These past few days, all the ministers have been avoiding him like the plague, and when they secretly look at him, their eyes are extremely strange. Even the Emperor has hesitated to speak several times. Although he ultimately said nothing, he instructed Consort Shu to select a consort for him and to arrange the marriage as soon as possible.
But at this time, which minister would be willing to marry his own daughter to him? Even if some might want to, he might not actually want to marry her.
He already had a candidate in mind for the Third Prince's consort. He didn't really care about the families of ordinary ministers; what he wanted was someone who could become his ally.
The Third Prince lightly twirled his fingers, his slightly narrowed eyes relaxing slightly. He would leave the Empress Consort aside for now.
If this world is indeed the picture book world that the country girl described, and she is prescient and knows everything under the sun, then why can't she become his ally?
However, this matter needs careful planning. If he insists on having that country girl, it will inevitably arouse his father's suspicion. Therefore, the only way is to make that girl fall in love with him and insist on marrying him. Then, it will be natural for him to take her into his family, and it will not arouse his father's suspicion.
Having made up his mind, the Third Prince's pursed lips finally curved into a smile. However, the next second, a group of masked men suddenly emerged from the woods and surrounded his carriage.
"Hand over the person now, or don't blame us for being impolite!"
The tall man who was the leader of the group of masked men shouted at the carriage, his knife jingling as he brandished it.
"How dare you! Do you know who's in the carriage?"
The two guards driving the carriage shouted angrily. The tall man hesitated for a moment, but still sneered, "I don't care who you are! Hand over the person right now!"
They clearly heard the horse neighing, and when they chased after him, he was gone; he must have hidden in the carriage.
Whoever was in the carriage, they had to kill that person.
At this moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing the Third Prince's handsome face. He looked at the group of masked men with a gloomy gaze and asked, "I don't have the person you're looking for here."
The voice was slow yet cold as ice, with a hint of intriguing malice.
To chase and kill people in broad daylight right under the walls of the capital—the people behind them must be extraordinary. This is truly intriguing.
There was no point in arguing; the tall man shouted, and his men attacked in unison. Since they weren't handing over the person, they'd just take it themselves. After all, the mission from above was life or death, so they showed no mercy, every move aimed at taking lives.
The third prince and his two guards were no pushovers either; they held their own against a dozen or so men. Seeing the tide turning against them, the tall leader shouted for a retreat.
However, the Third Prince wouldn't let them leave so easily if they wanted to retreat.
He braced his toes against a knife beside his feet, kicked it hard, and the knife flew through the air, drawing a bright line of light before accurately piercing the tall man's calf.
The poor tall man felt a chill on his leg and collapsed instantly, forced to watch helplessly as his companions fled in terror.
The Third Prince had originally planned to run into General Fei Hu at Famen Temple, but now he was more interested in this masked man.
The man was tied up tightly and thrown onto the carriage, then taken back to the Third Prince's residence.
In the evening, the old lady of the Marquis of Changxing received an invitation from the palace, asking her to take Chuanyu and Chuanwen to the palace to admire the flowers the next day.
After receiving the invitation, the old lady of the Marquis of Changxing was very worried. She had heard some rumors about the Third Prince in the past few days and knew that the Emperor planned to find a wife for the Third Prince as soon as possible.
Therefore, this flower-viewing banquet was most likely also a banquet for selecting imperial concubines.
During the meal, the old lady of Changxing Marquis frequently glanced at Chuanyu. After finally finishing the meal, the old lady of Changxing Marquis kept Chuanwen and Chuanyu behind.
"Yu'er, what kind of person do you want to marry in the future?"
The old lady of Changxing Marquis concealed her worry and asked with concern. Chuanyu lowered her head shyly, "Grandmother, why did you suddenly bring this up?"
They had no choice but to speak up. The old lady of the Marquis of Changxing truly did not want Chuanyu to like someone like the Third Prince. What kind of person was he? He was the kind of person who would bring about the destruction of their entire Marquis's mansion in the future, although they did not yet know why.
"We were reluctant to part with you and wanted to keep you for another two years, but now that you've grown up, it's time to find you a marriage partner."
The old lady of Changxing Marquis smiled, thinking that if Chuanyu was betrothed to someone else, then the Third Prince would no longer be able to have any connection with their Yu'er.
"It is up to the elders to decide."
Chuanyu felt neither happy nor unhappy. She had long known that she had no say in her marriage and did not expect anything. But when she thought of the person in her heart, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
The old lady of Changxing Marquis smiled and nodded; their Yu'er was the most sensible. But then she looked at Chuanwen with a puzzled expression; she was peeling nuts and eating them.
The old lady of Changxing Marquis kept Chuanwen behind because she wanted to hear his true feelings, but Chuanwen seemed completely unconcerned, focusing solely on eating and offering no thoughts whatsoever. Just as she was wondering about this, Chuanwen's true feelings finally came to her.
[It's all in vain to arrange a marriage. That perverted Third Prince will fall head over heels for Yu-jie after seeing her tomorrow. No matter who Yu-jie is engaged to or married to, he'll snatch her away.]
The old lady of Changxing Marquis thought her idea was good, but when she heard Chuanwen's thoughts, she froze instantly. What did he mean? Even if he was a prince, could he really steal a bride?
"Yu'er, are you feeling unwell?"
Turning her head, the old lady of the Marquis of Changxing touched Chuanyu's forehead with concern. Chuanyu was a little confused, "Grandmother, I'm fine..."
"You don't look well. Did you get caught in the rain yesterday and catch a cold, Cuiyu?"
Ignoring the bewildered looks in the eyes of Chuanyu and Chuanwen, the old lady of Changxing Marquis ordered the maids behind her to hurry up and find a doctor on the street, and instructed them to find several.
What's going on?
Chuanwen popped a fragrant pine nut into his mouth, glanced at Chuanyu's rosy and healthy complexion, and asked, "Sister Yu, you stayed inside all day yesterday watching me eat. When did you get caught in the rain?"
Chuan Yu was also completely bewildered... "I'm sick? When did this happen?"
The old lady of the Marquis of Changxing was still concerned about the performance. "Yu'er, how could you be so careless? Look at how badly you're coughing, and your little face is all red! Oh! It's so hot! Hongyu, go to the door and see why Cuiyu hasn't called the doctor yet!"
Hongyu was confused, then quickly ran out while saying "oh oh".
Chuanwen and Chuanyu were both stunned. Chuanwen said, "The doctor is here! Quickly, take a look at this old lady. I think she's quite ill."
"Grandmother, are you alright?"
Chuanyu wanted to reach out and touch her grandmother's forehead, wondering if she was sick. Just then, the old lady winked at the two of them without them noticing. Although Chuanyu still didn't know what was going on, she knew that her grandmother was alright, so she coughed twice and quickly agreed.
Chuanwen stroked his chin, speculating: "Is the old lady having Yu Jie feign illness now because she doesn't want Yu Jie to attend tomorrow's flower-viewing banquet?"
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