Recently, Su Tang has been troubled by her parents' divorce; she hasn't given any thought to personal matters between them.
"I don't know. I haven't thought about these things. I don't know him well. The princess grew up with him and knows him best. What do you think of him as a person?"
Su Tang subtly posed the question to the princess, putting Rong Yu in a difficult position. Not wanting to deceive her, she answered truthfully:
"He was quite a troublemaker when he was young. He even bullied Lejur when Lejur first came."
Su Tang instantly understood, "In other words, his character isn't very good."
Rong Yu felt that this was not accurate, so she added, "You can't say that. It's normal for young people to be naughty. In the past two years, he has grown older and become much more mature than before."
Su Tang thought to herself: Is this what you call composure? How mischievous must he have been before?
Curious, she asked Yan Zhi what she thought of Yong Ying. Yan Zhi didn't want to talk badly about people behind their backs, but Su Tang was her cousin! She couldn't possibly lie to her cousin!
After thinking it over, she decided to tell the truth: "I don't know him very well. From what I've seen, he seems to be a very warm-hearted person. He just loves to talk and can chat with anyone, especially the new palace maids. He likes to strike up conversations with the pretty ones."
Su Tang already had a bad impression of Yong Ying, and upon hearing this, she immediately frowned, feeling even more that Yong Ying was unreliable and that she should stay away from him.
She had intended to return the birthday gift, but Rong Yu said that birthday gifts are a token of appreciation and there is no such thing as returning them. If she didn't like it, she could put it away and avoid seeing it.
So Su Tang put the pen holder away and didn't use it.
Yongying thought that after this incident, Su Tang would be more friendly, but Su Tang still had a cold expression when she saw him.
Anxious, he couldn't help but step forward and ask, "You saw the pen holder I gave you, right? Is it easy to use?"
Su Tang said calmly, "I received it. Thank you for your gift, but I haven't used it yet."
"Why not use it? Do you dislike my carving skills?"
"I have a pen holder in my room, and I'm comfortable with the old one, so I don't want to replace it." After saying this, Su Tang left, leaving Yong Ying alone, feeling very frustrated.
Frustrated, he confided in Yongzhang, "I've put so much effort into preparing a wedding gift for her, but she still doesn't like it. Why is that?"
This is a rather profound question, and I'm afraid Yongzhang can't answer it. "I'm not her, how would I know what she's thinking?"
"Could you help me find out? Yanzhi is her best friend, she must know the inside story."
So what if she knows? "Yan Zhi is tight-lipped; she won't betray Su Tang."
Yongzhang knew Yanzhi's personality all too well, so he didn't want to risk a rejection. Yongying sighed and rubbed her forehead, "What can we do? Why is it so hard to coax a girl?"
Seeing his worried expression, Yongzhang couldn't help but ask curiously, "I just want to know, are you just teasing Su Tang to amuse yourself, or do you genuinely like her?"
Yongying didn't understand. "What's the difference?"
"If you're just teasing her, stop now. Su Tang is a good girl and my cousin. I hope you won't ruin her life. If you're sincere, then have Fifth Prince ask my Emperor Father for a marriage decree. With a marriage agreement, I expect she'll treat you better."
Yongzhang's words gave him a wake-up call, and he suddenly remembered that he could ask the emperor to grant him a marriage!
So, taking advantage of his father's visit, Yongying made his request, saying that he was interested in Su Tang, the niece of the Imperial Noble Consort.
Hongzhou pondered to himself that since the Imperial Noble Consort's favor with the emperor remained undiminished, a marriage alliance between his family and the Su family would be a good thing. Considering his own family's interests, Hongzhou agreed to his son's request and proposed marriage to the emperor the next day.
After considering it, Hongli thought the two children were about the same age and were a good match. He felt they were quite suitable, but he still needed to tell Yushan first before reporting back to the fifth prince.
Upon hearing his idea, Yu Shan's expression darkened. "Yong Ying and Tang'er? Isn't that inappropriate?"
“You said before that Yonghuang and Sutang are cousins and can’t be together. But Yongying and Sutang are not related by blood. Besides, I have no intention of making Yongying the heir apparent. He will not inherit the throne in the future and does not need to take a concubine. Sutang can rest assured. They can be together eventually, right?”
There's no problem with that, but Yongying often causes trouble. Although Su Yushan doesn't dislike him, she doesn't have a good impression of him. "But Yongying is a good-for-nothing. He often chats and laughs with the palace maids. I'm worried that he'll be a womanizer and will let Tang'er down."
Regarding his character, Hongli had been observing him in secret for a long time. "He is a bit mischievous, but he is not an irredeemable person. Over the years, his teachers have strictly taught him, and he has corrected many of his bad habits. You don't need to worry."
"I need to ask Tang'er what she thinks and see if she's willing."
“The young girl has no opinion of her own, so asking her is useless. In my opinion, Yongying is the best choice.”
No matter how much Hongli praised Yongying, Yushan always said the same thing: ask Tang'er's opinion before making a decision.
Hongli had no choice but to agree.
The following afternoon, Su Yushan summoned Su Tang and told her about the Emperor's intentions, asking her what she thought and whether she was willing to get engaged to Yongying.
What Su Yushan didn't know was that before this, Hongli had already sent someone to find Su Tang alone and specifically reminded her that this was an imperial decree, and the emperor had already planned to bestow a marriage upon her. She could not refuse, and when the Imperial Noble Consort asked, she had to answer that she was willing; there was no other choice.
Su Tang knew very well that her aunt cared about her feelings and wanted to know her true thoughts, which was why she asked her beforehand. But the emperor didn't have that patience and would never let her act recklessly!
She had already refused the emperor's kindness once before. If she refused again this time, the emperor might get angry and even take it out on her father, or have a dispute with the Imperial Noble Consort.
Thinking of this, Su Tang felt a little scared.
Lost in thought, she didn't respond until Su Yushan called her twice before she came back to her senses.
Seeing that her expression was not right, Su Yushan smiled gently and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Just tell me your true thoughts. If you like it, you like it; if you don't like it, you don't like it. Your aunt will make the decision for you and will never force you."
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