"Well, there's no rush, no rush." Lin Ting'er said quickly, "There's no need to rush into marriage when it comes to such a big thing."
"Weren't you the one who was so anxious to get Dad to propose marriage for you?" Father Lin asked, "Why aren't you so anxious now?"
"I just think we still need to cultivate our relationship." Lin Ting'er said stiffly.
That’s right, if you cultivate your relationship a little more, you might find that they are still a good match.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the capital city became completely bustling. The Crown Prince was the heir to the throne, and the position of the Crown Princess was almost equivalent to that of the future Queen. It was not that no one had recommended marriages, but His Majesty had always refused. However, the marriage was finalized as soon as the Protector of the Country arrived in Beijing. For a while, it became a hot topic of discussion in the court and the public.
"I didn't realize Xiao Tang had such ambition. He decided on the marriage out of the blue and promised her the position of Crown Princess. Does he have the destiny to marry her and enjoy her happiness?" Xiao Jin lost his temper in the Queen's Palace.
"Jin'er, your mother taught you to be calm, but you have completely forgotten it." The queen sat very steadily.
"The entire southwest is on Xiao Tang's side, and you're still telling me to stay calm. I don't think Xiao Tang is some sheep to be manipulated; he's a wolf." Xiao Jin said angrily. "Now that he has an army, who can challenge his position as crown prince?"
"The marriage was requested by the Duke of the Protectorate, and it was granted by your father. The Southwest is so important, how could your father treat it lightly? It was because he allowed Xiao Tang to marry Lin Ting'er that he truly gave up on him." The Queen said, "He is just a pawn used by your father to control the Southwest."
"Are you serious, mother?" Xiao Jin asked.
"Although your father summoned Xiao Tang, he barely even asked for his opinion before granting the marriage. What do you think?" The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes at him and said, "Your current focus should be on pleasing your father during the New Year holidays and gaining access to the six ministries. The affairs of the southwest are now settled."
The New Year was approaching, the palace was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, and the sounds of stringed instruments could be heard in the distance. However, a very violent coughing sound broke out in the East Palace.
The door was tightly shut and the fire in the room was burning brightly.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Xiao Tang lay on the couch, coughing so hard that he was almost out of breath, as if he could even cough out his heart and lungs.
After finally stopping, the servant came to serve: "Your Highness, would you like some water?"
"Hmm..." Xiao Tang took a deep breath, took the tea bowl and drank some hot water, but he couldn't help the itchy throat again, "Cough cough cough... cough... Go get the medicine bowl."
"Your Highness, all medicines are poisonous. You've already taken medicine three times today. If you drink it again, it will only harm your health," the attendant said. "You're still ill. You shouldn't have gone out again last time."
"It's a good thing that I got support from the southwest during my trip." Xiao Tang covered his lips, but still couldn't suppress the itchy feeling in his throat.
In previous years, his illness was not so serious, and he always had to wear a medical mask. But this year there is no need to do so.
"The one from the southwest is not a good match. Haven't you heard the discussions in the capital? She is so ugly that she is not worthy of being your wife. Didn't Your Highness say that he would never seek help through marriage?" said the attendant.
"It's not up to me to decide whether to marry or not." Xiao Tang sat up, leaned against the soft pillow, and pinched his throat to relieve the discomfort there.
Because of his mother's experience, he hated the idea of using a woman's lifelong happiness to gain the throne, but after many twists and turns, he still came to this point. He said he had no choice... but in fact, he was just taking advantage of her. He was ultimately going to let down a woman.
But given his current health, there are some things he can no longer avoid, otherwise he would die before he could accomplish his mission.
"Your Highness, there is no need to blame yourself. It is His Majesty who is using you as a pawn, and the people in the southwest are using their power to suppress others." The attendant said inwardly with resentment.
Xiao Tang was about to speak, but he covered his mouth and coughed twice: "Let's not talk about the southwest for now, what's going on in Jizhou?"
"The Jizhou side has already obtained evidence," the attendant said softly. "As long as we expose the matter during the New Year's banquet, the Third Prince will not be able to escape. However, Your Majesty may not have a good New Year."
"It doesn't matter whether he survives or not." Xiao Tang laughed. "Go and arrange everything. Don't make any mistakes. Also, how's the medicine test I asked you to find going?"
"The doctor said that all of them are good, but there are a few unknown ingredients that he has never seen before. If Your Highness really wants to use the medicine given by the Prince of the Protectorate, why not find someone to test the efficacy first to prevent it from being some strong medicine that will harm your body." said the attendant.
"I just asked you to test it. Who said I was going to eat it?" Xiao Tang said with a cold expression.
Although that person had good intentions, one cannot take things given by others at will. This is the simplest principle for survival in this palace.
The attendant lowered his head and said, "I'll do it right away."
Only two days after Lin Su and his son entered the palace was the New Year's Day. It was a holiday and the palace held a family banquet. The ministers naturally celebrated the New Year at home, and the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion did the same, but they were able to attend the banquet because of their marriage to the prince.
The women were in one place, and the clan relatives were in another. Lin Su sat below his father, while Lin Ting'er sat with a group of beautiful women.
In the past, she might have admired the beauty and praised the concubines for their beauty and the princesses and princesses for their graceful figures. However, when she sat here, she realized that this was not the Southwest City. She felt very uncomfortable with those overt and covert sarcastic remarks. She had to follow the rules and could not make loud noises or say disrespectful words.
It made her feel like a tiger locked in a cage, with claws and fangs that were useless.
"This must be our future Crown Princess... She's really unique in appearance." A concubine said with a smile.
"There are few daughters of military families in the palace. If the young lady were to enter the palace, it would bring a new atmosphere to the palace."
"The Crown Prince is still the best, what do you think, Princess Anping?"
"Of course he's good..." The young woman observed him secretly, "but his sister just got married to the Crown Prince. Father will definitely not allow another royal marriage."
"That sickly pair is a match made in heaven for Zhong Kui, but it has delayed the princess's marriage." These words were hidden in the music of stringed instruments, and the voice was very low, but Lin Ting'er had excellent internal strength, so naturally she heard all the gossip clearly.
She felt that she didn't like the capital anymore. Although life in the southwest was difficult, everyone there spoke their mind, unlike this kind of gossip that hurt people's hearts.
"Duke Protector of the Country, please enjoy this cup." Emperor Ming Cheng was in a high position and invited people to drink, so Lin's father would naturally give him face, and the two of them drank quite a bit.
"Your Majesty has drunk a lot today, you can see he is very happy." The queen said with a smile while pouring wine.
"Double happiness has come to me, of course I'm happy." Emperor Ming Cheng said with a smile.
Amidst the singing and dancing, a eunuch came hurriedly and whispered a few words into the emperor's ear.
"You really can't come?" Emperor Ming Cheng asked after putting down his wine glass.
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