"You're going to marry Shen Ci?"
Emperor Chongde narrowed his eyes, put down the memorial in his hand, and glanced at Princess Yun'an kneeling below, a scrutinizing look hidden in his eyes.
"How come I've never heard you mention anything before? What impression do you have of the young master of the Shen family?"
Yun An remained calm and composed, and delivered the prepared explanation: "Father, the matter of fate is mysterious. When I met the young master of the Shen family today, I was immediately struck by his extraordinary appearance. Moreover, he is young and promising, so it would not be a disgrace to the royal family for me to marry him."
Looking at her submissive appearance, Emperor Chongde picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said neither whether it was good nor bad.
There was no sound from above for a long time, and Yun An unconsciously twisted her fingers together. In her mind, this matter should have gone very smoothly.
She hardened her heart, raised her head and stared straight at him: "If I marry into the Shen family, I can also help Father Emperor restrain the Xie family. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
Emperor Chongde's eyes suddenly darkened, his gaze sharpening: "Who taught you those words?"
He knew his daughter's character perfectly well; Yun'an couldn't possibly have such insight.
Yun An bit her lip, shrank back slightly, and forced herself to remain calm: "Your subject guessed it herself."
Emperor Chongde gave her a deep look: "The empress dowager must not interfere in politics. I don't want to hear you say such things again."
If someone hadn't repeatedly told her what to do, how could she have had such thoughts?
Yun An pressed on urgently, "What about the arranged marriage..."
"Alright!" Emperor Chongde interrupted her indifferently, his brow furrowed with impatience. "I still need to consider this matter. You may leave now."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Yun An's eyes. Knowing that this matter couldn't be rushed, he bit his lip, bowed respectfully, and turned to leave.
Eunuch Fu watched her figure disappear through the doorway, then turned to Emperor Chongde: "What does Your Majesty think of the princess's suggestion?"
The emperor lowered his eyes, a cryptic glint in them: "It's not impossible."
A hint of surprise flashed across Eunuch Fu's eyes, and he respectfully lowered his head.
——
The Shen family.
"Go to the palace right now and tell them that our son is engaged!" Madam Shen couldn't sit still for a moment after receiving the news.
Shen Chang stared at her with utter disbelief: "You're asking me to deceive the emperor! Where are you going to find such a person? Do you really think His Majesty is so easily fooled?"
Madam Shen stared at him and sneered: "Then you're just going to do nothing and wait for the imperial decree to come down?"
His eyes flickered a few times, and he hesitated in his tone: "His Majesty may not necessarily favor our son. Maybe we're just scaring ourselves?"
A mocking glint flashed in Madam Shen's eyes. Shen Chang's reaction was entirely within her expectations, but she still couldn't help feeling disheartened: "What if the imperial decree for the marriage really comes down?"
Shen Chang frowned: "There's no other way. Do you expect me to disobey the imperial decree? That would mean losing my head and bringing disaster to my whole family!"
"Aci is your own son. What kind of person is Princess Yun'an? If we really let her marry into our family, will we ever have a peaceful life?"
Madam Shen's eyes were cold, and her heart sank. This was the man she had married—a coward who was greedy for life and selfish. It was hateful that she had only seen his true colors now!
“Of course I know Aci is my own son.” Seeing her emotional state, Shen Chang tried to persuade her, “Think about it from another perspective, so many people want to marry the princess but don’t have the chance…”
She finally couldn't take it anymore and interrupted him: "Enough! If you're willing to sell your child for personal gain, then save this good fortune for the child in Aunt Fang's belly!"
Shen Chang's expression changed, and he became somewhat annoyed: "What do you mean by that? I'm trying to reason with you, don't try to be unreasonable!"
"Father, Mother..."
Just as the atmosphere became tense, Shen Ci's voice came from the doorway; he had been eavesdropping there for a long time.
The two froze and looked over at the same time.
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