Seeing Li Lu kneeling down and begging for help, the Emperor of the Holy Ce asked with a smile: "Which family is this girl from?"
Everyone at the table was also very curious.
The Prince of Rong has yet to marry, but now he suddenly claims to have someone he likes. I wonder who that person is?
At the female banquet, a young girl looked at Prince Rong who was kneeling there, with a look of astonishment on her face.
They had met more than once in the music hall. She was attracted by the sound of his flute. She was also a music lover. His flute sound was full of loneliness and solitude, and it was clear that he did not sound like he had a lover...
Did he fall in love with a girl at first sight at this Hibiscus Flower Banquet? The chopsticks in the girl's hand had already fallen just now, but because everyone was attracted by the actions of Prince Rong, no one noticed her abnormality.
But the maidservant of the Ma family beside her saw it all, and seeing the girl's expression, she asked in a low voice: "What's wrong with you, girl?"
Ma Wan seemed not to have heard the maid's voice and was only looking at the figure of Prince Rong.
She had talked to him about music, but he had never asked her name. Out of her modesty as a girl, she had never taken the initiative to inquire about his identity...but she never expected that when they met again, he had become the Prince of Rong and already had someone he loved.
What kind of woman does he like? He is like a bright moon, and the person he likes must be as gentle as the breeze. She should have the same preferences and resonance with him. Isn't this a good match?
Thinking of this, the girl suddenly felt a secret hope in her heart...
They had a great conversation and were in perfect harmony with each other on music, didn't they?
Looking at that figure, Ma Wan almost held her breath.
"Your Majesty, my nephew has long admired the girl from the Chang family."
The voice of Prince Rong was clearly heard by everyone.
The atmosphere suddenly became stagnant.
As if he did not dare to look up to see the reaction of the Holy Ce Emperor, Prince Rong continued with a courageous tone: "...I know that I am mediocre and incompetent. Although I am a member of the Li family, I have never been able to help the Saint and the court. I should not have rashly spoken this and made it difficult for the Saint..."
Some officials exchanged glances secretly.
So, he knew clearly in his heart and admitted that he was "stealing people" from the saint?
"I should have given up this fantasy until today when I was rescued by Lady Chang at the racecourse. I felt as if there was a divine guidance. If I had missed this opportunity, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. That's why I dared to..."
Chang Suining, who was being watched by countless eyes, said: "..."
God's guidance?
God's will wouldn't be so troublesome.
She also looked at the Prince of Rong whom she had rescued today.
She was also deeply surprised by the other party's sudden proposal of marriage.
But she intuitively felt that Xinyi's words were not to be trusted.
At least you can't trust it completely.
Faced with this sudden situation and everyone's gaze and inquiry, the girl remained calm, but looked in the direction of the Holy Book Emperor.
Now the ball was not passed to her, but to the saint. She might as well see how the other party plans to kick it.
The Holy Emperor still had a faint smile on his face.
The person mentioned by Li Lu also surprised her.
Li Lu will eventually get married. Compared with marrying a girl from another family, the Chang family, which is under her nose, appears respectable on the surface but has no real power, is a better choice... If it were in the past, she would not have had too much hesitation.
But now it's different.
The Holy Ce Emperor first thought of what the Heavenly Mirror State Master said. The girl's fate was very strange, and it was related to her fate in some unclear way...
With this preconceived concern in mind, Prince Rong's proposal of marriage made her feel hesitant.
Furthermore, Chang Suining was the candidate she had chosen for the Crown Princess. Any changes would affect her plans. She could not just judge Li Lu's intentions on the surface.
During the day, Li Lu had mentioned to her the rescue at the horse farm. When he talked about the girl from the Chang family, he was grateful and admired her...
Now he had drunk some wine to give himself the courage to speak this word, and he really was like a young man who was blinded by love.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, the other party was the prince of Rong Wang, and had lived in the capital for a long time and was alone. Officials had already hinted that her actions were no different from holding someone hostage, and there were many people who took advantage of this to make a fuss -
If he is really a hostage, Li Lu has indeed been a qualified hostage over the years.
He never participated in state affairs and never made friends with officials. Although he was mediocre, he was careful to keep his distance.
This is the first time that such an inappropriate behavior has occurred.
But because of this, what the other party is asking for now is like a well-behaved, sensible and pitiful child who musters up the courage to ask for a piece of his favorite candy one day.
As the emperor, she was also his elder. No matter what she thought in her heart, she could not refuse this request in front of everyone, both morally and logically.
The emperor cannot act entirely according to his own will. On the contrary, because he is an emperor, he has more things to consider and sometimes has to make some concessions.
Whether to choose to make concessions or not depends on the weight of gains and losses.
"Over the years, I have often been worried about your marriage. Now that you have found someone you like, I am very pleased and will naturally help you."
Chang Kuo almost stood up when he heard this.
But Yao Yi on the side secretly stopped him, and signaled to Chang Kuo with his eyes to be patient - I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious yet.
"However, marriage still requires the consent of your parents. Your father is still in Yizhou, so I cannot make this decision alone." The Emperor of the Holy Ce said with a smile, "I will send someone to ask your father's opinion soon. If he agrees, I will grant you two a marriage today. What do you think?"
It takes some time for letters to travel back and forth to Yizhou, and there is still a lot of room for maneuver as to how Prince Rong will reply.
Prince Rong looked grateful, his frail face lit up with eyes: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help!"
Then, a smile appeared on his face: "To be honest, Your Majesty, as early as two months ago, my nephew had sent a letter back to Yizhou to express his feelings to my father. Before the Hibiscus Flower Festival, my father's reply letter arrived..."
"My father has no objection to this matter. He just said that now that I am in the capital, I should obey your majesty's wishes in everything."
"My nephew originally intended to use this flower party to express his feelings to Your Majesty, so I brought my father's reply letter with me."
As he spoke, he took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to him with both hands: "Your Majesty, please take a look."
The Holy Cemeter Emperor's eyes flickered slightly.
I came prepared.
But this was a well-prepared response, and rather than being used to disrupt her plans, it seemed more like he was simply blinded by love.
Amid the noise all around, the eunuch took the letter and presented it to the Holy Emperor.
While the Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies was reading the letter, there was constant discussion all around.
"Girl..." Xier was really anxious now.
The Saint just said that as long as Prince Rong has no objection, he will arrange a marriage for Prince Rong's son. This shows that he does not care about or consider the wishes of the girl and their Chang family at all.
Normally, I don't notice anything different.
The emperor never asked about the Chang family's wishes from beginning to end. Although this was to show that he had no hesitation or refusals in dealing with Prince Rong's request, it was also a true reflection of the emperor's inner thoughts.
The wishes of ordinary people are never within the consideration of the emperor.
Whether it is to promote her to be the Crown Princess or to agree to the request of Prince Rong to marry her as the Crown Princess, only the pros and cons will influence the emperor's decision.
She was too insignificant, so the emperor had no need to take her wishes into consideration. Even if he had any "concerns", it was only out of consideration of the pros and cons.
Of course, from what the emperor said just now, it can be seen that he has no intention of pushing her out to be the Crown Prince of Rong's consort.
But Prince Rong did not obey and insisted on doing so, even taking out the letter at the most appropriate time.
With this letter and the promise just now that "If Prince Rong agrees, I will grant the marriage", it is hard to say what the Holy Ce Emperor will do next.
"It seems that Lu'er really cares about it." The Emperor of the Holy Ceme put down the letter.
"My nephew is weak and useless, and I have no ambition. I just want to spend my life with my beloved." Li Lu bowed his head, grateful and sincere: "Today, the saint has made it happen. My nephew is willing to stay in the capital for a long time in the future and be filial to the saint."
The Emperor of the Holy Ce smiled without comment, and promised in front of everyone that he would stay in the capital for a long time to fulfill his filial piety. Was this considered an exchange with her?
She didn't rush to speak, but just said: "You are not in good health, how can you kneel for a long time? Stand up and talk first."
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."
Seeing Prince Rong standing up, Wei Shuyi said with a smile: "Prince Rong's infatuation is evident as the moon, which is truly admirable."
After a slight pause, he said, "It's just that marriage is not only about the parents' orders, but also about the union of two families. And the word 'good' must mean that both parties love each other..."
As Wei Shuyi spoke, he looked at the women sitting opposite him and asked with a smile, "I wonder if the Chang family lady has the same feelings as the prince?"
The saint was not in a position to say these words, as otherwise it would seem that he was shirking his responsibilities, as if implying that the woman was rejecting him.
What the sage cannot say, then it is up to him, a minister, to say - in the court, he often plays such a role.
The prerequisite is that he can see the divine will clearly.
But if he asked himself now, after several "offensives" from Prince Rong, he was not very sure what the saint was thinking at the moment.
But he still said it.
Wei Shuyi looked at the girl.
He thought she needed a chance to speak.
Perhaps he didn't necessarily need to give her this opportunity. When she really wanted to speak, no one could stop her, but... just think of him as being nosy. It was his fault for wanting to be nosy this time.
This statement allowed Chang Suining to stand up naturally.
Prince Rong looked at her, his face showing an uncomfortable expression, but also full of sincerity: "I treat Madam Chang with all my heart..."
The girl looked at him: "But I have no intention of treating the prince."
The girl's tone was calm, but the atmosphere around her suddenly changed.
This refusal could not be more straightforward, and Prince Rong was stunned for a moment.
"Your Highness has never mentioned a word to me about your proposal today, and I never even knew that you were interested in me." Chang Suining said, "If you ask me if I am interested, I am not. And your action really bothers me - so, are you going to force me?"
There were surprised gasps all around.
What the Chang family lady said was too disrespectful to Prince Rong! The frail young man stood there, with an embarrassed look in his eyes.
Chang Suining remained unmoved and never felt that he had done or said anything wrong.
She had never been hostile to Prince Rong, and even had a natural fondness for him because of his father, but this did not mean that she could accept his inappropriate arrangement.
Yes, it’s an arrangement.
He had already discussed this matter with King Rong, he took the risk to ask the saint for his blessing, he chose today as the time and place, every word and every step was just right, and he had carefully arranged everything.
Compared to his slight embarrassment at the moment, the trouble and predicament she suffered as a result was the most practical - compared to the plan she agreed upon with Cui Jing, Prince Rong's actions tonight were similar, but the difference was that Prince Rong's actions left her almost no room for refusal, and his ultimate goal was to get the saint to grant her a marriage.
This might prevent her from becoming the Crown Princess, but she would be captured to be the Prince of Rong's Consort. To her, there was really not much difference between the two.
She didn't want to be the Crown Princess, let alone the Prince of Rong's Consort. No matter whether the other party was fond of her or had other plans, it was all just a manipulation to her.
The Holy Sepulchre Emperor wavered, but she couldn't.
She would never be pushed around.
Facing her question "In this case, are you still going to force it?" Prince Rong remained silent for a while.
The atmosphere was frozen for a moment due to awkwardness.
One official said with a smile in an attempt to ease the tension: "It doesn't matter if we don't have feelings for each other at the moment, but we can cultivate them in the future."
Someone soon answered: "That's right..."
"It's so rare to have such sincerity from Prince Rong... wouldn't it be a pity to miss it?"
The official who was closer to Chang Kuo sighed and said, "General Chang should also persuade Madam Chang. As the saying goes..."
With a light "pop" sound, Chang Kuo crushed the wine cup in his hand.
"..." The official's remaining words were stuck in his throat.
The thick calluses on Chang Kuo's palms made it so that his skin was not even broken. He picked off the debris in his palms and frowned as he asked Yao Yi: "Old Yao, why did you say this cup is so fragile?"
The official opened his mouth and silently moved his body away from Chang Kuo.
But the persuasion continues elsewhere.
Some women even followed their husbands who had spoken up to persuade Chang Suining: "It's easy to get a priceless treasure, but it's hard to find a lover..."
Just like during the Qiqiao Festival, if a man boldly expresses his feelings, the onlookers, out of curiosity, will always cheer and persuade the woman to accept his feelings, even if they do not know the two of them and know nothing.
But the situation is different now. Chang Suining doesn't need to look at them one by one, but he can know that most of those who speak up to persuade are from the party of the Left Prime Minister Changsun.
There are not many idle people sitting here. Who would care whether Prince Rong is embarrassed or not? Who would speak out to reconcile and persuade him just for the sake of the atmosphere? In the final analysis, it is just an excuse to push her out of the list of candidates for the future Crown Princess.
In such a situation, if the emperor's heart changes and the marriage is settled with just one sentence, and if she stops resisting, perhaps this matter will become a good story if it gets out, and people will praise Prince Rong for his deep affection. As for her words "I have no intention", no one will remember them.
Perhaps this atmosphere gave Prince Rong courage. He looked at Chang Suining and promised earnestly, "My feelings towards Madam Chang are not just superficial, but also admiration and respect. If the saint can grant my wish today, I am willing to stay with Madam Chang alone and never take a concubine in this life."
There were sounds of surprise and envy all around.
The only son of the dignified King Rong publicly promised that he would never take a concubine. How devoted and sincere is this? This shows his deep love!
Chang Suining felt that this person was even more annoying.
There wasn't even a question in the conversation, only the sentence "If the saint can make it happen."
"Cui Jing also has something he would like to ask the Saint to do for him—"
At this time, a young man's voice was heard.
Thank you Ruo Qinghan for another reward from the leader, thank you very much!
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