However, before Lin Chunhuan could get up and leave the pavilion, a woman came towards her with her maid.
"Yu Hui'er, daughter of the Minister of Works, requests an audience with the Empress."
Lin Chunhuan was only momentarily surprised, then waved and called the person to her side, "Miss Yu, there's no need to be so formal. I just want to get to know everyone at today's plum blossom viewing banquet."
"I'm so happy that you're willing to come and talk to me."
Yu Huier was so nervous that her hands and feet were extremely cold.
She had heard from her father before that the Empress Dowager was a delicate woman, kind and gentle. Now that she saw her, it was true, and the age difference between them was actually not much.
Before this, Yu Huier was actually very confident about her appearance. She was just the daughter of a minister, and in this capital city, a falling lantern could hit three second-rank officials.
A mere minister is not a high-ranking official at all.
But even so, Yu Huier was able to rely on her beauty to be called one of the two beauties in Kyoto, along with the daughter of the Grand Tutor. It can be seen that she was also a rare beauty.
But today, for the first time, Yu Huier felt a little insecure about her appearance.
Sitting not far from Lin Chunhuan, Yu Huier looked at him in a daze.
She had never imagined that there really existed such a woman in the world, with almost no flaws. Her skin would be too white if it was a little more, and too dull if it was a little less. It was just right.
Her eyebrows and eyes are as graceful as stars, bright and brilliant.
"Miss Yu?"
Lin Chunhuan called out a few times, pulling Yu Huier back from her thoughts. She immediately knelt on the ground with a pale face, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Huier was just amazed at the Queen's stunning beauty. I meant no offense!"
Lin Chunhuan smiled helplessly and said, "Why are you so scared? I won't eat you. Hurry up and get up."
"Okay, I've noticed you've been preoccupied from the beginning, but is there anything you want to tell me?"
Yu Huier's thoughts were suddenly exposed. She became even more nervous. She clutched her dress tightly with both hands, so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "I, I..."
"It's nothing serious."
A warm hand gently covered the back of her hand. Yu Huier subconsciously looked up, and met Lin Chunhuan's smiling eyes. "Just say whatever you want to say. Even if you say something wrong, it doesn't matter. Just think of it as chatting with me."
Encouraged, Yu Hui'er gritted her teeth and knelt on the ground again, "Hui'er is willing to go to Fanjiang to marry, please grant me the Queen's blessing!"
The person who was surprised this time was Lin Chunhuan.
Looking at Yu Hui'er kneeling on the ground, he spoke for a long time, "Are you willing to go to Fanjiang to marry? Are you serious?"
"yes!"
After she said what she had in her heart, Yu Huier felt that she was not so scared anymore. "Huier knows that her status is not high, so she is not qualified to be crowned a princess."
"But Hui'er still wants to come and beg the Queen to give Hui'er a chance to repay His Majesty and our dynasty!"
Lin Chunhuan was shocked.
She had thought a lot about the plum blossom viewing banquet, the marriage alliance, and the noble ladies of Kyoto, but she had never imagined that a woman would take the initiative to request a marriage alliance for such a reason.
There was a moment of silence in the air.
After a long while, Lin Chunhuan took a deep breath and took the initiative to step forward to help Yu Huier up, "Good girl, get up quickly."
"Do you know that Fanjiang is more than a thousand miles away from Kyoto? The Khan of Fanjiang, to whom the princess is about to marry, is already over fifty years old. Are you...really willing?"
When Lin Chunhuan talked about this, Yu Huier's expression didn't change much. It was obvious that she had known about it for a long time. "Huier knows. Daddy has already told me."
"Empress, my father is an old minister of the previous dynasty. He is alive today thanks to the emperor's kindness. Over the years, Hui'er was born in the previous dynasty but grew up in the Ming Dynasty. I have witnessed with my own eyes that the people of the world are living in peace and stability, and their lives are getting better day by day."
"In recent years, the emperor has stopped fighting wars. Father said that the emperor loves the people of the world and doesn't want them to suffer. But if this marriage fails, my Ming country might be in trouble again."
"Your Majesty, although Hui'er is a woman and does not know how to govern a country or the art of war, I know that Your Majesty can make the people of the world live a good life. Hui'er wants to share His Majesty's worries and asks Your Majesty to grant her this."
After she finished speaking, Yu Huier kowtowed heavily to the ground.
Lin Chunhuan's face was calm, but Yu Huier's words had stirred up a storm in her heart. She saw the righteousness of family and country in her.
"Hui'er, get up first."
Seeing Yu Hui'er's fearless look, Lin Chunhuan felt a lump in her throat. It took her a long while to speak. "I understand your intentions and will certainly convey them to His Majesty."
"But Hui'er, if it is possible, if you want to serve your country, there are still many ways to go. Even if this fails, you don't have to belittle yourself. This palace has high hopes for you."
After sending Yu Huier away, Lin Chunhuan was silent for a long time.
She felt that her previous vision was too narrow. Now that she had sat on the throne of queen, there were still many things she could do.
Although the top priority is to give birth to a family for her husband, but apart from avoiding that disaster, can she only enjoy herself peacefully in the harem?
When the emperor came, he saw Lin Chunhuan in silence.
His calloused hands gently wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. "Huan'er, what's wrong with you? You didn't even hide when it snowed."
"gentlemen……"
When Lin Chunhuan came to her senses, she found that snow was already falling outside. The noble ladies from the aristocratic families were arranged to drink tea and warm themselves by the fire in the inner hall.
In the huge plum garden, she was the only one left.
Turning around and leaning against the emperor's arms, Lin Chunhuan said in a somewhat depressed tone, "Just now, the girl from Minister Yu's family came to see me."
"She offered herself for marriage."
The emperor was also surprised for a moment. "Recommend yourself for marriage? Do you have any request?"
"Yes." Lin Chunhuan took a deep breath. "Miss Yu prays for the stability of the people, for peace in the world, and for... no more wars in our dynasty."
The two looked at each other in silence for a long time.
After a long while, the emperor finally let out a long sigh, "Minister Yu has raised a good daughter. Both father and daughter are great!"
Lin Chunhuan nodded gloomily, already thinking in her heart that after the Qianchao Conference was over, she might be able to ask the teacher to open a girls' school.
However, there is no precedent for girls to go to school, so this matter needs to be done slowly and not in a hurry.
"Alright, Huan'er, since Miss Yu is willing, I will definitely arrange for people to protect her and treat her family well. It's cold outside, so I will accompany you back to Kunning Palace."
"kindness."
Lin Chunhuan didn't feel like talking at the moment, so he just responded silently. However, when the emperor and empress returned to Kunning Palace, it was already in chaos.
When the noble ladies saw the two of them, their faces turned even paler. The emperor immediately noticed something was wrong and asked, "What happened? Why are you all so panicked?"
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