The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The next morning, Wang Anshi changed into a newly made blue official robe, the ink stains on the cuffs of which had been washed clean.

He straightened his clothes in front of the bronze mirror in the duty room, and then looked down to check his cuffs for any new ink stains.

Chen Qi just pushed the door open and came in. When he saw him like this, his hand holding the teacup paused for a moment.

His gaze swept over him from head to toe, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Wang, are you dressed like this for a blind date?" Chen Qi asked knowingly.

Wang Anshi straightened his collar and did not deny it: "Go to the Pei residence."

Chen Qi put down the teapot, leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms, and smiled even more broadly: "Going to the Pei residence to propose marriage?"

"Wang, this is the biggest news of the year for the Censorate! You, who wouldn't even blink an eye when impeaching the Fourth Prince, are going to the Pei residence today to propose marriage. How about it, are you nervous?"

Wang Anshi looked up at him, paused for a moment, and then honestly replied, "Nervous."

He wasn't nervous when he impeached the fourth prince, nor was he nervous when Han Zhongyue made things difficult for him during the joint trial of the three judicial departments.

But he couldn't sleep since last night because he was going to the Pei family to propose marriage today.

Chen Qi laughed heartily, walked over and patted him on the shoulder, then looked at the betrothal gifts he had brought and said that a marriage proposal should look like a marriage proposal, and the betrothal gifts should be chosen by the person making the proposal.

Then, lowering his voice, he gave him a piece of advice: "Minister Pei has actually already tacitly agreed, so this marriage is inevitable, but Miss Pei himself has to talk to her about it."

"Miss Pei's personality is exactly like her father's; she can't be swayed by a few loads of betrothal gifts. You have to use your true heart."

Wang Anshi nodded, shouldered the betrothal gifts, and strode out of the Censorate gate.

He walked through Qipan Street, bypassed the Imperial Academy, and followed the bluestone path outside the Pei residence step by step.

The betrothal gifts were not excessive.

Two loads, one load containing land deeds and silver, and the other load containing writing implements and silk.

The land deed was for a few acres of meager land that he had accumulated while teaching at a private school in Wangjiazhuang.

The silver was his salary surplus from his years in the Censorate, the writing implements were his own old set, and the silk was plain brocade that he had asked Sheng Yuan to purchase from Jiangnan.

These betrothal gifts would be ordinary for a typical official's family, but he knew that Pei Du would not find them objectionable, and Pei Youqing even less so.

The Pei family has no shortage of gold and silver, but what they lack is someone who truly treats them well.

The gatekeeper of the Pei residence saw him approaching from afar carrying his load and quickly went inside to announce his arrival.

Before long, Pei Du personally came out to greet him, standing at the entrance of the main hall with a teacup in his hand, watching Wang Anshi carry the betrothal gifts up the steps one by one.

Wang Anshi walked to the center of the main hall, gently placed the betrothal gifts on the ground, and then knelt down properly, holding the marriage certificate above his head with both hands.

"Vice Minister Pei, I, Wang Anshi, have come to your door today to ask for your daughter, Pei Youqing, in marriage."

"I come from a humble background, with no distinguished family history or vast wealth."

"These betrothal gifts may be meager, but each one was earned honestly and cleanly from my salary."

"I dare not promise your daughter wealth and honor, but I can promise one thing: I will never betray her in this lifetime."

Pei Du took the marriage certificate, unfolded it, and read it from beginning to end.

The marriage certificate was written by Wang Anshi himself, each stroke meticulous and neat, without a single character written carelessly.

After reading it, he closed the marriage certificate and placed it on the table, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Then, leaning back in his chair, he looked at Wang Anshi kneeling on the ground and remained silent for a while before suddenly asking him an unexpected question: "The Grand Tutor's office is selecting a consort for the Fifth Prince. A few days ago, Grand Tutor Yuwen personally delivered a letter to me, wanting to ask for Youqing on behalf of the Fifth Prince."

"What makes you think I would marry my daughter to you?"

Wang Anshi raised his head and looked directly into Pei Du's eyes. He spoke slowly but clearly: "Vice Minister Pei, what the Grand Tutor's Mansion can give Youqing, I cannot. The Grand Tutor's Mansion has power, the prestige of a noble family, and the sycophancy of the entire court."

"But what I can give Youqing, the Grand Tutor's Mansion cannot. I will keep her in my heart for the rest of my life, not because she is anyone's daughter, but simply because she is her."

"As an imperial censor in the Censorate, offending people is commonplace for me. I might be bitten in return any day."

"But I can swear that if anyone wants to harm Youqing, they will have to step over my body first."

Pei Du paused slightly in his teacup and looked up at the young man in front of him.

He had seen far too many people propose marriage.

Some were passionate and eloquent, some were humble and obedient, and some were eager to show their loyalty.

But Wang Anshi was different. He did not boast about his future prospects, nor did he belittle his competitors. He simply spoke a few heartfelt words.

This frankness, this self-awareness, and this unyielding spirit in the face of pressure from the Taibao Mansion are precisely the qualities he values ​​most.

He gently placed the teacup on the table and said something that silenced the entire room: "I have been an imperial censor all my life, and I have offended more people than you have ever met in your entire life."

"You just said that if anyone wants to harm Youqing, they'll have to step over you first. I'll remember that."

"However, your betrothal gifts are missing one thing. Youqing lost her mother at a young age and was raised by me."

"She likes to eat osmanthus cake, likes to read 'Discourses on Salt and Iron', doesn't speak when she's angry, and waters flowers by herself in the yard when she's happy."

"You need to know these things. Get up, I will take you to see her."

Wang Anshi stood up and followed Pei Du through the corridors of the Pei residence and into the backyard.

The courtyard was small, with a few clumps of bamboo planted in it. On a stone table in the corner, there was a pot of orchids, the leaves still covered with morning dew.

Pei Youqing stood under the clump of bamboo, wearing a moon-white dress.

She wore only a silver hairpin in her hair, exactly the same outfit she wore yesterday when she went to his room to bring him soup.

When she saw her father leading Wang Anshi over, she was slightly taken aback, then a faint blush rose on her cheeks, and she lowered her eyes to bow to him.

Pei Du looked at his daughter, then at Wang Anshi, and placed Wang Anshi's hand on top of his daughter's hand, saying, "From now on, you two can handle things yourselves. I won't interfere."

Then he turned around, walked to the stone table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of tea.

Pei Youqing had made him wait so long, so she should have a sip of tea to soothe her throat first.

"Long?" Pei Du glanced at her, holding his teacup. "Has he been waiting this long, or have you been waiting this long?"

Pei Youqing's face flushed red instantly, and she lowered her head, no longer speaking.

Wang Anshi stepped forward, took out another marriage certificate from his sleeve, and handed it to her with both hands.

This marriage certificate was not the official document shown to Pei Du.

Instead, it was a copy he made himself, with neater handwriting than the original, and two lines of poetry at the end.

"I wish to find someone who loves me wholeheartedly, and stay with me until our hair turns white."

These two lines of poetry are not his original work; they are lines from Zhuo Wenjun's "Ode to White Hair" from her previous life.

When he read these two lines of poetry in his previous life, he never imagined that one day he would use them to propose marriage.

But last night, while writing this marriage certificate in the duty room, he thought and thought that only these two sentences could express his feelings at this moment.

Pei Youqing took the marriage certificate, looked down at the last two lines, and remained silent for a long time.

Then she looked up, her eyes slightly red, but a smile on her lips, and asked him if he was stubborn and sometimes spoke harshly. She said she would help him take care of his clothes, soup, and the case files on his desk.

She paused, then said he had to promise her one thing too.

No matter how many people I offend in the future, I must remain safe and sound.

Wang Anshi nodded solemnly.

Pei Youqing carefully folded the marriage certificate and put it into her sleeve.

She then picked up the plate of osmanthus cake from the stone table and handed it to him, saying that it was freshly made this morning and that she had originally planned to send it to him at noon, but since he was here, he should try it first.

Wang Anshi picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and took a bite.

Pei Du stood silently beside him, holding his teacup, and suddenly felt that this plate of osmanthus cake was even more comforting than the pot of Longjing tea he had just enjoyed.