Chapter 88 "The marriage is settled."...
Chapter 88: Returning to Beili
Brother Yu...
The girl's mind went blank for a moment.
"Your Highness is not drunk?" Su Wanyue was like a trapped little animal, firmly imprisoned in his arms. She slightly raised her eyelashes and looked at him with annoyance.
"I was indeed a little tipsy just now." Upon hearing this, the man's lean and muscular body stiffened slightly. He reached out and pressed his temples, speaking as if he were somewhat weak.
His posture carried an indescribable languor and leisure, as if he were already drunk and out of his mind, but Su Wanyue no longer believed his words. She used all her strength to push him away, but before she could make a move, Xiao Yu had already anticipated her action. The man's long fingers loosely grasped her wrist, and his voice was gentle and restrained, "If Wanwan doesn't want to call me that, I won't force her, but I will soon be Wanwan's fiancé. Shouldn't Wanwan let go of those childhood sweetheart brothers?"
Although there were some regrets in their hearts, after getting married, they were husband and wife in name and in fact, so these formalities didn't matter.
The usually aloof and indifferent Prince Cheng comforted himself with these words.
But she had no romantic relationship with any of the young masters in the capital. Su Wanyue suspected that he might have been truly drunk and that his sudden burst of energy was just a "last gasp." The girl frowned slightly and touched his forehead with the back of her hand. Xiao Yu let her do as she pleased and chuckled, "I forgot to tell Wanwan that I am a man who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
He was just a little jealous just now, but that's enough. His fiancée just has a lot of suitors. Once the news of the marriage alliance between the two countries is released, these young masters will surely give up their ideas. As her personally acknowledged "fiancé," he should be magnanimous.
She knew he was faking it. Su Wanyue's long eyelashes were like fans. She glared at him and, like a nimble fish, withdrew from his embrace, urging him to leave quickly.
"Then I'll come see you another day." Xiao Yu gently rubbed her head with his warm, dry fingertips, helped her sit down on the couch, and then stood up.
"This servant respectfully sees off His Highness Prince Cheng." The door was suddenly pushed open, and Qin'er, who was guarding outside, thought it was her princess coming out. She forced a smile, but when she saw a dark cloud-patterned hem of a robe, Qin'er was startled. Only after the person left did Qin'er dare to go in. "Princess, wasn't His Highness Prince Cheng drunk?"
When the servant came to report, he said that His Highness Prince Cheng was already drunk and unconscious. Even if he had drunk the hangover soup, he shouldn't be so energetic right away.
"He was faking it." Su Wanyue's cheeks were burning. She covered them with her hands, her brows furrowed with annoyance. How could she have been so easily fooled? He was clearly conscious of not drinking the hangover soup prepared by the servants, yet she had actually believed it.
Pretending...
Qin'er looked surprised. No wonder Prince Cheng didn't seem drunk earlier; he had gone to so much trouble just to see their princess. "So, Prince Cheng went to all this trouble just to see the princess?"
***
When Xiao Yu's letter was presented to the Emperor, the Emperor immediately summoned Consort Qin. Her son had been away in Nanqiong for more than two months without sending any news. Consort Qin had been worried that he might have been held up by something in Nanqiong. Upon hearing that her son had sent a letter, Consort Qin breathed a sigh of relief and came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The Emperor gently rubbed Consort Qin's smooth, delicate hand and handed her the letter. Consort Qin read the letter from top to bottom and couldn't help but smile. "Yu'er wants to marry Princess Zilu?"
"That's what the letter said." The Emperor originally thought that with his son's indifferent nature, the choice of marriage partner would ultimately have to be decided between him and the Emperor of Nanqiong. Unexpectedly, his son took the initiative to propose marriage, which was a stroke of luck. The Emperor asked Consort Qin what she meant by this.
Consort Qin's charming eyes were like a fox's, captivatingly alluring. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Princess Zilu of the Southern Qiong clan is exceptionally beautiful and extremely talented, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If what Yu'er says is indeed her, then I have no objection."
Eunuch Li smiled and lowered his head. The current Imperial Concubine is the most favored concubine in the palace. His Majesty will definitely listen to her opinions. Moreover, the person His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine initially wanted His Highness to marry was Princess Zilu. This is truly a happy ending for everyone.
"Since the Imperial Concubine has said so, I grant her permission." The Emperor said "Good," smiled, picked up his brush, and began to draft the decree.
Consort Qin slightly curtsied, her smile radiant, "Your Majesty, I thank you."
On a bright summer day, even a short time outside is enough to make one feel refreshed.
Sweating profusely, Su Wanyue, who was afraid of the heat, had not left her boudoir for two days. On this day, she was playing chess with herself when the little maidservant of the Princess Consort of the South knocked on Su Wanyue's boudoir door, "Princess, the Prince and Princess Consort invite you to come over."
The maid looked flustered, which gave Qin'er a sudden bad feeling. She asked, "What's wrong?"
The maid was on the verge of tears. She frowned and said, "Princess, people from the Prince of Pingyang's mansion have come to propose marriage."
Qin'er felt as if she had heard a fairy tale and subconsciously looked at Su Wanyue.
At the same time, the Lu Prime Minister's residence also received the news. Madam Lu was pruning and tending to the flowers by the window when a maid rushed up to her, panting and clutching her lower abdomen, and said urgently, "Madam, something terrible has happened."
"What terrible thing has happened?" Madam Lu was momentarily distracted, and the scissors in her hand fell onto the windowsill.
"Reporting to Madam, I heard that the Prince of Pingyang's mansion has already gone to the Prince of Nan's mansion to propose marriage," the maid said with a bitter face.
"What?!" Madam Lu could hardly believe her ears. Her voice suddenly turned shrill as she asked in surprise, "Isn't the heir of the Pingyang Prince's Mansion always at odds with Wanwan? Why did he go to the Nan Prince's Mansion to propose marriage?"
This young master of the Pingyang Prince's Mansion wasn't a bad person, but he was exceptionally unreliable, acting like a child who hadn't grown up yet. Perhaps because they both came from the same prince's mansion, Chu Yao always seemed to deliberately belittle Wanwan. It was quite a sight for a grown man to bully a young girl like that. Of course, Madam Lu didn't like this junior, Chu Yao. But now that the Pingyang Prince's Mansion had gone to the Nan Prince's Mansion to propose marriage, was it the Pingyang Prince's intention or Chu Yao's? Madam Lu was more inclined to believe it was the Pingyang Prince's intention.
"This servant doesn't know either, but the Prince of Pingyang's mansion has already sent a matchmaker to our door. Madam, what do you think we should do?" The maidservant had a bitter face. The problem was that their second young master also liked Princess Zilu.
"Zi'er, quickly tell the steward to prepare the carriage. Qing'er, quickly go to my room and get the betrothal gift list. We're going to the Prince of Nan's mansion now." When Madam Lu was young, she and the Princess of Nan were close friends. Although marriage between children cannot be measured by friendship, we should still try to make an effort.
News from the capital is never kept secret. The news that the Prince of Pingyang's mansion had proposed marriage to the Prince of Nan's mansion quickly spread. As soon as this news came out, many families in the capital were heartbroken. Although the heir of the Prince of Pingyang's mansion was unreliable, the Prince of Pingyang's mansion and the Prince of Nan's mansion were well-matched, and they guessed that the marriage would most likely go through.
The main hall and the backyard were separate. In the main hall, the matchmaker from the Prince of Pingyang's mansion praised Chu Yao to the skies, while the Prince of Nan remained silent and occasionally glanced outside the door.
In the backyard, Su Qingqing looked at her daughter with a mixture of nervousness and tenderness, "Wanwan, what do you think?"
Su Qingqing and the Prince of Nan both doted on this daughter and always granted her every request without interfering with her life. Therefore, when it came to marriage, their daughter's preference was the most important factor. Of course, Su Qingqing did not think her daughter would like Chu Yao, after all, Chu Yao was too unreliable and a womanizer. How could one entrust one's life to such a person?
Su Wanyue looked helpless, almost swearing to Su Qingqing, "My daughter has nothing to do with him, and I don't want to marry him."
"Your mother knows what you're thinking. Your father will refuse him, Wanwan, don't worry." Su Qingqing immediately smiled and exchanged a glance with the maid guarding the door. The maid then went to the main hall to convey Su Qingqing's message.
"Then you..." Su Qingqing was about to ask her daughter if she had someone she liked when the butler came over and said that Madam Lu had arrived. Naturally, Su Qingqing had to go and see Madam Lu. Su Qingqing touched the flower between her daughter's eyebrows and had already guessed Madam Lu's purpose. "Then Wanwan can rest here for a while. Mother will be right back."
The main hall was quite lively at the moment because of the marriage proposal. The reason was that Madam Lu and Prince Pingyang had a dispute. Prince Pingyang claimed that he had arrived first and that Madam Lu's behavior was immoral. Madam Lu said that the marriage proposal depended on what the girl wanted. Since the marriage had not yet been decided, why couldn't the Lu family, the prime minister's family, come over?
"The imperial edict has arrived."
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
"His Highness Prince Cheng has arrived."
Upon hearing that there was an imperial decree from the palace, and that His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness Prince Cheng had arrived, everyone immediately rose to greet them.
The Prince of Nan already had a guess in his mind, and quickly gave the steward a look. The steward immediately went to invite Su Wanyue. As soon as Su Wanyue arrived, everyone's eyes fell on her. Eunuch Sheng unfolded the imperial edict, "Princess Ziluo, receive the edict."
Su Wanyue's heart was pounding, but she remained calm on the surface. She knelt down, and Eunuch Sheng spoke in a deep voice, saying, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Su Wanyue, the Princess Zilu of the Southern Prince's Mansion, is of noble birth, exceptionally talented, gentle and refined. She and His Highness Prince Cheng of Beili are mutually in love and have thus formed a marriage alliance. Now, Princess Zilu is hereby granted the title of Princess Dingguo, enjoying a stipend and fief. This is in accordance with the Empress Dowager's benevolent decree."
"Sister, accept the decree," Qin Jue said with a smile, looking at his beloved younger sister whom he had cherished since childhood.
Eunuch Sheng bowed respectfully and handed her the imperial edict, saying, "Congratulations, Princess Dingguo."
"Congratulations, Prince Nan! Congratulations, Princess Nan!"
The Prince of Pingyang and Chu Yao were almost stunned. Princess Dingguo was to be married to the Prince of Qin, so the candidate for the marriage alliance between the two countries was Su Wanyue.
Xiao Yu then made his move. Adopting the demeanor of a "first wife," he slowly walked up to Su Wanyue.
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