Chapter 94

"Your Majesty, I have a request to make." After the rewards to the officials were all distributed, Liu Yao finally stepped forward.

Liu Hong glanced at Liu Yao and asked with a smile, "What is it, my son?"

"I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me a marriage." Liu Yao said firmly.

As soon as Liu Yao spoke, the court was thrown into chaos. Regardless of Liu Yao's status as a prince and his high-ranking position, he was now one of the most powerful people in the Han Dynasty, second only to Emperor Ling. No one knew which family's daughter had caught Liu Yao's favor, and more importantly, Liu Yao had decided on his marriage without consulting his parents. In this era, marriages were supposed to be arranged by parents and matchmakers, especially for someone of Liu Yao's status. However, no one noticed that Cai Yong, standing below, had already burst into a wide grin, unable to contain his joy.

"Ha ha ha, I grant your request." Liu Hong laughed heartily. Then he instructed Zhang Rang to read out a prepared imperial edict.

The officials below, seeing the prepared edict, suddenly understood. It turned out that Liu Yao had already discussed this with Emperor Ling, who had agreed long ago. The father and son were just putting on a show for the court. This realization made the officials less surprised.

"The Emperor of the Han Dynasty decrees: It is heard that Cai Yong's daughter is graceful, virtuous, and of outstanding character, which greatly pleases the Empress Dowager and myself. Now, the First Prince Liu Yao is exceptionally talented in both literature and martial arts. Cai Yan, who is of marriageable age, is a perfect match for the First Prince. To fulfill the beauty of this union, Cai Yan is hereby betrothed to the First Prince as his imperial consort. The wedding will take place when they both come of age. So decreed." Zhang Rang shouted with a strained voice.

Upon hearing this, the officials below all turned their gaze to Cai Yong, who was beaming with pride. It was clear that Cai Yong was also in the know. The envy in everyone's eyes was evident. After all, with Cai Yong's daughter marrying Liu Yao, Cai Yong himself would rise to great heights. Some of the lower-ranking officials had already decided to curry favor with Cai Yong. If Cai Yong could put in a good word for them with Liu Yao, their futures would be secured.

However, before the officials could收回 their gazes, another announcement pulled them back.

Zhang Rang picked up another edict and began to read it aloud.

"The Emperor of the Han Dynasty decrees: It is heard that the adopted granddaughter of the Empress Dowager and my adopted daughter, Diaochan, is graceful, virtuous, and of outstanding character, which greatly pleases the Empress Dowager and myself. Now, the First Prince Liu Yao is exceptionally talented in both literature and martial arts. Diaochan, who is of marriageable age, is a perfect match for the First Prince. To fulfill the beauty of this union, Diaochan is hereby betrothed to the First Prince as his imperial consort. The wedding will take place when they both come of age. So decreed."

Upon hearing this edict, the court was once again in an uproar. No one knew who this Diaochan was. They had never heard of Emperor Ling having an adopted daughter, let alone one who was also the adopted granddaughter of Empress Dowager Dong. What a stroke of luck for her.

Of course, what they didn't know was that Diaochan was just a lowly palace maid the day before.

As for Liu Hong, he was also surprised when he received the news from his mother, Empress Dowager Dong. He never expected to suddenly have an adopted daughter, and one who was to be married to his son Liu Yao. He knew nothing about this Diaochan. However, Liu Hong still added this edict because he trusted Liu Yao's judgment and Empress Dowager Dong's judgment. If both were satisfied with her, she must be exceptional.

"Thank you, Father, for your kindness." Liu Yao said, moved.

"Ha ha ha!! Cai Yong, in a few days, I will send someone to your residence to formalize the betrothal." Liu Hong laughed heartily. It was clear that he was very excited, even speaking about such matters in court.

"Your Majesty, it is a great honor for my daughter to be chosen by the First Prince." Cai Yong stepped forward, smiling humbly.

At this moment, Huangfu Song, seeing that Emperor Ling was in a good mood, requested a one-year tax exemption for Ji Province to help the famine-stricken people. Liu Hong, in his good mood, readily agreed.

Huangfu Song then requested the release of Lu Zhi, who was still in prison. Emperor Ling's expression changed slightly.

"Your Majesty, General Lu Zhi was indeed framed by villains and unjustly imprisoned. I humbly request that you release General Lu Zhi." Liu Yao also stepped forward to speak. After all, Liu Yao had a good impression of Lu Zhi, a loyal servant of the Han Dynasty. Moreover, Lu Zhi's imprisonment was partly due to Liu Yao's machinations. Now that Lu Zhi no longer posed a threat to him, Liu Yao saw no harm in interceding on his behalf.

Emperor Ling, hearing Liu Yao's words and the pleas of the officials, and considering that it was a joyous day for Liu Yao and his father, agreed to release Lu Zhi from prison and restore his position.

The five days passed quickly. During this time, Liu Yao was busy with the betrothal arrangements. Although he knew that betrothals in ancient times were complicated, he had never taken it seriously, thinking it was exaggerated. But once he was involved, Liu Yao found it truly troublesome. However, once everything was settled, he smiled, perhaps this was the pain and joy of it all.

On the day of the betrothal, many court officials came to celebrate. Most were there to build relationships with Liu Yao and Cai Yong. Only a few, like Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian, came to genuinely congratulate Liu Yao. These were mostly seasoned generals whom Liu Yao had helped on the battlefield, and they knew they should come to celebrate.

To Liu Yao's surprise, even his rivals like Yuan Feng, He Jin, and the Yuan brothers, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, came to attend. If it weren't for the fact that it was Liu Yao's big day and these people didn't dare to cause trouble, Liu Yao would have been tempted to kick them out. But since they were nominally there to offer their blessings, he couldn't do that. However, when he saw Yuan Shu's eyes filled with hatred, Liu Yao couldn't help but sneer. A fool is a fool, and will never change. How could someone who can't hide their emotions achieve great things?

That day, several figures appeared on the streets of Luoyang. A graceful young man, a carefree young man, and a strikingly handsome young man, followed by three young men who looked like bodyguards.

The three were naturally Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and Shi A. The graceful young man was Liu Yao. The carefree young man was Guo Jia. As for the last, strikingly handsome young man...

"Brother, I didn't know Luoyang had so many interesting things." The young man tugged at Liu Yao's sleeve.

"I told you, don't call me 'Brother' when we're outside. Call me 'Big Brother.' If we're recognized, it will be troublesome." Liu Yao rubbed his slightly aching head, speaking helplessly.

This young man was naturally Liu Yao's younger sister, Princess Wannian, Liu Xin, who was dressed as a boy. She had only stayed at the Cai residence for five days and was already restless, demanding to go out. Liu Yao, unable to refuse, had to grant her wish. To avoid trouble, he had Liu Xin dress as a boy.

Fortunately, although Liu Yao's name was known throughout Luoyang, few commoners actually recognized him. Otherwise, his appearance would have caused a commotion, which would not have been pleasant.

As for Cai Yan and Diaochan, they were not as restless as Liu Xin. One practiced the zither at home, and the other practiced dance. Their cooperation left Liu Yao spellbound.

Liu Xin playfully stuck out her tongue and said, "I know, Big Brother."

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