Chapter 229
**Chapter 227: The Princess's Distant Marriage**
Shen Mieyue put down his chopsticks. "Mother, I already have a girl I like. She's in Liangzhou City. But she’s not willing to marry me yet. I’ll work harder when I return to Liangzhou."
Shen Mu felt a bit relieved and said gently, "If the girl doesn’t want to, don’t push her."
Shen Mieyue buried his head in his bowl, continuing to eat the braised pork.
Shen Mu's gaze shifted to Shen Xiuming, who was sipping his soup. She frowned slightly. "You’re not a child anymore. It’s time for you to settle down and start a family. Only then will I feel at ease."
Shen Xiuming paused, a delicate face suddenly flashing in his mind.
A few days ago, at the welcome banquet held in Qinghua Hall, Shen Xiuming hadn’t drunk any wine, but Mo Xun from the Yue Kingdom had been quite inebriated.
When Shen Xiuming helped Mo Xun back to the embassy and tossed him onto the bed, he noticed Mo Xun’s belt had loosened, and his clothes were askew. Shen Xiuming accidentally caught a glimpse of Mo Xun’s curvaceous figure.
Mo Xun was actually a woman!
In the days that followed, Shen Xiuming found himself uncontrollably thinking about Mo Xun. He had never met such an intriguing girl...
But as an official of Da Qing, marrying a girl from the Yue Kingdom would likely meet with fierce opposition from his family and stir up gossip in the court.
Shen Xiuming wiped his mouth and feigned indifference. "Mother! A man should establish his career before starting a family."
Shen Mu shook her head helplessly.
After a hearty meal, in the afternoon, Shen Wei strolled in the courtyard to aid digestion, with Shen Mieyue accompanying her.
The Shen family courtyard was sparse with flowers and plants, the scenery rather ordinary. Walking beside Shen Wei, Shen Mieyue softly reminded her, "Be careful in the palace."
Shen Wei smiled. "Don’t worry, big brother. Just focus on holding onto your military power. In the future, when Cheng Tai and Cheng You grow up, they’ll need your support as their uncle."
Shen Mieyue’s heart tightened, and he quickly nodded. "I understand."
A breeze swept through the courtyard, rustling the flowers and grass, causing Shen Wei to suddenly feel dizzy and nearly faint. Seeing this, Shen Mieyue rushed forward. "Little sister, what’s wrong?"
Shen Wei rubbed her temples. "I probably didn’t sleep well last night."
She had been feeling unusually fatigued these past few days, occasionally plagued by nightmares that left her in a terrible state the next day. Shen Wei planned to return to the palace and consult a few imperial physicians to see what was wrong with her.
With limited time to visit home, Shen Wei didn’t linger. She handed several boxes of medicinal herbs and silks to Shen Mu and quickly left the Shen residence, returning to the palace.
...
A few days later, the emperor issued several imperial edicts in quick succession.
Shen Wei’s brother, Shen Xiuming, was promoted to the position of Longshi of Nanhai, a fifth-rank official responsible for administrative supervision in Nanhai Prefecture and overseeing trade with the Donglin Kingdom.
The late wife of Duke Lu was posthumously honored with a first-rank title.
Yan Yunting, the most accomplished member of the Yan family, had impressive military achievements. The emperor had originally intended to promote him to Minister of Rites, but Yan Yunting audaciously requested to marry Princess Zhaoyang, infuriating the emperor, who instead appointed him as Deputy Minister of Rites.
In addition, the emperor promoted several officials from humble backgrounds and demoted dozens of those who merely occupied their positions without merit.
Anyone with a slight understanding of the court’s dynamics would keenly notice that the emperor was supporting the rising stars from poor backgrounds while suppressing the bloated aristocratic officials.
At the same time, the arrangements for Princess Zhaoyang’s distant marriage to the Yue Kingdom were being finalized. The Ministry of Internal Affairs began to prepare the items for her dowry with great urgency.
Zhaoyang, the emperor’s younger sister, held a revered status and was beloved by the people. Her dowry was extraordinarily lavish, filled with countless gold, silver, and jewels that filled dozens of carts. Additionally, there were numerous servants, and the emperor even assigned her a formidable hundred-man guard.
After the astrologers determined an auspicious date, General Shen Mieyue of Da Qing was appointed as the envoy to personally escort Princess Zhaoyang to her marriage in the Yue Kingdom.
The date of departure was set for the first day of the fifth month.
On the eve of her departure, the princess’s residence was festooned with lights and decorations, radiating joy. In the storeroom of the back courtyard, Zhaoyang was counting the items for her dowry, while maids and eunuchs busily loaded boxes onto the carts.
The journey would be long and arduous, with the caravan moving slowly, likely taking at least two months to reach the border of Qingyue. Besides the expensive dowry, ample provisions also needed to be prepared.
"Princess, Young Master Yan requests an audience," a palace maid reported.
Zhaoyang replied impatiently, "Send him away. If he barges in, have the guards kill him."
In recent days, Yan Yunting had come to the princess’s residence daily, sometimes standing at the gate for an entire day. This had stirred up gossip throughout Yanjing, with rumors swirling.
Zhaoyang found it all quite vexing.
As she continued to tally her dowry items, a loud commotion erupted outside. Turning her head, she saw a bloodied Yan Yunting burst in, his clothes marked with cuts from the guards.
His hairpin had fallen, leaving his hair disheveled.
He looked utterly disheveled and pitiable.
Yan Yunting rushed forward, trying to grasp Zhaoyang’s hand. "Zhaoyang, I know you’re being forced! The emperor is pressuring you, the empress dowager is pressuring you—"
"Shut up! Don’t speak nonsense," Zhaoyang said, wrinkling her brow in disgust. "I am willingly marrying the emperor of the Yue Kingdom."
Yan Yunting was nearly beside himself. "That’s impossible! You only love me! That day you came to the Yan family’s courtyard and saw me with Rou’er... I know you were upset! But I promise, I will marry you as my legitimate wife! Rou’er is just a concubine, she will never replace you!"
He understood that Princess Zhaoyang wanted him all to herself.
But in this world, what man would only take a wife and not a concubine? Looking at the prominent families in Yanjing, which head of the household didn’t have a harem?
He couldn’t comprehend Zhaoyang’s thoughts.
The position of the legitimate wife was reserved for Zhaoyang; what more could she want? She was throwing away her happiness for the sake of her pride.
Zhaoyang felt a throbbing in her temples and snapped, "Someone, throw this dog away! If he barges in again, kill him on the spot!"
The guards of the princess’s residence immediately stepped forward to drive him out.
Yan Yunting felt wronged, filled with resentment. He had already set aside his pride as a man, humbling himself to seek forgiveness from the princess, even facing the emperor’s harsh reprimands without wavering—yet she still refused to relent.
So stubborn!
A man’s patience has its limits.
Seeing that Zhaoyang showed no signs of remorse, Yan Yunting’s anger flared, and he angrily declared, "Fine! Fine! Fine! If you’re so heartless, then I won’t come looking for you anymore! I’ll go to the emperor and request to marry Rou’er as my legitimate wife!"
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