When Anle first saw Lian Yu, she was momentarily stunned. She had seen countless good-looking people, but she had never seen anyone with such an ethereal and otherworldly aura before, and she was unconsciously lost in thought.
Lian Yu was also somewhat surprised to see An Le.
He originally thought that this general, who was born a princess and was responsible for protecting the country, would only be accumulating merits under the protection of his superiors, even if he knew some martial arts. However, when he saw An Le in person, Lian Yu knew that he was wrong. A person with such a resolute expression must have truly been tempered by war.
The two had a very good impression of each other.
Lian Yu greeted An Le with neither arrogance nor servility, and An Le treated Lian Yu as a friend of the same generation.
The two started by chatting about tea and snacks, then moved on to economics, then politics, and finally military matters.
Lian Yu comes from the modern era. Although he is not a soldier, his insights are fresh and interesting, and he always comes up with unexpected ideas for An Le.
Although Anle lived in ancient times, she was intelligent and, influenced by her childhood friend Youqing, she was very open to new things and had a tolerant and inclusive mindset.
In addition, she has a lot of practical experience, which impressed Lian Yu when they talked.
In short, the two had a very pleasant conversation. Anle felt that this person was a kindred spirit, and even Yu felt that the future was promising. With such a broad mind and spirit, a princess of a country should not be too bad.
A surge of ambition welled up within him, and his desire to make a name for himself grew even stronger.
When the two were having a great time, they were almost ready to swear an oath of brotherhood and sisterhood, but considering their respective statuses, they naturally didn't become siblings.
Lian Yu inquired about the current Empress and became even more certain that she was from his hometown.
After they had eaten and drunk their tea, Anle said, "Young master is very talented. I wonder if you would be willing to let me go to the army for training? It just so happens that my army is short of a strategist."
Lian Yu understood that the princess was inviting him to be her chief of staff. After thinking about it, Lian Yu declined. Although he had some knowledge of military affairs, he had no actual combat experience. Moreover, his ambitions lay not in the battlefield; he preferred to be a civil official and participate in the changes of this era.
"I appreciate your kindness, General, and I am very grateful for your appreciation. However, my ambition lies elsewhere. I would like to one day pass the imperial examination and serve my country."
Seeing that his expression was firm and not feigning refusal, Anle felt a pang of regret, but also thought that if such a person entered the court, he would surely shine brightly, so it wouldn't be bad. Anle then felt relieved.
She appreciated the jade but had no intention of possessing it.
"Since you are unwilling, I will not force you. I wish you all your wishes will come true, and you will surely pass the imperial examination with flying colors and have a bright future."
Lian Yu smiled and thanked him, "Thank you for your kind words, General."
Having failed to recruit Lian Yu into the army, An Le let the matter drop. However, her private relationship with Lian Yu grew stronger, and the two found they had much in common, often eating and talking together.
"This She inkstone is quite nice; let's give it to Young Master Lian Yu!"
That She inkstone was just given to Anle by Emperor Kangxi; it was an excellent inkstone, and now Anle has given it away without even blinking an eye.
The maidservants serving nearby felt that, given the princess's "doting" attitude towards Young Master Lian Yu, if Young Master Lian Yu were to actually do something to betray their princess in the future, they, as servants, would not be happy and would definitely give him a good beating.
Lian Yu was already used to receiving She inkstones. These days, he often received things from An Le, sometimes famous works of art, sometimes small trinkets, some of which were quite valuable, while others were commonplace.
At first, Lian Yu also refused, but An Le said that it was okay for friends to exchange gifts, so Lian Yu agreed, and the two exchanged quite a few things.
Even now, the restrictions on the relationship between men and women in the Qing Dynasty remain strict, but those rules do not apply to Anle.
Youqing and Kangxi discovered Anle's "friendship" by chance. Neither of them had a penchant for monitoring their daughter. Since she had grown up, they stopped interfering with her friendships, as she could distinguish between what was important and what was not.
When Youqing had some free time, she wanted to check out Anle's "Western Restaurant," since she hadn't been there since it opened!
Kangxi naturally accompanied his wife, and the two of them didn't bring many people with them. They just went there, and coincidentally, Anle and Lian Yu had arranged to meet in the private room next to theirs.
Youqing recognized the maid outside the private room next door. She thought that since she had seen her, she could have a meal together. However, when she knocked on the door and went in, she found that there was more than just her daughter inside. There was also a man with an otherworldly air sitting opposite her.
She felt the man looked familiar, but couldn't quite place who he was; the portrait was somewhat unrealistic.
When Anle saw her father and mother, who were clearly innocent, she felt as if she had been caught having an affair in broad daylight.
Kangxi frowned as he looked at Lian Yu.
"Anle, who is this person?" Kangxi asked, staring at Lian Yu with a sharp, menacing look in his eyes.
Although Lian Yu didn't lose his composure under Kangxi's gaze, he still felt quite pressured. After all, he was an emperor. Even though Lian Yu was knowledgeable, he was still just a scholar and a schoolteacher before he transmigrated.
Emperor Kangxi was over fifty years old, and his gaze was not something an ordinary person could bear.
Lian Yu felt quite pressured, but his performance was already quite remarkable.
Anle's eyes were a little unfocused, but she quickly realized that she hadn't done anything wrong, so why was she unfocused? She then said naturally, "This is Young Master Lian Yu of the Suochuoluo family, a friend I just made."
Upon hearing this, Youqing suddenly remembered such a person. Wasn't this the person her daughter had taken a liking to a while ago? Could her daughter really be trying to "seduce" him?
Although...but...it doesn't seem impossible. This person has a good appearance and temperament, and she doesn't care that much about background. Seeing that Anle gets along well with him, if they are mutually in love, Youqing is not the kind of person who would break up a couple.
Youqing didn't feel the sadness of losing her daughter. Even if her daughter got married, she could come back anytime.
Emperor Kangxi had never heard of this person. He was busy, and the son of a vice minister was not favored and was not even worthy of Kangxi's attention.
However, since his daughter treated him as a "friend," Kangxi took it to heart. His daughter was already nineteen, and it was indeed time to find her a husband.
Kangxi and Youqing then took their seats.
Next, Kangxi examined Lian Yu. After some questioning, Kangxi gained some understanding of Lian Yu. He was alright, a good man, but Kangxi always felt unsatisfied about him becoming his son-in-law.
After this meal, Lian Yu officially caught the eye of Kangxi and Youqing.
On the way back, Kangxi asked Anle, "That boy is alright. If you really like him, I will grant you a marriage later, but the wedding will have to wait a while."
Anle was taken aback upon hearing this: "Father, what are you saying! When did I ever say that I liked Lian Yu?"
"Don't you like him? If you don't like him, why are you meeting with him in private? Father, you two seem quite familiar with each other; you've probably met quite a few times."
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