Duanhua stepped out from the carriage and stood by its side, waiting for Yan Huisheng’s carriage to approach.
As expected, the Eastern Palace’s coachman noticed Duanhua’s carriage was parked by the roadside. Given the late hour and the stationary carriage, he guessed something had occurred. He informed the carriage’s occupant, "Your Highness, it’s Duanhua Princess — her carriage is parked by the roadside." As soon he finished speaking, he noticed something else and added, "It seems like her carriage has broken down."
Upon hearing this, Yan Huisheng ordered, "Halt."
The coachman pulled the reigns, stopping the horses.
Pushing aside the carriage curtain, Yan Huisheng looked out and saw Duanhua, indeed, standing there in her thin attire, arms wrapped around herself. Alongside her were two maid servants and a group of guards. He glanced at her carriage before asking, "Duanhua, what happened?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Duanhua immediately pleaded pitifully, "Royal Cousin, my carriage broke down. Could you please give me a ride home?"
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Get in."
Duanhua immediately climbed into Yan Huisheng’s carriage. As the maidservants lacked the stature to join her, she alone entered the carriage. After rubbing her arms, she obediently found a seat.
It was her first time riding in Yan Huisheng’s carriage. After settling down, she curiously looked around the interior, thinking that it was no better than her own. Her parents doted on her and her carriage was extremely luxurious, fully equipped with every possible amenity. Although the Crown Prince’s carriage also possessed all necessary items, in terms of comfort, it didn’t measure up to hers.
She muttered under her breath, "I thought it would be better than mine, but it isn’t."
Yan Huisheng heard clearly and asked, "What did you think would be better than yours?"
"The carriage," responded Duanhua, right before she quickly added, "No, no, your carriage is better."
She forgot that this was the Crown Prince. She used to be quite afraid of him during her childhood, no, she was still afraid of him even after growing up. Back then, she chased Zhou Gu around, unafraid of the Imperial Palace or the Duke Residence. But every time Zhou Gu cunningly hid in the Eastern Palace, she was helpless. After two headstrong incidents involving her pestering Zhou Gu, she was scolded and punished by him into learning palace rules, which she still remembers to this day.
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Hmm, it doesn’t match up to your carriage."
Aunt Qingping spoiled her daughter so much that even he, the Crown Prince, was astonished. Her carriage was constructed from gold-threaded wood, no less luxurious than his own agarwood carriage. But the most extravagant aspect was not the carriage itself, but the interior decor and furnishings that adorned it. Yan Huisheng once saw her sobbing and causing a fuss with Zhou Gu, who sought his help. He picked her up and returned her to her carriage, where he got a glimpse of the interior. That’s when he understood why the Judge Advocate General censured her carriage. However, after Aunt Qingping caused a big fuss, she managed to obtain the Emperor’s permission, and the matter was dropped.
Duanhua fell silent, not daring to speak. She also remembered how her carriage was censured by the Judge Advocate General several years ago.
"Where have you been? You’re returning home quite late," Yan Huisheng gently inquired.
In an honest tone, Duanhua responded, "I went to the Xie Residence in Dongsi Hutong to meet Aunt Su and have a chat. I spent the whole day there, hanging out with the Su sisters."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "Is the Su Family’s matriarch well?"
"She’s well. In just half a year’s time, she arranged the marriages of six daughters. Three of them have already gotten married, and the remaining three will all be married off before June." Upon mentioning this, Duanhua sighed. Seeing others selecting husbands seemed so easy, why was it so difficult for her.
"Why are you sighing?" Yan Huisheng asked.
Duanhua suddenly held her breath. Had she been sighing? She wondered how she was supposed to explain this.
Yan Huisheng looked at her, amused, "Can’t say it?"
He had known his cousin since their childhood. She was adorable when she was little, but her infatuation with Zhou Gui as she grew up made her less so, especially when she became clingy; her antics were headache-inducing. However, it seemed that she had finally given up on Zhou Gu, and the untroubled her looked rather well-behaved.
Duanhua shook her head and said softly, "It’s not that I can’t say."
Recently, she had been feeling down. Even her trip to Dongsi Hutong did nothing to alleviate her mood. Now that Yan Huisheng had asked, she voiced her lament, "It’s about my mother trying to find me a husband. It’s driving me crazy. I’ve been cross-eyed from all the looking and haven’t found any one attractive. They all seem so ugly."
Yan Huisheng: "..."
So that was the issue.
Duanhua heaved a sigh, "Isn’t it alright for me to want someone good-looking? Why is it this difficult? Royal Cousin, you don’t think I’ll end up unmarried, do you?"
Yan Huisheng: "..."
He had never seen a young woman worrying about her marriage. For a moment, he was unsure of what to say. Seeing that she seemed genuinely troubled, he could only ask, "How good-looking are you aiming for?"
Duanhua responded, "Like Zhou Gu?"
Yan Huisheng stayed silent.
"Or like Ye Guixue?"
Yan Huisheng continued his silence.
"Su Xingze will also do, but he’s in Jibei, and I can’t stand hardship. I don’t want to go to the desert, so I can’t marry him," Duanhua added.
Upon hearing this, Yan Huisheng responded, "If you like Su Xingze, I can ask for you, see if he’s willing to return to the capital to hold office."
"Never mind, it’s probably not possible. He only left the capital a while ago, he definitely won’t come back." Duanhua didn’t believe she could obstruct Su Xingze’s career plans, she murmured, "It’s not like I like him. I just like good-looking people."
She sighed again, "My mother said if all else fails, wait for two years until the imperial examination when scholars from all over will come to the capital. If I see anyone good-looking, then just catch one."
Yan Huisheng fell silent once more.
Aunt Qingping and her daughter were indeed two of a kind. Back in the day, her mother also insisted on marrying someone good-looking, eventually setting her eyes on the current prince consort, and was determined to marry him despite the cost of disrupting a childhood love match. The scandal then was big and even today he could still hear whispers about the incident. Whenever his father mentioned his aunt’s past pursuit of choosing a prince consort, he became exasperated. Eventually, by asserting his royal authority, her wish was fulfilled.
He couldn’t help but feel a little concerned. Looking at Duanhua’s current state, he hoped she wasn’t about to turn her mother’s past into a reality.
Noting Yan Huisheng’s silence, Duanhua suddenly had a bright idea. She bravely asked, "Um, Royal Cousin, do you think I could ask Uncle Emperor to post a royal edict to select a handsome man for me from all over the country?"
A twitch formed at the corner of Yan Huisheng’s mouth, "What do you think?"
Duanhua found Yan Huisheng quite approachable today, at least towards her, he was very gentle. She was no longer afraid, and said softly, "It should be possible, right? Uncle Emperor adores me, and you, you’re my cousin. You would agree, right?"
Although it was a sudden idea, the more she spoke, the more feasible it seemed. She reached out and tugged Yan Huisheng’s sleeve, just like she used to plead with him when she was very little, "Royal Cousin, I don’t want to end up being unmarried. I don’t want to be an old maid and be the laughingstock of those women in the capital who dislike me. Could you help me? Please?"
Yan Huisheng was amused, "What’s the matter with you? Do you think you are still a small child? Posting royal edicts just because you want to choose a prince consort? Is that not a bit too ostentatious?"
He sternly stated: "Absolutely not. The Imperial Court is already dealing with numerous matters, don’t stir up more trouble."
Duanhua withdrew her hand, crestfallen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
