The envoy felt an intense, undeniable gaze upon him from behind, and cold sweat gradually beaded on his forehead. He not only had to face the oppressive aura of the Qing Emperor, but also had a gaze from behind that was increasingly pressing down on him.
"Oh? That's quite unfortunate. I once said that if the princess has someone she likes, she can decide her own marriage." The emperor said with a displeased expression.
The envoy was not giving up and still wanted to try his best, after all, this was a task given to him by the king. "Why don't we let the princess and the prince meet at the banquet tonight? Maybe they will take a liking to each other," the envoy said with a fawning smile.
Musa scoffed. If it weren't for her father's instructions, she would have been unable to sit there any longer. Clearly, Burmese women were more courageous and brave than Qing Dynasty women, yet here she was asking for their hand in marriage, and they were being met with resistance and evasion. She was being treated coldly by her own people.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor knew that they would not give up until they achieved their goal. He had originally intended to tell the envoys that An'an was already married and might not be a suitable match for their prince, but seeing that the prince seemed to have no initiative in proposing marriage, he knew there must be something going on behind the scenes.
The Emperor decided to remain still and observe the situation, deciding to respond to any changes with constancy. However, Prince Rui could not tolerate this. This fellow was shameless; he had already been rejected, yet he still demanded to marry his daughter.
Prince Rui immediately decided to retort, but saw his elder brother, the Emperor, sitting at the head of the table, shaking his head at him. Prince Rui could only suppress his anger for now, but if his elder brother couldn't give him a satisfactory explanation, he would do it himself.
"My sons, daughters, and ministers will all be attending the banquet tonight. Your envoy may go and make preparations." The Emperor's expression remained unchanged, but his tone suddenly turned several degrees colder.
The envoy seemed oblivious to their misunderstanding, repeatedly agreeing. This behavior was so unbearable that even Musa couldn't stand it, and Mu Feng, standing nearby, felt his eye twitch. How unworthy was he of this princess? Did he have to lower himself again and again?
Unfortunately, Mu Feng couldn't say anything and could only watch helplessly as the envoy blatantly lied.
They then all took their leave and went to the guesthouse to pack their belongings. On the way to the guesthouse, the envoy approached Mu Feng and urged him to make sure he could win over Princess Yong'an's heart.
Mu Feng remained calm, showing no emotion whatsoever. The envoy, however, was somewhat anxious, thinking that the eldest prince was unwilling to cooperate. He said with a mixture of threats and coaxing, "Does the eldest prince know that Princess Yong'an is the most favored princess in the Qing Dynasty? I've heard that she is as beautiful as a fairy, more than a match for the eldest prince. Besides, this is a mission personally issued by the king."
Hearing the first half of the sentence, Mu Feng was somewhat sarcastic, but upon hearing the last sentence, he clenched his fists tightly. Yes, this was an order from his father.
Musa gave a mocking laugh. Although the envoys didn't know what the princess was laughing about, judging from her expression, it certainly wasn't anything good. One by one, fearing trouble, they hurriedly left.
Mu Sha walked step by step to Mu Feng's side, smiling as she spoke, "I say, Brother Wang, you must dress up dazzlingly tonight, at least outshining everyone at tonight's banquet, and seize the opportunity to win over Princess Yong'an's heart. That way, our long journey to the Qing Dynasty won't have been in vain." With that, Mu Sha turned and left.
Mu Feng remained standing there, his hands clenched tightly, his eyes bloodshot. After a moment, he relaxed, revealing four neat, bloody fingernail marks on his palm. He gasped for breath, as if he were a fish that had just jumped ashore.
The attendants beside Mu Feng looked at their prince with heartache. The prince had been more outstanding than the other princes since he was a child, but ever since Princess Musa was born, the king had given all his attention and love to the princess, and could no longer see the other children.
Unfortunately, the king doted on the princess so much that she became somewhat spoiled and arrogant. Sometimes, the princess would even compete in martial arts with her brothers, usually giving them a good beating.
Even though their prince was considered to have a relatively good temper, he was often so angry at the princess's words that he would tremble with rage.
The princess's two sentences were undoubtedly a slap in the face to her prince. Telling him to dress up nicely to win Princess Yong'an's heart—what did she take him for? One of those male prostitutes selling their smiles in brothels? No wonder the prince was so furious. But if we're talking about the culprit behind all this, isn't it the king himself? Without the king's permission, why would the prince have traveled all the way to the Qing Dynasty?
The attendants didn't know how to comfort their prince, so they could only stay by his side in silence.
Then a hoarse voice came out, "You can go out now. This prince needs to be alone."
The attendant wanted to argue a bit more, but the prince waved at him. Helpless, the attendant walked out, looking back every few steps. Sometimes the prince was particularly sad and needed a place to vent, but he didn't want anyone to see him like this. So when the prince needed to vent, he would usually drive all the servants in the palace out.
I'm afraid it will be the same today.
Shortly after the attendant left, Mu Feng did indeed bow his head and remain silent for a long time, just as the attendant had imagined. However, he quickly regained his spirits, rallied his courage, and was no longer the dejected man he had been just moments before.
After a moment, he decided to go out and see if he could find out anything.
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
Prince Rui paced anxiously back and forth in the hall, wandering aimlessly like a headless fly. Meanwhile, the Emperor calmly read the memorials and sipped his tea. Prince Rui grew increasingly angry, and seeing his elder brother's indifferent attitude only fueled his rage.
Just as he was about to go out to settle accounts with those Burmese, his elder brother slowly raised his head from a pile of memorials. "Where are you going? Are you going to settle accounts with those envoys, or to find An'an?"
Before Prince Rui could even step out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor called him back. He immediately turned around and loudly retorted, "Of course I'm looking for that Burmese envoy! Why would I be looking for An'an?"
Prince Rui was so angry that he forgot to use honorifics and addressed me directly.
The Emperor looked at his younger brother, who was fuming in front of him, and couldn't help but chuckle. How long had it been since he had seen his brother so furious since his marriage?
"I see those Burmese wolves in sheep's clothing. They must have come to the capital on important business. Besides, I have already bestowed a marriage upon them, and all the people know this. Even if they wanted to ask for her hand in marriage, I would never agree. Do you think you're the only one who can't bear to part with An'an?" The Emperor was clearly angry at this point, puffing out his beard and glaring. "What kind of person do you take me for? Would I give up An'an's happiness?"
"Besides, An'an knows about this matter, and An'an doesn't care. What are you doing wandering around here?" The Emperor said irritably to Prince Rui, who was still circling around him.
"Isn't it because I'm worried? I only have this one daughter. Putting everything else aside, I just want to see her every day. The other day, the Princess Consort said that An'an has grown up in the blink of an eye and is of marriageable age. When she spoke of this, Rong'er couldn't help but shed tears." As Prince Rui spoke, he himself became somewhat tearful and quickly wiped the corners of his eyes with his clothes.
There's no way around it; people tend to feel sentimental as they reach middle age. The fact that he wasn't there to watch An'an grow up was a heavy weight on Prince Rui's heart. But back then, in the prince's eyes, the princess was the most important person.
Prince Rui always thought that they were still young and would have plenty of time to accompany An'an as she grew up. Little did he know that he would miss so much of An'an's childhood.
Although the Prince and Princess were still in the capital taking care of An'an's daily life when she was first born, the Princess later developed a persistent autumn cough and sometimes even broke out in cold sweats. The Prince was extremely worried and had no choice but to entrust An'an to the Empress Dowager.
They did return at one point, and the prince even took An'an on a trip for a while. Then, as the weather turned cold, the prince, worried about the princess, returned to the capital and soon left again.
Although the Prince was not in the capital, he knew everything about An'an. For example, he knew that An'an had become Ji Xiaolan's apprentice, that she was now skilled in archery and horsemanship, or that she had gone to the battlefield. The Prince remembered all these things and was very proud of his daughter.
He had always thought there was plenty of time, but when he received a message from his elder brother, he was shocked to find that An'an was about to get married. Prince Rui felt as if someone had poured cold water on his head. Without further delay, he packed his bags and rushed back to the capital with his princess.
Seeing his graceful daughter, though she wasn't as delicate and sweet as she was when she was little, she was still Prince Rui's daughter after all. Prince Rui felt a sense of pride, like a daughter growing up.
He and An'an didn't have much time together to begin with. If An'an were to marry and move to Myanmar, he would really have to conquer Myanmar and make it the Qing Dynasty's backyard. He would also want to live in Myanmar permanently.
Myanmar King Mengbai: You're so high and mighty. You treat this place like your Qing Dynasty's backyard.
Prince Rui: Who gave you permission to propose marriage to my daughter?
After receiving repeated assurances from his elder brother, Prince Rui finally felt relieved and his mood improved. He decided not to disturb his brother's work of reviewing memorials any longer. Just as he was about to leave, he heard his brother calling him from behind to review the memorials together.
Your Majesty: I've been listening to you ramble on for quite a while now. Shouldn't you do me a small favor?
Prince Rui, ultimately left with no other choice, could only humbly accompany his elder brother as they reviewed the memorials. But after seeing those endless reports of greetings and inquiries, all Prince Rui could feel was pity.
Unexpectedly, besides reviewing official business, his elder brother also had to deal with the idle gossip of these ministers, who would say things like "there are exotic fruits here" or "some good thing has happened there," attributing it all to the Emperor's blessing upon the Qing Dynasty. It was truly annoying. No wonder his elder brother looked at the memorials with such displeasure and disdain.
*
Upon returning to Cining Palace, An Ke was the first to change her clothes. She inquired about the time; it was still early before the banquet, enough time for her to make a round trip to Ruyi Pavilion.
Anke held the snow scene and plum blossom painting she had just drawn, intending to take it to Ruyi Pavilion to discuss it with Benjamin. Of course, the most important thing was that she had heard Benjamin had received a large package a few days ago, sent from Great Britain.
Ahem, Anke certainly wasn't after those one or two cups of hot chocolate. The main reason was to discuss her paintings and have a cup of hot chocolate as well. After all, it was such a cold day, and she braved the freezing weather to come over and discuss her paintings with him. It wouldn't be too much to ask for a cup of hot chocolate, would it?
Having made up her mind, Anke put on her cloak and quietly left through a side hall of the Cining Palace. This way, she wouldn't pass through the main hall and wouldn't disturb the Empress Dowager, Qing'er, and Xinrong. It was also a convenient opportunity for her to sneak over for a cup of hot chocolate and then return, after which she would take Benjamin with her to the main hall.
In truth, the Emperor had long since forgiven Benjamin for his past mistakes. After all, he was merely an accomplice and hadn't committed any major offense. The Emperor had already tacitly allowed Benjamin to freely attend banquets and paint, but Benjamin simply couldn't overcome his inner turmoil.
Just like when he saw that Xiao Yanzi liked Yongqi and quietly withdrew, he felt that he had betrayed the emperor. Now, he naturally had to study his painting skills in the Ruyi Pavilion.
But Anke couldn't let him stay in Ruyi Pavilion forever. After all, a painter needs to get some fresh air and see the scenery from time to time to enhance his inspiration. Besides, they were good friends; how could she watch her friend brood alone?
No sooner said than done, Anke made up her mind and left with the painting. Xingxing hurriedly followed behind, after all, her princess was good in every way, except for being a little careless and absent-minded. What if the banquet started and the princess hadn't arrived yet? That would be terrible.
Although Anke moved quickly, she was still very careful. After all, the roads were slippery in the snow. Even though the snow on the road had been cleared, the wet ground could still make people slip and fall.
Encore passed by the path next to the Imperial Garden. Because the Imperial Garden was deserted, the ground wasn't swept much. After all, who would want to brave the cold snow and come out to admire the flowers?
Even the Emperor turned a blind eye to the cleaning of the Imperial Garden, so the palace servants could rest whenever they could.
Anke, wearing a red cloak, stood out conspicuously in the snow, as if a vibrant creature had suddenly entered the silvery-white world.
The cloak accentuated Anke's thin face, making her appear almost gaunt. Her large eyes blinked rapidly, and snowflakes drifted down onto her eyelashes. They had fallen from an old tree as they passed by.
Mu Feng was greeted by this scene: a woman dressed in red, with a slender figure, carrying a painting, walking slowly in the snow.
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