Chapter 72

Chapter 71

The next morning, He Xiangxu, as usual, went to the Chui Gong Hall to assist Emperor Wei in reviewing the memorials.

To be honest, he did not really approve of his grandson He Xinxian's relationship with Princess Yulong. After all, according to what he knew, Princess Yulong's mother, Consort Xiao Shuyuan, was a woman who had left a thorn in the emperor's heart. The fact that Princess Yulong was not favored in the palace over the years clearly indicated that the emperor still harbored resentment towards Consort Xiao and even the Xiao family.

Would it not be inviting trouble for the He family to marry Princess Yulong?

However, due to his grandson's earnest pleading, He Xiangxu had no choice. Therefore, while in the Chui Gong Hall, he was looking for an opportunity to probe the emperor's attitude and see if this matter could be resolved.

He selected a more sensitive memorial from the pile and presented it to the imperial desk, pondering how to bring up the topic to the emperor.

Unexpectedly, the emperor, noticing that He Xiangxu stood by the imperial desk for a long time without returning to his seat, was puzzled and teased, "He Xiangxu, why do you seem so distracted today? Are you aware of your fate?"

Hearing the emperor's teasing, He Xiangxu smiled, "This old bone might still last a few more years."

"Ha ha." The emperor laughed heartily, clearly sensing that this trusted minister had something to discuss. He pushed the memorials aside, stretched his limbs to relieve the stiffness from sitting for too long.

"Cough... Your Majesty, please maintain your imperial dignity," the chief eunuch Tong Xian whispered, as it was inappropriate for the emperor to stretch in front of his ministers. In a stricter sense, this was considered a loss of imperial dignity.

The two record-keeping eunuchs behind Tong Xian would document the emperor's daily words and actions, which might be recorded in the official history and used to evaluate this monarch. Therefore, it had to be treated with seriousness.

"Do I need to stretch to maintain my dignity?" Emperor Wei glanced at Tong Xian with a smile, scolding him playfully.

It had to be admitted that Emperor Wei was an enlightened ruler in his daily governance.

Tong Xian smiled bitterly, and He Xiangxu also chuckled.

After stretching, Emperor Wei felt much more comfortable and asked with a smile, "Speak up, what is it?"

"It's like this..." He Xiangxu thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty knows that this old minister has a grandson..."

"He Xinxian." Emperor Wei interrupted, smiling, "I know him, the third place in the recent imperial examination. ... Speaking of which, I still remember your grandson's literary talent... Xiangxu, don't blame me for giving the top two places to others."

He Xiangxu smiled and replied, "Your Majesty's intention to boost the enthusiasm of scholars from humble backgrounds is well-intentioned, and this old minister would not dare to complain. ... After all, our Great Wei is not entirely supported by noble families, and it is indeed necessary to boost the enthusiasm of scholars from humble backgrounds. Moreover, this old minister has read the works of Kou Zheng and Luo Rong, and my grandson is far from their level."

"Hmm." The emperor nodded in satisfaction and said, "It's good that you think this way. ... In a few days, I will promote He Xinxian to one of the six ministries. Just inform He Mei, and I will approve it!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He Xiangxu bowed, but then politely declined, "However, my grandson intends to take the exam again in three years, determined to win the top place."

"Oh?" Emperor Wei was somewhat surprised and nodded in approval, "Ambitious! Truly a young talent of our Great Wei!" He suddenly paused and asked curiously, "What did you say about your grandson?"

"It's like this, my grandson Xinxian is already eighteen, and I am concerned about his marriage. However, that boy says he has a girl he admires..."

"Hehe." Emperor Wei laughed, "Interesting... Which family's daughter has he set his eyes on? I will make the decision for him."

"It's... a princess," He Xiangxu said hesitantly.

"Oh?" The emperor's expression became strange, with a hint of a smile, "He has his eyes on my daughter? Was it during the Dragon Boat Festival at the Wende Hall?"

"I am not sure about that," He Xiangxu laughed nervously, but seeing that the emperor did not oppose, he felt slightly relieved. He thought to himself: Indeed, the He family is qualified to marry a princess.

"He Xinxian... Hmm, this boy is not bad." The emperor nodded and asked, "Which of my daughters?"

"It's Princess Yulong," He Xiangxu said softly.

The chief eunuch Tong Xian looked at He Xiangxu in shock.

Emperor Wei's expression gradually darkened.

"Your... Majesty?" Seeing that the emperor was silent for a long time, He Xiangxu was puzzled and cautiously raised his head, only to see the emperor looking at him with a pale face. He was instantly alarmed.

"Yulong... Yulong..." The emperor tapped his fingers on the imperial desk, his eyes sharp and his voice cold, "Xiangxu, what do you know?"

Know?

He Xiangxu was startled, feeling a mix of fear and unease, and quickly said, "This old minister does not understand what Your Majesty means."

"..." The emperor looked at He Xiangxu coldly, seeing that he was indeed puzzled, and said calmly, "I will consider it. You may return to your seat."

...

He Xiangxu's heart sank. He realized that the emperor not only had not let go of his resentment but had perhaps deepened it.

As to why, he could not quite understand.

In his view, even if the emperor had a grudge against Consort Xiao Shuyuan, after so many years, that resentment should have faded, and it should not have been transferred to Princess Yulong.

However, from the emperor's cold eyes, He Xiangxu could see that Princess Yulong had become a taboo.

That day, He Xiangxu did not know how he managed to return home in a daze. The first thing he did upon returning home was to call his grandson He Xinxian to the study.

"Xinxian, you must not have any further contact with Princess Yulong!"

He Xinxian, who was already conflicted, felt his heart sink upon hearing this.

He immediately realized that the information obtained by Prince Zhao Hongrun might not be baseless.

The next day, He Xinxian, worried, went to the Hanlin Academy, where he had agreed to meet Prince Zhao Hongrun, who would give him news in the next two days.

Around noon, Prince Zhao Hongrun led the palace guards to the Hanlin Academy and met He Xinxian.

"Prince, yesterday, my grandfather returned home and sternly told me to cut off contact with Princess Yulong. What do you think of this?"

It seems that He Xiangxu encountered resistance from the emperor and perhaps noticed something... This suggests that the marriage proposal is not a rumor.

Prince Zhao Hongrun frowned in thought.

Seeing that he was silent for a long time, He Xinxian became even more anxious and said urgently, "Prince, please come up with a plan."

"Me?" Prince Zhao Hongrun looked at He Xinxian, both surprised and amused, "It should be you!"

"Me... me?"

"Yes." Prince Zhao Hongrun took a deep breath and said calmly, "It seems that the marriage proposal is real. Now, you have two choices... either fight for it or give up."

"Give up..." He Xinxian wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked with difficulty, "How do I give up? How do I fight for it?"

Prince Zhao Hongrun glanced at He Xiangxu and said coolly, "Giving up is simple, just cut off the relationship. As for fighting for it... the worst-case scenario is that you take the princess and run away."

"Run away... How can I do that?" He Xinxian was shocked, his eyes wide with panic, "If I do such a disgraceful thing, won't I bring disaster to my family?"

"Disgraceful thing?" Prince Zhao Hongrun looked at He Xinxian coldly.

He Xinxian was startled, realizing he had misspoken, and quickly said, "Prince, please don't misunderstand. I am just worried that the emperor will blame my family. I have no other intentions..." He then pleaded, "Prince, can't you plead for me to the emperor?"

Prince Zhao Hongrun glanced at He Xinxian coldly and said, "Do you think I asked you to have He Xiangxu probe the emperor for nothing? I suspect the emperor is keeping this information secret to prevent me from finding out... Do you believe that if I go to the Chui Gong Hall to ask about this, I will likely be imprisoned?"

"..." He Xinxian looked disappointed.

Seeing his expression, Prince Zhao Hongrun was also disappointed and casually threw him an object, saying, "Think it over and come to the palace to find me. If you give up, have someone return this to me."

With that, Prince Zhao Hongrun turned and left with the palace guards.

He Xinxian looked down and saw that Prince Zhao Hongrun had thrown him a token for access to the palace.

Days passed, and He Xinxian was distracted every day, struggling with this matter.

He could not deny his deep feelings for Princess Yulong, but if this relationship brought disaster to his family, what could he do?

About seven or eight days later, a message spread throughout the capital: the envoy from Chu had arrived in Yongqiu and would soon meet Emperor Wei to present the national letter.

This news left the court and the people puzzled, as they knew that Wei and Chu had been at war for years. Why would Chu send an envoy to meet Emperor Wei?

Upon hearing this news, He Xinxian could no longer sit still. Using the token borrowed from Prince Zhao Hongrun, he entered the palace and came to the Wenzhao Pavilion.

"Have you thought it through?"

When Prince Zhao Hongrun saw him, he did not waste any words.

"Yes." He Xinxian nodded solemnly and said, "I believe that even if the emperor blames me in the future, Prince, you will help my family, ensuring that we do not suffer too much. As for me... I am prepared to be disowned by my family."

Not bad...

Prince Zhao Hongrun looked at He Xinxian with some surprise.

"Prince, what should I do next?" He Xinxian asked solemnly.

Prince Zhao Hongrun smiled slightly, "Next, it's my turn. ... Tonight at midnight, at the pavilion ten miles south of the city. If the princess is willing to go with you... catch!" He threw a token to He Xinxian.

He Xinxian caught the token and examined it, seeing that it was engraved with "Yong Wang" on one side and "City Entry and Exit" on the other.

Unlike the token Prince Zhao Hongrun had previously given, which allowed access to the palace, this token allowed free entry and exit from the capital, a token of the Yong Wang.

"Thank you!"

He Xinxian took a deep breath and carefully hid the token on his person.

...

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