Chapter 223 A Mismatched Couple
A cold glint flashed in Shen Yanzhou's eyes, then he lowered his gaze and replied with utmost deference, "Your Majesty, family matters are matters of state. I was worried that someone was deliberately deceiving Your Majesty, so I only wished to let Your Majesty know the truth. The Seventh Princess is not even eight years old yet, and as a princess, it is truly an insult to Your Majesty's dignity to have her bear such a bad reputation from such a young age..."
His words were clever, successfully shifting the blame back to Emperor Muzong, which could lessen the emperor's suspicions to some extent.
However, ever since Emperor Muzong fell and lost feeling in his legs that day, he has had a new perspective on everyone around him, including Shen Yanzhou.
Although he knew in his heart that what he said was true, he was very dissatisfied with Shen Yanzhou's special treatment of Pei Shuyue.
Emperor Muzong tossed the book aside and said coldly, "I am already aware of this matter. When Xiao Qi paid his respects yesterday, he carefully admitted his mistake. Let this matter rest and there is no need to mention it again."
"yes."
Shen Yanzhou felt a chill run down his spine. Sure enough, the Emperor had always been wary of the Zhang family.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have let a drunkard stab the Zhang family patriarch to death and then let the matter drop so hastily.
He initially thought the emperor favored Prince Rui to inherit the throne, but Prince Rui was of questionable character, and was the son of Prince Xian. He was even taken to the battlefield by Pei Siyan to sacrifice to the flag.
Now only the Crown Prince and Prince Duan remain. Even if the Crown Prince returns in triumph, he will only suffer endless suspicion from Prince Duan because of his outstanding talent.
Therefore, His Majesty truly intends to hand over the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty to Prince Duan!
Unfortunately, Prince Duan was frivolous and incapable of shouldering great responsibilities.
Since ancient times, there have been no fathers and sons in the imperial family, let alone the thin bond between them...
Dou Wenyi's words echoed in my ears: If we really had to choose a wise ruler, how could Prince Duan compare to Pei Siyan?
Emperor Muzong stared at Shen Yanzhou, his gaze seemingly meaningful. "Minister Shen, are you married?"
A sense of unease rose in Shen Yanzhou's heart, but a smile appeared on his face. "Your Majesty, to be honest, my mother arranged a marriage for me many years ago, but I was too busy to focus on my career and thus it has been delayed until now."
Besides the seventh princess, Emperor Muzong also had a fifteen-year-old sixth princess, Pei Zhirou, who was unmarried and was the younger sister of Prince Duan.
Emperor Muzong's face was ashen, his eyes slightly cold, and he felt quite regretful, for good sons-in-law always belong to other people!
Leaving the Funing Palace, Shen Yanzhou felt increasingly uneasy, as Emperor Muzong was determined to tie him to Prince Duan's warship.
He has already committed the crime of 'deceiving the emperor' today, and it is hard to guarantee that he will not have other ideas. The marriage of Prince Duan is still undecided.
Shen Yanzhou had no doubt that when Emperor Muzong remembered that he had an unmarried younger sister, Shen Lishu, he would arrange a marriage between her and Prince Duan, and she might not even be his principal wife!
He couldn't let his sister end up in jail because of his momentary evasion.
No, he has to act decisively!
He urged his father to arrange a marriage between him and Shen Lishu as soon as possible.
Shen Yanzhou looked at the gloomy sky and curled his lips in self-deprecation. Was this the 'wise ruler' he had devoted himself to assisting?
The day before the Lantern Festival happened to be Consort Zhang's birthday, and Emperor Muzong ordered a palace play to be performed in the Banana Garden.
They even made an exception and invited Consort Zhang to watch the play.
Consort Zhang had long seen through this kind of favor of giving a slap followed by a sweet treat. She dressed up beautifully and went to the Banana Garden with a perfect smile.
The play was ostensibly a birthday celebration for Consort Zhang, so only the Crown Princess Dou Wenyi, along with several concubines, princesses, and princes, were present.
After watching the play for a while, Emperor Muzong glanced at the Sixth Princess Pei Zhirou, who was huddled in the corner, and casually remarked, "Consort Shu, the Sixth Princess has come of age. I see that your nephew Zhang Chengxian has made great progress and is a promising talent. It would be a wonderful thing if he and the Sixth Princess could get married."
Dou Wenyi's heart pounded wildly; Emperor Muzong was simply bewitched.
The emperor believed that a marriage alliance would allow him to control Zhang Chengxian. This would allow him to undermine Zhang Chengxian's power, gain control of the Xuanjia Army, and thus support Prince Duan and Pei Siyan in establishing a rival power.
Consort Zhang was startled and knelt respectfully before the emperor. "Your Majesty, Zhang Chengxian's father passed away suddenly, and he should have been in mourning for three years. However, due to the invasion of the Northern Barbarians and the internal strife caused by the rebellious king, he has heavy responsibilities and has no choice but to 'dismiss his mourning leave'. Once the war is over, he must resign and observe mourning no matter what."
"Otherwise, he will bear the infamy for the rest of his life. Once he leaves office and returns to his hometown to observe mourning, the Sixth Princess will probably have to wait three years before they can get married. And then there's..."
Emperor Muzong narrowed his eyes, gazing intently at her. "Anything else?"
Consort Zhang's gaze fell on the Sixth Princess not far away, and her voice grew softer and softer, "Zhang Chengxian, a marriage was arranged before the expedition. I must first persuade my sister-in-law to break off that engagement."
Pei Zhirou's face was flushed, her head was down, and her hands were clenched into a knot.
Emperor Muzong's expression shifted rapidly. He glanced coldly at Consort Zhang and said, "I am tired. Guards, take me back to Funing Palace."
She pretended to be humble and subservient. If she really wanted Zhang Chengxian to marry the princess, even if he was already engaged, she would never bring it up in front of everyone.
By saying this so openly, isn't she just trying to get people to criticize and gossip about how an emperor like her would compete with others for a son-in-law?
None of them wanted to marry the Sixth Princess.
He couldn't believe that the emperor's daughter couldn't find a suitable son-in-law.
He had already given Consort Zhang a chance, but she herself did not cherish it, so he shouldn't blame him for not remembering their past relationship.
After the emperor left, the crowd lost interest and made excuses to leave early.
Once everyone had left, Dou Wenyi took Pei Shuyue's hand and asked with a smile, "What gift did you prepare for your mother today?"
Pei Shuyue pouted, "I drew a picture for Mother Consort."
Dou Wenyi smiled and said, "I borrowed a few travelogues from the Empress last time, and I've already finished reading them. I'll have to trouble Shuyue to return them to me tomorrow."
Pei Shuyue nodded. "Okay, don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Dou Wenyi and Consort Zhang exchanged a glance, and she curtsied before leaving.
Back at the Eastern Palace, Dou Wenyi hadn't yet figured out a solution when she unexpectedly received a visit from Shen Lishu.
This was Shen Lishu's first time visiting the East Palace, and she was inevitably nervous. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she finally revealed her concerns, "Your Highness, I have come here today to ask you for a favor."
Dou Wenyi ordered someone to serve her tea and snacks, feigning anger, "Are you trying to distance yourself from me? What is it? Speak up quickly!"
Shen Lishu blushed slightly and stammered as she recounted the whole story.
"...You mean, your parents are going to arrange a marriage for you just in case?" Dou Wenyi seemed to be thinking, and a brilliant idea had already formed in her mind.
Shen Lishu nodded solemnly and whispered, "Yes, Father said it doesn't matter which family we find, but I'm worried he won't keep his promise. You have good judgment, do you have any reliable candidates..."
Do you know General Zhang Chengxian of the Cloud Banner Army?
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