yimo didn't speak, but with a stern face, he helped Qiao Siyu into the carriage before saying, "You've already made a mistake with that person once, why get involved again?"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I definitely won't make a mistake this time," Qiao Siyu said lazily as she lay down on Lin Yimo's lap, ignoring his stiff body and pulling his well-defined hand to play with it. "I'm just a little unconvinced. I admit I misjudged you. After all, love makes people blind, but not others."
Lin Yimo's ears turned red, and the corners of his mouth curled up, but he tried his best to suppress it.
"And..." Qiao Siyu lowered her eyes, thinking about what she had seen and heard these past few days, and said with some regret, "I feel a little reluctant."
"Can't bear it?"
Qiao Siyu nodded.
"You've seen how His Majesty has been these days. He's supposed to be the founding emperor, but he's been living like an ascetic, constantly cutting back on his food, clothing, and other necessities. It's like he's trying to gain sympathy from a distance, saying, 'Look, without you, all the ministers are bullying me,' but he won't let us pass the message to His Majesty."
"The ministers advised him to establish an empress and take concubines, but he said he would observe the full three-year mourning period for His Highness. However, look at His Majesty's appearance. It's not like he can let go in three years. I'm afraid it will be three years after three years. But such a good person should not have experienced such a nightmarish and undeserved disaster, with his relatives turning into enemies, and even his lover is out of reach."
"Besides, His Highness clearly has feelings for His Majesty as well." Qiao Siyu said with a smile, thinking about the news from Qingshui Town. "He keeps uttering His Majesty's name, even in his dreams. He says he's looking for men, but only two men have he bothered to say a few words to. One is almost the same height and build as His Majesty, and the other has a slight resemblance to him in his features. If anything goes wrong under these circumstances, I, Qiao Siyu, will change my name!"
Then Qiao Siyu heard the news that Ping An was planning to throw a bridal bouquet to choose a husband.
She paused for a moment, then turned to Lin Yimo and said, "Lin Yimo, I suddenly think the name Yu Siqiao sounds quite nice too. What do you think?"
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