Jiuxi

Chapter 703 [Marriage Granted]

In the third month of spring, the clouds are bright and the sunlight is floating.

The royal hunting ground in the northern suburbs of Dadu.

Emperor Jing drew his bow and aimed his arrow, but when he released the bowstring, a running elk several dozen feet away fell down.

The second prince Na Gu immediately praised loudly: "Father, you are an archer of divine power!"

The other princes were a little slower and felt annoyed, but they were not willing to be left behind and they praised him profusely.

Emperor Jing looked calm as usual. He handed the longbow to the soldier beside him, turned his head to look at the quiet figure in the crowd, and then smiled and said, "Yongping, do you want to try it?"

Qing Yu Huaijin bowed his head and said, "I dare not embarrass myself in front of Your Majesty."

Emperor Jing did not take it as an offense and said leisurely: "Well, you can walk with me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Looking at the backs of the two people walking forward, the princes stood where they were tactfully.

The emperor still favored Qing Yu Huaijin as usual and was not even affected by Qing Yugong's demotion. This was indeed a very strange thing.

The fourth prince Hai Ge stared at Qing Yu Huai Jin's graceful figure, almost reluctant to take his eyes off her.

The Third Prince Wu Yan, who was standing next to him, jokingly whispered, "Fourth Prince, you are always so bold, why didn't you dare to tell your father?"

Brother Hai quickly looked away and said awkwardly, "What did you say?"

Wu Yan smiled and said, "I remember that Princess Yongping is already 20 years old. She will get married sooner or later. Since the Fourth Brother likes her, why don't you take the initiative to ask Father for his blessing? If you keep holding back like this, you will regret it when she marries someone else one day."

"Third brother is joking."

Brother Hai had calmed down by now and said slowly: "I have always regarded Yongping as my sister and never had any other thoughts."

Wu Yan smiled without saying anything, then raised his hand and patted Brother Hai's shoulder meaningfully.

Emperor Jing and Qing Yu Huaijin had already walked more than ten feet ahead. The young and vigorous Emperor Jing looked at the vast world and said leisurely, "Recently, there are rumors that I am deliberately targeting the Prince of Changshan. There is no real evidence at all. It's just that they are jealous of his reputation as a military god, so they framed him with false charges. Yongping, what do you think of these rumors?"

Qing Yu Huaijin frowned slightly.

In fact, she didn't want to come to the royal hunting ground today, but due to the current situation, she didn't want to be accused of disobeying the emperor's will by the ministers in the court, which would implicate her father.

It is difficult for outsiders to understand the depression she felt during this period.

On the one hand, the emperor's suppression of Qing Yugong gradually took effect. Although the main generals of Xiashan Army and Fangcheng Army had not been implicated, some ministers in the court who were originally under the wing of Qing Yugong were either dismissed from office or transferred away from the center. All signs indicated that the emperor was cutting flesh with a soft knife.

On the other hand, she has been extremely favored by the emperor since she was a child. Even in the current situation, the emperor still treats her as his own daughter. A few days ago, on the Jinglian tribe's traditional festival, the New Year's Day, the emperor gave her rewards that were even higher than those of the other princes.

Qing Yu Huaijin would not be blinded by the superficial wealth and glory, she just couldn't understand what the emperor and her father were trying to do.

According to common sense, since the emperor wants to take action against Qing Yu, it is impossible for him to continue to treat her as a princess well, because this will confuse the forces loyal to the emperor, making it difficult for them to figure out his intentions, which will also affect subsequent progress.

In Qing Yu Huaijin's opinion, the emperor is definitely not the kind of person who acts on impulse. Once he makes up his mind, what kind of obstacle will a mere Princess Yongping be?
Back to the question at hand, no matter how she answered it would be inappropriate.

If she believed those rumors, she would undoubtedly be slandering the Lord. If she did not believe those rumors, wouldn't it mean that she also thought her father was guilty?
After a long while, she said with embarrassment: "Your Majesty, there are all kinds of rumors in the streets, why should you care about them?"

Emperor Jing smiled slightly and asked, "In your opinion, am I deliberately targeting your father?"

This question is becoming more and more acute.

Qing Yu Huaijin thought for a while, and finally did not choose to escape, but said firmly: "Your Majesty, my father is loyal to you and Dajing, and will never do anything that violates the code of conduct for a minister, let alone participate in the murder of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Although Yongping is shallow in knowledge, I firmly believe that I will not be wrong. My father is a true loyal minister. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

"You dare to say this, which is enough to prove that I am not wrong about you."

To Qing Yu Huaijin's surprise, Emperor Jing seemed to appreciate her statement.

The two continued to walk on the grass, and Emperor Jing changed the subject and said, "Wu Yanshu reported secretly that the Southern Qi Jingzhou Army is ready to move, and part of the Beijing Army has already headed north, aiming at the southernmost border of our Nanjing Road. What does Yongping think about this?"

Qing Yu Huaijin replied: "When the enemy comes, we will fight them with our generals; when the water comes, we will block it with earth."

Emperor Jing smiled, his eyes became more profound, and he said slowly: "Ever since I asked your father to return home to reflect on himself, the people have been in a panic, and the army has gradually become unstable. These invisible influences will inevitably weaken our army's combat effectiveness. Now that the Qi army is coming with great momentum, maybe they can continue to capture cities with unstoppable force."

Qing Yu Huaijin almost couldn't hold back.

She wanted to ask, isn't the current situation caused by the emperor's eagerness to weaken her father's power?

If not, how could the Qi army dare to go north so easily? Fortunately, she restrained herself in time and bowed her head and said, "Your Majesty, Yongping is not familiar with military affairs, so I dare not make any remarks."

"If everyone knew the limits like you, I wouldn't have to worry."

Emperor Jing sighed with a hint of meaning, and then said: "Yongping, you are a child I watched grow up with my own eyes. In my heart, you are no different from Elun and the others. Most of my princesses have found their homes, but you are still alone. Whenever I think of this, I always feel that I owe you something."

E'lun was the eldest daughter of Emperor Jing and was given the title Princess Zhaoning.

Qing Yu Huaijin's heart trembled, and he quickly said: "Your Majesty, your words are too serious. Yongping can't bear it."

"Nothing is too much to bear."

Emperor Jing stopped, looked at the sky with his hands behind his back, and said gently: "The dispute between me and the prince has nothing to do with you young people, so there is no need to force it on your shoulders, because your young and weak shoulders cannot bear it. I summoned you here today, firstly, I haven't seen you for a long time, and I want to see how you are doing. Secondly, you are already twenty years old. Although Dajing is not like Southern Qi, which requires women to marry at the age of fifteen or sixteen, it is not good to delay it too late, so your marriage must be settled as soon as possible."

There was a sudden buzz in Qing Yu Huaijin's mind.

She could clearly sense that this time the emperor was no longer testing or questioning like before, but his words were unquestionable.

"His Majesty……"

"Yongping, you should know that I have always been tolerant towards you. This has nothing to do with your background. On the contrary, because you are the legitimate daughter of the prince, I should not treat you well, because it will affect the overall situation."

Emperor Jing's words made Qing Yu Huai Jin feel even more depressed, and he continued, "When I was still the crown prince, I first saw you, a delicate and graceful toddler, and I regarded you as my own daughter. Later, as I watched you grow up day by day, your position in my heart is no less important than that of Erlun and the others. Therefore, I hope you can have a good home."

Qing Yu Huaijin twisted his hands together, not knowing how to answer.

The emperor was so kind to her and his words were so sincere. To be honest, how could she remain indifferent? After all, apart from the past two years, in the past ten years or so, the emperor was the most loving elder in her heart, second only to her father.

Because of this, even the princes did not dare to act unruly in front of her. Although she was not a princess, her status was even higher than that of a princess.

Emperor Jing turned his head to look at the princes standing in the distance, and said in a deep voice: "At the beginning, the Queen suggested to me that you should be betrothed to the Crown Prince Nalan. Although you are only a concubine, after Nalan ascends the throne, you can be promoted to a noble concubine, and your position will be only below the future Queen. This will not be considered an insult to you, and it will not be in vain for my love for you. I didn't expect the prince to refuse directly, and later I realized that this should be your own idea."

Qing Yu Huaijin lowered his head and said nothing.

Emperor Jing looked at her lowered eyes and said in a slow tone, "The fourth child is deeply in love with you. Although he dare not mention it in front of me, his feelings for you have long been known throughout Dadu. I have thought about it. Gu and Wu Yan are already married, and Wu Lie, A Hu Dai and others are younger than you. Only the fourth child is more suitable. And judging from his past performance, he will definitely not treat you badly in the future. He should be a good match."

Qing Yu Huaijin felt as if his mind was like paste.

In fact, until this moment, she still didn't know her true thoughts. The reason why she repeatedly rejected the marriage was simply because she felt that both the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, although they were the best among the younger generation of nobles in Dajing, were still a little bit inferior in her opinion.

She didn't understand where the specific gap was.

If the crown prince had not died suddenly, perhaps she could still act like before, acting like a spoiled child in front of the emperor and tactfully refusing. However, today the emperor's words revealed obvious determination.

After a moment, she said with difficulty: "Your Majesty, Yongping is temporarily—"

"My decision has been made."

This time, Emperor Jing did not continue to indulge her. He simply interrupted her and said, "You will get married eventually. Is my prince not worthy of you?"

Qing Yu Huaijin said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, how could Yongping have such disrespectful thoughts?"

"That's good."

Emperor Jing smiled slightly, turned around and said, "Of course, this matter is of great importance. I am just talking to you today. After you go back, tell your father exactly what I said, word for word. I believe he will understand my good intentions."

Hearing the last four words, Qing Yu Huaijin was shocked.

She suddenly realized that this marriage might not only affect her lifelong happiness.

Looking at the emperor's returning back, Qing Yu Huaijin bowed his head and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Don't worry, take your time to think about it."

Emperor Jing left a word and walked forward with steady steps.

Qing Yu Huaijin was filled with melancholy. She pinched her palms hard with her fingers, but she seemed not to feel any pain.

She looked at the Fourth Prince among the crowd in the distance and laughed at herself in her heart.

There is no such thing as a favored daughter of heaven. She is just a bargaining chip in the vortex of power struggle.

(End of this chapter)