Arranged marriage
In the imperial court, His Majesty Qilian Jingyao, only twelve years old, sat upright on the dragon throne. His gaze shifted to Luan Zhengya, who stood at the forefront of the civil and military officials, a questioning look in his eyes.
However, this performance fell into the eyes of those who cared about it, suggesting that the young emperor was still under the influence of the regent. Luan Zhengya was always prioritized, and someone immediately stepped forward from among the officials.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report." The person who spoke was none other than the Left Prime Minister Zhang Wenhe, who always spoke the least.
When they heard him speak, many people in the civil service team immediately started to make eye contact and pricked up their ears to listen carefully to what he had to say.
Qilian Jingyao sat at the head of the table, observing the expressions of the group. "Lord Zhang, what is the matter?"
"Your Majesty, I heard that the Right Prime Minister and Prince Zhen'an are about to become relatives. Thinking of such a big thing, I wonder if Your Majesty knows about it?" Zhang Wenhe spoke, but this matter was not his business, but the business of Qin Ziwen, who had always been at odds with him.
Qilian Jingyao never interfered in the family affairs of ministers. But when it came to Luan Zhengya, he glanced at her.
"My dear Qin, is this true? Although there were some news before, I thought it was just a rumor. If it is true, I will congratulate Prince Zhen'an." Qilian Jingyao looked at Qin Ziwen, obviously wanting to see what he would say.
Qin Ziwen, who was called upon, looked a little surprised, but he still said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, this matter still depends on Prince Zhen'an's opinion. Although I have an older daughter, she is also pampered like a jewel and cannot be married off casually."
Nodding, Qilian Jingyao looked at Luan Zhengya with a smile on his face: "Prince Zhen'an, how do you explain this matter?"
Knowing that old Qin Ziwen wouldn't take the initiative, Luan Zhengya wasn't surprised. She stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. I was hoping to ask Your Majesty to grant the marriage today, but I didn't expect Lord Zhang to mention it first. It seems Lord Zhang is more informed than Lord Qin."
After a pause, Luan Zhengya continued, "I have a deep affection for Qin Yuyao, the eldest daughter of Lord Qin's family. I only wish to marry her. I beg Your Majesty to grant us your decree."
Seeing him agree, Qilian Jingyao clapped his hands and laughed, "Alright, I love to take care of these harmonious and beautiful things the most. I will write an edict to arrange a marriage for you today."
After hearing this, Qin Ziwen and Luan Zhengya both bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Within half a day, the news of Prince Zhen'an's request to marry the Right Prime Minister's daughter spread throughout the court and even in ordinary restaurants and teahouses, where people were talking about it with great relish.
The storyteller took a long sip of tea and said, "This Prince Zhen'an has no blood relationship with Your Majesty. However, because he saved Your Majesty's life and had a connection with the former Zhen'an Palace, he inherited the Zhen'an Palace and was named Prince Zhen'an."
"However, Prince Zhen'an is often away from Shengjing. Whenever we hear news about him, it's about him killing another official or quelling a war somewhere. But most of all, he has an extremely vicious temper. Any high-ranking official who crosses him will inevitably suffer a loss of life."
When these words were spoken, many of the spectators in the teahouse listened with great interest, but also felt a little scared.
"It seems that Prince Zhen'an is relying on the favor of His Majesty and is quite willful!" A spectator put down the peanuts in his hand and finally chose an adjective that was not too taboo to comment.
The storyteller immediately folded up his folding fan and placed it to his lips. "Be careful with your words! Speaking of the eldest daughter of the Right Prime Minister's mansion, let me tell you the truth. I've never heard of two daughters in Shengjing before, and I only found out after asking around. This eldest daughter was born to the Right Prime Minister's first wife, and her mother died young. She was sent to a farm at the age of three and only returned this year."
There was another uproar in the teahouse, and then someone raised his hand and said, "Hey, how do you, Mr. Storyteller, know so much?"
"Sir, your question is not timely. How can I tell you?" The storyteller unfolded his folding fan and chuckled. "The eldest daughter is unloved by her father and has no mother. Isn't that why she was given to Prince Zhen'an to be his princess?"
The first floor of the teahouse was bustling with activity. In a private room on the second floor, a window was suddenly closed, revealing a young lady in elegant clothes sitting inside. A maidservant beside her was repeatedly wiping the teacup before pouring water for the girl.
Ye Jiajia blew on the tea and said, "How did this news spread so quickly? It's pitiful. Such a beautiful woman has to go to the Zhen'an Palace to suffer."
The maid standing beside her was somewhat helpless and whispered, "Miss, Miss Qin Yuyao may not think so. After all, she is the princess of the prince's mansion."
Hearing this, Ye Jiajia put down the teacup in her hand and waved her hand: "No, no, how can you know the joy of a fish if you are not a fish? You are not Sister Yuyao, how do you know that she is happy?"
The maidservant didn't understand, but she knew that her mistress really liked Miss Qin Yuyao, so she immediately shut up.
Ye Jiajia murmured to herself, "I'll be next door then. If Luan Zhengya really leaves this beautiful woman alone, I'll visit her every day."
At this time, the Right Prime Minister's Mansion was as bustling as a market.
All sorts of valuable items were continuously carried in, all destined for the same destination: the courtyard of Qin Yuyao, the eldest daughter of the Right Prime Minister's Mansion. It was said to be a betrothal gift from Prince Zhen'an.
As the last load of gifts was carried in, the eunuch in brocade robes who followed in unfolded the bright yellow imperial edict.
Seeing this, Qin Yuyao, Qin Wenxin, Qin Wenbai and others who were called out by Mrs. Lin early in the morning knelt down one after another.
"In compliance with Your Majesty's decree, I have heard that Qin Yuyao, the eldest daughter of Right Prime Minister Qin Ziwen, is virtuous, beautiful, intelligent, and of outstanding character and appearance. I am deeply pleased to hear this. Prince Zhen'an is now twenty-seven years old, a time for marriage, and it is time to choose a virtuous woman for your marriage. Qin Yuyao is a waiting girl in the boudoir, and she and Prince Zhen'an are a perfect match, a perfect match. I hereby grant you marriage to Prince Zhen'an as his Princess. I wish you a long and harmonious marriage. All ceremonies will be handled by the Ministry of Rites, and an auspicious date will be chosen for the wedding."
Qin Yuyao stood up and stepped forward, carefully accepting the imperial edict: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me this marriage. May Your Majesty live long and long."
The eunuch in brocade robe smiled and said to Qin Yuyao attentively, "Miss Qin, please wait for the Ministry of Rites to make arrangements. I will take my leave now."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin stepped forward with a smile to express her gratitude. The eunuch coldly declined, "Madam Lin, that's not necessary. You should prepare more for Miss Qin. You must leave your Prime Minister's Mansion on the wedding day."
Suddenly, the smile on Mrs. Lin's face disappeared. In order to avoid glaring at Qin Yuyao, she hurriedly pulled Qin Wenxin and Qin Wenbai back home first.
Qin Yuyao held the imperial edict in her hand. Qingyu and Jinyu beside her came forward, unable to conceal their excitement, "Miss, Prince Zhen'an really treats you very well and has made such thorough preparations."
"If any other woman becomes the Princess of Zhen'an, it should be like this." After saying this, she turned around and went back to the yard. As for the colorful jewels and even the various precious gems and glass in the yard, she didn't even look at them.
Mrs. Lin's yard.
The more Qin Wenxin thought of the dazzling array of jewels and gold, the more she became dissatisfied. She even pushed the maid who came to serve tea away.
The tea tray in the little maid's hand immediately became unstable and smashed to the ground in an instant.
"Please forgive me, Second Miss, please forgive me!" The maid knelt down straightly, ignoring the broken porcelain pieces on the ground.
Madam Lin glanced at the little maid and said, "You can't even do such a small thing right. Go find Madam Zhang and receive your punishment. Don't miss a single stroke of the cane, or you won't get your salary this month."
Qin Wenxin leaned back in her chair with a frown on her face and looked at Madam Lin: "Mother, did Prince Zhen'an really fall in love with her based on just a portrait?"
Until her daughter saw the betrothal gifts, she was unwilling to accept them. Madam Lin said helplessly: "No matter how much money you have, you have to listen to your father in all matters of the court. Now that we are related by marriage to the Prince of Zhen'an, who knows what will happen in the future?"
Hearing this, Qin Wenxin's eyes rolled and she said with a smile, "In that case, mother. Before my elder sister got married, please leave some of her things for me. I see that the Dongzhu is much more expensive than the one you bought me before."
Hearing her say this, Qin Wenbai's eyes lit up: "Mother, that's good. Anyway, the village girl doesn't know how much she has, and she doesn't know how to calculate as much as you do. In the end, she will take whatever you give her."
Mrs. Lin glanced at her two children unhappily, thinking that the money Qin Ziwen had allocated to the public treasury recently was indeed less, and he said that it was all used for bribery.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Lin couldn't help but fall into deep thought, with a look of struggle constantly appearing on her face.
In the courtyard, Qin Yuyao carefully placed the box containing the imperial edict on the desk and instructed Jin Yu, "Remember to keep this wooden box safe on the wedding day. If you lose it, you will lose your head."
Jin Yu carefully put the wooden box away, then leaned closer and said, "Miss, I've brought the dagger back. What are you going to do with it then?"
It couldn't possibly be used for self-defense, could it? Against whom? The new son-in-law? Jin Yu didn't know, but she had guessed a good part of it.
Knowing that the maids were curious, Qin Yuyao smiled slightly: "Want to know? No, I won't tell you. I'll tell you later."
Only Qin Yuyao knew in her heart that the fewer people who knew about the incident of threatening the prince with a dagger and escaping the marriage, the better. Otherwise, not only would her grandmother be implicated, but Nanny Liang and the others would also suffer.
At night, while the maids and Madam Liang were asleep, Qin Yuyao took out the dagger from under her pillow, and after thinking for a while, she stuffed the dagger into the wedding dress hanging in the room.
The wedding dress was layered and extravagant. The gold thread alone took the embroiderers dozens of days and nights to create. The eunuch who delivered the gift specifically said that the dress was an old item handed down from the ancestors of the Zhen'an Prince's mansion.
Only the first wife can wear this wedding dress and get married. The second wife will not be able to enjoy it.
On the wedding day, the maids would certainly not dare to touch the wedding dress at will. As long as she put it on first and lined it with the dagger, no one would notice.
Thinking of this, Qin Yuyao fell asleep with a satisfied smile. But what she didn't know was that the secret guard on the beam saw the dagger hidden in the wedding dress clearly.
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