Chapter 1: No one knows about the arranged marriage, the elegant and heroic General Yu...
The sky is just beginning to brighten, and the dew has not yet dried.
In the Marquis of Xuanbei's mansion, Prince Yu Qing had already stood up and walked into the courtyard, dancing with a sword in hand.
In the morning light, an indigo figure was seen, nimble and agile. The long sword in his hand seemed to have its own life, like a dragon or a snake. Wherever the sword swept past, even the grass leaves trembled.
The young man's long hair was simply tied up high behind his head. As he moved, the flying hair kept sweeping across his cold profile, adding a touch of elegance.
After practicing for half an hour, Yu Qing sheathed his sword and returned to his room.
When the servant saw his master had finished practicing swordsmanship, he stepped forward and said, "Sir, the water is ready."
Yu Qing nodded and moved to the clean room.
It has been more than a month since I was recalled to the capital by imperial order from the northern frontier.
Yu Qing has not slacked off during his stay at the Marquis' Mansion these days, and still practices martial arts every morning.
The Xuanbei Marquisate is a family of military generals, and has produced heroes from generation to generation.
The old Marquis of Xuanbei is now nearly sixty years old. When he was young, he fought in many battles and suffered hidden injuries. After a serious illness, he was never able to recover and has been recuperating in the capital in recent years.
The one who succeeded the old Marquis of Xuanbei was his only legitimate son, Yu Qing.
The prince had only been an adult for two years, but he had superb martial arts skills and extraordinary heroism. At the age of sixteen, he followed his father to the battlefield, guarded the border, and made great military achievements.
Yu Qing grew up with his parents at the border, and was not influenced by the arrogance and extravagance of the children of the powerful and wealthy in Beijing.
Generally, the descendants of nobles in Beijing are addressed as "Young Master" or "Young Master", but when it comes to Yu Qing, they respectfully address him as "Young General".
After practicing a set of sword techniques just now, Yu Qing's clothes were slightly wet with sweat.
The prince has always liked cleanliness. Although he is a military general, he is different from those men who are careless and casual. Therefore, after practicing sword, the servants will prepare water for the prince to bathe and change clothes.
In the clean room, Yu Qing calmed her breath, then neatly tied up her long hair, dipped the towel in the water, and then untied her belt.
Because it was morning, there was no extra time to take a thorough bath, so Yu Qing just scrubbed himself as quickly as possible.
The short clothes he wore for sword practice were quickly taken off and placed on a tray beside him.
If someone could see what was going on in the room, they would probably be horrified.
After "Major General Yu" took off his clothes, he was still wearing a layer of plain cloth around his body.
After untying the plain cloth, the soft bulge that was exposed was clearly a woman's breast.
Yu Qing reached out and picked up the towel in the water, and wiped his body which was sweaty and a little sticky.
Water droplets slid down the naked skin. The skin, which had been kept under clothes all year round and had not been exposed to the sun, was very fair. After being applied with hot water, it even showed a bit of redness.
Her body is thin but not weak, and contains flexible strength.
But apart from the tight clothes, anyone can see that this is a woman's body.
Although she is taller than other women, her smooth and round curves are still attractive.
Normally, she is either bound in cloth and carefully concealed, or completely covered by armor... No one has ever seen her true form.
The clean room was filled with mist, and Yu Qing's face relaxed. It was no longer as cold as ice and snow as usual, but instead had a little softness.
Long eyebrows, bright eyes and white teeth.
No one knew that the handsome and heroic Major General Yu was actually such a beautiful and graceful woman.
Yu Qing did not delay. After washing himself, he quickly wrapped himself in clean cloth again and changed into the robe that the servant had already prepared for him.
She stepped out of the clean room, came to the mirror, let her hair down, combed it, and then meticulously tied it into a crown.
In the mirror was a young man with a fair complexion, straight shoulders, and a stern expression. It was none other than the much-praised General Yu.
Yu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, her personal maid Qiying came over and asked, "Prince, would you like to have breakfast now?"
Yu Qing: "Yeah."
Soon, the servants brought the food and laid it out one by one. Yu Qing didn't have much appetite, but he forced himself to eat some. He was used to staying at the border, so he ate faster than ordinary people. After he finished a few bites, he asked someone to clear away the dishes.
At this time, Qiying had just collected Yu Qing's changed clothes from the clean room to wash them.
She grew up with Yu Qing and is one of the few people who knows Yu Qing's true identity. She is skilled in martial arts and has been by Yu Qing's side all these years.
"The palace will send a ceremonial officer today, so you have to wait in the front hall." Qiying reminded.
Yu Qing sighed, "I remember."
Her gaze turned to the window. The usually tidy and quiet courtyard was now completely different from before. Red silk was draped, lanterns were hung high, and the pillars at the door were newly painted red.
It was still early when Yu Qing was practicing swordplay. Now it was time for breakfast, and the housekeeper of the Marquis's Mansion, along with the craftsmen and servants, began to get busy, decorating and inspecting everywhere, and going in and out of the mansion.
There are only ten days left until the wedding of Yu Qing, the son of the Marquis of Xuanbei, and the current seventh princess.
Yu Qing was raised by the old marquis and his wife, and she was a calm and reserved person, never showing her emotions. However, Qiying knew that she was probably not so calm in her heart.
This time it was really tricky. Not only her, but no one in the Marquis' Mansion had any solution.
At the beginning of last month, Major General Yu, who was supposed to guard the Northern Territory, was recalled to Beijing. After entering the palace to meet the emperor, he received an imperial edict on the spot. The emperor bestowed the seventh princess, who was still unmarried, to Yu Qing.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, the Empress Dowager took charge of the princess's marriage. She quickly chose the wedding date, prepared the gift list, and announced it to the entire capital.
Being able to marry a princess would naturally be regarded as a great joy to the outside world. After thanking the emperor for his grace, all you have to do is happily prepare for the wedding.
However, anyone with a discerning eye could see the reason behind this. Marriage in the royal family was not a simple matter; it was merely a means of maintaining balance.
The Yu family has been a family of military generals for generations, holding military power. Ever since the generation when the old marquis was in charge of the army, the emperor has been wary of him.
However, more than ten years ago, the border was not pacified and wars broke out frequently, and the Marquis of Xuanbei was needed to maintain order, and the emperor did not interfere.
The border has been relatively stable in recent years, and Marquis Xuanbei has also grown old. As the young prince gradually takes over his father's position, the emperor also chooses this time to intervene in the Marquis Xuanbei's Mansion.
That day, Yu Qing and his father arrived in Beijing to meet the Emperor. The Emperor sympathized with the old Marquis's illness and praised Yu Qing's achievements in recent years. He then said, "You and your son are my true comfort. Marquis Xuanbei has fought for many years and is now ill and hasn't fully recovered. General Yu has been traveling and working hard all year round. I really don't know how to reward you and your son. The Empress happened to remind me a few days ago that General Yu has come of age two years and still hasn't married. I'm willing to arrange a marriage for you so that you can start a family soon. This will also relieve me of a worry. What do you think?"
As a sought-after candidate for a good son-in-law in the capital, various prominent families had been eyeing Yu Qing since he was seventeen or eighteen years old. However, in the end, they were all rejected by the old Xuanbei Marquis on the grounds that Yu Qing was still young and had no achievements.
This time, Yu Qing's father gritted his teeth and wanted to refuse again.
But Yu Qing understood the situation. Seeing the emperor's expression, he knew that he had made up his mind this time. If he refused again, he would probably anger the emperor.
So Yu Qing agreed to the emperor's arranged marriage without saying a word, ahead of his father.
The emperor simply didn't choose a young lady from a noble family, but directly gave a princess to him, which was a generous gesture.
The princess is of true royal blood. If the marquis marquis marquis marquis marquis will be restricted in every way.
Moreover, as the princess's husband, Yu Qing must not neglect the princess or leave her alone after the wedding. As a result, she will not be able to return to the Mobei military camp in the short term and can only stay in the capital temporarily.
But these are not the most helpless things.
For the Yu family, the biggest worry about the marriage lies not with Yu Qing herself but with the fact that the "Major General" is actually a girl.
It was not easy to keep it secret for so many years. On the one hand, it relied on Yu Qing's own caution, and on the other hand, it relied on the efforts of people in the Yu family who knew the truth.
However, no matter how perfect he had pretended in the past, he really encountered difficulties this time.
After getting married, you have an extra partner, and this partner is a royal princess of noble status, so you cannot tolerate any neglect.
No matter how powerful Yu Qing is, he cannot turn into a man out of thin air.
But at this point, there is no other way except to marry the princess.
How would the couple get along from now on? How would they keep it a secret? Ever since the imperial edict came down, Madam Yu of the Marquisate had lost a lot of weight, constantly worrying about Yu Qing's future.
If it were to be exposed, not only Yu Qing, but the entire Yu family would be guilty of deceiving the emperor.
While Yu Qing was comforting her mother, she herself was also feeling uneasy.
Last night she dreamed that she married a yaksha, who was arrogant and domineering, and pushed her on the bed and stripped her clothes - when she woke up, she was covered in goose bumps.
"I didn't eat much last night, and I didn't eat much for breakfast either..." Qiying said, "The Fifth Prince sent me a tube of the finest Nanyue Cloud Mist a few days ago. I'll make a pot and have some milk cake with the tea. How about that?"
Milk cake is Yu Qing’s favorite snack, but after eating two pieces, he couldn’t finish any more.
When the time was almost up, Yu Qing got up and went to the front hall to greet the ceremonial officer sent from the palace.
The ceremonial officer came to the mansion today to confirm the final wedding process and explained various etiquette matters to Yu Qing. The Marquis and his wife were also present.
There were many etiquettes that the princess had to follow when she got married. Yu Qing had learned them before and memorized them all. Now, when the ceremonial officer explained them again, she listened carefully.
By the time he finished the handover with the ceremonial officer, nearly two hours had passed.
Along with the ceremonial officer came a palace maid sent by the Queen, who not only brought gifts from the Empress, but also gave Yu Qing a painting.
"My Lord, this is what the Empress ordered me to bring you," the palace attendant said. "The Empress was thinking that you and His Highness Qingjia would be married soon, and that you had only met briefly once before in the palace, so she wanted to avoid any awkwardness. So, she gave this portrait to the Crown Prince to ease his longing."
portrait?
She accepted it respectfully and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Queen. Please ask Aunt to thank you for me."
Finally, Yu Qing did not forget to give the reward silver to the ceremonial officer and the palace maid, and then sent them out of the marquis' mansion in a safe manner.
The Marquis's wife looked at the various gifts sent by the Empress and ordered the servants to store them in the storeroom. She pondered, "The Empress is very concerned about the Seventh Princess. Has she sent palace maids to visit two or three times recently?"
Yu Qing nodded, and then ordered his servant to accept the portrait and bring it back to his Huaifeng Pavilion later.
"The Seventh Princess has been raised by the Queen since she was young. The Crown Prince born to the Queen is now in the limelight..." The Marquis's wife shook her head.
The Eastern Palace is in good shape now, and the Empress and the Crown Prince have been favored by the Emperor for many years. They, the Xuanbei Marquisate, have never wanted to get involved in these party struggles and games. With this marriage, they are afraid that they will be linked to the Eastern Palace.
Marquis Xuanbei started coughing.
Since a serious illness three years ago, Yu Heng's health has deteriorated significantly. He began to feel tired after staying in the front hall for a long time. Madam Lu quickly handed him a handkerchief. Yu Qing said, "It's time for father to take his medicine. Mother, you two should go back first."
Yu Qing then returned to his residence.
She held the princess's portrait and saw that the scroll was very delicate, and the paper had a precious fragrance that came from the palace cabinet.
The palace maid who delivered the painting said that it could ease her lovesickness, but that was just a nice way of saying it. She and the Seventh Princess, the newlyweds, had no contact except for meeting once behind a curtain in the palace. How could there be any lovesickness between them?
But she was also very curious about what the princess looked like. Was she her... future wife?
She slowly unfolded the scroll and fixed her eyes on the portrait.
On the paper was a graceful and elegant woman. Although the brushstrokes were not delicate, likely a spur-of-the-moment drawing, the few strokes still managed to capture her gentle and affectionate features.
it's beautiful.
Everyone loves beauty, and Yu Qing couldn't help but stare at her again and again for a long while.
Previously, she had met the Seventh Princess once through a curtain in the palace and exchanged a few words, so she couldn't see her true face clearly.
Yu Qing felt a little ashamed that he had imagined her to be a ferocious monster in his dream.
Such a good girl, she could marry anyone, but how come she ended up in my hands?
It is said that the biological mother of this seventh princess fell ill in her early years, so she was taken care of by the queen since she was a child. Princess Qingjia is now in her twenties, and it is actually a bit late for her to get married at this time. This is because she is weak and sickly and has been recuperating in the palace for the past few years, so she has never married. Then this time, the emperor happened to arrange for her to be married to Yu Qing.
Yu Qing herself is a woman, so naturally she always feels pity for women.
Yu Qing herself was not happy about the Emperor's arrangement of marriage, but Princess Qingjia might not be happy about it either.
The daughters of official families are often helpless, let alone the royal family.
After all, this princess living in seclusion in the deep palace is also an innocent person. She is just a chess piece used in the game of checks and balances.
Yu Qing was destined not to be a true husband, and he would probably let her down...
She put the scroll away and ordered someone to lock it up carefully.
After all, it is a portrait of the princess, and no outsiders are allowed to peek at it except Yu Qing, the prince consort.
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