Qinglan covered her mouth and chuckled upon hearing this.
"Grandmother, please stop teasing me."
The Empress Dowager smiled and glanced at Qinglan, then slowly said:
"Is Ning Huaizhi really that good, that you can keep him in your heart?"
Qinglan nodded slightly and poured some more tea for the Empress Dowager.
"My brother Huaizhi and I have been friends since childhood. Do you remember when I spent some time with my grandfather in the army camp? From then on, I..."
The Empress Dowager burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Haha, no wonder you always look down on people. So many royal nobles are in front of you and you remain unmoved. It turns out you've already hidden someone in your heart."
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager gently tapped Qinglan's shoulder.
Qinglan blushed even more as the Empress Dowager teased her in front of so many people.
"Oh, you can't even say that? You're usually such a straightforward person, but now when you mention your sweetheart, your face turns as red as a monkey's bottom."
As the Empress Dowager spoke, she reached out and touched Qinglan's face.
Qinglan covered her mouth, chuckled softly, and turned her head away.
"Grandmother, please don't tease me."
"I don't know what kind of person Ning Huaizhi is. Now that you've reached the age for marriage, and there's no elder in your family to help you with the arrangements, I, as your grandmother, naturally can't stand idly by. If you truly like him, how about I bestow a marriage upon you two?"
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Qinglan immediately stood up, walked to the Empress Dowager, and knelt down directly.
“Grandmother, Qinglan thanks you for your care. General Ning is a very good person. My grandfather entrusted me to him before he died, so this can be considered as fulfilling one of my grandfather’s wishes.”
When the Empress Dowager heard Qinglan mention General Sun again, her eyes welled up with tears.
“Since he is a young man whom General Sun values, his character must be good. Someone, go and invite General Ning into the main hall so I can take a look at him.”
As soon as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, the eunuchs serving her rushed out to find Ning Huaizhi.
At this moment, Jiang Yuwei's palms were sweaty. She was afraid that she would not be able to get through this today. Now that Qinglan was bringing up the deceased General Sun, the Empress Dowager naturally wanted to grant her wish.
If they were to step forward and refuse at this point, they would inevitably be targeted by the royal family.
This not only offended the Empress Dowager, but also unfairly branded Ning Huaizhi as henpecked, which may affect his future career in the military.
Jiang Yuwei looked up at the princess sitting next to her. Seeing her calm and composed expression, Jiang Yuwei's heart began to pound again. Could it be that the princess also approved of the marriage and was just trying to comfort her earlier?
The princess put down her teacup and turned her head slightly, meeting Jiang Yuwei's anxious eyes. Then she smiled faintly and said:
"Yuwei, calm down. I want to see what Huaizhi will do."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei understood the princess's intentions. She wanted to see how Ning Huaizhi, with his current status, would respond to the empress dowager's request, and also to see how Qinglan and she held positions in Ning Huaizhi's heart.
In short, if Ning Huaizhi firmly chooses her, the princess will definitely help her son. But if Ning Huaizhi also has some feelings for Qinglan, the princess will be happy to be Qinglan's mother-in-law.
Jiang Yuwei thought to herself, but suddenly calmed down. She didn't necessarily have to be the general's wife. She had a lot of savings. If Ning Huaizhi really married Qinglan, she would make room for the two of them.
After all, if her own husband couldn't firmly choose her, what could she expect the princess to do for her? In the end, Ning Huaizhi was still the princess's own flesh and blood. No matter how well she did, she was just an outsider in the face of blood ties.
While Jiang Yuwei was lost in thought, the eunuch who had just left led Ning Huaizhi and Ning Zhao into the palace.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager, greetings to the Empress."
Ning Huaizhi bowed to Ning Zhao as soon as he entered.
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, looked at the two people standing below, and slowly spoke:
"You are Ning Huaizhi?"
Ning Huaizhi was somewhat surprised, wondering why the Empress Dowager suddenly wanted to see him, so he nodded slightly and replied:
"It is I."
What do you think of Princess Qinglan?
Ning Huaizhi frowned. Why was he suddenly asked about this? He looked in Jiang Yuwei's direction, hoping she would give him a look, but Jiang Yuwei remained serious and upright, seemingly unwilling to pay attention to him. So, Xingxing had no choice but to speak:
"Princess Qinglan is not someone I can criticize."
When the Empress Dowager heard Ning Huaizhi say this, she smiled and said:
"I'm telling you to speak, so speak. I know you and Qinglan have been friends since childhood."
At this moment, Qinglan, who was sitting next to the Empress Dowager, looked shyly at Ning Huaizhi standing below.
Ning Huaizhi turned to look at Jiang Yuwei again, who was still sitting upright. He felt something was wrong and quickly explained:
"Your Majesty, I have no affection for Princess Qinglan; we are merely acquaintances."
Hearing Ning Huaizhi's words, the Empress Dowager became somewhat annoyed, slammed her teacup down on the table, and said coldly:
"Do you intend to betray General Sun's dying wish?"
Upon hearing this, Qinglan, who was sitting next to the Empress Dowager, looked at Ning Huaizhi with red eyes.
Ning Huaizhi then recalled his master's dying words and hurriedly knelt down to pay his respects:
"Your Majesty, General Sun is my mentor. He has given me a second life and saved my life. I will certainly not fail to live up to his expectations."
The Empress Dowager's expression softened slightly upon hearing Ning Huaizhi's words.
"In that case, you should take on the responsibility of taking care of Qinglan and marry her in a grand and glorious way."
Ning Huaizhi stiffened upon hearing this. Even a fool would understand now why Jiang Yuwei had kept a straight face and wouldn't look at him when he entered the hall. It turned out it was because of Qinglan.
Ning Huaizhi did not expect things to escalate to such an extent. Now that even the Empress Dowager was getting involved, he was in a dilemma. If he were to decisively refuse the Empress Dowager in front of everyone, would it affect Qinglan's marriage prospects in the future?
Ning Huaizhi's mind raced with thoughts, and he couldn't help but turn to look at Jiang Yuwei again. If he offended the Empress Dowager today, would this affect his future career and his family?
What if the Empress Dowager, in a fit of anger, blames Jiang Yuwei for this? What if the Empress Dowager orders Yuwei to be harmed and forces me to marry Qinglan?
In just a short while, Ning Huaizhi had already mentally rehearsed the situation a thousand times. Even as a man who had fought on the battlefield, he couldn't help but break out in a sweat when faced with this scene.
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