After sending away the officers and soldiers who came to inquire, the old emperor returned to the palace with a beaming face.
After An Jingzhi explained the matter clearly, he left with the emperor.
The old emperor, sitting on the throne, beamed and said, "Mr. An, you have made such great contributions. Tell me how you would like me to reward you."
An Jingzhi said: "This is my duty. Why do I need a reward?"
The old emperor said again: "That won't do. If I don't reward you for your merits, then it will be my fault."
An Jingzhi then spoke: "I have nothing else to ask for, but there is one thing I would like to ask Your Majesty for help with."
The old emperor became interested and asked, "Oh? My Imperial Master, is there anything else I can help you with?"
An Jingzhi said: "I am pleased with Princess Ningyue of the Fuwang family and would like to ask Your Majesty to help me arrange a marriage."
The old emperor thought for a while before reacting, "Are you talking about the little girl from Prince Fu's family?" He heard that the girl was dancing with spears and sticks all day long, which gave his cousin Prince Fu a headache.
"Exactly!"
The old emperor said readily, "Very well! I will grant you the marriage! The marriage shall be completed within three months. Furthermore, Princess Ningyue shall be married according to the etiquette of a princess. All betrothal gifts shall be provided by the palace, and the engagement shall be made according to the etiquette of a prince. I shall grant you the title of Imperial Master in Dengxi County! I shall be present in person on the wedding day."
An Jingzhi bowed deeply, "Your Majesty, I thank you! I beg Your Majesty to allow me to go and announce the imperial decree granting the marriage."
Although An Jingzhi knew what Princess Ning Yue was thinking, he still wanted to hear her agree in person rather than force her with an imperial decree.
The old emperor asked: "Why is this?"
An Jingzhi spoke his thoughts. The old emperor pondered for a moment. He didn't expect that this imperial teacher was such a sentimental person. Well, it was just an imperial decree granting marriage. If Ning Yue disagreed, then it would be as if the imperial decree had never been issued.
So he gave An Jingzhi this favor.
Quan'an accompanied An Jingzhi to read the imperial edict. After arriving at Prince Fu's mansion, An Jingzhi explained his purpose to Prince Fu.
Prince Fu said, "Alright." He was somewhat reluctant about this marriage. Although An Jingzhi was favored by the emperor, he was too close to the imperial power and could be killed if he wasn't careful.
If my daughter disagrees, I can just refuse.
But he also had a headache, thinking about the people he sent to keep an eye on his daughter and reporting the news about Princess Ning Yue and An Jingzhi getting along, and he knew that his daughter would most likely agree.
He had a good impression of An Jingzhi, who was successful but not arrogant. He had won the emperor's favor, yet remained humble and polite, rising from nothing to his current high position.
Today, she is still unwilling to use the imperial edict to force his daughter to get married. She is thoughtful and considerate, and she is worthy of his daughter.
An Jingzhi was brought to Princess Ningyue's courtyard by a nanny. When they arrived, the nanny stood at the gate of the courtyard and did not leave. Of course, Prince Fu was not at ease letting a man have alone contact with his precious daughter.
Sending this mother also means surveillance.
An Jingzhi walked into the courtyard alone and found Princess Ning Yue sitting in the pavilion talking to Qiu Shuang.
"An Jingzhi? Why are you here? Has my dad found out? Go, go, go, hide quickly. If my dad finds out you came to see me, you're doomed!"
Princess Ning Yue stood up quickly and wanted to pull An Jingzhi to hide.
An Jingzhi smiled and said, "I didn't sneak in today. I have the permission of Prince Fu, so there is no need to hide."
Princess Ning Yue was surprised and said, "Being the Imperial Master is really different. Even my father has to give you face."
An Jingzhi didn't respond, "I have something I want to talk to you alone today."
Princess Ning Yue was stunned, then asked Qiu Shuang to go down.
Qiu Shuang stamped her feet unhappily, not knowing what the princess was thinking! How could an unmarried woman be alone with a man?
She walked to the gate of the courtyard reluctantly, intending to watch from a distance. If anything went wrong, she could step forward immediately!
After reaching the courtyard entrance, Qiu Shuang paused, her eyes a little flustered, and she found Aunt Zhang standing at the door.
Didn't Aunt Zhang also see the princess and the man together? It's over, it's over, now the prince knows too!
Then he thought again, that's not right? Didn't An Jingzhi say that he had obtained Prince Fu's permission?
That means Prince Fu knew about it!
On the other side, after watching Qiu Shuang leave, Princess Ning Yue, whose ears were burning from An Jingzhi's scorching gaze, said, "What do you want to tell me? Qiu Shuang is gone, go ahead."
An Jingzhi stared at Princess Ning Yue, not missing any expression on her face. "I am attracted to you, Princess. I wonder what you think of me?"
Princess Ningyue was thrown into confusion by An Jingzhi's straightforward confession, and her heart was immediately in turmoil.
Her face flushed red. "You! You are indeed a pervert! How can you go straight to a girl's room and ask her what she thinks?"
An Jingzhi did not miss the shyness and joy in Princess Ning Yue's eyes.
"Ning Yue, I am attracted to you, and I have come to your house today to propose marriage. I have already asked His Majesty to grant me the marriage, but I want to hear your answer in person. If you agree, I will propose to your father, Prince Fu, today. If you do not agree, I will ask His Majesty to withdraw his order."
Princess Ning Yue's heart was beating like a deer, flustered yet mixed with joy. "You, you really came here to propose marriage with an imperial decree?"
An Jingzhi felt confident after watching Princess Ning Yue's performance.
"Of course it's true!"
"Well, then, if you want to propose marriage, then you should discuss it with my father. Why are you looking for me?"
An Jingzhi laughed and said, "I'm just afraid that your princess will look down on me."
Princess Ning Yue stamped her feet and hesitated, "You, my father agreed?"
"Of course I agree, otherwise why would you let me ask your opinion?"
"Then you...you should just discuss it with my father. Parents' orders and matchmaker's words have been the norm since ancient times. What's more, His Majesty has already granted the marriage." After Princess Ning Yue finished speaking, she left in a hurry with a blush on her cheeks.
Qiu Shuang saw the princess leave and followed her. Nanny Zhang also took An Jingzhi back to the front hall.
There was no need to say anything more. Although Princess Ning Yue did not respond directly, An Jingzhi could sense the affection between her words.
Since Princess Ningyuan herself agreed, Prince Fu naturally had no intention of stopping her. Quan An, who came with him, announced His Majesty's decree to grant the marriage.
All matters were handled by the official media sent by the palace to help An Jingzhi.
As the bride and groom, An Jingzhi and Princess Ningyue only need to wait for the wedding day to arrive.
Princess Ningyue's wedding was held according to princess etiquette, and the betrothal gifts were also provided by the palace.
It can be seen from this how much An Jingzhi is favored by the emperor. Important officials in the court came to attend An Jingzhi's wedding. It is said that His Majesty the Emperor will come in person. If they do not come, they may be seen by the emperor and it may be recorded.
Maybe then the emperor will wonder, what's going on? Are you dissatisfied with my marriage? I'm here to congratulate the Imperial Master, why aren't you here? Are you busier than I am?
Therefore, the whole city was in an uproar on An Jing's wedding day.
The Imperial Master's Mansion was crowded with guests and the atmosphere was high, until the arrival of the old emperor, which pushed the warm and festive atmosphere to its peak.
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