This was the first time Zhu Haogan had been reprimanded by his father, the Emperor, since being named Crown Prince. He had no way to refute him, but he gritted his teeth and silently added another mark against Li Qingchen in his heart.
As Li Qingchen emerged from Tianlu Pavilion and steadily descended the steps, he heard a voice behind him say, "Young Prince, please wait."
Li Qingchen suddenly stopped and turned around, seeing the person who had called him hurrying up the steps—the same unfamiliar face from before in front of the hall. Since they didn't know each other, he didn't stand on ceremony, only slightly raising an eyebrow, "Who are you?"
Before Sun Xingjian could introduce himself, Eunuch Cao, who happened to be passing by not far from the two, greeted them: "Young Prince, Marquis of Pingyang County."
Marquis of Pingyang County?
Li Qingchen looked at the person standing in front of him with considerable astonishment: "Could it be that you are...?"
“That’s right, I am the maternal uncle of the Third Lady of the Wei family, whom the young prince just mentioned in the palace as someone he wanted to marry,” Sun Xingjian introduced calmly.
Since they were about to become relatives, Li Qingchen naturally didn't put on any airs. He expressed his apologies from yesterday in person, cupped his hands, and said with a sincere tone: "When the county magistrate came to visit yesterday, I was taking a nap, so the servants in the manor did not dare to inform him, causing the county magistrate to make a wasted trip. It was truly my fault."
Sun Xingjian waved his hand: "Young Prince, you need not worry about this matter."
"May I ask what brings the magistrate to your door yesterday?"
"I wanted to ask the young prince about this matter yesterday, and he just gave me an answer before the emperor." Sun Xingjian had a solemn face, and his voice was unreadable, making it impossible to discern his attitude towards the matter.
However, Li Qingchen understood that Sun Xingjian wanted to see him yesterday, just as he had expected, because he wanted to ask him why he had intervened to save the Wei family.
"However, as Shuwan's uncle, I would like to ask one more question: when did the young prince and my niece become acquainted, and what led to their affections?"
Regarding this, Li Qingchen felt there was no need to lie to Sun Xingjian, so he told the truth: "Several months ago, Madam Wei was playing in a pond in the suburbs with her friend when she accidentally fell into the water. Unfortunately, her friend could not swim and hesitated to go into the water to rescue her. I happened to be nearby at the time, so I stepped in and rescued Madam Wei."
Sun Xingjian frowned deeply. "It turns out that the young prince had done the Wei family a favor when we first met. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the young prince." With that, he disregarded the respect due to an elder and bowed deeply.
Sun Xingjian did indeed learn from the letter that Shuwan had fallen ill for a while after falling into the water, and that fall into the water was inextricably linked to that old enemy surnamed Song! He just didn't expect that it was the Little Prince of Qiaochuan who saved Shuwan at that time.
"No, no!" Li Qingchen acted faster than he spoke, lifting Sun Xingjian's arm as he spoke, and then explained, "Actually, Lady Wei once saved my life, so we're even."
"Oh, Shuwan once saved the young prince?"
However, Li Qingchen didn't want to go into details about this part, so he vaguely said, "Yes, once I encountered some villains, and it was only through Lady Wei's help that I escaped danger."
Hearing this, Sun Xingjian's brows furrowed even more. Everyone knew that the Little Qiao Chuan King was surrounded by many experts. Even if he didn't have those experts, he himself had his own skills. How could ordinary villains get close to him?
Could it be a scene he deliberately arranged?
Seemingly sensing Sun Xingjian's doubts, Li Qingchen took the initiative to explain: "Wei Niangzi and I do indeed have mutual favors, but please rest assured, my intention to marry her is not to seek repayment for our kindness, nor is Wei Niangzi offering herself to me. We are truly in love and understand each other perfectly."
Sun Xingjian breathed a heavy sigh of relief. These words were exactly what he wanted, relieving his worries.
Sun Xingjian nodded firmly and asked, "Since the young prince has already expressed his feelings before the emperor, when does he plan to come to the Wei family to propose marriage?"
"Tomorrow," Li Qingchen answered readily and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
Sun Xingjian breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected things to happen so quickly and couldn't help but worry that it was too hasty. He subtly reminded her, "In terms of background, Shuwan is certainly not as noble as the young prince. This marriage is an honor for our Wei family. However, Shuwan has been well-fed and pampered since childhood. I hope the young prince will not wrong her."
"My lord, what are you saying? Since we will eventually become family, why should we distinguish between high and low status? Besides, Lady Wei is beautiful and graceful, as lovely as the autumn moon. She was known as the most beautiful woman in Jiangzuo when she was in Wu County. In fact, I am the one who is matched with her."
Li Qingchen's humble reply pleased Sun Xingjian, and the serious expression on his face finally softened into a gentle smile.
"I don't know how long I'll be able to stay in the capital this time. If I act quickly, I might be able to personally deliver the bridal sedan chair tonight. Even if I can't wait, with the young prince's words, I can rest assured even though I'm far away at the border."
The two, one tall and one short, were meeting for the first time, yet they seemed to have endless things to say about the military situation on the border. They walked side by side out of the palace gate.
...
The next day, the sky was bright and the warm sunlight streamed through the windowpanes. It was a rare sunny and warm day after the start of winter.
Wei Shuwan had just finished washing and changing when she saw Zi Qiao rushing in from the courtyard in a panic. Although this girl wasn't usually very strict with her manners, she was still a bit too excited today.
Wei Shuwan looked up at her, her face calm and composed: "Has the young prince arrived?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Zi Qiao nodded frantically, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know, Miss?" The young prince had just entered the house with the matchmaker, and she had only happened to stumble upon the grand procession carrying the gift chests.
"It's all written on your face." Wei Shuwan smiled slightly as she teased Zi Qiao, before continuing to fiddle with the face powder in her hand.
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