tallest building

Chapter 248: Arranging a Marriage

When Ying Bai and her son returned to their seats, Princess Duanmin smiled and said, "I was just saying, Bai'er has really made something of himself now. He was just quiet when he was little, but I never expected him to be so talented."

"Your Highness is too kind. This child is stubborn and playful. He was just lucky today," Princess Chu said hastily. "In reality, he is far inferior to the Prince of Zhao."

"Your Highness's insight is quite poor. In fact, luck is the most important thing. Haven't you heard that when luck is bad, gold loses its luster, and when the times are bad, jade loses its shine?" The princess said this with a playful smile on her lips.

Many people present were moved, but only the Princess of Chu shook her head and denied it, saying, "It was just a stroke of luck for him."

After the banquet, Princess Zhao found Wen Mingqian.

"Please sit down, Your Highness. I must not speak much with you at the banquet today. I was just thinking of giving these things I made for you to Qingping so she can take them out of the palace." Wen Mingqian offered a seat to Princess Zhao while personally brewing tea.

Qingping is a maidservant of Princess Zhao, and she accompanied her to the palace for the banquet.

“Please sit down, there’s no need to rush. I just had some tea at the other end of the table, I’m not thirsty yet.” Princess Zhao pulled her aside. “I haven’t seen you for a long time, I’ve been missing you, so I wanted to talk to you.”

Wen Mingqian then sat on only half of the chair, leaning to one side.

Princess Zhao sighed and said, "I'm leaving the palace soon, and I'd like to ask you to persuade Tong'er. This child is so irresponsible; he always worries me."

"Please don't use the word 'please,' it's too much for me. I'm only where I am today because of you," Wen Mingqian said hurriedly. "Your Highness is probably worrying too much. In fact, we see that the Prince is perfect in every way in the palace."

“Alas, what do you know! I am his mother, I know him best.” Princess Zhao shook her head and sighed. “This child is too reckless and not cautious enough. He is also very competitive, which is really not good for him.”

“The young master is still young; he’s already quite mature for his age,” Wen Mingqian said. “I’ve heard from Chang’an that the young master is excellent in everything. However…”

Wen Mingqian stopped speaking here. Her hesitation made Princess Zhao even more suspicious, so she asked her, "Just say what you want to say. I trust you."

"I hesitate because there are some things I'm not sure about, and I'm afraid it wouldn't be good to say them," Wen Mingqian said with a smile.

"What does it matter? As long as what the two of us say doesn't reach a third person's ears," said Princess Zhao. "Like I said, I'm not often in the palace, so the palace is entirely in your hands."

“This servant also overheard Princess Duanmin and the Eldest Princess talking, and they mentioned it briefly. Although they didn’t say it explicitly, it seemed to be implying that the Prince of Fenye and his group had another purpose in coming to the capital this time besides paying homage to His Majesty,” Wen Mingqian said. “It seems that they want to arrange a marriage between Princess Zhuolahan and her family.”

"Really?" Princess Zhao's eyes widened involuntarily upon hearing this.

“This servant is not entirely sure either,” Wen Mingqian said, of course, not to make any definitive statements. “Back then, the eldest princess praised Princess Zhuolahan for being frank and lovely, and Princess Duanmin said that she was the most favored daughter of the Prince of Fenye. The purpose of bringing her here this time is to let her familiarize herself with the sights and sounds of the capital and to make plans for the future.”

It is also said that girls on the grasslands begin to be betrothed as early as nine or ten years old, but the King of Fenye refused to arrange a marriage for Princess Zhuolahan, and instead made her learn to speak Han Chinese from a young age to become familiar with Han customs.

When the Queen of Zhao heard her say this, she remembered what had happened before. When welcoming the King of Fenye and his entourage, Zhuolahan had publicly said that he wanted to marry Gong Chang'an.

King Fenye said that marriage was a matter for the parents to decide, which clearly meant that Zhuolahan was not engaged. Even if Gong Chang'an was a child prodigy, he was not a match for Zhuolahan in terms of status. Besides, he was just a child, so his words should not be taken seriously.

“The power of the King of Fenye has grown stronger in recent years, and the court is quite wary of him,” said Princess Zhao. “The practice of marriage alliances has existed since ancient times, and your guess is not unreasonable.”

“The court is wary of the Prince of Fenye, but it also needs to rely on him,” Wen Mingqian said. “If it were a marriage alliance, both sides would probably be willing. However, this is just my guess, and I will find an opportunity to investigate the truth later.”

"That's thoughtful of you. I knew you were a reliable person." Princess Zhao was very pleased. "As the adopted daughter of the Eldest Princess, you can naturally visit her often, and thus see Princess Duanmin more often."

Wen Mingqian nodded, then smiled and said, "There's something else, but I don't know if I'm just overthinking it."

"Just tell us what's on your mind. Whether it's true or not, it's good for us to be prepared." The princess knew that Wen Mingqian was usually very steady, and she wouldn't say anything if it was something that had nothing to do with her.

“This servant thought that the Crown Prince of Chu had always avoided our Crown Prince’s sharpness, but recently, I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s been acting out of character lately and is always trying to be the first. Today’s incident is an example. A few days ago, I heard from Chang’an that the Crown Prince of Chu is also very diligent in his studies and has had Master Zhuge praise him in front of His Majesty several times.”

Wen Mingqian's words touched Princess Zhao even more. Considering how Princess Duanmin had praised the Crown Prince of Chu so openly at the banquet earlier that day, it was as if she had no regard for propriety at all.

This had already made Princess Zhao very uneasy.

"However, Your Highness need not worry too much. His Majesty and the Empress have the final say on everything, and our Crown Prince is more favored by the Emperor," Wen Mingqian said softly.

However, her words did not reassure Princess Zhao, but she did not say anything more.

He stood up and said, "I've been here for quite some time now, and I'm afraid you still have to go to serve the Empress. I'll go find Tong'er first and say a few words to him, and give him some instructions. Then I'll bid farewell to the Empress and leave the palace."

Wen Mingqian accompanied her for a long time until they reached the palace of the Prince of Zhao before returning home.

When they got back, they found Gong Chang'an inside, baring his teeth and his shoulder covered in blood from being bitten.

"What happened? Who bit you?" Wen Mingqian quickly stepped forward to check, and then sent Xiaoyue, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask Physician Su to come and take a look."

"Who else could it be?" Gong Chang'an said, taking a deep breath. "Those two siblings are savage lunatics who grew up eating raw meat."

"Did you offend Princess Zhuolahan?" Wen Mingqian brought warm water and carefully wiped away the blood and grime around his wound.

"I shouldn't have saved her in the first place," Gong Chang'an said, enduring the pain. "Who would have thought she would cling to me like that? And her stupid, bear-like brother, he drools whenever he sees Sister Sang Er. I really want to smash his head in!"

“Princess Duanmin said that the Prince of Fenye brought his daughter here this time to choose a husband for her from among the two princes,” Wen Mingqian said in a low voice. “His pestering you is only temporary. After all, marriage is a major life event and still requires the approval of one’s parents.”

"Amitabha! If that's the case, that would be wonderful." Gong Chang'an chanted the Buddha's name. "I am not worthy of such blessings."