Chapter 32 Imperial Marriage
"Brother Pei, have you gone mad?!"
Pei Jinnian's words were like putting chopped fish into a frying pan.
The hall erupted in an instant.
Princess Jiu never dreamed that Pei Jinnian would propose to Qin Jinzhi!
He clearly loathed her!
The emperor looked at Pei Jinnian kneeling respectfully on the ground with a playful expression.
"Grand Tutor, what does your son mean by this?"
Pei Qing stood up, looking somewhat surprised, and said to Pei Jinnian, "Jinnian, don't be rash! This old minister was unaware of the marriage proposal, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
His Majesty was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Grand Tutor, you flatter me."
That's right. Before Pei Qing's eldest son got into trouble, Pei Qing had served as the Crown Prince's tutor.
He was heartbroken after his eldest son got into trouble, so he resigned from his official post and went home.
However, His Majesty retained Pei Qing's official position, but allowed him to no longer attend court.
When Your Majesty passes away, the Crown Prince will ascend the throne.
Pei Qingke is the imperial tutor, holding a prominent position.
Logically, Pei Jinnian, being raised and nurtured by Pei Qing, should have frequently entered the palace to teach the princes and grandsons.
However, Pei Qing protected her at home.
Pei Jinnian didn't understand. If he wanted the Pei family to rise to a higher status, he would have to get close to the royal family. But since his grandfather didn't say so, he didn't ask.
Therefore, Pei Jinnian gives people a more mysterious aura.
The emperor looked at Pei Jinnian and said, "I heard that you are already engaged to the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister Cui. How dare you ask for my daughter's hand in marriage?"
Pei Jinnian respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, my engagement with Miss Cui has been dissolved, and the tokens have been returned. We are now separate from each other. My desire to marry the Princess is sincere, and I beg Your Majesty to grant my request."
In an instant, a huge uproar erupted at the palace banquet.
"What! Pei Jinnian actually broke off his engagement with the Cui family! When did this happen?!"
"Why haven't we heard the news? Has Pei Jinnian gone mad? He broke off his engagement with Miss Cui and is now asking Qin Jinzhi for her hand in marriage!"
"Who is Miss Cui! She is both beautiful and talented, the object of desire for countless young men in the capital. If she weren't engaged to Pei Jinnian, the threshold of the Prime Minister's mansion would have been worn down long ago!"
"Exactly! Miss Cui was almost killed by Qin Jinzhi because of her marriage to him. What kind of nonsense is this?!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across the emperor's face. "Grand Tutor, is it really so?"
Pei Qing stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the marriage between Jin Nian and the Cui family has indeed been called off. However, this old minister did not know that the boy broke off the engagement in order to ask for the hand of the princess.”
The emperor chuckled lightly. "You say you want to marry the princess? Why? Three years ago, the princess fell for you, but you were extremely unwilling. Why are you doing this now?"
Pei Jinnian respectfully said, "That was because I was young and unaware of my own feelings. I have long been deeply in love with the princess and have admired her for a long time. Now I only want to follow my heart. I beg Your Majesty to grant my wish!"
Deeply in love! Long-standing affection!
Many noble ladies who admired Pei Jinnian were tightly clutching their silk handkerchiefs.
They all laughed at Qin Jinzhi for shamelessly pestering Pei Jinnian.
But the result of this entanglement was that Pei Jinnian fell deeply in love with him!
If they had known this earlier, and had been bolder, would Pei Jinnian have treated them differently?
The Ninth Princess's fingernails dug tightly into her palms.
Pei Jinnian actually broke off his engagement with Cui Ying!
Now he's actually asking his father, the emperor, to grant him a marriage in public!
Why should I?!
Why Qin Jinzhi!
Why can't Pei Jinnian see Cui Ying even after breaking off their engagement?
She absolutely will not allow it!
But the emperor burst into laughter upon hearing Pei Jinnian's words.
"My daughter is outstanding in appearance, talent, and temperament. It's normal for young men to admire her. I knew it! How could anyone not like my daughter!"
The Empress, standing to the side, also wore a "you know what's good for you" expression.
Her golden branch is the best little darling in the world.
If she hadn't fallen for Pei Jinnian, she would have thought the Pei family wasn't good enough for her.
The emperor looked at Qin Jinzhi and asked, "Jinzhi, what do you think of this matter?"
Qin Jinzhi was completely oblivious to being the center of attention, and was still leisurely eating her side dishes.
Hearing the emperor call her, she didn't even put down her chopsticks, saying, "I'll sit and watch!"
The emperor coughed loudly after hearing this and glared at her.
Qin Jinzhi had no choice but to put down her chopsticks, sit up straight obediently, and say, "Reporting to Grandfather, Jinzhi will sit and watch."
If this hadn't happened in the main hall, His Majesty would have given her a good beating!
"I'm asking you, what do you think of this marriage?"
Qin Jinzhi raised an eyebrow. "Aren't the three of you still alive and well? Whose turn is it to me to look after you?"
Qin Ye downed a glass of wine in one gulp, "I disagree!"
Everyone present was stunned, not expecting that the Prince of Zhenbei would disagree with the marriage.
Qin Ye looked at Pei Jinnian with great disapproval, "Can't carry anything on your shoulders, can't lift anything with your hands. With that small frame, one punch from me would kill you. And you still want to marry my precious grandson? Dream on!"
Don't think he doesn't know just because he's fighting on the frontier. This kid used to have a very unfriendly attitude towards his precious grandson!
The emperor was so angry that his eyebrows almost stood on end. "Why did you hit him for no reason! Pei Jinnian is the grandson of Grand Tutor Pei. He is very talented and I think he is quite good."
The Pei family has a century-long reputation for integrity, and the imperial tutors of past dynasties all came from the Xie family.
Pei Qing was able to snatch the position of Imperial Tutor from the deeply entrenched Xie family, which shows he has real talent and learning, and the emperor likes the Pei family very much.
At least on the surface, she likes the Pei family very much.
Qin Ye said, disgruntled, "Then why are you asking me?"
The emperor retorted angrily, "I asked Jinzhi, not you!"
If we're talking about who can publicly argue with His Majesty and still not be punished, then looking across the court and the country, it's only Qin Ye, the Prince of Zhenbei.
Qin Ye snorted coldly, "In short, I disagree."
The emperor turned his head away from him, saying, "I raised Jinzhi; it's not your place to disagree."
He then stood up and asked, "Pei Jinnian, are you speaking from the heart?"
Pei Jinnian kowtowed directly to the ground, saying, "This humble subject speaks from the bottom of his heart, and begs Your Majesty to grant my request."
"Since that's the case, you and Jinzhi must be truly in love. Seeing the sincerity in your words, today, I hereby bestow marriage upon you both!"
"This humble subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude!"
Qin Jinzhi was even happier to see Pei Jinnian's ashen face.
The alliances between these powerful families are nothing more than this; once their own interests are harmed, who cares about others?
The moment the news of Prime Minister Cui's confinement is released, and everyone knows that he has angered His Majesty and been punished, and that the Pei family has urgently broken off the engagement, countless eyes in the capital are secretly watching.
Those eyes are like those of wolves and tigers lurking in the shadows; once they take a bite, they won't let go until they see blood and flesh.
Many people are eyeing the position of prime minister.
Even if His Majesty takes no further action, the capital is full of people who kick someone when they're down.
Just wait and see, the capital city will soon be bustling with activity.
No one was happy about this arranged marriage.
After the palace banquet, Qin Jinzhi followed Qin Ye back to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
They encountered the Pei family's carriage on the road.
It wasn't that she ran into him; Pei Jinnian was deliberately waiting for her.
Pei Jinnian walked to Qin Jinzhi's carriage, looked up at the breathtakingly beautiful face behind the lifted curtain.
"Princess, is what's in the letter true?"
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