Chapter 300 They are truly a couple
When Huo Zheng entered the palace, he happened to meet Princess Xiling and her entourage leaving the palace.
When they met on the palace road, they stopped to greet each other.
Ye Ninglan didn't show any sign of being depressed after being rejected. After seeing Huo Zheng, the smile on her lips deepened. "Could it be that Prince Chang'an came to the palace just for me?"
Huo Zheng hadn't come for Princess Xiling, but he had come because of the trouble she had caused. He said calmly, "Princess, why are you asking when you already know the answer?"
Ye Ninglan couldn't help but laugh out loud, "It's all because you were so cruel to refuse the marriage. If you were willing to marry me, why would there be so many problems?"
There was even a hint of 'blame it all on him' in what he said.
If it were someone else, they would inevitably be deceived by Ye Ninglan's beautiful and resentful look.
But Huo Zheng had known the Princess of Xiling for a long time. He knew the talents and strategies hidden beneath her frivolous appearance. He had seen her single-handedly challenge six generals of Xizhou on the battlefield. Even when Ye Ninglan proposed to stay in Daxing and marry, it was not because she was really interested in him, the King of Chang'an, but was plotting a game of chess in a desperate situation.
Before this, Ye Ninglan had never even met the Emperor of Daxing, but he had already figured out what the emperor was thinking.
As early as in Xizhou, Ye Ninglan proposed to cooperate with Huo Zheng. She said that Huo Zheng's achievements surpassed his father's and would inevitably be feared by the emperor.
Originally, Xiling was a defeated country and sent its princess to marry a foreign prince. How could the princess choose her husband? But Ye Ninglan was sure that his father would use this opportunity to force Huo Zheng to give up the throne and retreat to Xizhou, so these things happened later.
Therefore, Huo Zheng not only did not look down on the Princess of Xiling because of those romantic rumors, but also had quite a bit of respect for her.
Although they are enemies, they are also evenly matched.
Huo Zheng smiled and asked, "Really?"
Obviously impossible.
Even if she hadn't married Ye Ninglan, she would have caused so many troubles.
If you marry her, she will never stop.
Seeing Huo Zheng's clear eyes, completely unwavering by her words, Ye Ninglan knew it was pointless to say more to him. She immediately said with a smile, "Your Daxing's Fourth Prince stripped off his brocade robes and jade crown in front of me and ran off to become a Taoist monk. Huo Zheng, don't you think he's wanted to become a Taoist monk for a long time and just waited for me to provide him with this cover?"
Huo Zheng couldn't help laughing when he heard this. Ye Ninglan and Chunzhi had the same idea on this point.
"why are you laughing?"
It was the first time that Ye Ninglan saw Huo Zheng smile. It was as if he was thinking of someone. The usually fierce King Chang'an actually became a little gentle.
Huo Zheng didn't answer, but only asked her, "The eldest princess is good at planning, but have you ever thought about what to do if you overthink things and the situation gets out of control?"
Ye Ninglan was silent for a moment.
She really didn't expect that the Fourth Prince Huo Lei would become a Taoist monk on the spot in order to reject the marriage.
Now the Emperor of Daxing summoned the ninth prince Huo Yan into the palace.
Huo Yan has such a bad temper. If Ye Ninglan really marries him, won’t they fight every day?
Moreover, Huo Yan has been favored since he was a child, and he doesn't seem like the kind of person who can endure humiliation and compromise, so he probably won't marry her.
If none of the sons of Emperor Daxing were willing to marry her, then it would be hard to say who would be the final marriage partner for her, the princess who was to be married off to other countries.
Although Ye Ninglan was a little worried in his heart, he kept smiling at this moment.
She said to Huo Zheng, "What else can I do? I can't be your bride, so I can only be your bride-in-law."
Huo Zheng said: "You dare to think so."
Ye Ninglan nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for the compliment."
The two of them finished their conversation, and Ye Ninglan and his group continued to leave the palace, while Huo Zheng continued to walk into the palace.
In fact, Ye Ninglan could not enter the palace as a concubine.
If the emperor married the woman his son refused to marry, wouldn't it be a laughing stock?
The emperor attaches great importance to his reputation, and he would not let Ye Ninglan enter the palace as a concubine at a time like this.
Huo Zheng arrived at the imperial study, and before he even entered, he heard Huo Yan say loudly, "Anyway, I'm not going to marry Ye Ninglan, so whoever wants to marry her can marry her."
"Rebellious son!" The emperor cursed Huo Yan angrily and said sternly, "Get out and kneel down. When you figure it out, come back in and give me an answer!"
"Kneel down!"
Huo Yan came out immediately and saw Huo Zheng. He was stunned for a moment and his face became even uglier.
Perhaps because he had just angered his father, Huo Yan didn't say anything to Huo Zheng. He just knelt in front of the door with a sullen face and ignored everyone.
Huo Zheng looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were overhead and a rainstorm was about to come.
Huo Yan ignored him, and Huo Zheng didn't speak to him either. He asked the eunuch at the door to come in and pass on the message.
The young eunuch went there immediately and came back to invite him in after a while.
Huo Zheng stepped into the imperial study and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father."
The emperor had just been irritated by Huo Yan, and his anger was still lingering. Seeing Huo Zheng coming over, he was also quite displeased, "It's all because of you who started it!"
Huo Zheng was not angry even after being scolded. He lowered his eyes and said, "Your son knows his mistake."
"You know you're wrong? You know you're wrong but you don't change!"
The emperor was disobeyed by his two sons today, and he felt more and more that it was Huo Zheng who set a bad example.
Unfortunately, the culprit appeared to have a good attitude, making it difficult to find a solution.
Huo Zheng said: "If you can change, then change. If you can't, then I will be willing to accept the punishment."
His words almost choked the emperor.
Conferring the title of King of Xizhou on Huo Zheng and forcing him to leave the capital to become a vassal was actually no different from punishment.
Huo Zheng didn't say it before, but he knew it very well in his heart.
When he said this today, he also meant to put things on the table.
"Did you come to the palace today to cause trouble for me?"
The emperor was so angry that he laughed. In the beginning, he agreed to Xiling's condition in order to make Huo Zheng make a choice.
As a result, Huo Zheng's decisive decision made Princess Xiling's marriage a hot potato.
Huo Zheng said in a normal tone, "I dare not."
"Then what are you doing here?" The emperor took a sip of the heart-clearing and eye-brightening tea handed to him by Eunuch Xu, "You can't be here just to watch the fun, can you?"
Huo Zheng said, "I heard that my fourth brother refused the marriage proposal and went to Nanshan to become a monk. I have come to the palace to pay my respects to the emperor and to share his worries. Please take care of yourself."
"How do you share your worries?" The emperor sipped his tea and asked slowly, "Could it be that you have changed your mind and are willing to marry Princess Xiling?"
Huo Zheng said: "That's not the case."
The emperor saw that once Huo Zheng mentioned the matter of his princess, there was no room for negotiation at all. He said with both anger and amusement, "Then what are you doing here?"
Huo Zheng said, "If I don't come soon, the Princess of Xiling will be planning to become my mother."
The emperor didn't even want to drink his tea when he heard this. "What are you talking about?"
Huo Zheng said sternly, "My fourth brother has become a Taoist monk, and my ninth brother is still kneeling outside the door. If he is stubborn and refuses to marry Princess Xiling, most of the ministers in the court will advise our father to take him into the harem."
When the emperor heard this, he couldn't help but recall that not long ago, Chunzhi had also stood here and said to him - if your father is reluctant to let the other princes sell themselves, wouldn't it be better for him to take Princess Xiling into the harem?
Huo Zheng and Chunzhi are truly a couple, they even think of the same thing.
"Why, you also want to persuade me to accept Princess Xiling into the palace?"
As the emperor spoke, his face gradually darkened.
If he took Princess Xiling, whom several princes had refused to marry, into his harem, wouldn't he become a laughing stock throughout the world?
"I have no such intention."
Huo Zheng really had never thought about it this way.
With Ye Ninglan's strategy and means, if she were to enter the palace as a concubine, she would certainly cause unrest in the harem, and Queen Wang's life would definitely be difficult.
And he didn't want Ye Ninglan to be his bride.
"What do you mean?"
Sometimes the emperor really couldn't see what his son was thinking, and as he grew older, Huo Zheng became more calm and reserved, even more unpredictable than when he was young.
Huo Zheng slowly spoke, "The Princess of Xiling has been repeatedly rejected by the Prince of Daxing. It is certainly inappropriate for Your Majesty to take her into the harem at this time. In my opinion, Your Majesty should issue an order to select a husband for the Princess of Xiling in the capital, and order all unmarried men of marriageable age in the court to participate. This way, it will not only show the importance of the marriage between our two countries, but also prevent the Xiling people from confusing the bloodline of our Daxing marriage. It is the best of both worlds."
"The best of both worlds?" the emperor snorted. "If I were to bring out all the unmarried men in the Daxing court for Princess Xiling to choose from, where would the prestige of Daxing be?"
Huo Zheng thought to himself: The prince of Daxing has been chosen by Princess Xiling, so what’s the need for a few more court officials from Daxing?
But the emperor was obviously unwilling to hear the truth.
Huo Zheng carefully chose his words and said, "Father has promised to let Princess Xiling choose her own husband. It is a testament to His Majesty that we have chosen a husband for her. This is a sign of His Majesty's grace. This news will spread to all nations. By then, everyone will know that we are a great nation, that we value peace and treat princesses from other nations with kindness. We will surely win the hearts of the people and attract tributes from all nations."
The emperor himself agreed to this terrible thing.
Now that we are in a difficult situation, who can we blame?
After hearing this, the emperor's expression brightened for a moment. There is no emperor who doesn't want to unify the world and have all nations come to pay tribute. Huo Zheng's words really hit the nail on the head.
But Huo Yan was still kneeling outside, and the emperor still thought Huo Yan might admit his mistake and resolve this troublesome matter, so the emperor did not change his mind immediately, but only said: "Mobilizing a large army for this matter is not the best strategy."
When Huo Zheng heard this, he knew that the emperor needed to think about it again, but the emperor's mood was obviously much better than before.
Huo Zheng then said calmly, "My suggestion can only serve as a temporary solution to the current situation. The best solution will naturally depend on your father's decision."
Upon hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but glance at Huo Zheng.
Since his son got married and had children, his temperament has become much gentler, and he no longer speaks as harshly as before.
This person knows how to advance and retreat much better than before.
After Huo Zheng finished speaking, he mentioned the people in the Fourth Prince's Mansion. "I heard that the Fourth Prince made a mistake today and went to Nanshan to become a monk. I think the people in the Fourth Prince's Mansion were guilty of giving ineffective advice and should be punished. Everyone should be given twenty strokes of the cane as a warning to others."
"Twenty strokes of the cane? You're quite kind."
The emperor finally knew why Huo Zheng came to the palace today. He came to save people.
According to the emperor, these people should die as a token of their guilt.
Huo Zheng said, "My fourth brother is obsessed with alchemy, and those in the Fourth Prince's Mansion indulge him. They should have been severely punished, but the Fourth Prince became a monk in anger because he refused to marry the Princess of Xiling. Moreover, allowing the Princess of Xiling to choose a prince as a husband in my Daxing capital is..."
It is not very glorious and has attracted criticism.
He paused, not saying it directly, "It's best not to get involved too much."
The emperor naturally understood what Huo Zheng had omitted, because the Fourth Prince refused to marry the Princess of Xiling and became a Taoist monk. Punishing everyone in the Fourth Prince's Mansion would indeed have a huge impact. The emperor was extremely angry at the time and issued this order.
After talking with Huo Zheng for a while, he calmed down a bit and felt that there was really no need to involve so many people.
But the words had been spoken, and they couldn't be changed overnight. After a moment's silence, the emperor instructed Eunuch Xu beside him, "Those Taoists and strange men in Huo Lei's mansion have deceived the prince. Their crimes are grave. I order the court guards to punish them with a hundred strokes of the cane and expel them from the capital. They will never be allowed back in again. Everyone in the Fourth Prince's mansion must be present to witness the execution to set things right. You will oversee it."
"Yes, I'll go right away."
Eunuch Xu immediately responded and left. As he left, he secretly glanced at Prince Chang'an.
All the people in the Fourth Prince's Mansion have been captured and are awaiting their fate. The arrival of Prince Chang'an saved hundreds of lives. As for those talented people who persuaded the Fourth Prince to practice, they were not good people to begin with. They were beaten with a hundred sticks and expelled from the capital. Whether they can survive depends on their own fate.
While the father and son were talking, it started raining outside without them noticing.
The rain suddenly became heavier, like a downpour.
Huo Yan was still kneeling outside the door.
The sky was getting darker and darker, and the wind and rain were getting stronger.
The emperor glanced out the window. The rain was hitting the branches, and the leaves were falling. The raindrops fell on the ground and quickly gathered into a stream.
Huo Zheng spoke at the right moment, "The rain is getting heavier, and my ninth brother is still injured. Father, why don't you let him come in and kneel?"
The emperor remembered how he had nearly lost his most beloved prince not long ago. Considering that the prince was injured, he took the steps provided by Huo Zheng and said to the eunuch standing beside him, "Go ask the Ninth Prince if he knows he has done wrong."
"yes."
The young eunuch left immediately.
The door of the imperial study opened, and violent storms poured in. Huo Yan, who was kneeling outside, was already soaked by the heavy rain.
Huo Yan has been favored since he was a child. He has a bad temper and a stubborn personality. He has been spoiled by his father since he was a child. Today is the first time he was ordered to get out and kneel. He actually knelt there and did not get up even when it rained heavily.
No eunuch or servant dared to bring him an umbrella.
At this time, the eunuch who served beside the emperor came over and asked, "Your Highness, the Emperor asks you, do you know you are wrong?"
Huo Yan stiffened his neck and said, "I'm right. I just won't marry Princess Xiling!"
He shouted so loudly that his words were carried into the imperial study along with the sound of wind and rain.
After hearing this, the emperor became even more angry.
Upon hearing this, the young eunuch who was ordered to question him was so anxious that he kept winking at the Ninth Prince, but unfortunately Huo Yan ignored him.
The young eunuch could only whisper, "Ninth Prince, please submit to the Emperor. It's raining so hard, and you're injured. What will happen if you continue to get wet?"
Huo Yan shouted, "I'd rather die on my knees here than marry Princess Xiling!"
"Make him kneel!" The emperor no longer needed the eunuch to pass on his message. He said in a deep voice, "I want to see how long he can hold on!"
The father and son were angry with each other, which made it difficult for the eunuch who was delivering the message.
Seeing Huo Yan being so ungrateful, the Emperor also didn't want to see Huo Zheng anymore. He gave him an unpleasant look and said, "You have so much free time? How long are you going to stand here and watch the fun?"
Huo Zheng bowed and said, "Father, take care of your health. I will take my leave."
As he said this, he turned and left. When he reached the door, a young eunuch opened a paper umbrella to shield him from the rain. Huo Zheng walked directly in front of Huo Yan with the paper umbrella.
The Ninth Prince, who usually prided himself on his status, knelt in the heavy rain and was soaked like a drowned rat.
Huo Yan saw Huo Zheng holding an umbrella and stopping in front of him, blocking the wind and rain. He gritted his teeth and said, "I don't want you to be so hypocritical. Go away!"
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