The seventh prince was stunned, and immediately knelt down: "Father, I am terrified!"
Empress Shen said, "Your Majesty, you must not listen to only one person's words, lest you hurt Princess Lingyang's feelings. Prince Jing and the princess are both people of noble status, how can we allow Lord Mo to slander them like this? In my opinion, we should invite a master from outside the palace to calculate the matter, only then will it be considered valid!"
The Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "What the Empress said is not without reason. But Minister Mo has worked in the Imperial Observatory for many years and is not an incompetent person. If we cannot trust his calculations, who in the world can we trust?"
"Could it be that all the ministers around me are incompetent? Are the truly capable people all outside the palace, unable to serve me?"
Empress Shen was startled by these words and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant. I was just worried that Prince Jing and Princess Lingyang are a match made in heaven and have feelings for each other, but they have been forcibly separated by people."
The emperor helped her up and made her sit down next to him again.
"I trust Minister Mo's calculations." The Emperor looked down at the crowd below: "Do you all remember that Princess Lingyang's entourage was attacked before entering the palace?"
"Prince Jing went to the battlefield to gain experience at a young age. As you all know, his abilities are not bad, and you could even say they are very impressive."
"But when Princess Lingyang was in trouble, he couldn't protect her. Instead, it was the seventh brother who protected her. It's clear that even Heaven believes that the seventh brother is the one who is truly destined to be with Princess Lingyang!"
Empress Shen was stunned. She understood that the Emperor did not want Princess Lingyang to marry Prince Jing!
Therefore, Mo Yuan's calculations, even if they are wrong, are still right, and even if they are right, are still right!
Why? Why would the emperor make this choice?
The Emperor continued, "If it weren't for Minister Mo's calculation that the Seventh Prince was the one destined for Princess Lingyang, I wouldn't have thought about what happened outside the palace!"
"It's clear that the connections between people are preordained! Besides, the Seventh Prince is Princess Lingyang's savior. What do you think, Princess Lingyang?"
The emperor is using the life-saving grace to coerce Princess Lingyang into choosing the seventh prince.
But before Princess Lingyang could answer, he asked the Seventh Prince, "Seventh Prince, are you willing to marry Princess Lingyang for the sake of peace between our two countries?"
"This is what I should do; I leave everything to Father Emperor's discretion," the Seventh Prince said, glancing at Princess Lingyang.
He said, "Princess Lingyang is a woman of unparalleled beauty. I am afraid I am not worthy of her. If I could have her as my wife, my life would be complete."
The astute ministers had already realized what was happening and immediately rose to their knees, pleading with Princess Lingyang to select the seventh prince as her husband for the sake of peace between the two nations!
First, there was the Seventh Prince's life-saving grace; then, the Seventh Prince's feelings for Princess Lingyang, saying "this life is enough"; and finally, the ministers knelt down to plead "for the sake of peace between the two countries"!
With all three factors combined, Princess Lingyang had no choice but to refuse. If she did, the purpose of her long journey to marry him would be completely lost, leaving her with nothing but willfulness and whimsy.
Princess Lingyang subconsciously looked at Empress Shen on the high platform.
Marrying the seventh prince was completely contrary to their plans.
Empress Shen already knew that it was the Emperor's will to marry Princess Lingyang to the Seventh Prince, and now Princess Lingyang had no choice.
As the Empress, she could easily put pressure on Prince Jing or the Seventh Prince, but she could not defy the Emperor's will.
But when did the Emperor make the decision to marry Princess Lingyang to the Seventh Prince? She had no idea at all. Had the Emperor completely distanced himself from her after being confined for so long?
"Since it is for the sake of peace between the two countries," Empress Shen said, "I, along with all the officials, humbly request Princess Lingyang to choose the Seventh Prince!"
"The Seventh Prince is a kind and honest man. He will definitely treat the princess with sincerity and consideration, and will not let the princess suffer any injustice in my Great Zhou."
"Although Lingyang is fond of Prince Jing, for the sake of peace between our two nations, Lingyang will choose the Seventh Prince!" Princess Lingyang said.
"Lingyang believes that the Seventh Prince will treat Lingyang very well, and the Emperor and Empress will never let Lingyang suffer any injustice!"
"Good!" The emperor was overjoyed and said "good" three times. He also ordered the Imperial Observatory to quickly determine an auspicious date and time to hold the wedding for them as soon as possible, and urged the Ministry of Rites to make preparations quickly.
And on the spot, the seventh prince was bestowed the title of Prince Xuan!
Everyone celebrated King Xuan.
The emperor raised his cup to celebrate with everyone.
Empress Shen watched this harmonious scene with an expressionless face, but inwardly she sneered. She had gone to great lengths to send Princess Lingyang for a marriage alliance, and she could not simply admit defeat like this.
Before long, she came up with a plan.
After drinking a cup of wine, Empress Shen said, "Your Majesty, I will go and change my clothes. Please excuse me for a moment."
The emperor smiled gently, reluctant to part with her: "Empress, please go and return quickly. I am in a good mood tonight, so please don't stay too long."
Empress Shen continued, "Your Majesty, I would like to invite Miss Ye down for a chat. She has been ill for many days, and I have not been able to comfort or care for her. After all, she is the one who saved Prince Jing's life!"
The emperor grunted in agreement: "As the empress, you should take good care of her for me. Have someone summon her to leave, and also ask the imperial physician to take her pulse."
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