Chapter 371 Imperial Marriage
Prime Minister Liu sighed again, seemingly unsure how to begin, and appeared quite troubled.
Huo Ran couldn't see his expression and, seeing this, said very "considerately," "Since Uncle finds it so difficult to say, then let it be. I won't force you to listen."
Prime Minister Liu was somewhat embarrassed by his words, as if he had suddenly realized that he was going to talk about his daughter. It was indeed a shameful matter that was difficult to talk about, but after all, she was his daughter, and he had to plan for her future.
"It's like this." Prime Minister Liu opened his mouth, still finding it difficult to speak, but after so many years in officialdom, he had long since developed a thick skin.
"You must have heard about what happened today. You and Ziju grew up together. You used to play together a lot when you were little, which is why she has always liked you so much. I know you only have brotherly and sisterly feelings for her, but as her uncle, can I ask you for a favor?"
Huo Ran frowned. He had already guessed what Prime Minister Liu was going to say. He didn't want to agree, and Prime Minister Liu was suspected of moral blackmail.
Prime Minister Liu continued, "Zijun's reputation is completely ruined. She was just threatening to die. How can I, as her father, bear to watch my daughter die? When you have your own children in the future, you will be able to understand your uncle's feelings. So, can your uncle ask you for a favor? Marry Zijun, okay?"
He stood up abruptly, saying with disbelief, "Uncle, what are you saying? Miss Liu and I never had any engagement, and the Emperor has already canceled it. Uncle, this... puts me in a really difficult position."
Knowing that Huo Ran would react this way, it was all within Prime Minister Liu's expectations, but for the sake of his daughter's future, he still had to continue speaking, even if it meant losing face.
“I know you won’t agree. No man could accept such a stain on his wife’s reputation. But Ziju is still a virgin. Someone framed her. She didn’t do it willingly. She’s a victim too. So, could you…”
Huo Ran turned his back to Prime Minister Liu, a cold smile appearing on his lips, and asked, "Oh? Miss Liu is a victim? Then why doesn't Uncle go find the person who framed her? We need to find out exactly what caused this."
Prime Minister Liu was speechless. This whole mess was entirely of Lady Liu and Liu Zijun's own making. If they hadn't acted on their own initiative, none of this would have happened.
“We will definitely investigate, but I need to calm my daughter down first. The only way she can feel better is to marry you. That’s why your uncle came to beg you. Could you please marry Ziju for the sake of our long-standing friendship? Don’t worry, if you have any girls you like in the future, you can bring them into the family. Ziju won’t interfere, and neither will the Liu family.”
It sounded as if he were doing Huo Ran a favor. Huo Ran sighed and turned around with a troubled expression: "Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that I can't hurt Miss Liu. You're a man too, you should know what I'm thinking. If a man doesn't love a woman, then that woman's life will be very hard and sad. Uncle doesn't want Miss Liu to spend her life like that either, does he?"
Prime Minister Liu sighed deeply: "How could I not know? A woman's happiness comes from her husband. If her husband doesn't love her, her life will be very sad. I don't ask you to be too good to her. Just treat her with respect and don't mistreat her. That will be enough."
Huo Ran shook his head: "It's not that I can't do these things, but you know better than I do what kind of person Miss Liu is. Once we give Miss Liu even the slightest hope, she will want more. Can you guarantee that she won't want her husband's love after they get married? Besides, she already has this desire, so let's not harm her."
Prime Minister Liu lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Although he knew that Huo Ran was unwilling to marry Liu Zijun and that was why he said those words, they were indeed very reasonable. With Liu Zijun's personality, she would definitely go crazy if she couldn't have the love she wanted. He didn't want his daughter to suffer like that.
"But Ziju only wants to marry you. If it's someone else, she still won't be happy. If she forces herself to marry someone else, she might hate me for the rest of her life. I don't know if she might even try to kill herself. Can't you two develop feelings for each other over time? Feelings are built up day by day. How will you know if you don't try?"
Huo Ran's eyes gradually turned cold. He had already politely refused, but if Prime Minister Liu continued to force and make things difficult for him, then he wouldn't be so polite.
“Uncle Liu, I know my own character very well. I will never like someone I don’t like, so please don’t make things difficult for me. Instead of wasting time, you should comfort Miss Liu. I have to go to the palace for some business, so please excuse me.”
Huo Ran finished speaking and left. After he left, Madam Liu came out from behind the screen, her eyes full of hatred.
"That Huo Ran, what a cruel heart he has! Even with Ziju in this state, he is still so indifferent and heartless!"
Although Prime Minister Liu was also very unhappy, he was much calmer than Madam Liu.
“No man would agree to this unless he wanted to curry favor with the Liu family. Even so, we cannot guarantee that he will treat Ziju well after marriage. If we want Ziju to live a good life, we have to protect her.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu wiped away her tears again and said, "Zijun's life is so bitter. My poor daughter, her life is ruined."
Prime Minister Liu looked at the apricot tree outside and suddenly said, "If all else fails, then let her marry the son of the Minister of Personnel. That's the only option."
Madam Liu was shocked: "What? Master, are you really going to marry our precious daughter to that scoundrel? I've heard that he's not only lazy and good-for-nothing, but he also likes to frequent brothels. Look at him, he's fat and ugly. How... how can he be the son-in-law of our Prime Minister's mansion?"
Prime Minister Liu looked at him coldly: "Yes, this is the kind of person you all chose together, isn't he?"
Madam Liu was stunned for a moment. She realized that this person was indeed someone she and her daughter had chosen together. They had picked the worst man among the male guests who came today, intending to use him to disgust Jiang Mi. She just didn't expect that this person was someone they had chosen for themselves.
Seeing that Madam Liu remained silent, Prime Minister Liu said coldly, "Do you regret it? Do you regret not choosing someone slightly better? At least Ziju wouldn't be marrying such a bad person now? It's too late, it's all too late!"
After saying this, Prime Minister Liu flicked his sleeve and walked out.
Suddenly, Madam Liu's legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground, filled with regret.
On the other hand, Jiang Mi was very happy. She planned to put the shower gel in her shop to sell. She even wrote an introduction and usage instructions for the shower gel at the door, and clearly explained its functions and effects. The system had told her all of this, and she just took it and used it.
Everyone was very curious about the shower gel sold in the soap shop, and because of their trust in Yue Shangshao, they were willing to support it.
Jiang Mi now has enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life. She pretended to be a passerby and walked past the entrance of Yue Shangshao. Seeing everyone going in to look at the shower gel, she felt quite accomplished.
When people in the palace heard about the bath gel, they all sent people to check what was going on. The bath gel was priced a bit high, and it was indeed not easy for ordinary people to buy a bottle to use, but if they saved up their money, they could still afford it.
Just like with soap, some scents are more expensive, while others are cheaper.
"Shower gel is a great product. It leaves your skin feeling smooth and silky, unlike soap which leaves your skin feeling dry. It seems there's a reason why it's expensive."
Jiang Mi was very happy to see everyone praising it so much. She specially opened a small jar for everyone to try for free. After everyone felt it was good, they were naturally willing to buy it and use it.
Hearing everyone's praise, the people in the palace immediately relayed the news, and Jiang Mi received many more orders. However, the production time for the shower gel was a bit longer than that for the soap, but good things naturally attract people who are willing to wait.
Not to be outdone, Huo Ran shamelessly asked Jiang Mi for some to take back and use. He figured he had to have something made by his future wife.
In order to marry Jiang Mi, Huo Ran made several trips to the palace and finally obtained the emperor's decree of marriage. Coincidentally, on the same day, the Liu family was also preparing to marry Liu Zijun to the family of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
After the imperial edict was announced, Jiang Mi blushed deeply. Her father-in-law handed the edict to her, beaming with joy.
"Congratulations, Miss Jiang! This is such a wonderful thing! Young Master Huo is a good husband that many people would love to marry. It seems that only Miss Jiang is so lucky."
Jiang Mi lowered her head. Jiang's mother and Jiang Cheng were happy for their daughter, but at the same time, they were worried about her. They didn't know if their daughter could live the life of a wealthy family, and they hoped that she wouldn't suffer any grievances.
Su Yindi was filled with envy. She knew that once Jiang Mi got married, she would be the Crown Prince's wife. If she returned to the county and village, everyone would come out to kowtow and pay their respects. Now that her family had produced such a person, she could boast about it.
Jiang Mi felt a sweet warmth in her heart. Huo Ran was just that kind of person; whatever he said, he would do his best to do it, no matter what. Now was the time for him to fulfill his promise.
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