Chapter 146 Protecting His Daughter
"Old Xia," the emperor suddenly called out to Minister Xia of the Ministry of War. "Your daughter Wanqing was previously destined to be with Xiao Yu, but it didn't work out due to some misunderstandings. Now I'm interested in arranging this marriage again. What do you think?"
Xiao Yu frowned secretly when he heard this.
He knew the old emperor's tricks too well. He knew that he couldn't get the job done in private, so he brought it to the table and forced Minister Xia not to go against his wishes in front of so many people.
Xiao Yu wanted to refuse outright, but he didn't speak immediately. He also wanted to see Minister Xia's attitude first, to see if he knew about his daughter's situation.
"Your Majesty." Minister Xia walked quickly before the emperor and knelt deeply. "Your Majesty, you have loved me wrongly. My daughter has been naughty since she was little. She only loves swords and spears. She is not good at playing the piano, chess, calligraphy, or painting. She is truly unworthy of Master Xiao."
The emperor said unhappily, "Oh, you are quite good at talking, but I'm afraid you don't really think so in your heart. You still think Xiao Yu is not worthy of your daughter, just like a few years ago!"
On the surface, Xiao Yu is a nobleman with an awkward identity, but everyone knows that he is actually the emperor's biological son, the fourth prince of the current dynasty.
Saying that Xiao Yu is not worthy of the emperor means looking down on him!
Everyone was thinking that since the emperor was putting so much pressure on him, even if Minister Xia was unwilling this time, he would probably have to give in.
I just don't know why the emperor suddenly made this decision.
Unexpectedly, Minister Xia bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have absolutely no prejudice against Young Master Xiao. It is just that I failed to educate my daughter properly, causing her to become willful and lawless. My wife and I are deeply worried. We only wish to keep our daughter by our side and never marry again."
What? Never marry in this life?
The officials who were watching were all stunned and began to speculate on the hidden meaning behind Minister Xia's words.
Would he rather let his daughter remain unmarried than agree to this marriage? What exactly is going on between these factions in the court, and whose side is Minister Xia on?
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince were even more suspicious of each other at this time. They both believed that the other had won over Minister Xia, and they didn't know what means they had used to make Minister Xia dare to disobey the orders of the emperor.
At this time, only Xiao Yu and Xu Chuchu knew that Minister Xia had not taken sides at all, he was just protecting his daughter.
Even if this is just a political marriage, as long as Xia Wanqing is discovered to be an imperfect virgin by her husband's family, even if her husband's family dares not make it public in order to win over the Ministry of War, Xia Wanqing will never have a good day.
She would never be able to hold her head up high in her husband's family. She would be looked down upon by her husband, bullied by her concubines, and gossiped about by her mother-in-law...
Rather than marrying and being humiliated and bullied, it is better to be raised at home for the rest of your life.
Moreover, Minister Xia had only this one choice; any other excuses could not defeat the imperial order.
"That's nonsense," the emperor said angrily. "Why shouldn't a girl marry? Why keep her at home as a maid forever? It's fine while you're still here, but what will happen when you get old and die? Who will take care of an orphan like her?"
At this moment, Xia Wanqing suddenly stood up from her seat, ignoring the crazed look from Minister Xia, and knelt down, saying, "Wanqing also wishes to remain single for the rest of her life, to serve her parents at home until old age. I hope Your Majesty will grant this wish!"
"You... the old ones are ignorant, and the young ones are just as ignorant!"
Xiao Yu had already understood the situation and spoke at the right time: "Your Majesty, although my illness has improved now, it is unknown whether it will relapse in the future. Therefore, I have no intention of marrying. Please rescind your order."
He expressed this attitude to give Minister Xia a way out and help him share some of the pressure.
Secondly, it was also for his own sake, to prevent someone from taking advantage of the situation in the future and saying that he was deeply in love with Xia Wanqing, but the Xia family had let him down again and again.
The emperor was interrupted by three people in succession, two of whom were younger than him. He was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "You two are old enough but don't want to start a family. You want to be bachelors all your life. Where did you get your education? You are really rebellious!"
At this time, the Queen gently advised, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. It's normal for young people to have immature ideas. If they don't want to get married now, they may not want to in the future. Your Majesty, why don't you just let them go? When they think it through, they will naturally agree."
With the Queen mediating, the Emperor's anger seemed to have subsided a lot. He kept waving his hands and saying, "Get out of here, everyone! Your kindness is being taken for granted!"
The three of them also obediently returned to their seats at the speed of light, not giving the emperor any chance to regret.
This arranged marriage seemed to have been abruptly concluded, and it might never be mentioned again. Everyone present was mixed, some happy and some sad.
Shao Zhi in the back seat was generally satisfied with the result, and was secretly proud that the strategy she had used to sow discord on Xia Wanqing had indeed worked.
But she couldn't understand why the Xia family blamed everything on herself instead of exposing Xu Chuchu.
Are they so stupid that they don’t know how to put the blame on each other?
At this time, the Queen said, "In fact, there are many young people of marriageable age in our capital, but they don't usually interact with each other. Your Majesty, why don't you let them take this opportunity to get to know each other? Maybe they can even form a good relationship."
"The Queen is right." The Emperor, seemingly worried about having no reason to punish these older, unmarried young men, immediately agreed. "So, all the unengaged children of marriageable age should come out and showcase their talents. If you don't perform, how can you be recognized by everyone?"
He scanned the room: "Who's going to be the first one?"
There was complete silence for a moment, and after a moment of silence, a female figure was the first to step forward.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Shao Zhi is willing to start by throwing out some ideas."
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