Masquerade in Bridal Attire and Marry the Prince

87. The Zhao Family’s Request

Translator: Antonia

After the conversation with Master Du, Du Chuxuan lazily paced to his former courtyard. The surroundings remained the same as before he had left and gave them a sense of familiarity. He was just about to go to bed, when Luo Yi suddenly came with a news.

“Master, the morning session ended, and the candidate for the political marriage hasn’t been decided yet.” Luo Yi kneeled on the floor, reported with respect and explained the reason for Du Chuxuan. He frowned a little, “Even His Highness didn’t manage to persuade the Emperor?”

“Now there is publicizing of the benevolence of the Zhao family which is very popular among the commoners. If Miss. Zhao is dragged into it at this time, I’m afraid the commoners won’t accept it.” Luo Yi explained, awkward. The timing was seized well. The food carts for disaster relief had long set off, but the good reputation of the Zhao family just came out.

But for this, His Highness would have been more than capable to appoint Zhao Zheng as the bride of this marriage. There was indignation in Luo Yi’s eyes, but Du Chuxuan didn’t take it as something unexpected.

Spotting Luo Yi’s displeased expression, Du Chuxuan knew that the bad news hadn’t been revealed yet, “Do tell me. What else happened during the morning session?”

“The Zhao family made a marriage request for Zhao Zheng.” Luo Yi gritted his teeth and finally told this. He didn’t aim to irritate Du Chuxuan, but he did feel that there must be spies of the Zhaos in the palace. The fact that Du Chuxuan went back home today was only known to, except the Emperor, the East Palace.

But the people in the East Palace were all His Highness’s followers, and the whole Palace was nearly message-proof. Yet, under such circumstances, the Zhaos still figured that Du Chuxuan was back in the Du Mansion today. It seemed that this time the Zhaos were serious.

Du Chuxuan stunned for a while, a foreboding surging in his heart, “You aren’t telling me that the Zhao family requested a marriage between Zhao Zheng and Yuxing Tianrui, are you?”

Luo Yi had never felt in such a dilemma and couldn’t help whining inwardly. It must be easier for His Highness to tell Her Highness personally, while he, a mere subordinate, was only heading for death to be the carrier of the bad news.

Though with this in his mind, he couldn’t reply it to his master, “Master, don’t worry. His Highness didn’t agree.” That being said, he didn’t need to look up to know that Du Chuxuan was angry.

However, none of the anticipated shouting and yelling happened, and Du Chuxuan, unusually calm, on bed hugging the quilt. For a time, a mixture of feelings occurring to him, he didn’t know what to say. In fact, tracing down the signs, he just made a surmise that the Zhao family must have something to do with Manluo.

After all, the Mansion of Duke Ningyuan was intimate with the Zhao family, and the former couldn’t rid of Manlou nor take control over it. Then, there was only one explanation that Shan Zhongli was a hidden chess piece that Manluo had slipped in among the nobilities. Yet, the one who took actions first must be of a high status. Thus, Old Master Zhao seemed very accorded with such a position.

Hugging himself, Du Chuxuan only found it comic. At this moment, the first thing he should do was to rush back to the palace to defend his position, but after all he was a man and felt repulsive to such an act.

He admitted that he had all sorts of bad habits, lazy and so gluttonous that he couldn’t do without meat for one meal. Yet, turning himself into what he wasn’t was the last thing he would do, “I know. You may leave. Keep on with what I told you before.” He waved his hand, feeling a little tired, and wanted to sleep off all the annoyances.

Luo Yi was surprised. Before he came here, Ada had urged him repeatedly that he should report to His Highness Du Chuxuan’s reaction. But what kind of reaction was this? Should he tell report that Her Highness had no reaction after learning it? He could easily picture His Highness’s chilly eyes.

Not daring to say much, he hurriedly left the house. What they didn’t know was that later the unconsented request for marriage began to spread among the folks. When Du Chuxuan woke up, it was already known to every household.

“So why do you think the Zhao family did this?” Du Chuxuan held a plate of pork legs and asked with a frown. Dongxiang stood opposite him, his expression suggesting that he had no idea of what he was referring to.

In his view, there was nothing that His Highness couldn’t solve and it would be better for Her Highness to go back and discuss with His Highness than to complain alone here.

Yet, Du Chuxuan, after the nap, had a strange anger in him and announced that he wouldn’t go back until he stayed here for some days. He was obviously angry, but Dongxiang didn’t know why.

“Since the Zhaos did this, they must have prepared in advance and just didn’t expect that His Highness said no.” Dongxiang grunted. He also heard about it. They said that no matter what the Du family was merely a merchant family with humble status and barely presentable.

But the Zhao family was different because it mastered real power. Before the third prince returned to the palace, meaning there was no competitor against His Highness, it didn’t matter what kind of princess he married.

But now, with the third prince, the Emperor had more choices. If there wasn’t a great family to support His Highness, he would very likely suffer a disadvantage later in the competition.

He retold this to Du Chuxuan, but he just sneered. The commoners must have read too much novels. Not to mention that the Emperor had never considered the third prince as an heir, even if the third prince worked hard for another decade, he couldn’t be as powerful and capable as Yuxing Tianrui was now.

To Dongxiang’s thought, Du Chuxuan didn’t express his attitude. He believed things couldn’t be that simple, because the incidents seemed to be proceeding one after another. At first, assassins broke into the East Palace to kill Yuxing Tianrui, and then, when the news was muted, there came this drama.

It could be seen that, whether the Emperor gave his consent or not, the Zhaos had intended to spread out the news anyway. Sometimes, a repeated rumor sounds real, and the Emperor attached great importance to his fame and filial piety.

He valued his fame in that he wouldn’t allow the commoners gossiped about the imperial family. As for filial piety, it resided in his respectful attitude towards the elderly ministers that had assisted the previous emperor. There were few of them that were expelled out of the court, and this was also the reason why the four great families could endure long.

“Luo Yi.” He gently tapped on the table with his fingers, and the next second, Luo Yi was there kneeling on the floor and ready to take his order.

“Spread the gossip that Miss Zhao has given her heart to someone—”