Princess Kaiyang sat regally in her superior position, taking in the look of utter disdain on her husband's face as he looked at Zhao Canchen. Zhao Canchen, on the other hand, seemed extremely uneasy and restless, as if sitting on pins and needles. Princess Kaiyang shook her head slightly, a look of helplessness on her face.
At this moment, several palace maids filed in, respectfully placing tea, snacks, and fruit on the table. Once everything was ready, the maids bowed and quietly withdrew.
Zhao Canchen picked up the teacup, touched it to his lips, and then gently placed it back on the coffee table. The whole movement seemed somewhat stiff; his mind was clearly not on the tea, and he was only drinking it out of politeness.
After a moment, the princess spoke, her voice clear and gentle: "Canchen, you will be seventeen at the beginning of the year, which is the age to discuss marriage. I have been considering your marriage. Before, I even wanted to bestow a beautiful and gentle palace maid upon you as your wife."
Upon hearing the princess's words, Zhao Canchen abruptly raised his head, looking at her with a face full of astonishment.
He clearly hadn't expected the princess to bring this up suddenly, let alone that she had summoned him to discuss marriage. His heart tightened; he wondered what kind of marriage the princess would arrange for him.
The princess continued, "But I have also considered your safety. If you marry a palace maid, your safety will not be guaranteed. After much thought, I have finally come up with a solution that satisfies both parties: why don't you marry Lin Daoyan's eldest daughter? That way, the Lin family can always protect your safety."
Zhao Canchen was even more shocked. He never expected that his long-awaited expectation would suddenly come true at this moment.
He felt his heart pounding like a drum. If the prince consort hadn't been there, Zhao Canchen would have jumped up and happily agreed to the marriage, offering his deepest thanks to the princess for her kindness.
Seeing Zhao Canchen's surprised expression, the princess quickly smiled and advised, "Those rumors about Miss Lin are unreliable, Achen, please don't take them to heart."
“But…” Zhao Canchen hesitated, unsure of what to say. He wanted to ask whether the Emperor would agree to the marriage.
The princess interpreted his hesitation as his unwillingness to enter into the marriage, so she continued to persuade him, hoping to make Zhao Canchen see the situation of Miss Lin and herself.
The princess sighed and said earnestly, "Miss Lin is burdened with the reputation of being a jinx to her husbands. No one will come to propose marriage for her in the future. After she turns eighteen, the government can only arrange for her to marry an exiled convict."
"Lin Daoyan has protected you for many years and saved you many times. You are a very sentimental person and would never want his daughter to become the wife of an exiled prisoner."
"After you marry Lin Daoyan's daughter, he will work even harder to protect your safety."
"This marriage is one that I have considered carefully and found to be a perfect match." The princess frowned, and said in a low voice with good intentions, "You are safe marrying a girl from such a family, who has no powerful background." The princess meant that the royal family would no longer send people to assassinate him.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for thinking of me in every way." Zhao Canchen naturally understood the princess's implication, and he stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Go back and think it through, then go and propose marriage yourself." Seeing that he no longer objected to the marriage, the princess felt a surge of joy, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
She pointed happily to a brocade box on the table, "This is a thousand taels of silver. You can use it as a betrothal gift."
Her gaze fell on Zhao Canchen, and she continued, "When you get married, if you lack anything, just send someone to tell me, and I will find a way to help you solve it."
She suddenly remembered, "Oh right, I also need to find a suitable courtyard for Ah Chen's wedding..."
Before the princess could finish speaking, the prince consort suddenly interrupted her angrily, "Your Highness isn't even this considerate of our two sons! You not only bestowed silver but also offered them courtyards, so why not just bring them to live in the princess's residence? Humph!" The prince consort's voice was clearly filled with dissatisfaction and resentment.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Canchen felt a sense of panic.
He was already somewhat taken aback by the princess's kindness in sending him clothes and money, and now, seeing the prince consort lose his temper with the princess because of his own affairs, he felt even more uneasy.
He hurriedly shook his head at the princess, stammering, "I...I don't want the money or the courtyard, really, Your Highness."
Princess Kaiyang looked embarrassed and gave Zhao Canchen a slightly stiff smile.
Then, her gaze turned to Prince Consort Liu, and she said in a gentle voice, "Prince Consort, after A-Chen gets married, he will need a courtyard of his own to live in. I think your little house on Nanchao Road is quite nice. Why don't you give it to A-Chen?"
The Imperial Son-in-Law Liu's answer was unusually decisive, without the slightest hesitation: "Absolutely not!" His tone was firm, as if there was no room for negotiation.
Princess Kaiyang was not angry at Liu's refusal. Instead, she showed a doting expression and continued to ask softly, "Don't you have a courtyard that has been vacant for a long time? It's the place where your wet nurse used to live. Giving that courtyard to him shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Prince Consort Liu waved his hand without hesitation, indicating his refusal.
Seeing this, Princess Kaiyang quickly smiled and said, "How about this? I'll exchange a precious steed for that courtyard with you. What do you think?"
The prince consort's expression softened slightly, and he finally reluctantly agreed, "Alright then."
However, a hint of displeasure still lingered in his tone. "Your Highness, you mustn't get too close to this person. It will bring trouble to our family. Even if you don't consider me, you have to think about our two sons."
Princess Kaiyang looked helpless, nodded slightly, and replied softly, "I understand, my consort. After he gets married, I will naturally not interfere in his affairs any further."
A feeling of guilt welled up in Zhao Canchen's heart towards the princess. He felt that he had caused her a lot of trouble, and he made a decision in his heart that he would never bother her again.
He hurriedly bowed to the princess and said, "Your Highness, Your Highness, I shall take my leave now."
The princess smiled and said, "Take care, Ah Chen. If you have time in the future, I hope you will come to the princess's residence to visit often."
Her gaze remained fixed on Zhao Canchen until his figure disappeared at the entrance of the main hall.
Zhao Canchen hurriedly left the main hall, then quickened his pace and quickly walked out of the princess's residence.
When he finally stepped out of the princess's residence, he immediately saw Lin Yajun anxiously waiting not far away. Only when he saw her did Zhao Canchen feel a little relieved.
When Lin Yajun saw Zhao Canchen walk out of the princess's residence, her expression was very solemn.
She couldn't help but wonder if Zhao Canchen had been neglected by the prince consort within the mansion.
She hurried forward and asked in a low voice, "Young Master Zhao, let's go home quickly."
Zhao Canchen simply responded with an "Mm" and continued walking forward.
Seeing this, Lin Yajun and Lin Songhao quickly followed behind him. Looking at Zhao Canchen's back, Lin Yajun sensed that he wasn't as relaxed as when he first arrived, and her worries grew stronger.
She couldn't help but step forward and tentatively ask, "Is the prince consort also in the princess's residence?"
Zhao Canchen nodded again, without saying anything more, and simply quickened his pace.
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