At night, Xingxing lay in bed unable to fall asleep for a long time. She sat by the window, wearing a cloak, listening to the howling wind outside. It was snowing at night, and many lanterns were hung under the corridors of the palace, allowing people to see the snowflakes in the night.
A delicate fragrance of winter plum blossoms wafted over, and Xingxing snapped out of her reverie. Turning her head, she saw Zhu Lin, who was shivering with cold, quietly enter the room. He was wearing a black fox fur cloak, and the candles in the room had been extinguished by the palace servants earlier, so the room was pitch black. Zhu Lin, dressed in black, blended seamlessly into the night.
Zhu Lin squatted down in front of Xingxing, stared into her eyes for a while, then took out a sprig of winter plum blossom from behind his back and handed it to her. His voice was as cold as the snow outside, "I just picked this when I passed by the Imperial Garden. I knew you liked it, so I brought it for you."
Xingxing took the plum blossom and sighed softly, "Today is the wedding day of my eldest brother and third brother, but unfortunately I can't make it back in time."
A month ago, Zhou Laoda wrote to Xingxing to tell her that Dafu and Sanfu had set a wedding date, but not only was the road blocked by heavy snow, but the journey was also too long to make it back in time, and neither the emperor nor the empress would agree.
They could only send more gifts back, and the emperor and empress also bestowed many gifts that were specially delivered to Yegou Village. Unfortunately, no amount of gifts could make up for the regret of Xingxing's absence.
Zhu Lin was afraid that she would be upset, so he braved the snow at night to sneak into the palace just to comfort his little girl.
"Don't overthink it, I'm here." Zhu Lin didn't know what to say, and after a long time, she could only manage to utter these few words.
"Luckily you're here, otherwise I would be really upset," Xingxing said, throwing herself into his arms. "Brother Lin, let's get married next spring."
When Xingxing came of age, the topic of marriage was not mentioned, but now the idea has come to her again.
This time, Zhu Lin didn't hesitate or refuse; she immediately agreed, "Okay."
"You agreed so readily?" Xingxing pushed him away, tilting her head to look at his face. The dim light from the corridor shone through the window, revealing the young man's captivating peach blossom eyes and a gentle, light smile on his handsome face.
Zhu Lin explained in a deep voice, "I've already come of age, and you'll be sixteen after the New Year. It's time to get married."
"Then I'll bring this up with my father tomorrow and ask him to build the princess's residence for me." Xingxing was also making plans very seriously.
With Zhu Lin talking to Xingxing, she was finally coaxed to sleep after an hour and stopped sitting there in a daze, freezing cold.
The next day, Xingxing indeed brought up the matter of marriage with the Emperor and Empress. Every time the Emperor heard the eldest princess mention marriage, he felt a heart attack. He didn't know why his most beloved princess was so eager to get married.
"Shouldn't this be something Zhu Lin should be doing? How can a young lady like you bring it up?" The emperor said, his face stern and displeased.
“Brother Lin is a commoner, without any official rank or title. You are the emperor, and I am a princess. Of course, we have the final say. I have already asked him, and he dared not refuse. Now, as long as Father Emperor nods, the Ministry of Rites will begin preparations.” Xingxing analyzed confidently.
It seems that Long'er is serious this time. The emperor actually likes Zhu Lin as his son-in-law, but the old father is a little reluctant to let his daughter get married too early. Especially seeing how proactive and eager Long'er is, he subconsciously wants to trip her up and not let Zhu Lin have his way.
"It's almost the end of the year, let's talk about the wedding after the New Year, there's no rush now," the emperor said, glossing over the matter before immediately changing the subject. "A few days ago, Prince Ming also came to me to mention that he wanted to take a concubine. The woman is of low status, but Prince Ming likes her very much and has come to me for help. They're all so troublesome."
"Did Father Emperor agree?" Xingxing had heard that Ming Wang was fond of beautiful women, but he only liked to sleep with them. To say he loved them was laughable; they were just tools to warm the bed and not worth taking seriously.
It's quite strange that he suddenly went to the emperor to plead for a woman with no status. Does a womanizer like Mingwang ever have a moment when he can truly beg for a woman's heart?
"I am not so old that I am not clear-headed. How can I easily bestow a marriage upon someone? Even a concubine is not a position that just anyone can hold." The emperor had never thought highly of Prince Ming, so he naturally rejected the idea this time.
Don't think that the Zheng family's constant underhanded actions and shifting of their support from Prince Cheng to Prince Ming will earn him his attention. Prince Ming's personality is simply not suited to be an emperor.
The Great Jin Dynasty has finally achieved what it is today, and he would never pass this empire to someone who is mediocre, foolish, and lustful.
"Has Father investigated the woman's background?" Upon hearing about the Ming Prince's matter, Xingxing felt that something was amiss.
The emperor tapped the table lightly with his finger and said in a deep voice, "It is a musician that the third prince bought from the music hall. I heard that she was just sent from Jiangnan. She is very beautiful. Her musical skills are average, but her dancing skills are superb. The third prince is completely infatuated with her."
This third prince has the potential to be a tyrannical ruler. After Prince Cheng's incident, Prince Ming's opportunity came. At least that's what the Zheng family and Prince Ming thought. Xingxing also knows a lot about the various schemes involved.
However, Ming Wang is really not cut out to be an emperor. If he were to ascend the throne by chance, the Great Jin Dynasty would be doomed. Xingxing's eyes darkened slightly. It would be best if Ming Wang did not compete for the throne. Even if he did sit on the dragon throne, she would pull him down.
Sigh, thinking about it, the other princes are all quite young. The eldest, the fourth prince, will only be thirteen after the New Year. Moreover, he seems to be of average talent. Although he is not stupid, the fourth prince's personality means he won't accomplish much if he becomes emperor.
The fifth and sixth princes were born in the same year and will be ten years old after the New Year. They seem to be incapable of taking on important responsibilities. Moreover, the mothers of the two princes are of low status. They were originally ladies and were promoted to noble ladies after giving birth to princes. Their maternal families have no power.
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