The prime minister and Emperor Yan talked in the palace for half an hour. No one knew how they discussed it, nor did anyone know whether they were genuinely trying to make peace or were just feigning submission out of desperation.
After the prime minister left the palace.
An imperial edict was issued from the palace!
Upon receiving the imperial edict, the eldest princess was thunderstruck. She stood there, stunned, her expression shifting before finally settling on one of shock: "You, what did you say? Eunuch Ma…!"
"Father...he wants me to go and marry a foreign ruler?"
Eunuch Ma replied with a smile, "Yes, Princess, the imperial decree has been issued. His Majesty wishes to marry the Princess to Zhou Cheng to show goodwill between the two sides. This is a great joy!"
"The eldest princess is beautiful and intelligent; Zhou Cheng will surely agree to this marriage alliance."
"The Zhou family now wields deadly weapons and possesses formidable strength. His Majesty initially listened to the slander of petty men and misunderstood the Zhou family, causing them to be accused of treason. His Majesty has now investigated and clarified the matter."
"hereby."
“Grant them a fiefdom, allowing the Zhou family to establish themselves as kings and coexist peacefully with the imperial court.”
"Furthermore, His Majesty has bestowed the beautiful and talented Princess upon Zhou Cheng as his wife, in order to express His Majesty's remorse towards the Zhou family. Princess, what are you waiting for? Quickly accept the decree!"
The eldest princess's mind was filled with the echoes of the betrothal to Zhou Cheng.
A marriage was arranged for Zhou Cheng...
Is my father going to marry me off to Zhou Cheng?
But aren't the Zhou family and the imperial court irreconcilable enemies? How come they're suddenly going to make peace?
The eldest princess couldn't understand why for a moment. The news shocked her so much that she couldn't react for a while. Hearing Eunuch Ma's urging, she blankly reached out her hand and accepted the imperial edict.
Even after Eunuch Ma left with a smile and congratulations, the princess was still unable to recover from the shock.
She sat dazedly in her chair, clutching the imperial edict tightly, seemingly lost in thought, muttering repeatedly, "How could this happen... How could I be forced to marry Zhou Cheng..."
"Your Highness, I have found out!"
"News came from the palace that in the border battle, Zhou Cheng led 900 men and won a great victory over the imperial army of 160,000, and captured Commander Zhang and the remaining generals of the imperial court."
"They even declared that they would set off tomorrow to attack the capital and take over the Yan Kingdom."
"His Majesty does not want to see bloodshed and war, so he sent an envoy to the border two hours ago to seek peace with the Zhou family."
"Congratulations, Princess! Your marriage is finally settled!"
"Congratulations, Princess..."
The lady-in-waiting was meticulous and had always been by the princess's side.
She had previously inquired about Zhou Cheng on behalf of the Princess and even accompanied the Princess to meet Zhou Cheng once. She was well aware of the Princess's absent-mindedness during this period.
It became clearer who the eldest princess was acting this way for.
"Do you think this is a joyous occasion?" The princess, unsure of what to feel, turned to the female official and asked what was on her mind.
The female official bowed and replied, "Young Master Zhou is devoted to one person, considerate and thoughtful, and an extremely responsible man. Marrying someone like Young Master Zhou would be the best thing ever."
yes.
Devoted to one person.
Thoughtful and considerate.
The eldest princess couldn't help but recall that day when she stood on the city wall of the capital, looking and waiting, just wanting to see if Zhou Cheng would come to the capital to rescue Lin Jiaoyun.
In the end, it turned out that Zhou Cheng really had let go of Lin Jiaoyun. He came to the vicinity of the capital only because he learned that Zhou Shiying had been taken to the capital and traveled thousands of miles to rescue his sister.
At that moment,
The eldest princess felt a complex mix of emotions; she seemed a little happy, a little disappointed, and a little awkward...
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