Chapter 169 Is your father going to send you to marry a foreign prince?
"Your Majesty has arrived—"
With the eunuch's shrill voice, Emperor Zhao of Qi made his grand entrance. The originally soothing music suddenly turned into a solemn and majestic tune.
Then there was the sound of cheers from the crowd and the rustling of clothes as people saluted.
"Stand up!"
Emperor Zhao of Qi was smiling as he sat on the dragon throne and looked down at the people below. He then cast his kind gaze on Ling Zhen and his sister and greeted them.
What? How is your father now? We used to meet by candlelight and talk late into the night, and how we got along so well.
As the prince of Feng Kingdom, Ling Zhen's answer was naturally very appropriate.
What, my father has always missed the Emperor Qi and often recalls the meeting ten years ago, etc.
It was obvious that during that meeting, Qi, Chu and Feng all brought sufficient troops to guard against each other's sneak attacks, but they insisted on pretending to be friends for life and death.
Lin Qingyue felt it was hypocritical. She thought that she was happier when she became emperor. She killed people when she was happy and when she was unhappy. Who would dare to play such a hypocritical game with her?
It's better to just eat it plain. The food at the palace banquet was clearly made with great care, each one more beautiful than the last. Unfortunately, it was cold by the time I ate it, leaving only a third of it.
Lin Qingyue couldn't help but want to cry for the imperial chef in the palace.
Just as Lin Qingyue was immersed in the delicious food, she suddenly heard Ling Zhen say to Emperor Zhao of Qi, "Your Majesty, Feng State is interested in forming a marriage alliance with Qi State. I wonder if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has an engagement?"
Lin Qingyue paused, then turned to Dongfang Qi and said, "Is your father planning to send you off to marry a foreign prince?"
Dongfang Qi was startled and was about to speak.
Emperor Zhao of Qi spoke first, "The Crown Prince has no engagement yet. I wonder which princess Feng State is planning to send as a matchmaker?"
Ling Zhen looked at his sister Ling Xue and said, "My Sixth Princess Ling Xue has always been in love with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Our Feng Kingdom also hopes to have a lasting friendship with Qi Kingdom."
Ling Xue looked at Dongfang Qi with shyness and expectation on her face.
Lin Qingyue chewed the food in her mouth slowly and swallowed it, wanting to see Dongfang Qi's reaction, but found that he looked calm and composed at the moment.
Could it be that he is also willing to marry?
Princess Lingxue is beautiful, and although she is too lively, marrying her means the absolute support of Feng State, and even if there are conflicts with the aristocratic families and vassal kings in the future, there will be an absolute advantage.
As a superior, this is definitely a good thing.
But for some reason, Lin Qingyue felt a little unhappy in her heart.
Maybe it was because she really regarded Dongfang Qi as a good friend and didn't want his marriage to be linked to interests.
Or is it for some other reason?
Dongfang saw that Lin Qingyue's expression gradually became serious from her initial lazy look as if she didn't care about anything.
——Doesn’t she want me to marry Princess Lingxue?
As the crown prince, Dongfang Qi's marriage was like a piece of delicious fat meat, everyone wanted to take a bite. Over the years, he had already developed his own set of methods to deal with it.
"Your Highness Ling Zhen." Dongfang stood up and bowed with an elegant posture.
"What a coincidence! The State of Chu also sent a letter two days ago, saying that they also have a princess of marriageable age and are interested in a marriage."
"Although Princess Lingxue is both talented and beautiful, if I marry her, it will be difficult to explain to the Chu State. They will definitely think that Qi despises Chu because of the marriage with Feng State."
"If you continue to suspect that our two countries are deliberately ostracizing each other through marriage, it will be even more troublesome."
"Why!"
He sighed, looking extremely helpless. "I really don't want Chu to bear grudge against Feng. After thinking about state affairs, this marriage..."
"If Brother Qi is in trouble, why not marry the princesses of both countries!" Ling Xue was fine if she didn't say anything, but when she did, it was shocking.
The girl's face flushed crimson, but she spoke boldly: "Men can have three wives and four concubines, and my brother is the crown prince. Marrying two princesses at once is nothing. This princess is willing to share the same fate with the Princess of Chu!"
Dongfang Qi didn't expect Ling Xue to say such a thing, and was speechless for a moment.
The story of the Princess of Chu was originally fabricated to avoid marriage, but Chu did have a princess of marriageable age.
Dongfang Qi doesn't really want to marry two wives at the same time.
But the words had already been spoken, and Princess Lingxue's attitude made him feel a little stuck.
He glanced at Emperor Zhao of Qi who was sitting on the dragon throne, but Emperor Zhao of Qi deliberately ignored him.
In his opinion, his son was the one who was getting married, so it would be best if they could form an alliance, which would be better than marrying a divorced woman.
Especially since Princess Lingxue is deeply in love, it is easier to develop feelings.
"Brother Qi, why are you silent?" Ling Xue looked at him, seven parts admiration and three parts grievance. "For the sake of marriage and diplomatic relations between our two countries, I am willing to marry you together with the Princess of Chu."
Not far away, Dongfang Yan's lips curled up slightly.
At this time, Dongfang Yan naturally played an indispensable role in solving the dilemma that Dongfang Qi was facing.
He approached Princess Lingxue at first, hoping to win her favor.
After his divorce, he had no princess. If he could marry the princess of Feng State, he would gain the support of Feng State, and even if he had no hope of ascending the throne, he would still be able to dominate the area.
Unfortunately, Princess Lingxue clearly stated that her favorite person was Dongfang Qi, and the purpose of her visit was to marry the prince.
Feeling lost, Dongfang Yan asked Ling Xue, "What would you do if the prince had a lover?"
Ling Xue said arrogantly, "As long as we haven't officially gotten married, it doesn't count! So who is your brother's sweetheart?"
Dongfang Yan smiled and turned to look at Lin Qingyue. "That's the one, the first female princess in the history of our Qi State. Do you know why she was crowned king? It was all thanks to the Crown Prince, which shows how much she holds an extraordinary position in his heart."
Ling Xue also set her sights on Lin Qingyue: "So it's her. No wonder they were seen together just now. And now they're having a banquet so close to each other. I'm going to ask the Crown Prince, what exactly is that woman better than me?"
Dongfang Yan stopped her and said, "Your Highness is so impulsive, I'm afraid it will annoy His Highness the Crown Prince. As a man, I like women to be obsessed with me and devote everything to me, but I don't like them to be jealous."
"Since the princess loves the prince, why not be brave and express your love."
He also anticipated that Dongfang Qi would not accept it. He even thought of the reasons why he might refuse and taught Princess Lingxue how to deal with it.
In this way, Dongfang Qi was successfully put in a difficult position.
If Dongfang Qi agreed to the marriage, it would be equivalent to pushing Lin Qingyue away from him.
After all, how could a woman who disdains even the position of princess be willing to be a concubine?
Sure enough, Lin Qingyue's expression was no longer as calm as before. She looked up at the prince, not knowing what she was thinking.
And all of this was clearly instigated by Dongfang Yan, but seeing Lin Qingyue's reaction, he couldn't help but feel jealous.
—Do you really like him this much? Yet you turn a blind eye to my infatuation! Lin Qingyue, even if I can't have you, I will never let you and the Crown Prince get together!
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