Su Shirong's expression suddenly became somewhat uneasy.
Zhao You hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, my younger sister has already arrived at the hunting grounds with my mother and wishes to take this opportunity to see Jian Ge'er. I wonder if Your Majesty would grant her permission?"
In fact, the person his mother and younger sister wanted to meet was Su Xuerong.
He understood the mother and daughter's ulterior motives, and with the Empress's support in advance, Su Shirong's plan was considered a success.
But Zhao You also knew that his mother had overstepped her bounds in this matter, so he wanted to see Xiao Yuan's attitude first.
Xiao Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Jian Ge'er went horseback riding. Why don't you ask your wife and your younger sister to go to Qingquan Palace after the banquet?"
Zhao You was overjoyed.
Since Xiao Yuan has sent his mother and sister to Qingquan Palace, he must have agreed to the marriage.
Zhao You hurriedly thanked the emperor and was about to leave when Xiao Yuan called out to Su Shirong, "Minister Su, please stay."
Zhao You immediately withdrew.
Su Shirong looked at him nervously.
"Come, sit down!" Xiao Yuan offered him a seat, and Su Shirong sat down properly at the lower seat.
"Do you fancy that Lady Zhao?"
Su Shirong was taken aback by Xiao Yuan's directness, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "Actually, I have no plans to get married for the time being. Anyway, Jian'er is already so grown up, and the Su family has an heir. However, since my parents both hope that I will have a close and caring person by my side, I would like to take a look at some potential partners first..."
Xiao Yuan seemed thoughtful: "So, you're actually not really willing to go through with this marriage?"
Su Shirong said, "I have had a close relationship with Brother Zhao this past year and I know his character quite well, so I think Lady Zhao should be a good person as well."
Xiao Yuan sneered, "Zhao You is Zhao You, and Zhao Niangzi is Zhao Niangzi. You'd better think this through."
Su Shirong blushed, not understanding what Xiao Yuan meant, and could only mumble, "As long as she is willing to treat Jian Ge'er as her own son, I can still consider marrying her."
Xiao Yuan nodded: "I understand."
Su Shirong said somewhat awkwardly, "Your Majesty, I will not disturb you any longer."
Xiao Yuan waved his hand and let him go.
As he entered the tent, Su Xuerong came over and said, "My brother is always a bit slow-witted, and he might offend you with his words. Please forgive him."
Xiao Yuan laughed and said, "Would I dare to have a problem with your brother?"
I'm just afraid she won't let him do whatever he wants at night...
After lunch, Yuanjie was finally tired and fell asleep on the couch without her wet nurse even having to comfort her.
Su Xuerong told Xiuchun to take Su Jian to rest as well, and that she would take Xiao Yuan and the others to see their catch when they returned from hunting in the afternoon.
Xiao Yuan set off after lunch, and Su Xuerong also took a nap in the tent.
After returning to his tent, Zhao You said to his mother, "His Majesty has agreed that you can take Aning to see the Empress tonight."
Zhao's mother was overjoyed and hurriedly said to Zhao Ning, "Did you hear that, Ning? As long as the Empress approves of you, you can become the wife of the Imperial Brother-in-law!"
Zhao Ning was sitting in front of the dressing mirror, looking around, quite satisfied with her bright and beautiful face in the mirror.
Hearing her mother and elder brother's conversation, she sighed helplessly: "To be honest, if Su Shirong weren't Her Majesty's own brother, he might not be worthy of me!"
Zhao's mother glared at her angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about? The Su family has risen to prominence because of the Empress, and so many people want to marry into their family. If it weren't for your elder brother being close to him, you wouldn't have a chance."
Zhao You pinched the bridge of his nose, looking helpless: "Mother, this is all I can do for you. If Aning continues to be as willful as before, and Su Shirong finds out, he may not be willing to marry into our family."
Mother Zhao quickly said, "Alright, I know what you mean. Su Shirong is just worried that Aning won't treat his little brat well. Don't worry, I'll teach Aning..."
Zhao You was so shocked that he tried to cover his mother's mouth: "Mother, are you trying to kill me? What did you call Jian Ge'er?"
They even called her "little brat," so the mother and daughter must have said countless things to each other in private.
Zhao's mother's face stiffened, and she quickly patted her mouth, forcing a dry laugh: "I... I just like saying it... but your sister never calls him that!"
Zhao Ning: "..."
She secretly calls Su Jian a little bastard!
Zhao You's face turned ashen. He suddenly regretted agreeing to the proposal from the mother and daughter. Pointing at his mother, he said sternly, "His Highness values me now and has appointed me as the prefect of Quanzhou. But if you two harm me because of this marriage alliance, then our whole family can go back to the Northwest and eat dirt!"
After saying that, he left with a cold face.
As soon as Zhao You stepped out of the tent, he panicked.
Unexpectedly, his mother and sister had set a trap for Su Shirong. He was an honest man, and he probably didn't even realize he had been taken advantage of.
But just because Su Shirong suffered a loss doesn't mean the Empress won't pursue the matter!
Zhao You became increasingly frightened and hurriedly went outside.
He had only taken a few steps when he saw a familiar face and hurriedly chased after her: "Madam Cui!"
Cui Yun'er had just gone to find Qiu Cheng, but he was nowhere to be seen. She was feeling down when she heard someone calling her.
“Zhao You?” Cui Yun’er knew him when she was in Hangzhou. He was a man from the Northwest who was brought to Hangzhou by her cousin and made into a staff member in the Hangzhou Prince’s Mansion.
Zhao You quickly asked with a smile, "Where are you headed, Madam Cui?"
Cui Yun'er glanced at him: "You know perfectly well what I'm asking. I'm going to find the Empress!"
She was heading in the direction of Xiao Yuan and Su Xuerong's large tent.
Zhao You had no choice but to swallow his pride and pull Cui Yun'er aside, lowering his voice to say, "Madam Cui, I would like to ask you for a favor..."
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