Before long, Atuoqingye and his sister entered the main hall.
The two men bowed to Gu Heng and Gu Linchao in accordance with the customs of the Hui people.
“Prince Atuo, Princess Atuo, no need for formalities.” Gu Heng raised his hand slightly.
Atuo Qingye and Atuo Jianghua then straightened up.
Atuoqingye said, "This time, I, the prince, have come to Daye on orders. Firstly, it is for the sake of friendly relations between our two states, and secondly..." He paused, looked at his younger sister beside him, "My sister has always longed for Daye and is particularly fond of its customs and culture. Therefore, she has come here this time hoping to choose a husband from Daye to marry."
Gu Heng said, "Does the princess have a suitable candidate? If not, I will immediately order the Ministry of Rites to select a consort for the princess."
A rare hint of shyness appeared on A Tuo Jiang Hua's face. She lowered her head slightly, but her big eyes secretly glanced at Gu Heng.
Gu Heng was startled, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
Sure enough, the next moment, A Tuoqingye chuckled, “Your Majesty the Emperor is young and handsome. At yesterday’s banquet, my younger sister fell in love with you at first sight and has been captivated by you ever since. She is determined to marry no one but you.”
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.
The court officials were all taken aback.
Gu Heng looked completely astonished.
Only Gu Linchao remained calm.
Gu Heng, being the emperor after all, quickly recovered from his initial shock and smiled, saying, "Prince Atuo, you can't joke like that."
Before Atuo Qingye could speak, Atuo Jianghua blurted out, "I'm not joking, Jianghua has taken a liking to His Majesty the Emperor." She paused, afraid that her bold words might frighten him, and quickly added, "We women of Huijiang are not as reserved as the women of Daye. In our region, if we have someone we like, we will bravely speak out. Your Majesty, Jianghua admires you and wishes to marry you. I beg you to grant my request."
At this point, Gu Heng could no longer maintain his composure.
He had always admired gentle and reserved women, and he had always looked down on and disliked Jiang Hua, who was bold, straightforward, and shameless.
Especially now, A-Tuo Jianghua boldly professed her love for him in front of the entire court, saying she wanted to marry him. This made him lose face and was also extremely angry.
However, considering that they were envoys from Xinjiang, he feared that refusing them directly would damage the harmony between the two countries.
He remained silent for a moment, then turned to Gu Linchao for help, "Uncle, what do you think of this matter..."
Gu Linchao turned to look at him and saw that he seemed troubled, so he guessed that he disliked Atuo Jianghua. After a moment of contemplation, he said to Atuo Qingye and his sister, "His Majesty is aware of the princess's intentions, but the princess is not an ordinary woman and cannot be treated the same way. His Majesty needs to consider this matter carefully. You two may return to the post station to rest first. As soon as there is any news, I will immediately send someone to inform you."
Gu Heng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
A Tuo Jiang Hua looked disappointed, but did not dwell on it further.
Atuo Qingye placed his right hand on his left chest. "Since that's the case, the prince and princess will go back and wait."
"Guards, escort the prince and princess here," Gu Linchao ordered in a deep voice.
"Prince and Princess, please." Immediately, someone came in and led the two out.
As soon as the two left, a court official immediately said, "Your Majesty, I believe that taking Princess Atuo as a concubine would be entirely beneficial to our great cause. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider."
“Yes, Your Majesty, Princess Atuo is the most beloved princess of the King of Huijiang. If Your Majesty marries her, the diplomatic relations between the two countries will be even more stable. Please reconsider, Your Majesty.” A courtier immediately echoed this sentiment.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider..."
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