At this point, she choked up a little. "Brother, under our parents' orders, has painstakingly searched for me for years, only wanting to double my compensation. If I enter Prince Gong's mansion, brother will be heartbroken and will inevitably love me as much as the whole family. By then, I'm afraid I'll be unable to fulfill both loyalty and filial piety... I wasn't able to enjoy the cares of my parents when I was young, and now I'm putting you in this dilemma. I'm guilty."
As she spoke, she kowtowed again: "I don't know how I caught the eye of His Royal Highness Prince Gong, but I beg Your Majesty, my brother has studied hard, so for the sake of his loyalty, please don't let him get into trouble because of me, otherwise I would rather die!"
Seeing her like this, the emperor was silent.
He did have the intention of ordering her death, but now that she had become Jiang Xu's sister, she had other uses.
When he first ascended the throne, the Ge family had served as his close confidant and minister, but as their achievements grew, they gradually developed ambitions, and this confidant became a serious threat to him.
He needed a new group of close ministers who were absolutely loyal to him. The Shen family was one, Huo Wuyou was one, and Jiang Xu, who had no foundation and was difficult to win over, could also be one.
At times like this, he needs some people who can serve as his solid barrier.
In addition to interests, nepotism is also a way to connect them together.
Such silence made Xue Zhiyi feel a little uneasy, and she was not sure whether her words would be of any use to the emperor.
The emperor suddenly laughed. "At first, when Jiang Xu said you were his long-lost sister, I was skeptical. But now you look like you're ready to die to prove your loyalty. You look just like Jiang Xu."
Xue Zhiyi was stunned. He only heard the emperor say, "A few days ago, Jiang Xu told me how you two met. I suspect you have ulterior motives. Did you trick Jiang Xu in some way? Or maybe Jiang Xu has other intentions."
Xue Zhiyi lowered his eyes: I'm afraid that if the emperor tested her in this way, he might also be testing her brother.
The emperor sighed and shook his head. "Your brother said the same thing back then. He said he would rather resign and take you back home, rather than lose your closest relatives. If I still have doubts about his sister, he is willing to die to prove his loyalty in exchange for my dispelling my doubts about you."
Xue Zhiyi didn't know what to say, so he just continued acting as he had just done: "Your Majesty, my brother is loyal..."
"I know," the emperor said, "I am not such a foolish and incompetent emperor, and I will not help my son to force someone to marry."
The emperor took a few steps closer and stopped in front of Xue Zhiyi. "Jiang Wan, since you don't want to marry Prince Gong, how about I grant you another marriage?"
Xue Zhiyi was stunned, then he heard the emperor chuckle softly: "What do you think of the Marquis of Lin'an?"
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