Shangguan Jingci sneered inwardly. He didn't actually have feelings for Shu Hua; he was just being schemed against.
Yesterday, he was inexplicably irritable, so he drank a few extra glasses of wine. Whether it was the strong aftereffects of the alcohol or something else, he got drunk in no time. He was clearly still conscious, but he just felt weak.
He knew that Prince Ye had entrusted him to Shu Hua, and he also knew that Shu Hua would not do anything to him. So after lying down, he said a few words to the guards, telling them not to come out unless his life was in danger.
For no other reason than to see what kind of show the Prince of Ye had in store for him.
He didn't believe it was such a coincidence that they had just met a few times at the Sunset Pavilion, and then Shu Ji was suppressed. If it weren't for the instigation of higher-ups, Shu Ji, with its solid foundation, would never have been forced to close its doors so easily.
Presumably, seeing Shu Ji growing bigger and bigger, they were worried about being monopolized by it, so they wanted to curb Shu Ji's arrogance.
He had initially thought they were merely keeping him in the Shu residence to further reinforce the public's perception of his entanglement with Shu Hua. The fact that the enemy prince, upon arriving in the capital, was already entangled with a courtesan was certainly not advantageous to him.
This not only brought shame to the country of nitrile but also damaged the reputation of Shuji.
Unexpectedly, they resorted to such despicable means that he had no choice but to marry Shu Hua!
If he doesn't marry her, they might spread the news tomorrow, ruining his reputation not only here but throughout the entire kingdom. If he does marry her, Shu Hua will only give him money. She won't share his power in the kingdom, nor will she become his ally.
This really put Emperor Yuming in a good position. He used five cities as a bargaining chip to marry a merchant's daughter! This was an absolute humiliation for him!
He didn't yet know who was behind it all, but he already had a guess. It certainly wasn't Prince Ye; that would be of no benefit to him. On the contrary, it was the person on the dragon throne…
Shangguan Jingci took a deep breath and said, "Love doesn't depend on how long you've known each other. I've fallen in love with Miss Shu at first sight and have decided that I will marry no one but her. I beg Your Majesty to grant my request."
Emperor Yuming seemed very hesitant. “Tsk… Crown Prince, you know that Shuji is the largest business in our Great Yu, and Miss Shu is the only daughter of Shuji. Master Shu dotes on her. You just want to marry her like this… It’s not that I’m unwilling, but I’m in a difficult position.”
Shangguan Jingci looked at his toes very sincerely and said earnestly, "To show my sincerity, I am willing to offer a city to Dayu, so that Master Shu can understand that I am truly in love with Miss Shu."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuming's eyes flashed with a triumphant glint, but he still frowned and said, "However, Shu Ji accounts for half of the shops in the capital. If Miss Shu marries you, I'm afraid it will have an impact on the capital's commerce."
That old fox!
Shangguan Jingci cursed inwardly, but showed no sign of it on his face. He simply bowed to him and said, "Then I will represent the Kingdom of Qing to offer another city, and add 30% to the original tribute. I hope Your Majesty will consider my sincere intentions and grant my wish to be with Miss Shu."
"Crack." Emperor Yuming clenched his fist and pressed it to his lips, suppressing his excitement. He understood that this was Shangguan Jingci's biggest concession. If he were to be greedy any further, he might end up doing the wrong thing.
He sighed, "I never imagined that the Crown Prince would be so fond of Miss Shu. In that case, I will naturally act as your matchmaker."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
