Ten deaths and no chance of survival? !

The pupils of the ministers around him all shrank slightly, they were confused and uncertain, and they all remained silent.

The parade ground outside the platform was still noisy. The fierce sound of horse hooves and the cheers of the audience formed a sharp contrast with the silence on the emperor's side, as if they were two different worlds.

The emperor was quite satisfied with Xuan Jing's tact, but his face showed a pained expression and his brows were furrowed even more tightly.

"My Ninth Prince is still so young, how could he..." He sighed with regret, "Master, please think about it again. You can't let my Ninth Prince die so early."

"He has fought on the battlefield for so many years and finally returned victorious... I really can't bear it!"

The nobles and officials present remained silent. Everyone knew that the emperor was dissatisfied with Prince Chen, but now he suddenly acted like he cared for his younger brother, which made people suspect that the emperor had other intentions. They should just wait and see what happened.

"Your Majesty, please wait a moment. Let me calculate again." Xuan Jing closed his eyes, counted with his fingers again, frowned slightly, and seemed to be muttering to himself.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, his eyes sparkling with brilliance, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, if you can find a woman with a compatible horoscope to bring happiness to His Royal Highness Prince Chen, maybe you can save the prince from this fatal disaster."

"A wedding to bring good luck?" The emperor raised his eyebrows in surprise, pondered for a moment, and said with a sigh, "My ninth brother is already in his early twenties, and still unmarried. Maybe this is just the right time for him to get married."

The emperor then said, "Master, please calculate what kind of horoscopes can help me get along with my ninth brother."

Xuan Jing seemed to be in a dilemma, "Your Majesty, I need the horoscope of His Royal Highness Prince Chen to calculate."

The birth dates of the royal family members are recorded in the jade book.

The emperor only gave a look and Eunuch Ni understood what he meant. He walked over and whispered Gu Jue's horoscope to Xuan Jing.

Xuan Jing closed his eyes and started calculating again.

The ministers had different expressions and couldn't help but exchange glances with each other secretly.

Most people were still confused and had no idea what the emperor was up to. Some people vaguely guessed that the emperor might be eyeing Prince Chen's marriage.

The question is, with Prince Chen's rebellious character, will he obediently allow the Emperor to grant him a marriage? !

Under normal circumstances, of course not, but now that Prince Chen is seriously ill, it's hard to say...

At this moment, even the passage of time seems to have slowed down...

Several court officials could not help but wipe the beads of sweat sliding down their foreheads with their sleeves. They felt heavy in their hearts, as if a storm was about to come.

finally--

Xuan Jing opened his eyes again amid the complicated gazes of the crowd, looking confident.

"Master Xuan Jing, you are finally out?" Eunuch Ni asked in a shrill voice.

Xuan Jing stood up from the futon and said, "Please prepare the writing brush and ink, eunuch."

As soon as the order was given, a young eunuch quickly prepared the four treasures of the study and served Xuan Jing with writing materials.

Xuan Jing wrote down his birth date on the paper, and then said, "Your Majesty, this girl is in the capital. She was born and raised in the capital. Her home should be in the west of the city. She is the second daughter in the family..."

Eunuch Ni sent the birth date to the emperor for his review. The emperor glanced at it and ordered: "Post a notice immediately to find the person..."

"Your Majesty," Eunuch Ni held up the piece of silk paper with the birth date written on it, his eyes hesitant, "This date looks familiar to me. The second niece of the Imperial Concubine seemed to have been born on this date... That's right, it was August of the Wuxu year."

"The Yongding Marquis's Mansion also happens to be in the west of the city."

The emperor twirled the jade ring on his thumb and immediately ordered, "Send the message to Chu Lingxiao!"

So the eunuchs immediately took the order and left in a hurry.

After Xuan Jing finished his task, he took his leave.

The atmosphere in the private room became even weirder.

The eyelids of several shrewd courtiers twitched as they watched Xuan Jing leave, and they became more and more certain of their guess: the development of all this was too logical, so logical that they had to wonder whether the emperor had planned it in advance.

No!

It must have been planned in advance, otherwise how could Eunuch Ni remember the birthday of the Imperial Concubine's niece.

The emperor was in a very good mood and drank tea leisurely.

An incense stick later, Chu Lingxiao came limping. His leg injury had not healed yet, so he came with a cane.

Chu Lingxiao specially sent a servant to watch Chu Yunyi's shooting test this morning. After the servant went back, he exaggerated the fact that Chu Yunyi was praised by the emperor. Chu Lingxiao was just feeling happy when he heard the emperor sent someone to summon him. He just thought that the emperor wanted to reward him because of Chu Yunyi's performance, and he was in a good mood.

As soon as he entered the private room, everyone's eyes turned to him and stared at him with strange expressions.

Chu Lingxiao couldn't help but wonder in his heart. He felt that the looks in these people's eyes didn't seem to be one of envy, but rather one of sympathy.

Chu Lingxiao felt a little uneasy, but with the emperor in front of him, he could not afford to think too much. He saluted the emperor in a slightly embarrassed manner: "Your Majesty, I am unable to move, please forgive me for my impoliteness."

The emperor was in a good mood, so he naturally would not argue with Chu Lingxiao over such a small matter. He even had someone offer him a seat, appearing very gentle and generous.

Chu Lingxiao sat down with the help of the eunuch. The emperor asked with concern, "Chu Lingxiao, how is your leg injury recovering?"

"Your Majesty, I am much better now." Chu Lingxiao replied, a little flattered.

He didn't dare to complain to the emperor at all, for fear that if he said he was seriously injured, it would leave the emperor with the impression that he was not worthy of being reused, and it would be even more difficult for him to find a good job in the future.

After he finished speaking, Chu Lingxiao felt that the eyes of the people around him looked at him more subtly, and even there was an indescribable smell in the air.

The emperor didn't really care about Chu Lingxiao, so he told him to take good care of his injuries, and then got to the point: "Chu Lingxiao, your second daughter was born in August of the Wuxu year, right?"

Chu Lingxiao's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't know why the emperor suddenly mentioned Chu Qianchen, but he still answered: "That's right."

"Write down your daughter's date of birth for me to see," the emperor said again.

Chu Lingxiao was confused, but the pen and ink had already been delivered to him, so he had no choice but to write.

The young eunuch presented Chu Lingxiao's birth date to the emperor. The emperor glanced at it and raised the corners of his mouth.

Several ministers noticed it, but immediately lowered their heads and pretended not to see it.

"I have seen your daughter once before. She is a well-behaved girl and looks a bit like the imperial concubine." The emperor added casually, "The Yongding Marquis's mansion is indeed good at educating their daughters."

The emperor's praise made Chu Lingxiao even more confused, and he couldn't help but start to think wildly: The emperor mentioned the imperial concubine, could it be that he wanted Chu Qianchen to be the second prince's concubine?

But she is just a concubine of the prince. Why do you need to say it in front of so many court officials?

This is too much of a fuss.

Chu Lingxiao vaguely felt that something was wrong, and wondered: Could it be that because the Second Prince liked Chu Qianchen and asked the Emperor for permission, the Emperor wanted to grant Chu Qianchen to be the Prince's principal wife?

Chu Lingxiao's heart sank, and he said modestly: "My daughter is not very talented or pretty, and I don't deserve such praise from the emperor."

"Has she promised to marry him?" the emperor asked knowingly.

Chu Lingxiao felt more and more that his guess was almost right, and he said in disgust: This girl is really good at scheming, she doesn't even think about her own identity!

The second prince's future is related to the glory of the Chu family. The Chu family has high hopes for the second prince. If the second prince marries a good princess and has the help of the Yue family, the second prince's future will be better.

Marrying Chu Qianchen would be of no help to the Second Prince!

Chu Lingxiao held his breath in his heart, but he didn't dare to deceive the emperor, so he could only answer honestly: "Your Majesty, not yet. There is an order of seniority, and my eldest daughter is the same age as my second daughter, and they haven't been engaged yet."

The implication is that Chu Qianchen is just a concubine's daughter and is not worthy of being the prince's principal wife!

The emperor raised his eyebrows, thinking that Chu Lingxiao's words were very clever, and he seemed to say to himself: "The concubine is a little 'wronged'..."

That's right! Chu Lingxiao nodded secretly. Chu Qianchen was just a concubine's daughter, so how could she wrong the Second Prince?

The other nobles and courtiers present were also convinced of one thing—

The emperor just wanted to marry the concubine's daughter of the Yongding Marquis to the Prince of Chen to bring him good luck!

Earl Zhongyong wanted to please the emperor, so he rushed to say, "Your Majesty, since the horoscopes match, this marriage must be a match made in heaven."

What?! Chu Lingxiao's expression changed again. He felt that Lord Zhongyong was simply lying, and glared at him fiercely.

Uncle Zhongyong just pretended not to see it and continued, "As the saying goes, if you look up you marry a girl, and if you look down you marry a wife. How can this be called 'wronged'?"

Several of the emperor's confidants nodded frequently.

Some military generals frowned slightly, thinking that this marriage was inappropriate.

The problem is, from what we have seen today, it is a fact that Prince Chen is seriously ill. What if it is true as Taoist Xuan Jing said that Prince Chen is "ten percent dead", and if they oppose the wedding and it causes Prince Chen's death, wouldn't that be harming Prince Chen?

What if, by some chance, a wedding can really save Prince Chen’s life?

The military generals were also having a headache, thinking that this matter was really difficult to handle. It was wrong to agree, and it was also wrong to oppose!

After all, whether or not to have a happy marriage depends on the Prince's opinion.

While drinking tea, the emperor looked around at his ministers calmly, taking in their different expressions. The corners of his lips curled up, and he felt that Earl Zhongyong was much more tactful than his son Yunzhan.

Chu Qianchen is just a concubine's daughter of a marquis. Her status is too low and she is not worthy of being a prince's consort.

If he directly issued an edict to appoint such a princess to Gu Jue, outsiders would only think that this marriage was unfair to Gu Jue and that he was mistreating Gu Jue.

Therefore, the emperor went to such great lengths to visit Prince Chen's Mansion today, just to show the court officials and the people that he would not abandon the donkey after it has served its purpose, and to let them know that he chose a concubine's daughter as the princess for Gu Jue in order to save his life.

No one would know that this concubine's daughter's fate was so "strange"!

Now it's time to close the net.

"Chu Lingxiao," the emperor put down the teacup and looked at Chu Lingxiao again, "Since your second daughter has not yet been engaged, I will grant her a marriage."

Chu Lingxiao was overwhelmed and said tactfully, "Your Majesty, my second daughter is usually taciturn and reserved, and her talent is mediocre. I'm afraid she is not worthy of your attention."

Chu Lingxiao tried to tell the emperor that Chu Qianchen was really not fit to be the prince's principal wife.

However, the more Chu Lingxiao said bad things about Chu Qianchen, the more the emperor felt that Chu Qianchen was more suitable to be married to Gu Jue.

Gu Jue is a man with high standards. If he knew that his future princess consort is such a mediocre and unpresentable woman, he would probably be so angry that he would become even sicker.

This marriage couldn't be more perfect! The emperor laughed sarcastically in his heart.

He calmly winked at Eunuch Ni, who was sympathetic to the emperor's intentions and said in a dignified manner, "My Lord, Taoist Xuan Jing has profound Taoist skills. He is right in predicting that Miss Chu is a blessed person. My Lord, don't underestimate yourself."

Chu Lingxiao's heart sank. How could this marriage be related to Taoist Xuan Jing?

"Yes, Lord, this marriage is destined by heaven. There is a destiny in the universe." Earl Zhongyong also jumped out to persuade Chu Lingxiao, "Don't let down the emperor's kindness."

Among all the people present, only Chu Lingxiao still couldn't figure out the situation and was even more confused.

Chu Lingxiao still wanted to object, but the others didn't give him any chance to speak.

After a moment, the emperor sighed and said to himself, "Although the second young lady of the Chu family is only a concubine's daughter and has a low status, she has a good fortune. Now the ninth prince is in danger of death. For his life, I can only let him suffer for now."

The emperor looked embarrassed, as if he had no choice but to do it.

"When the Ninth Prince recovers in the future, I will grant him two concubines."

According to the law, princes and dukes can have one principal wife and two concubines.

What?! Chu Lingxiao was shocked and wondered if he was hallucinating.

Chu Lingxiao almost slapped himself and felt cold all over.

Everyone knows that the emperor dislikes Prince Gu Jue. If the Chu family is related to the Prince, then won't the Chu family be suppressed into obscurity in the future? !

Before, Chu Lingxiao had hoped that he could find another job after his injured leg healed, but now he felt like reality had poured a bucket of cold water on him.

There is no way the emperor would reuse Prince Chen’s father-in-law; his future is completely ruined!

This girl Chu Qianchen is indeed a disaster star. I’m afraid that his enemies from his previous life have come to collect debts in this life!

Chu Lingxiao felt even more disgusted with Chu Qianchen. He opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but no sound came out. His throat was rough and a bone-chilling chill spread to every part of his body.

The loyal and brave earl and the others were totally unaware, and they all praised the emperor one after another:

"His Royal Highness Prince Chen is seriously ill. The Emperor is merciful and only cares about His Royal Highness Prince Chen."

"Your Majesty's deep love for his brother is truly admirable to me."

"Your Highness Prince Chen will surely be grateful for the emperor's love and care."

"Your Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince Chen are brothers and sisters. The spirit of the late emperor in heaven will surely feel comforted."

“…”

Everyone was talking at once, as if the emperor's marriage was what everyone wanted.

The emperor was in a better mood and told Eunuch Ni, "Draft an edict for me immediately. I want to grant marriage to my ninth brother. I want to make the second daughter of the Chu family the principal wife of the Prince of Chen and marry her into the Prince of Chen's mansion on a chosen date to bring good luck."

Eunuch Ni agreed and went downstairs to draft the decree immediately.

Chu Lingxiao sat there stupidly, his mind in a mess, until a little eunuch reminded him, and then he reacted.

He dragged his injured leg and pretended to kneel, but the emperor was in a good mood and exempted him from the formalities, "Chu Lingxiao, you have an injured leg, so you don't have to kneel. Stand and receive the order."

Chu Lingxiao's heart felt like a bottle of five flavors had been overturned, with sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty mixed together, and in the end, only endless bitterness was left.

But no matter how unwilling he was, he dared not disobey the order, so he could only bow his head, raise his hands high and said: "I accept the order."

His expression was filled with sorrow, and he almost wanted to cry but had no tears.

Of course, other court officials such as the Earl of Loyalty and Bravery could see Chu Lingxiao's reluctance, but what could they do?

Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the emperor, and as a minister, you can only accept them.

At the same time, the imperial decree granting marriage was personally delivered to Prince Chen's Palace by Eunuch Ni.

The person who received the decree was Cheng Linhua, the chief secretary of the palace.

He was completely confused.

After Eunuch Ni left, Cheng Linhua went to Tianshuiyuan with the hot imperial edict in his hands.

Chu Qianchen left shortly after the emperor left Prince Chen's Mansion. At this moment, only Yun Zhan and Xue Fengyan were left in Tianshui Courtyard.

Yun Zhan looked at the imperial edict in Cheng Linhua's hand and said sarcastically, "What tricks has the emperor played now?"

Yun showed a knowing sneer. Seeing that the emperor had left so easily just now, he guessed that the emperor had another trick up his sleeve.

As expected!

Yunzhan and Xue Fengyan exchanged glances, looking calm and composed.

Cheng Linhua said with a complicated expression: "The emperor just granted the prince a marriage, saying that he wanted to bring good luck to the prince..."

"Marriage granted?" Xue Fengyan raised his eyebrows slightly and shrugged casually, "Who is so unlucky?"

Those who are married to princes by the emperor are not "unlucky people". Their princes will not let the emperor manipulate their marriage.

Cheng Linhua: “…”

Cheng Linhua thought about it and gave two words: "Be careful with your words."

Then, he handed the imperial edict in his hand to Xue Fengyan, "Read it for yourselves."

Xue Fengyan picked up a peanut from the plate, threw it into his mouth, bit the salty and fragrant peanut, and without wiping his hands, he opened the imperial edict with his hands dipped in pepper and salt, and read it quickly.

As he watched, he picked up another peanut and threw it skillfully...

But this time the peanuts fell to the ground, and then rolled out along the mirror-smooth ground...

Yunzhan saw Xue Feng fail in his performance and teased him, "What's wrong? It's like he saw a ghost."

It's like seeing a ghost! Xue Fengyan opened his mouth wide, but didn't say anything. He rolled up the imperial edict and stuffed it directly into Yunzhan's hand, letting him read it himself.

Xue Fengyan picked up the teacup and gulped down the warm tea in the cup. He had to take it slow!

“No way…”

At this time, Yunzhan had also finished reading the imperial edict. It should be said that he read the imperial edict twice before he was sure that this was not an illusion.

Xue Fengyan, Yun Zhan and Cheng Linhua looked at each other quietly, with equally complicated expressions.

In fact, they didn't care about the emperor's jumping up and down. The Prince Chen's Mansion was not a soft-hearted one. Even if the emperor granted the marriage, the prince could just refuse to recognize it. What did the imperial edict have to do with the Prince Chen's Mansion?

However, the emperor actually arranged for Chu Qianchen to marry the prince.

For the first time, Yunzhan admired the emperor. How did the emperor come up with such an idea?

Yunzhan cleared his throat and murmured, "What should we do now?"

They all knew that the prince regarded Chu Qianchen as his own member in Prince Chen's Mansion.

Yunzhan suddenly felt like he had power but nowhere to use it.

At this moment, Cheng Linhua had calmed down and said, "Just be patient for now."

Then, he looked at Xue Fengyan, "Fengyan, go to the Yongding Marquis's Mansion and tell Miss Chu Er what she thinks."

Xue Fengyan ate a few more peanuts and responded vaguely.

He clapped his hands and set off immediately, knowing in his heart that Chu Qianchen probably already knew it by now.

The imperial edict from this dog emperor should have reached the Chu family.

Just as he guessed, the imperial edict had indeed arrived at the Chu family.

The people kneeling on the ground at the outer ceremonial gate of the Marquis' Mansion were all stunned and looked at each other in surprise.

Even Chu Qianchen himself was confused, listening in a daze as the eunuch read out the imperial edict: "The Emperor of Heaven and Fortune proclaims: I have heard that the second daughter of the Marquis of Yongding is of outstanding appearance, gentle and virtuous. I am very pleased to hear this. Now that Prince Gu Jue is getting married, a virtuous woman should be chosen as his match. In order to make the beauty of the woman complete, you are betrothed to Prince Gu Jue as his consort. The marriage will be completed in three days. I decree this!"

The corners of Chu Qianchen's mouth twitched. He really couldn't understand what the emperor was doing.

But in all likelihood, they came here on purpose to trick the prince!

She was thinking to herself: She would have to go to the palace again later to discuss things with Yun Zhan and Cheng Linhua.

In any case, Chu Qianchen has no other choice now.

"Your servant accepts the order." She accepted the order calmly.

The eunuch who came to deliver the imperial edict looked Chu Qianchen up and down with contempt and said, "Second Miss Chu, the emperor chose you to marry His Royal Highness Prince Chen. That is your blessing."

He mentioned "bringing good fortune to the family" right away, and the Chu family members present looked even more strange.

Chu Qianchen said nothing, not even a word of courtesy. The young eunuch thought to himself: As Marquis Yongding said, he is really taciturn and introverted, and looks very weak.

The young eunuch did not stay long. He left with the other palace servants, saying "I have to go back and report to the Emperor".

The door of the mansion was quickly closed.

Chu Qianchen clutched the imperial edict and stared at the closed door, completely unaware of the gazes of others around him.

The Marquis' Mansion is going to have a Princess, but most people don't have the slightest joy on their faces. After all, Chu Qianchen can't be considered a proper Princess, she is just there to bring good luck.

Who knows, the Prince of Chen might die right after she gets married, and then she will be destined to be a husband-killer!

Liu thought sarcastically, but didn't dare to say it out loud. After all, she and Chu Qianling still had to ask Chu Qianchen for the Ten Perfection Cream.

Chu Qianling looked at Chu Qianchen with mixed feelings. On the one hand, she felt relieved that Chu Qianchen would no longer bother her. On the other hand, she felt a little sympathetic towards Chu Qianchen. First, he was plotted against by Chu Qianhuang, and now he was being plotted against by the emperor.

Chu Lingxiao walked towards Chu Qianchen staggeringly on crutches, his expression cold and face as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Rebellious girl!"

Chu Lingxiao raised his hand high and slapped Chu Qianchen...

“Chu Lingxiao!” Shen took a quick step forward, grabbed Chu Lingxiao’s right wrist, and pushed him, “What are you doing!”

Chu Lingxiao was leaning on a crutch and couldn't stand steadily to begin with. After being pushed by Shen, he staggered backwards and almost fell. Fortunately, the servant was quick to support him.

Shen raised her eyes and looked at Chu Lingxiao. Her eyes were like the surface of a frozen lake, clearly reflecting Chu Lingxiao's embarrassed figure.

Chu Lingxiao became even angrier, not caring about the people from other branches of the Chu family around him, and pointed at Chu Qianchen and yelled, "Shen Zhi, even now, you are still protecting this girl!"

"She looks like a fox and acts ostentatiously, which is why she brought great disaster to our Chu family!"

Chu Lingxiao became more and more excited as he spoke, and there was a hint of madness in his voice, as he vented out all the depression and frustration he had felt in recent days.

"That's enough, what nonsense are you talking about!" Shen felt a tightness in her chest, and her chest rose and fell violently. She felt heartbroken for Chu Qianchen.

Chu Qianchen frowned slightly. She didn't care what Chu Lingxiao said about her, but she didn't like him saying that the prince was a huge disaster.

"I'm not talking nonsense, she is a disaster!" Chu Lingxiao sneered, "She just came into the palace with you not long ago, and the emperor said he had seen her, but after just this one time, she brought about such a disaster!"

"Shen Zhi, since you brought her into the palace, you should keep an eye on her!" Chu Lingxiao's voice became louder and louder.

There was an extra silver needle between Chu Qianchen's fingers, and her eyes darkened. She also didn't like Chu Lingxiao talking to Shen in this way.

Her slender fingers flexibly pinched the silver needle between two fingers. Just as she was about to take action, Shen took action before her and kicked Chu Lingxiao's crutch impatiently.

“Boom!”

Chu Lingxiao's crutch flew out at an angle. Without the support of the crutch, Chu Lingxiao fell to the ground in a mess. This fall inevitably crushed his injured leg.

A sharp scream instantly reached the sky, "My legs! My legs..."

Some people shouted "My Lord" to help Chu Lingxiao, some people shouted for a doctor, and some people were at a loss.

The scene suddenly became chaotic with everyone in chaos.

It’s the last day of the double bonus, so if you have a monthly ticket, please vote~

(End of this chapter)