marriage
After a few days, the Seventh Prince planned to hold a horse race outside the capital.
Even if she wasn't there to take Yu Jin with her, the Eleventh Princess would have gone to join in the fun. That morning, she left the palace and rushed to Prince Xuan's residence. After greeting Princess Xuan and Li Qingping, she patted her chest and promised, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I'll take good care of Yu Jin."
In fact, when Princess Xuan and Li Qingping looked at the aunt and niece, they really couldn't tell who would take care of whom.
"Okay, my sisters-in-law naturally believe you. You should go and have fun today." Princess Xuan gave a few instructions, asked the servants around her to do their best, and then let them leave the house.
It wasn't Yu Jin's first time out, but it was still the first time she felt so nervous. She knew her elders loved her dearly, otherwise they wouldn't have let her meet in person before settling on a date. Prince Xuan and his family could have simply decided on their own and allowed the couple to meet once before the wedding, like the Sixth and Seventh Princesses had done today. There was really no need for this extra time.
The Eleventh Princess knew the reason and was envious. Although she was favored, she didn't have the final say on her marriage.
When they arrived at the place where the seventh prince held the horse race, palace servants led them to the high platform beside the racecourse. From here, they could see the entire racecourse at a glance.
The Sixth and Seventh Princesses also arrived, and Yu Jin bowed to the two young aunts. Since they were unfamiliar with each other, they just stared at each other in silence, and the atmosphere was awkward. The Eleventh Princess hurriedly pulled Yu Jin aside to look at the young men in the audience.
The one at the front was naturally the seventh prince, and following him were the unmarried princes-in-law of the sixth and seventh princesses.
"Yujin, look! The one wearing the royal blue riding uniform and the auspicious four-season wristband with a gold pattern is Prince Zhao Fengming of Qin." The 11th Princess's sharp eyes first spotted the youngest son of the Prince of Qin. But then again, being born into the Prince of Qin's mansion was undoubtedly one of the best, so Zhao Fengming's position was naturally closer, making him easier to spot.
Yu Jin shook her handkerchief and looked down.
Zhao Fengming stood quietly to the side with his brother, looking just as honest and taciturn as the elders had described him. He was indeed a man of marked appearance; even from a distance, it was easy to see that the youngest son of the King of Qin had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a truly charming demeanor. Yet, such good looks were paired with a silent disposition.
Yu Jin took a few glances and then went to look for the other two in the crowd.
But after looking around, Yu Jin seemed indifferent and didn't pay much attention to any of them.
When it came time for the horse race, Wan Anzhi didn't participate. He was only twelve, no match for his fifteen- and sixteen-year-old brothers. He'd been dragged here without a clear understanding, so he just stood by and cheered for his friend. Zhao Fengming was only fourteen, but he was skilled in martial arts, and after a few laps, he was on par with his brothers. Duan Nanhe was slightly behind, but as a scholar, his lack of riding skills was understandable.
"Let's go, let's run a few laps." Princess Eleven was happy at first, but after seeing the result, she lost interest and pulled Yu Jin to choose a horse.
Knowing that his younger sister and eldest brother's niece were going to go horseback riding, the Seventh Prince and his companions had already had enough fun running, so they left the large field on this side to them and naturally went to the other side.
Yu Jin chose the horse quickly, so she led the horse outside and waited for Princess Eleven.
On the other side, the young men were making a lot of noise. Yu Jin listened for a while with her ear tilted. It turned out that the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess had prepared some fruits for them to cool down. But everyone knew that they were benefiting from the two future princes-in-law, so they were now teasing and making fun of them.
Yu Jin was idly twisting her horse whip when she saw Zhao Fengming approaching from afar. He paused at the sight of Yu Jin. A young eunuch trotted over and said with an apologetic smile, "Good luck to the county lady. I'm the servant of the Fifth Young Master of the Prince of Qin's mansion. I'm afraid our young master's pendant may have fallen in the stable over here, so I've come to look for it."
It seems that Zhao Fengming originally wanted to come by himself, but seeing Yu Jin here, he felt it was inconvenient to come, so he sent the eunuch to look for her.
Yu Jin nodded kindly and said, "You can go now."
The young eunuch received the order and bowed and left. Zhao Fengming on the other side did not say anything, but just pursed his lips and bowed in greeting.
What a taciturn person, huh? Yu Jin looked at him curiously for a few seconds before turning her head back to join the Eleventh Princess as she emerged and mounted her horse, swaying off to race.
The eunuch over there found the pendant. Zhao Fengming clutched the pendant and returned to the group of young men. His brother, Young Master Zhao Si, asked him, "What took you so long? Did you run into the princess and the county lady? Did you ask how they were?"
"I saw the county lady from afar and didn't go over. I asked Xiao Chuanzi to go look for her." Zhao Fengming said dryly.
Zhao Silangjun didn't ask any more questions. One was the emperor's favorite princess, and the other was Prince Xuan's beloved county lady. It would be best if his younger brother didn't run afoul of these two.
"Did I see Zhao Wu just now? His family knows that big brother is interested in choosing a husband for you and is rushing to please him?" Princess Eleven asked Yu Jin while waving the whip on horseback.
Yu Jin said with a smile: "No, didn't you see how he stood so far away and tried to avoid me? Who would try to please me like that? He just dropped something and came here to look for it."
"That's hard to say. Maybe she's trying to get your attention by retreating." Princess Eleven laughed. After all, she grew up in the palace, and even if she was spoiled and naive, she wasn't really stupid. "But it's best not to have such thoughts. You still need to carefully consider your marriage."
As he spoke, he waved the whip, squeezed the horse's belly, and ran faster. Yu Jin smiled and hurried to catch up.
But after returning home, facing the burning gazes of her three closest elders, Yu Jin thought for a moment and said, "Lord Duan is a gentle gentleman, but he's too well-behaved. Lord Wan, though a year older than my daughter, looks quite childish. Lord Zhao... is a bit taciturn."
It seems that everyone has commented on it, but if you listen carefully, you will find differences.
Yu Jin wasn't a very restrained child, so she definitely disliked Duan Nanhe's overly formal behavior. Wan Anzhi seemed a bit immature to Yu Jin, as he was childish. If a young man of that age from a prominent clan like the Wan family were still childish, that would be something to consider. The last person, Zhao Fengming, was only described as taciturn, so it seems he had no other impression of her. But what's a big flaw if he's taciturn? Perhaps he'd have something to talk about once we got to know him better.
First, Li Qingping asked Yu Jin with a smile, "It seems you have a good impression of Mr. Zhao Wulang?"
Yu Jin said frankly: "He is good-looking."
Prince Xuan couldn't help but say: "...Actually, the ones from the Duan and Wan families are both pretty good looking." So, my dear girl, it's really useless to just look at the face.
Yu Jin: "But he is the most handsome. It's strange that he doesn't like to talk with such a face. And he seems to avoid me as much as possible. He doesn't even want to talk to me when we meet."
Even though these were the men he had chosen for his daughter, Prince Xuan still felt uncomfortable when he suddenly heard Yu Jin praising other men. Not to mention Yu Jin's subsequent words, which made his eyebrows arch: "How dare that boy be unwilling to talk to you?" Is he disgusted with his daughter?!
"Your Highness, it's not good to speak rashly to an unmarried man or woman." Seeing that Prince Xuan was so angry that he was about to die, Princess Xuan spoke gently and helplessly.
Yu Jin nodded and said, "Father, I didn't explain it clearly. Zhao Wu is a man of good manners. When he came to look for the pendant, he saw my daughter from a distance and didn't bother her. He didn't say a word from a distance either, and when he thanked her, he just nodded in return."
Prince Xuan's expression finally softened a little.
In fact, according to reason, Yu Jin holds the title of county lady, while Zhao Fengming is just a commoner. Even if he is a prince of a royal family, he is still several heads lower than the county lady. It is normal for him to greet the county lady from afar. However, Zhao Fengming remained silent like a wooden stake.
Just looking at his daughter's expression, although Prince Xuan felt melancholy, he also understood that perhaps Zhao Wu was the final candidate.
After Prince Xuan and the other two had left, Li Qingping shook Yu Jin's hand and asked, "You should know that once you've chosen the Fifth Prince of the Qin family, you can't easily change your mind. Have you really chosen him?"
Yu Jin was open-minded and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Auntie. In fact, the three chosen by my father and mother are all excellent choices. No matter which one they are, they are all good. As the grandson of the emperor, no one dares to neglect me. No matter where I marry, I will be the mistress of the house. In fact, there is no big difference. Since there is one who I like, let him be it."
Seeing her like this, Li Qingping didn't know what to say. She just smiled with red eyes and said, "Auntie will add some makeup for you later."
In November, an imperial decree was issued from the palace, conferring the title of Princess Duanrong on the Sixth Princess and Princess Anyang on the Seventh Princess. The Ministry of Works was ordered to renovate the princess's mansion in the capital, and the wedding was to be completed around the following year.
During the Chinese New Year, the emperor promoted Prince Xuan's eldest daughter, Princess Pingyang, to the rank of Princess.
However, Yu Jin was not the only one to be conferred a title this time. The seventh prince was also conferred the title of Prince Chun and set up his own residence outside the palace; the second daughter of the crown prince was conferred the title of Princess Yuhua; the eldest daughter of Prince Su was conferred the title of Princess Jiayang; and the eldest sons of Langjun Li Hexuan, Prince Su, and Prince Yue were all conferred the title of Crown Prince.
No matter how you look at it, it seems the emperor suddenly had a whim and thought of the fleeting number of his princes and grandchildren, taking advantage of the New Year's good mood to confer titles on a few he remembered. After all, the Crown Prince's legitimate daughter had been Princess Yurong for years, and Prince Xuan had also been quite favored in recent years. So, as the eldest sister of the imperial grandchildren, Yujin being promoted to Princess Yujin wasn't surprising; it wouldn't stand out much. Anyway, if she didn't get the title now, she would have to get it when she got married.
No one else expected that Prince Xuan had already privately contacted the King of Qin. When the King of Qin heard the purpose of his visit, he was naturally grateful: "My son is dull, but it is a great honor to have the favor of the prince and the princess."
At this moment, he also realized that the horse race a few months ago was probably prepared for the eldest princess of Prince Xuan's family.
Although the King of Qin was very excited when facing Prince Xuan, he couldn't help but sigh when he met his youngest son in private, "The situation of kings of different surnames has been getting worse and worse in recent years. I don't know how you caught the eye of Prince Xuan and the princess, but it's a good thing. If something happens to the palace in the future, at least your life will be safe just because you married the princess. Your father and your brothers may have to rely on you to survive."
Zhao Fengming was startled, but the King of Qin stopped him from saying anything, saying, "Ming'er, you are naturally taciturn, but your father knows your honest nature. This is good, so you can be down-to-earth and wholeheartedly devoted to the princess. Sometimes, a sincere heart, even without words, is worth more than anything else."
So starting from this year, people in the capital noticed that there was more traffic between the Prince of Qin's Palace and the Prince of Xuan's Palace.
Prince Xuan's palace had been much more low-key this year. After all, even last year, even though Prince Xuan had been assigned to lead the troops, he couldn't keep a low profile. The Crown Prince, however, was eyeing him covetously, fearing his military power. Although he was the heir apparent, he could still be a bit narrow-minded and wary of his brothers. After all, once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would still be dependent on him for his livelihood. Prince Xuan had no intention of competing with him, so he simply took his family into seclusion in the garden previously granted by the Emperor.
He only returned to the capital briefly when the imperial concubines were selected. There were three of them. One, Bai, the daughter of the Hubei governor, was named a concubine, and the other two, Liu and Qian, were concubines.
The following year, the emperor issued an edict granting a marriage between Princess Pingyang of Prince Xuan's mansion and Prince Wu of Qin's mansion. Although the wedding date was not specified, everyone knew that Prince Xuan intended to keep his daughter for a few more years, but the marriage was set in stone.
Now that the marriage was on the way, the palace began to go through the various procedures before the wedding.
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