As soon as the sound was heard, everyone in the hall fell silent, turning their gazes toward the outside, except for the servants and the regent.
"The Fifth Princess?" Lin Ziwen wondered, then looked at her in her red dress and recalled her warm personality, and then it dawned on him...
Although the Fifth Princess was still dressed in red today, she had changed her usual heavy makeup style, showing off her delicate, clean and pretty face, which made everyone stunned for a few seconds.
"Little Five greets Father Emperor." Su Lixia lifted her skirt, stepped back with her left foot, and performed a proper princess curtsy.
Recently, Su Lixia has been performing strange and unusual rituals. Despite everyone's confusion, the emperor is no longer surprised and even finds it amusing.
The emperor laughed and asked, "Alright, hurry up and sit down. Today we have your favorite snacks."
"Thank you, Father. By the way, Father, let me introduce you to a new friend. His name is..." The real Su Lixia didn't know his name yet.
"My name is Lin Ziwen, and I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor." Lin Ziwen knelt on one knee.
The regent, who had been eating with his head down, finally looked up...
Upon seeing this, the emperor frowned, only then noticing him.
"Could this be the man Her Highness has recently taken a liking to?"
"What are you surprised about? Isn't this a common occurrence?"
A few people in the distance were whispering among themselves.
"Who is this person?" the emperor asked, looking at Su Lixia.
"Your Majesty."
The emperor looked in the direction of the voice and asked, "What is it, Regent?"
"This is a friend of mine. Please allow the princess to receive him."
The emperor then smiled and said, "So you are a friend of the Regent. Li'er has done a good job. Then quickly arrange another table for us."
"No need, Father. I have already ordered someone to arrange a table right next to me. I get along well with him, so let's sit together."
The emperor sighed softly and waved his hand, resigning himself to his fate.
The singing and dancing continued only after the two of them were seated.
Lin Ziwen then dared to speak, and said with a smile, "I really believed what the princess said just now, but now I realize that it is the Fifth Princess. I was very rude just now, please forgive me, princess."
"I did not mean to hide it, but there is something I need your help with."
"What is it, Princess? I will do my best to help if I can."
"This princess does not wish to marry into a political alliance with you, but for the sake of diplomatic relations between our two countries, as the legitimate princess, I cannot escape this arrangement. Since you are a friend of the Regent, could you perhaps discuss other options with him?"
Lin Ziwen laughed and asked in return, "Have I heard that the princess is infatuated with the regent?"
"Those are all rumors. I, the princess, merely flirted with the Regent, yet these idle people have spread rumors that I'm infatuated! How can I save face now!"
As she spoke, Su Lixia angrily slammed her hand on the table and said, "If she really marries him, how can this princess continue to flirt with other handsome men!" Since she's going to pretend, she might as well stick to the persona to the end!
"Pfft!" Lin Ziwen couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly covered his mouth.
Looking up at the aloof and silent regent, Lin Ziwen's lips curled up slightly as he thought, "I never thought someone like you could be flirted with."
Sensing Lin Ziwen's gaze, Yi Zexuan glared back at him with a sharp look.
Lin Ziwen hurriedly covered himself with his hand, avoiding eye contact with him.
The emperor, seated above, coughed twice, waved his hand to signal the song and dance to stop, and then said, "Today is a very auspicious day. The regent has come in person, solely for the matter of a marriage alliance between our two countries. In order to establish friendly relations between our two nations, our dynasty will select a princess this year to marry into a distant land."
The high-ranking officials sitting below could only nod in agreement; of course, everyone was in complete agreement on this matter.
"I've heard that Wu'er is fond of the Regent, so why don't we arrange a marriage between the two of you? I imagine the Regent would agree." With that, the Emperor looked at the Regent.
Upon hearing this, Su Lixia's wine glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the ground with a clatter. She sighed softly, "It's over. What was bound to happen has finally happened..."
Upon hearing this, the emperor looked at Su Lixia, who looked shocked, leading him to mistakenly believe she was very happy. So he asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Wu? You're so happy you can't even hold your cup?"
Su Lixia stood up, walked over, bowed, and said, "Father, I, Xiao Wu, do not want to marry the Regent. I do not like the Regent. Those are just rumors spread by outsiders!"
Yi Zexuan looked up at Su Lixia and almost didn't recognize her. "Is this the one who molested me last time?"
The guard behind him grunted and said, "It's her."
Although the disgusting heavy makeup is gone, this coy and insincere behavior is still tiresome. I might as well grant your wish. Yi Zexuan thought to himself.
"Your Majesty, the marriage alliance is merely a connection between the two countries. Your Majesty need not necessarily send your esteemed Fifth Princess to marry far away. We understand Your Majesty's intentions."
Upon hearing this, the emperor laughed twice, feeling quite pleased, and said, "Your Excellency is very thoughtful. Let's discuss this matter privately then."
"Yes." After saying that, Yi Zexuan sat down again.
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