Shen Zhixiu knew that the second prince had not given up on the marriage with the Song family.
However, he was not worried about this matter. With the minds and means of the Song family father and son, it would be difficult for the second prince to plot against the Song family.
At the court meeting, the Duke of Zhenguo first stood in the middle of the hall.
"Your Majesty, I checked carefully yesterday and found nothing."
"The Qin family's servants were also interrogated, and they all said they didn't notice anything unusual in Wutong Garden."
"I am incompetent, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
In fact, Qin Yuan had already told the Duke of Zhenguo everything that happened yesterday. Even the little maid who delivered the message had been quietly beaten to death by the Qin family.
But the Duke of Zhenguo had no intention of saying these things. Anyway, these things had little to do with the Qin family, and there was no need for him to offend the Second Prince and the Rong family by saying these things.
Emperor Xuande didn't reprimand the Duke of Zhenguo. Honestly, the Qin family had suffered an undeserved disaster. A perfectly good birthday banquet had been turned into such a mess, and there was no place to seek justice.
He just said, "Continue investigating," and let the Duke of Zhenguo leave.
After that, they continued to talk about government affairs as usual.
Prince Rong stood at the foot of the main hall, feeling extremely anxious. Logically, the Emperor should have issued an edict granting the marriage yesterday, but why was there no movement today?
My daughter has lost her virginity, and the emperor won't grant her a marriage. Does she have to become a nun?
All the political affairs that needed to be discussed had been discussed, and as the court meeting was about to end, Prince Rong finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He walked to the center of the hall, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, regarding yesterday's matter, I beg Your Majesty to make the decision for my daughter."
Emperor Xuande looked at Prince Rong coldly and said in a cold voice, "I have my own plans."
Shen Zhixiu glanced at the emperor's expression calmly, feeling confused.
Why does it seem like the emperor has something against the Rong family?
Could it be that what happened yesterday was related to Rong Jin?
At this time, Shen Zhixiu didn't know that the development of this matter was all the work of his two cousins.
Prince Rong also noticed the anger in the emperor's words. He was confused but didn't dare to say anything more. He could only stand up and retreat.
After the court meeting ended and the court officials respectfully saw the emperor off, everyone filed out of the hall.
The second prince walked out in a hurry, but before he could even go down the stairs, he was stopped by Prince Rong.
"Your Highness, is there something you need?" The Second Prince stopped and asked despite knowing what Prince Rong meant.
Prince Rong looked embarrassed, but still said, "Your Highness, what happened yesterday..."
The Second Prince interrupted Prince Rong and said, "Your Highness, there is something fishy about this matter. Please give me two more days."
"I will definitely give an explanation to the Rong family and Miss Rong. Please believe me, Your Highness."
After saying this, he solemnly bowed to Prince Rong as a junior.
The Second Prince acted humbly and spoke sincerely.
Prince Rong felt much more at ease, even though he didn't know what the Second Prince was going to investigate. But the Rong family could still wait for two days.
After pacifying Prince Rong, the Second Prince said goodbye to him and quickly left the palace.
The two days he had spent with the Rong family were just to test the Song family's intentions. If there was no hope of marrying into the Song family, he would have no choice but to get engaged to Rong Jin first.
Song Zan didn't expect that the second prince would show up right after he entered the palace.
Just like the previous few days, the Song family father and son met the second prince in the main hall.
After sitting down, Song Hongshen spoke in a sarcastic tone, "The King of Pingxi has arrived. My Song family is honored to have you here."
"I wonder if the Prince of Pingxi is coming today and has sent a wedding invitation?"
Song Zan and Song Hongyuan didn't say anything, but their expressions were calm.
After hearing what Song Hongshen said, the Second Prince was not angry at all. Instead, he felt a little hope in his heart.
If the Song family greets politely without any anger, it means that they do not want to get married and have given up the idea.
But judging from the expressions of the Song family father and son, as well as the tone of their voices, they were obviously interested in this marriage, otherwise they would not be angry.
The Second Prince quickly said, "Cousin, don't be angry. Let me explain."
"I am also innocent of what happened that day. If my uncle and two cousins are willing to listen to my explanation, I am willing to explain everything clearly."
He looked at Song Zan with hope, his eyes full of pleading.
Song Zan sighed, "Then Your Highness, please speak up. I'll listen to you. But I haven't agreed to anything, and the Song family won't express their opinion."
The Second Prince bowed and said, "Uncle is right, we were just chatting."
"After I returned yesterday, I sent someone to investigate. When the Qin family was celebrating the birthday, the maidservant next to the Sixth Miss of the Rong family suddenly went out."
"After investigation, it was found that she went to Chunxianglou, a shop across the street, and bought a box of medicine."
"My uncle should know what kind of business Chunxianglou does and the effects of the vile things that come out of that kind of place."
"I'm not shirking my responsibility, but... I still want to tell my uncle that my feelings for Cousin Wan haven't changed."
The second prince looked helpless and dejected, and had a wry smile on his face as he spoke.
Those who don’t know the inside story would probably sigh that the Second Prince is so affectionate and loyal, but fate plays such a trick on him.
Song Zan pondered for a moment and then said, "I sympathize with your Highness's situation, but the Song family only has Wanwan as a daughter. It is absolutely impossible for her to be a concubine."
The Second Prince's heart moved, "Uncle, I can promise you that the Sixth Miss of the Rong family..."
Song Zan immediately raised his hand to stop the second prince from speaking.
"Your Highness, I don't want to hear what's going on between you and the Rong family. It has nothing to do with my Song family."
"The marriage between His Highness and Miss Rong should be discussed between the Emperor and Prince Rong."
"I only have one thing to say: the daughter of my Song family will never be a concubine."
To the Second Prince, Song Zan's words were a hint. As long as he could guarantee that Song Wanwan would be the principal wife, the Song family would agree to the marriage.
"Uncle, I've remembered what you said. Don't worry, I'll definitely get this done."
Song Zan did not respond to this, but smiled and said: "People say that the mother's uncle is the most important, but Your Highness is the grandson of the emperor, and your marriage still depends on the emperor."
"We cannot lose face for the royal family, nor disobey the emperor."
The Second Prince understood what the Marquis of Loyalty meant. His words clearly told him not to make things too awkward, and that he had to get the upper hand over the Emperor.
Afterwards, the Second Prince looked at the expressions of the Song family father and son, and he obviously felt a lot more relaxed and at peace.
When leaving the Song family, the Second Prince asked, "Cousin Wan's marriage..."
Song Zan looked calm and said, "The Song family will continue to look for a marriage partner for Wanwan. Of course, there's no rush. We'll just take our time."
The Second Prince nodded and said, "Uncle is right. This is a matter of a lifetime and there is no need to rush it."
What the Marquis of Loyalty meant was that he could be given some time, but if he still didn't give an explanation, the matter would be left alone.
After leaving the Song family and getting on the carriage, the Second Prince ordered, "Go to the Rong family."
The driver, a trusted confidant of the Second Prince, asked, "Your Highness, are you going to the Rong family to discuss marriage? Are you going to marry the princess soon?"
The Second Prince said coldly, "It's to welcome the concubine in."
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