Chapter Eight
Gu Leyao saw a beautiful woman smiling gently at her, and she forgot who she was. She opened her mouth and subconsciously said, "I do."
As soon as she finished speaking, she wanted to slap herself hard.
Listen carefully and say "I do." Do you think you're still reciting wedding vows? Gu Leyao! Wake up!
Gu Leyao thought that the Empress's smile was so beautiful just now that she didn't even notice what the Empress said, and just followed the Empress's words and said "I do".
She was a little uneasy. What had the Empress just said?
Gu Leyao decided that she would never indulge in eating desserts at a banquet again.
See, this time something went wrong?
While Gu Leyao was fidgeting, the Empress listened to the palace maid beside her say, "This girl is named Gu Leyao. She is the true daughter of the Marquis of Zhongqin who caused such a stir in the capital."
The Empress's smile vanished. When she left the palace, she had already discussed with the Emperor that they would choose a noble lady from a prestigious family to be Ah Heng's princess consort, so as not to wrong him.
However, the true daughter of the Marquis of Zhongqin's family had just returned from the countryside.
If she were to be paired with Aheng, wouldn't Aheng feel wronged?
The Empress subconsciously turned her gaze to Li Heng and said casually, "Aheng, what do you think of this young lady's character and appearance?"
Li Heng pondered for a while, and just when the Empress thought he was going to refuse, he actually nodded slightly.
Does this mean I agree?
The little prince's eyes lit up. Was he going to have an imperial aunt?
The Empress was also taken aback. She had mentioned to the Emperor many times before that she would arrange a marriage for Aheng, but Aheng had always reacted indifferently. Why did he agree this time?
The Empress was completely baffled. However, since both the young lady and Ah Heng had agreed to the marriage, she, as the sister-in-law, could not go back on her word in public.
The Empress cleared her throat and continued in a dignified and solemn voice, "Since Miss Gu and Prince Dingbei are interested in each other, I hereby announce the decree to select Gu Leyao, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongqin, as the Princess Consort of Dingbei. When I return, I will have the Imperial Astronomical Bureau perform divination to select an auspicious day for the wedding."
Gu Leyao listened intently this time, and she clearly heard that the Empress was going to choose her as the Princess Consort of Dingbei.
Gu Leyao was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. She clearly remembered that in the original owner's memories, this Prince Dingbei was unmarried and died young.
But how did she become the Princess Consort of Dingbei? Gu Leyao felt like she was dreaming.
Gu Leyao thought the Prince of Dingbei was very handsome, but she felt that getting married would be a bit sudden.
Chun Tao tugged at Gu Leyao's clothes and whispered, "Miss, Her Majesty the Empress and the Prince are looking at you."
Gu Leyao stood up hastily, flustered, and blurted out her reply without thinking, "Okay, okay, then I'll go back and prepare my dowry."
Upon hearing this, the ladies present let out a soft laugh.
On the high platform, the young prince covered his mouth, his eyes smiling, and the Empress's lips also curved into a smile.
Gu Leyao regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth.
She knew her reply was inappropriate, and hissed. On the surface, she seemed calm and collected, but in reality, she was so embarrassed that she could dig a Mount Everest out of her toes.
The Prince of Dingbei frowned almost imperceptibly. He raised his voice and said loudly, "I will try my best to prepare more betrothal gifts when I get back."
Li Heng's words clearly showed his support for Gu Leyao, and the laughter of the noble ladies stopped, making the banquet hall much quieter.
The latter half of the flower-viewing banquet was rushed, with only a few acrobatic performances before the Empress announced its end.
Her main task this time was actually to choose a princess for Aheng. Now that Gu Leyao had been chosen as the princess, the empress felt that she had completed most of her task and planned to take the little crown prince back to the palace to talk to the emperor about it.
Ever since Ah Heng broke his leg, he hasn't had any emotional fluctuations, but he's already twenty-five and has to get married.
Unexpectedly, he actually agreed to the selection of a princess this time.
This is a very serious matter. The Empress plans to ask the Emperor to analyze it for her that evening.
The Emperor and Aheng are brothers born of the same mother, so he must understand Aheng's feelings.
As the eldest sister-in-law, she still doesn't understand men's hearts.
*
When Gu Leyao returned, she still rode in the small sedan chair with a silver satin-covered roof, just like the one used by the Earl. She swayed and staggered back to the Earl's mansion.
As soon as she entered the gate of the Earl's Mansion, she saw Gu Baozhu, Gu Ronghua and Huo Pingyuan.
Huo Pingyuan saw Gu Leyao, snorted, and turned his face away as if he didn't see her, as if he wanted Gu Leyao to coax him.
Gu Leyao didn't care about their presence at all. She felt as if she were walking on clouds, her whole body soft and light. She floated away without even saying goodbye.
Seeing this, Huo Pingyuan stomped his foot angrily.
Gu Ronghua watched Gu Leyao's retreating figure, "That country bumpkin has no manners at all!"
Gu Baozhu spoke softly, "Brother, don't say that about Sister Leyao. She is actually a very good person. It was her first time attending the Empress's flower viewing party. Perhaps she was ridiculed by the noble ladies, which is why she didn't talk to us."
Hearing Gu Baozhu say this, Gu Ronghua patted her shoulder with pity, "You, you are just too kind. You have a kind heart, so you think everyone in the world is kind, but you don't know what others think of you!"
Gu Baozhu lowered her head shyly.
Huo Pingyuan ignored their words and paced back and forth restlessly.
He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.
But Huo Pingyuan didn't know what was going on, so he was very agitated.
He didn't bother listening to Gu Baozhu and Gu Ronghua, and left the Zhongqin Earl's Mansion.
*
Gu Leyao returned to her courtyard and, with Chuntao's help, changed into her usual clothes. The inner garment, made of fine cloth, was soft and gentle on her skin, and she felt it was even more comfortable than the silk clothes she had worn during the day.
She lay on the bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and calmly recalled everything that had happened that day.
The flower-viewing banquet held by the Empress today was originally intended to select a princess for the Prince of Dingbei. The Empress probably originally wanted to choose a noble lady of high birth and outstanding appearance, but by a twist of fate, she chose Gu Leyao instead.
The Prince of Dingbei did not object.
No objection means agreement.
In other words, Gu Leyao is going to marry into the Dingbei Prince's Mansion and become a princess!
Gu Leyao touched her feverish cheeks. The Prince of Dingbei was so handsome, was she really going to marry him?
Although the Prince of Dingbei died young in his previous life, it does not mean that he will die young again in this life.
Even if something were to happen to the Prince of Dingbei, Gu Leyao could still live a happy and fulfilling life by virtue of her title as the Princess Consort.
To be honest, Gu Leyao originally planned to feign compliance with the Gu family for a while, get more money, and then run away with Chun Tao!
Unexpectedly, just by attending a banquet, her life trajectory changed. Gu Leyao no longer needed to struggle; she was directly sent to Rome.
Some people need to struggle their whole lives to get to Rome, but she's already in Rome.
Just thinking about it made Gu Leyao's face cramp up with laughter.
She pressed down on her wildly upturned lips. "Stop laughing! What if you get a cramp from laughing so hard?"
Gu Leyao is destined to become a princess!
Not only did Gu Leyao want to laugh, Chun Tao's face was also practically splitting with laughter; she never expected to have such an encounter.
The young lady she was following was originally an unfavored daughter of the Earl's mansion, but the young lady suddenly became a princess, and Chun Tao was going to become the princess's maid.
The master and servant laughed for a while, like little mice that had stolen lamp oil, then looked at each other and continued laughing.
"Miss, I never thought my life would end like this! It feels like I'm dreaming!" Chun Tao raised her fist and punched the air a few times, her face full of excitement.
Gu Leyao also grinned foolishly at the few white clouds floating in the sky. This cloud looked like a puppy, and that cloud looked like a turtle. "Hahahaha, look at what you're saying. I never dreamed that I could become a princess!"
She thought that coming to ancient times would be great if she could just use her talents to become a restaurant tycoon, but she never expected to go straight to becoming a princess.
You should know that the princess is a first-rank official!
Moreover, the prince she was going to marry was of exceptionally good character. Just based on the fact that he would save ordinary people on the street, Gu Leyao thought he was an absolutely wonderful person.
In ancient times, many nobles and princes did not regard the common people as human beings! The Prince of Dingbei gave Gu Leyao a feeling of "having seen the vastness of the world, yet still cherishing the green of grass and trees". She felt that if she married this person, he would never hurt her.
Gu Leyao and Chun Tao were very excited. They chatted for a long time, and then they were so tired that they fell asleep. They didn't eat dinner and just stayed in bed until the next morning.
Gu Leyao woke up, she was woken up by hunger. She looked around the room with a dazed look in her eyes and found that there was not much food in her room.
The small kitchen in the Earl's mansion caters to different people, and basically doesn't give Gu Leyao snacks like pastries or candied fruits.
Gu Leyao wasn't angry. She got up and dressed. She could go to the main courtyard to pay her respects to the Madam and maybe even get some food and drink there.
She was getting dressed when memories of yesterday slowly began to surface in her mind.
She's going to be a princess, her status is extraordinary. If she marries into the royal family, her rank will be even higher than that of the Countess.
Gu Leyao thought that she had to go to the main courtyard to eat, and she wanted to eat properly!
She pulled Chun Tao, who was still lazing in bed, out of the covers. "Get up, it's time to go to the main courtyard for dinner."
Chun Tao crawled out of bed, rubbed her eyes, and asked, "Miss, what time is it?"
Gu Leyao glanced at the sky and saw that it was just getting light. "It's Mao Shi (5:00 AM). Get up and wash up quickly, we'll go to the main courtyard for lunch." (05:00 - 07:00)
Chun Tao let out a cry, put on her shoes, and went to the well in the yard to fetch water.
Gu Leyao was combing her hair when she heard Chuntao howl in the yard.
She was startled, thinking something had happened to Chun Tao, and quickly ran outside.
When they arrived in the courtyard, Gu Leyao saw Chun Tao throw the water basin on the ground and excitedly ran towards her, "Miss, you're going to be a princess! I'll be the princess's maid from now on!"
It seems this child wasn't fully awake while she was talking to him!
Gu Leyao sighed helplessly, "Hurry up and tidy this up. Let's go to the main courtyard for dinner. Someone from the palace might come to announce a decree today, so we should dress cleanly and neatly. Oh, right, take out the little bit of silver we've saved. We'll probably have to give it to the people in the palace as a reward."
The people in the palace have seen everything, and they probably know that Gu Leyao is not well-liked in the Gu family. Gu Leyao doesn't need to put on a show of wealth when she receives a reward; she should just do her best.
Gu Leyao thought that since the original owner was also a daughter of the Gu family, she should also have a share of the Gu family's property.
After the imperial decree is announced, she will have to find a way to squeeze a large sum of money out of the Earl of Zhongqin and his wife as her dowry.
We can't let Gu Ronghua and Gu Baozhu get away with this for nothing!
Chun Tao let out a cheerful sigh and busied herself around the yard, as lively as a little bee; her excitement was palpable.
Life is getting better and better!
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