AWB Chapter 215 Marriage Grant
Chapter 215 Marriage Grant
"Oh?" The emperor became interested. "Which family is this young lady from? Now that you've said so, if I don't grant you a marriage, it would be my fault as your brother."
"Royal brother, please don't make things difficult for me. She is a girl from an honest family. How can I force her before she agrees? Wouldn't that ruin her reputation?" said Prince Guo.
Behind the screen, Zhen Huan's eyes were filled with ambiguous emotions, and she pursed her lips.
"Alright." The emperor finally stopped insisting. "Duke Meng's daughter has been in love with you for years. She recently passed the examination for the palace's female tutor and was highly regarded for her father's literary talent. I know you like talented women, so I wanted to ask your opinion."
"Royal brother, please don't. The theory of fate cannot be explained in just a few words. I am deeply ashamed that I have delayed Miss Meng's marriage due to coincidence. I dare not stay in the capital for long. If my mother had not been ill, I would have left the palace to play long ago. Please don't mention it again." Prince Guo said this with a bitter face.
The emperor's eyes flickered and he nodded.
After an unknown amount of time, the emperor finally stood up and prepared to leave.
"Take good care of yourself, I will come to see you another day," said the emperor.
Prince Guo hurriedly stood up to see him off, and only breathed a sigh of relief when the emperor's figure disappeared outside the door.
He walked quickly behind the screen. Zhen Huan was still dazed, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Huan'er, it's okay." Prince Guo held her hand and comforted her softly.
Zhen Huan raised her head and broke free from Prince Guo's hand.
Prince Guo was stunned for a moment, but he still comforted her: "Don't be afraid, I will never let you fall into such danger again. You are the only mistress of Qingliang Terrace."
"Your Highness," Zhen Huan shook her head and looked at Prince Guo stubbornly, "I am just an abandoned concubine. How could I possibly deserve your favor? Moreover, I have already given birth to a daughter, while your Highness is all alone..."
Prince Guo's eyes were filled with anger as he spoke in a sad tone, "Huan'er! I have long regarded you as the only one I love in this life. What's so good about my brother? He was the Emperor back then!"
Zhen Huan widened her eyes, and Prince Guo seemed to realize something belatedly and pursed his lips.
"My royal brother registered Longyue under the name of Concubine Duan long before you left the palace. Even when I gave Longyue a necklace earlier, he warned me, saying that Longyue's biological mother could only be Concubine Duan. Do you have the heart to live the rest of your life in loneliness and misery for such a person, and let my love go to waste?"
"I..." Zhen Huan's eyes flickered, slightly moved, "I have long regarded Your Highness as my confidant, but Your Highness, please do not say these words again in the future."
Prince Guo clenched his fists, stepped forward, and offered further persuasion, "Huan'er, Concubine Duan will take good care of Longyue, and I will do my best to look after your family in Ningguta. I'm even willing to give up my position as a prince for you, and fly away with you to become a perfect couple! We've been through so much together, do you really have no feelings for me at all?"
His voice was not small, and it scared Pei'er who was on the other side of the wall. She thought indignantly: It is said that a virtuous woman is afraid of a clinging man, but this Prince Guo is so shameless that he actually threatens her with his family!
At this moment, Ah Jin knocked on the door: "Miss Pei'er, are you there?"
Pei'er quickly gathered herself together and asked, "What's wrong, Jin?"
"The master is in a bad mood. It's because he cares too much about your wife. Miss Pei'er is not scared, right?" A Jin said as he pushed open the door.
Pei'er smiled slightly, "I have seen how good the prince is to my wife, and my wife often praises the prince as a god in heaven. How could I be scared by such a small thing?"
After carefully examining Pei'er's expression, Ah Jin nodded. "That's good. I have something else to do, so I'll go ahead. If you need anything, just call Caiping and the others."
Zhen Huan's expression changed several times, and she was deeply moved and said, "Yun Li, I know everything you said, but I'm a little confused right now. Can you let me think about it?"
"It's all my fault. I was too excited," Prince Guo said apologetically. "A few days ago, when I returned to Qingliang Terrace, I brought the Fairy Jade Girl Powder you used to use. I was so happy to see you that I forgot to give it to you. Huan'er, let me use this as an apology, okay?"
Zhen Huan was quite surprised, "It's amazing that the prince can even find out all this."
"I just don't want you to live in a worse situation outside than in the palace." Prince Guo said earnestly.
......
When Zhen Huan returned to her room, the sun was setting. Pei'er filled a hot water bottle for Zhen Huan and put it in her bedding.
Seeing her come back, Pei'er asked with concern: "Madam, what happened today?"
Zhen Huan held her face in her hands and shook her head, "It's nothing, Yunli is right, he is doing this for my own good."
Zhen Huan's voice became smaller and smaller, almost inaudible.
Looking closely at the blush on her face, Pei'er's expression remained calm.
At the end of the year, Prince Guo spent a month with Zhen Huan and seemed reluctant to leave.
Before the first month of the lunar year, he learned that nine out of ten officials in Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang who had repeatedly presented treasures to him had been uprooted!
Without bothering to flirt with Zhen Huan, he hurriedly sent someone to report to the emperor that he was in good health and then rushed to court.
For several days, the court was in chaos like a vegetable market. Either you were talking about my relatives or I was talking about your students. Only a dozen people were found out by Zhang Tingyu, Li Wei and others, and no less than twenty people were implicated by others in the court.
Listening to the ugly appearance of several officials around him spitting and looking at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne with his eyes closed and resting calmly, Prince Guo felt an infinite chill in his heart for no reason.
After the morning court session, Prince Guo followed the emperor into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, bowing and performing his formal ceremony with complete humility.
"I have just recovered from a serious illness and haven't had time to congratulate you, my royal brother, on the arrest of another group of corrupt officials. A peaceful and prosperous Qing Dynasty is just around the corner."
Seeing Prince Guo's happy expression, the emperor leaned back on the couch motionless, turning the beads in his hand non-stop.
"You have been ill for more than a month, and I miss you a little. I originally wanted to send you to Shandong for investigation, but I didn't expect you to be sick. Longyue said that she likes the necklace you gave her very much, so you must go and see Longyue." The emperor smiled and said calmly.
Prince Guo chuckled, "It's just a small token of my gratitude as an uncle. It's not worth much. Longyue is in the imperial palace, so it's not appropriate for me to go there."
The emperor kept moving his hands and looked at him straight in the eye. "It's not difficult. I'll have someone bring Longyue here."
"Royal brother." Prince Guo called out helplessly, "Fate cannot be forced. Please don't test me. I don't ask for three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, but I wish to win the heart of one person and stay with him until old age."
The emperor laughed heartily and suddenly became amiable.
"You are not young anymore. I already have several children your age. If you like someone, just come and ask me for marriage."