Chapter 61
The annoying little guy was finally gone, and he lifted her chin with one finger and pecked it lightly.
"You don't look well today. Is something bothering you?"
"It's okay, I didn't sleep well last night." She moved the corners of her mouth, and her gentleness and charm made people's hearts beat fast.
"Do you still want to sleep?" He looked at her yawning with heartache.
"How about you stay in the mansion and rest today? I'll take Xiaoyue'er to the palace?"
Yi Luoyue smiled faintly at him.
"No, I'm awake anyway."
"That's great, now let's talk business."
"What's up?"
"Today I will go to the palace to propose marriage to you. This way, I can legitimately protect you and also put an end to Gong Yuxian and Yi Luoyao's intentions."
"Today?...Isn't it too hasty?" Upon hearing this, Yi Luoyue's cheeks turned red instantly, and there was a hint of anticipation in her shy eyes.
"I'm anxious. The situation is special now. Only by setting up the marriage as soon as possible can Gong Yuxian no longer dare to have any evil thoughts about you. Moreover, I need to take my Crown Princess back to Xiyi as soon as possible. Only by marrying you home can I put an end to other men's unrealistic fantasies.
Yi Luoyue laughed out loud.
"Are you too jealous? I'm willing to marry you, but Gong Yuchen might not dare to marry me!"
"ah?"
"Don't you understand?" She explained to him with a smile.
"Even if I'm willing to marry him, Gong Yuxian might not be able to marry me."
"You little fox, you can only marry me." He hugged her tightly in his arms and bit her neck a few times. Every day he would mark his exclusive mark on her to prevent others from coveting her.
She smiled and pushed away his grip.
"Marry me? Then you have to follow the rules!"
"Did I say anything about not following the rules? I won't break any of the rules." He lifted her chin with his fingers and stole a kiss.
"Aren't you afraid that you'll lose everything if you marry me?" She put her arms around his neck and looked at him with a charming smile.
"Are you underestimating your husband? I don't want your personal property, and I don't need your privileges. At most, I'll just give you a little more in betrothal gifts. What? Are you still afraid that I can't afford it?"
"Even if it's half of your Xiyi's financial resources?"
"What's mine is yours."
"oh."
"Ouch!" he made a sound of humiliation.
"I said something so touching, and you just said 'Oh' with that expression?" Gong Yuchen was indignant at being treated like this for the first time she confessed her love, and he tightened his grip on her graceful waist.
"My husband is so capable, of course I'm relieved. Actually, you don't have to mind. As long as I say the betrothal gift is enough, even if it's just one or two taels, it's enough. If I say it's not enough, even a mountain of gold and silver will not be enough."
"But I do mind because you will be my wife, the woman I will cherish for the rest of my life. I don't want to let you down. Besides, you haven't seen all the amazing things about me, your husband!"
She admired him so much! If she lost a husband like him, she wouldn't have another one! But how could she possibly let him take out so much? However, looking at his naughty expression, he might have had other intentions in what he just said!
"Grandfather."
"Your son greets your father."
"Gong Yuchen greets His Majesty."
"Oh! Our lovely Xiaoyue is here! Come to grandpa quickly, you two don't have to be polite." Yi Xuanxin looked at the little cutie who came in with Yi Luoyue and Gong Yuchen.
"Father! You are so biased. It turns out that we are all ranked behind Xiaoyue." Yi Luoyue pretended to complain.
"How dare you say that? You didn't even inform father when something happened. Do you still have father in your heart? Besides, none of you are as cute as Xiaoyue." Yi Xuanyin snorted.
"Yes, yes, it was my fault. I apologize to my father."
"Grandpa, they said you missed Xiaoyue?" Xiaoyue came to Yixuanqin's side in a coquettish manner.
"Yes! Does Xiaoyue miss her grandfather?" Yixuanxin touched her head.
"Yeah. Xiaoyue misses grandpa so much." The little head nodded vigorously.
"You are such a sweet talker. There are some snacks over there. Go and have some first. I have something to say to your father."
"Okay." Xiaoyue obediently walked aside to eat.
"Yue'er, are you okay? I heard you fell into the water yesterday?"
"My Lord, I'm fine. It was Gong Yuchen who saved me." Yi Luoyue glanced at Gong Yuchen.
"Well, Gong Yuchen is all thanks to you."
"Your Majesty, this is what my nephew should do."
"But how did you end up in the water?"
"Father, I was pushed down."
With a "bang", Yi Xuanxin slapped the table.
"Who is so bold as to murder the princess?"
"Father, although we know who planned it, we don't have any evidence yet. So please wait a few more days until we find the evidence and then report it to you."
"Okay, remember, once we find out, no matter who it is, if he has the guts to plot against you, father will not let him off easily."
"Understood, Father."
"Gong Yuchen, tell me about yourself. Did you come here today with plans already made?"
Gong Yuchen took a deep breath, bowed slightly forward, and spoke in a steady and powerful voice.
"Your Majesty, I have only one request today. As the Crown Prince of Western Yi, I beg to marry Princess Yue, Yi Luoyue, and make her my Crown Princess. When I inherit the throne of Western Yi, I will anoint her as Empress. She will be my only concubine for this lifetime, and I will never appoint any other concubines."
Yi Xuanxun looked at Gong Yuchen, who had a tall and handsome figure and a firm and earnest look in his eyes, and nodded, his gaze still fixed on Gong Yuchen.
"You are quite straightforward, child. Yue'er is my only legitimate princess. I regard her as the apple of my eye. It's not impossible for you to marry her, but you must show enough sincerity to convince me that you can make her happy. Only then will I be at ease to entrust her to you."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I understand this clearly. I know the conditions for marrying a legitimate princess. The bride price must be higher than the dowry and the princess's private property. Furthermore, the bride price will not be granted the princess's privileges, nor can it use or control the princess's dowry. Furthermore, the son or daughter must be the eldest legitimate son of the family and inherit the title."
"I'm glad you know."
"I will never touch Luo Yue's dowry, private property, or privileges. As the Crown Prince of Xiyi, I have the ability to consolidate my position and govern the country with my own strength, without relying on Luo Yue's financial resources and privileges. Luo Yue is the future Queen of Xiyi and my only wife, so her children will surely be legitimate sons and grandsons."
Yixuan looked at Gong Yuchen with a hint of worry in his tone.
"Gong Yuchen, you are the crown prince of the Western Yi people, destined to inherit their kingdom in the future. But if Yue'er is unable to give birth to a prince, will you not take other women into your harem? What will become of your Western Yi kingdom then?"
"As long as it's Luo Yue's child, even if it's a daughter, she will rule my Xiyi kingdom."
"Okay, based on what you said, no matter whether Xiyi becomes the emperor or empress in the future, I will not ask."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Gong Yuchen respectfully took out a brocade document from his sleeve and held it in front of him with both hands.
"This is the betrothal gift that my nephew has prepared. Please review it, Your Majesty."
Seeing this, Zhang Liang, who was beside Yi Xuanxun, hurried forward to take the document and handed it to Yi Xuanxun.
Yi Xuanxin took the document, slowly unfolded it, read it carefully, and was silent for a moment.
"Regarding the requirement that the betrothal gift exceed the dowry and the princess's personal property, do you know how much Yue'er's dowry and personal property are? The dowry I have prepared for her includes thousands of acres of fertile farmland, several mansions, farms, shops in prosperous areas, and countless priceless gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings. Her personal property is even more substantial. Over the years, the Queen Mother and I have bestowed upon her countless treasures, the cumulative value of which is inestimable. It will be no easy task for you to come up with a betrothal gift that exceeds this."
"Your Majesty, I know that Luo Yue's dowry and private property are extremely generous." Gong Yuchen said in a firm tone, without any sign of retreat in his eyes.
"But my nephew owns over twenty jade mines in the Western Yi territory. The jade produced by these mines is of high quality and warm color, and is a rare treasure in the world. It is sold all over the country every year, and the profit is very considerable. In addition, I also own over a hundred shops in the other four barbarians, covering various industries such as silk, jewelry, restaurants, and teahouses. These shops also make a considerable annual profit. Therefore, my nephew is willing to give ten jade mines, plus half of the shops in the four barbarians, as a betrothal gift. The total value of these properties should far exceed the sum of Luo Yue's dowry and private property."
Upon hearing that Gong Yuchen was offering half his fortune as a betrothal gift, Yi Xuanxun's eyes flashed with surprise. While he knew that Xiyi was rich in jade and that Gong Yuchen's family was wealthy, he hadn't expected him to be willing to offer such a substantial betrothal gift just to marry Yue'er. Yi Xuanxun asked worriedly.
"You paid such a huge price to marry Yue'er. Aren't you afraid that the royal family and ministers of Xiyi will have opinions about you? You should know that if you do this, it will likely cause dissatisfaction among the royal family and even threaten your throne."
"My nephew has already considered this." Gong Yuchen answered calmly.
"Although my nephew has been a hostage in Yidu for a long time since leaving Xiyi, I am the only crown prince of Xiyi. Moreover, all this wealth is accumulated by my own ability, and it is not taken from the Xiyi treasury. Even if the royal family and ministers have opinions, they cannot blame me. This time, I offer these as a betrothal gift, firstly to show Your Majesty my sincerity towards Luo Yue, so that Your Majesty can rest assured to hand Luo Yue over to me. Secondly, it is also to inform the royal family and ministers of Xiyi that Luo Yue holds a special position in my nephew's heart, so that they can give up some unreasonable thoughts that they should not have.
Yi Luoyue, who was standing by, took his hand and looked at him with emotion. She never expected that he could do so much for her.
Yi Xuanxin listened quietly to Gong Yuchen's words, the doubts in his eyes gradually dissipating. He looked at the young prince before him, who not only possessed extraordinary courage and strategy, but also showed deep affection and commitment to his daughter.
"Okay, okay, I really didn't make a mistake. You truly love Yue'er. I was worried that Yue'er would be wronged if she married far away. Now it seems that I was worrying too much."
"Yue'er, what do you think of your future husband?"
“Father, what you said means that you have already been optimistic about him, haven’t you?
Yi Luoyue admitted it very frankly. She would marry such a good man no matter how far away he was.
Yi Xuanxin looked at Gong Yuchen's sincere expression and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"Okay, okay! I'm relieved by your words. Tomorrow, I will summon all the ministers and formally issue an order in the court to betroth Luo Yue to you."
When Gong Yuchen heard Yi Xuanxun's words, he was delighted and quickly bowed again with a grateful tone.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I promise that I will protect Luo Yue with all my heart and dote on her, and I will never let her suffer any injustice. If she wants to return to Yidu, I will definitely come back with her, and I will never let her cry because of missing her hometown or Your Majesty."
"Grandpa! Are daddy and mommy going to get married?" The clever little Xiaoyue rushed over immediately after hearing it.
"Yes, your father and mother are getting married."
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