The emperor gave Su Lixia a meaningful look and gently waved his hand, signaling Su Lixia to go back and sit down.
Su Lixia chuckled and curtsied, saying, "Thank you, Father Emperor."
Lin Ziwen clasped his hands in a salute to the emperor, then glanced in Yi Zexuan's direction. Since he had been invited in by the princess, he had no choice but to return to Su Lixia's side.
Lin Ziwen knew that the Fifth Princess was a local tyrant who also had a fondness for men. Ever since he learned that the guy in front of him who was engrossed in eating was the Fifth Princess...
Could it be that he's lusting after my good looks again?! Lin Ziwen trembled and quickly rubbed his arms.
After the banquet, the emperor kept Yi Zexuan behind to discuss matters, and asked Su Lixia to wait outside the hall.
Su Lixia couldn't stand waiting in the real world, and now she had to wait outside the palace in the sweltering heat. She pouted and plopped down on the ground, propping her cheeks up with her hands and humming in dissatisfaction.
Lin Ziwen wanted to wait for Yi Zexuan to come out so they could go back together, so he waited outside the hall with Su Lixia and witnessed this scene.
"Pfft." Lin Ziwen couldn't help but chuckle.
Hearing this, Su Lixia looked up at Lin Ziwen and asked, "What are you laughing at, young master?"
Lin Ziwen smiled and explained, "I just thought the princess looked so adorable that I couldn't help but laugh."
Upon hearing this, Lian'er frowned and questioned, "Why have you been staring at my princess?"
"Hahaha." Su Lixia couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Lian'er, who was protecting everything.
She reached out and tugged at Lian'er's dress, then looked up and blinked, saying, "Mo Yan scared people, otherwise no one would dare to praise this princess in the future."
"But he!" Lian'er was about to say that he was taking advantage of her when the door in front of the palace opened.
The aura of the person walking through the door was so powerful that, without exaggeration, you instantly stopped feeling the heat.
Su Lixia cautiously raised her head to look over, only to see Yi Zexuan with a cold face glancing down at her. Startled, Su Lixia immediately looked away and quickly stood up to make way for him.
"Summon! The Fifth Princess is here to pay her respects!" A loud voice rang out, and Su Lixia grasped at this lifeline, bypassing Yi Zexuan and entering the hall.
Watching Su Lixia's fleeing figure, Lin Ziwen couldn't help but laugh again. On the way back, he said to Yi Zexuan, "This princess is fun and interesting with everyone, but when she sees you, she's like a mouse seeing a cat. What did you do to make her so afraid of you?"
Yi Zexuan glanced at Lin Ziwen, sneered, and said, "Perhaps she's afraid that if I marry her, I won't be able to please her."
Lin Ziwen scratched his head and exclaimed in confusion.
The guards behind Yi Zexuan laughed and said, "It seems that you haven't seen the princess's masculine skills yet, but you are truly blessed."
His words only made Lin Ziwen more puzzled…
Inside the hall, the emperor sat solemnly on the throne. Su Lixia walked in with a grin, bowed, and greeted the emperor.
The emperor sighed helplessly and said, "What am I supposed to do with you, Father?"
"What makes you say that, Father?"
"The princess refused the marriage alliance with the regent right there in the palace, and she also has an ambiguous relationship with that young master. This naturally puts His Majesty in a difficult position and also misses an opportunity for good relations between the two places," Eunuch Zhang said with dissatisfaction from the side.
Hearing this, Su Lixia was puzzled and explained, "The reason I, the princess, know that young master is simply because he is a friend of the Regent. So we got to know each other briefly, and because we got along well, we were invited to meet. What ambiguous relationship could there be? Besides, regarding the marriage alliance, didn't you hear what the Regent said at the banquet, Father-in-law?"
Eunuch Zhang glared, wanting to return the favor, but the emperor waved for him to leave, so he had no choice but to give up.
"Hmph!" Eunuch Zhang walked to Su Lixia's side and snorted softly.
After Eunuch Zhang left, the Emperor descended from above. Upon seeing this, Su Lixia stepped forward to support him, wrapped her arms around his, and said coquettishly, "Father, I really didn't mean it at the banquet."
The emperor glanced at her sideways and asked, "So, your refusal to marry into the royal family isn't because you've taken a fancy to that young master again?"
Su Lixia held up three fingers and swore, "It's really not true. Xiao Wu doesn't like him and doesn't want to marry the Regent. Besides, Xiao Wu can't bear to see her father marry so far away."
Upon hearing this, the emperor glanced at Su Lixia, patted the back of her hand, and sighed softly, saying, "And I am no different."
"Did Father Emperor refuse their marriage proposal?"
The emperor released Su Lixia's hands, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, shook his head as he looked out the window, and then said, "The surrounding small countries are growing stronger and more covetous. Although there are government troops to suppress them, they cannot suppress their ever-expanding ambitions. I am afraid that they will unite and want to start a war. For the sake of the people, I do not want to start a war."
After saying this, the emperor turned to Su Lixia and continued, "Although their emperor is no longer useful, they do have a regent who is a war god, so no one dares to act rashly. If our two families cooperate, then the world will truly be at peace, and I will be able to rest assured."
Su Lixia was speechless. It seemed that no matter what, the marriage was off...
"However, since my precious little fifth son does not wish to be married off..." The emperor paused, turned around, and looked at Su Lixia with a friendly expression.
Su Lixia was overjoyed. Being favored was a good thing; this meant things had taken a turn for the better!
Su Lixia ran to meet him, took the emperor's right hand in her arms, and asked, "Father, do you have any other solutions?"
The emperor nodded and said, "He just said that if you are unwilling, then you will not marry him, but..." The emperor sighed, worried that his precious daughter was still unwilling.
“As long as they don’t have to get married, Xiao Wu can fulfill any of their requests. Xiao Wu can also do something for the common people.”
Upon hearing this, the emperor glanced at Su Lixia in surprise, patted the back of her hand with his other hand, and sighed, "My little fifth seems to have changed a lot. She has been very well-behaved these days. She has grown up, she has indeed grown up."
Su Lixia pouted and huffed, then asked coquettishly, "Father, are you saying that Little Fifth wasn't well-behaved before?"
The emperor laughed twice: "She is more obedient and sensible than before."
"Then tell me, Father, what is his request?"
“He said that it was fine if you didn’t want to marry, but you would have to be a hostage for three years. Logically, a prince should go as a hostage, but as you know, you only have two younger brothers, one is not yet nine years old and the other has just learned to walk. Neither of them can go. And since you are the legitimate princess, only you can go.”
Su Lixia nodded and said, "Alright, it's only three years. That's a reasonable request. I'll agree to their terms."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
