The Empress took the matter of choosing a wife for her son very seriously. She also heeded the Emperor’s advice. One day, when the Crown Prince came to her palace to visit, she dismissed the attendants, closed the door, and discussed this matter with him.
She wanted to gauge her son’s thoughts first, but if he absolutely refused, she would have to figure out how to persuade him.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince did not stubbornly refuse to marry. Upon hearing the Empress’s question, he sighed, "Mother, are you and Father in such a hurry?"
The Empress replied, "Yes, you should have been married several years ago. Putting it off until now, it’s not suitable. The court ministers are not satisfied either."
She advised, "Haven’t you noticed the increasing number of proposals suggesting marriage on your father’s desk in the recent days? Even I know about it, so you should, too."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "I know."
"Do you have anyone in mind? Please tell me. No matter who it is, regardless of their status, as long as you fancy them, I will agree." The Empress didn’t ask for anything else, she just wanted him to get married.
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "I have no one in mind right now."
The Empress looked at him, feeling pity, "Have you still not let go of Su Rong?"
Yan Huisheng sighed, "Mother, I am aware of my status and my responsibility. I am already doing enough by not taking any action while she is in the capital city of Daliang. You can’t expect me to control my feelings as well."
The Empress was silent for a moment, then reluctantly stated, "But you have to marry in order to have descendants."
"I will marry," Yan Huisheng said, "But right now, I am overwhelmed with state affairs and I have no time to think about it. If you are in a hurry, Mother, you could follow Father’s suggestion and organize a Flower Banquet to help me find someone! I have no other request, only this: she must be reasonable and magnanimous."
The Empress breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he was willing to get married, she nodded, "Fine, I will carefully select a reasonable and magnanimous bride for you, someone you will like."
Duanhua was shocked to hear news from the Duke’s wife about the upcoming wedding of Su Rong and Zhou Gu when she visited Dongsi Hutong. She said, "After Su Rong left, she didn’t even write me a letter. She is getting married and didn’t even invite me to attend the ceremony."
"Nanchu is too far away. Your mother is arranging your marriage. You can’t afford to waste a year or two there." The Duchess smiled, "Has your mother found a suitable match for you? Whose son has the potential to be your husband?"
Duanhua shook her head and sighed, "Not yet. I can’t seem to find anyone who is handsome enough. It’s making my eyes tired and I don’t seem to like anyone."
Actually, it wasn’t that there weren’t any handsome men. It was because the handsome ones have all left. She had liked Zhou Gu for many years and naturally didn’t want to marry a husband who was not as attractive as him. Moreover, she didn’t want to be a loser in her mother’s eyes. If her mother could find someone as handsome and talented as her father, why can’t she?
The Duchess teased, "How can you be like Xiaoqi? You girls can really get along well, can’t you? Ever since she was a child, she has liked handsome men. One of the reasons she obediently listens to her older brother is because he is handsome."
Duanhua pouted, and suddenly asked, "Aunt Su, how about me being your daughter-in-law? This way, if you go to Nanchu, you could take me along."
The Duchess was at a loss for words."
Although she thought Duanhua Princess was cute, she never dared to imagine that this princess, who is also Princess Qingping’s precious daughter, could be a match for their family. Even though the Su Family’s status was not low now, it was still not high enough to match a princess.
Seeing her silent and dazed, Duanhua giggled, "Doesn’t it work?"
The Duchess also laughed, "Well, in my eyes, you can do it. But Princess, can you withstand the winds and sand of Jibei? Xingze will stay in Jibei for several years. The weather there is harsh, with clear seasons, especially strong winds in spring, which can blow your eyes shut. Without a face veil, the sand will hit your face. If you choose him, you would have to leave the Capital City and go to Jibei with him. Would the Princess and her husband agree to that?"
Upon hearing this, Duanhua was discouraged.
She didn’t know if she could bear it, she probably couldn’t since she disliked the wind.
She felt that she was unfortunate because the attractive men were not hers. Zhou Gu looked good, but he didn’t like her. Ye Guixue was attractive, but Nanchu was too far away. When she finally warmed up to the idea of going to Nanchu to be lifelong friends with Su Rong, Ye Guixue had already left. Her parents’ faces changed at the suggestion of going there. After all, as their only daughter, if she were to marry far away, what would they do? Could the national princess and her husband move to Nanchu? That was impossible.
Now that she thinks about it, Su Xingze also looks quite pleasing, but he has to stay in Jibei for several years to accumulate political achievements before returning to the Capital City. Her mother considered this when arranging her marriage, and did not pay much attention to Su Xingze.
Her troubled face wrinkled into a little ball, she complained to the Duchess, "Aunt, you tell me, I won’t be unable to get married, will I?"
The Duchess laughed. Thinking that she was still a girl who was too picky, she shook her head, "No, you’re not old, and you’re a princess, there are plenty of men who want to marry you. Even if you pick for another year or two, it’s fine."
"No matter how I choose, there are no handsome men to pick." Duanhua was frustrated, "Unless there’s another scholastic examination, and pick from the scholars who come to the Capital City."
This was her mother’s idea.
The Duchess laughed, "The next scholastic examination is in two years, which isn’t really a problem." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Duanhua nodded and thought about it. In two years, she would be like an old maid.
After spending one day in Dongsi Hutong and having dinner, Duanhua boarded her carriage to head back home. Halfway through the journey, the carriage broke down. The coachman checked it and apologized, "Princess, the wheel cogs of the carriage have broken. Perhaps I wasn’t careful and it got damaged from sharp stones on the road because it was dark."
"What can we do?" This was the first time Duanhua had encountered such a situation. It was getting dark, and they still had half the journey to go.
"It can’t be repaired immediately. Unless you ride a horse back to the residence, or send someone to ride back and bring another carriage." The coachman suggested.
It was still cold at night at the beginning of spring, and Duanhua had dressed lightly because she prioritized looking good. She didn’t want to ride a horse. Since there were no riding outfits in the carriage, she preferred to wait warmly in the carriage for another one to come from her residence.
So, she waved her hand and told the guards who had gathered around, "Who will ride back to the residence and bring another carriage? I don’t want to ride back myself."
She didn’t want to chafe her buttocks and thighs, and suffer for a few days.
A guard agreed and immediately mounted the horse.
Duanhua thought, Aunt Su was right. She was pampered. She even disliked riding a horse this much. As good as Su Xingze might be, she didn’t want to go to the harsh conditions of Mobei.
Having this thought made her more depressed.
At this time, a luxurious carriage slowly appeared at the end of the street. Duanhua, who had keen eyes, spotted it instantly. Her eyes lit up, she yelled at the departing guard, "Wait, don’t go yet."
The guard immediately reigned in his horse.
Duanhua pointed to the distance, "It’s the Crown Prince’s carriage. He surely won’t leave me stranded."
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