Lu Qingyan lowered her head shyly, pretending not to understand the Empress's words: "Mother, you must be mistaken. Ayan is exactly fifteen this year, still a child."
She's clearly still a young girl; it's you, the empress, who's the one who's old.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor coughed and said, "Alright, I didn't call you here today to talk about these trivial matters; there's something important."
The Emperor sighed, "In the blink of an eye, my mistress has indeed reached marriageable age."
For some reason, Lu Qingyan was very dissatisfied with this form of address, but she couldn't figure out why for the moment. She speculated that perhaps neither of them remembered her name, which was why they called her that. Otherwise, why would they call her Lu Qingshu instead of Xiao Si?
“Mistress,” the Emperor said, squinting at her, “Shen Jiyan from the Shen family has come to me to propose marriage.”
Lu Qingyan listened in silence.
The Emperor continued, "I refuse."
This answer seemed expected, but Lu Qingyan still felt somewhat sad. As a woman, her fate was never in her own hands; no matter how hard she tried, she could never walk the path she wanted.
Lu Qingyan pondered for a moment: "Father has always been wise, and his words and actions are always reasonable. Since he has refused, he must feel that it is not appropriate! I know that although Father has not met me many times, his feelings for me are no less than those for his other children. I believe that Father would not harm me."
After hearing these words, Lu Qingyan felt an intense discomfort in her throat, as if a fire was burning inside her and a thousand thorns were scraping against it.
But those eyes still gazed at the Emperor with longing, making the Emperor feel somewhat embarrassed.
Over the years, he has indeed neglected her somewhat.
"Ayan," the Emperor finally called Lu Qingyan's name, "You are a princess of my Lu Kingdom, so naturally you should marry a good man. I will have your brother help you find a suitable husband. Just wait to be the most beautiful bride."
Is this... is this considered compensation?
Lu Qingyan felt extremely bitter. Even if there were better people, none could compare to that one.
Lu Qingyan looked at the Crown Prince, who was standing to the side without saying a word; his face was expressionless.
Seeing Lu Qingyan looking at him, he nodded: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will definitely choose a good match for you. It's been a long time since there has been a wedding in the palace, so it should be lively this time."
Lu Qingshu glanced triumphantly at Lu Qingyan, then said to the Emperor in a coquettish tone, "Father, I think it's inappropriate for my sister to have such a grand wedding."
"Oh, is there something wrong?" The Emperor's expression was somewhat unpleasant; he disliked anyone obstructing his orders. However, the person before him was his beloved daughter, and he was still willing to listen to her say a few more words.
Lu Qingshu's brows furrowed with a hint of worry: "I am only worried about Father Emperor. It is not a good thing to organize such a large-scale event that wastes money and resources on the people. It would be better to save these expenses and use them on the people. This would not only benefit the people, but also accumulate merit for Father Emperor. Perhaps this way, Heaven can see Father Emperor's sincere heart and bless Father Emperor to recover soon."
Lu Qingshu looked at the Emperor with her large, watery eyes and pleaded, "Shu'er, I'm thinking this all for Father. Father, please reconsider."
The Emperor laughed heartily: "Shu'er, I think you're just too hasty. Your brother hasn't even decided on a consort yet, why are you in such a hurry? Marriage is a big deal and requires at least half a year of preparation. We'll talk about the specifics when the time comes."
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