Chapter 68: Should I accept my fate?

  Chu Qiyan's mind was struck by a sudden clap of thunder, and her entire body shook violently beyond control.

  In a flash of insight, he suddenly understood something, and with a sudden movement, he turned his head again to look at Tuoba Huai'an.

  Tuoba Huai'an's request to marry Zhu Lingyun is fake, the real intention is to provoke Su Lin into standing up in anger.

  At the same time, Tuoba Huai'an was also frowning, looking thoughtfully at Su Lin kneeling beside him.

  Su Lin's gaze swept over with a cold and unmasked warning.

  At that moment, Tuoba Huai'an suddenly felt a little like laughing.

  He said that Chu Nanyang would let him take the initiative to propose to Chu Lingyun, which was actually unreasonable. Now it seems that the girl's real plan was waiting here all along.

  It seems that...

  She had expected Su Lin's reaction in this matter long ago, so her arrangement was actually to force Su Lin to jump out.

  Things have thoroughly blown up now.

  Chu Yi Min was caught off guard and for a moment he didn't know how to react at all.

  After a deep bow, Su Lin raised his head to look at the Emperor on the throne, his words steady and firm: "Your Majesty, I and Princess Anle have had a marriage agreement for a long time. This matter must be considered in terms of who came first and who came later. Although the Fifth Prince is wise and discerning, unfortunately, he does not have this good fortune."

  He said, with a scornful glance at Tuoba Huai'an.

  Tuoba Huai'an suddenly came back to his senses from his thoughts, and smiled calmly: "Oh? Little Wang has been in the capital for some time now, but I've never heard that there was an engagement between Princess Anle and Su Shizi. As it concerns Princess Anle's reputation, Su Shizi shouldn't joke about it casually!"

  Su Lin had indeed given Chu Lingyun a lot of leeway, but that was under the premise of being inevitable. Now, with Tuoba Huai'an suddenly appearing halfway, he was already burning with anger.

  He sneered and also refused to give in: "Since you know it's related to the reputation of Princess Anle, Your Highness the Fifth Prince should retreat. You'd better choose another queen."

  Tuoba Huai'an smiled but didn't speak, his face showing a difficult expression as he looked up at the emperor on the throne.

  At this time, the hall was silent and voiceless. It wasn't that all the officials were not curious about the private case between the Su family and the Nanhe Duke's mansion, but rather...

  Because of the emperor's face on the upper seat.

  Since Su Lin stepped out, the emperor's reaction has been extremely subtle. He didn't respond to anyone's words and hasn't made any statements, silently watching Su Lin and Tuoba Huai'an exchange verbal blows in the hall.

  Chu Yimin almost subconsciously held his breath and didn't dare to make a sound, but the palms of his hands were already wet with sweat.

  "Is what Su Ai Qi said true?" The emperor's hand slowly rubbed the Nine Dragon Jade Pendant on his waist, but his expression was somewhat ambiguous. He opened his mouth and spoke to Chu Yi Min: "Second Brother, since you've already made a marriage agreement, why didn't I hear you mention it to me beforehand?"

  Chu Yimin wiped the sweat from his forehead and calmed down before saying: "Your Majesty... this matter..."

  The emperor's mind is so clear, these years he has been secretly making small moves that cannot be completely hidden from the old master's eyes, but the old master pretends to be deaf and dumb, how can he not know, this is the emperor's imperial tactics, intentionally letting him use to balance Chi Yian.

  Even if the emperor has no intention of replacing the crown prince, the person sitting in that position will not be able to watch the crown prince's family become too powerful and threaten his authority.

  Chu Yi'an remained still, not wanting to arouse the emperor's suspicion. He didn't want it either, so for these few years, although everyone knew that Su Lin was infatuated with Chu Lingyun, the Nanhe Wangfu had always kept their mouths shut and never showed any intention of forming an alliance through marriage.

  The status of the Changshun Prefecture and the Su family is really too special, and they also hold military power. Once the two families are married, the South River Wangfu will inevitably become the object of the emperor's attention and suppression.

  But now——

  Su Lin actually claimed that the two families had a marriage contract? Isn't it obvious that he is telling the Emperor, Chi Yiminyang Gong Yinwei, secretly colluding with Changshun Jun?

  Chu Yimin's voice was slightly trembling, and he instinctively wanted to deny it.

  Chu Qiyan's eyes flickered slightly, and she took a step forward, saying, "Your Majesty, there is indeed some connection between this matter, please allow me to explain."

  The emperor looked at him with an ambiguous gaze and nodded slightly.

  "The Crown Prince——" Su Lin grew somewhat anxious.

  Chu Qiyan didn't give him a chance to speak and directly said: "At the beginning of the year, when King Changshun and his wife came to Beijing to pay their respects, Queen Changshun and my mother had met once. At that time, they chatted and got along well, and indeed mentioned the marriage between our children. Your Majesty knows that my mother only has one daughter at home, so she didn't want her to marry far away. At that time, it was also thought that Su Shizhong's literary and military talents were not bad, and it wasn't good to openly reject Queen Changshun's face, so it was said that we would wait and discuss it with the Empress Dowager later, and ask for her opinion before making a decision. The Empress Dowager's idea was the same as my mother's, they both didn't want their sister to marry far away, but they also liked Su Shizhong's character, so they said to wait again. Since the Empress Dowager didn't explicitly issue an order, my mother naturally couldn't reply to Queen Changshun, and it has been delayed until now."

  He only pushed everything to the gossip of the Deep House Lady, and repeatedly emphasized that Zheng was valued for Su Lin's character, and had nothing to do with the background of the Longshun Palace behind him. Although it was a disguised sabotage, there were many praises for Su Lin in between, which made Su Lin unable to attack back.

  Su Lin's face was not good.

  "Su Shizi, I apologize, it's not that our Nanhe Wangfu doesn't keep promises, but there are reasons for this. Qiyan thanks you on behalf of my sister for your kindness, however, since the Fifth Prince also has intentions to marry into our household, this matter can only be decided by Your Majesty."

  He said and rushed to Su Lin with a solemn bow.

  He himself indeed intentionally matched Chu Lingyun and Su Lin, but unfortunately had no suitable reason. Now that things have blown up, it's not bad to muddy the waters and take advantage of the situation, because he was very clear in his heart ——

  Compared with Su's family, the Emperor would be even less likely to agree to let Chu Lingyun marry into a Xiongnu tribe in the north.

  Su Jia can at most be considered a powerful minister, while Mo Bei is an independent regime outside, if you really want to talk about treason?

  The north of the desert is more dangerous than Su's house!

  So on balance, the probability of the emperor choosing Su's family is still slightly higher.

  At this time, Chu Yimín also took a breath and hurriedly said: "The Fifth Prince and Su Shizǐ's kindness to my daughter is deeply felt in my heart. However, I only have one legitimate daughter, who is also the Emperor's own granddaughter. Since you two have already asked the Emperor for his decision, please let him decide!"

  They are all seeking marriage, but the South River Wang Fu has concerns no matter which one they choose. At this time, the best solution is to let go and leave it to the Emperor to decide.

  The emperor looked at the four people kneeling below with different expressions and remained silent for a long time.

  After a while, he suddenly looked at Chu Yi'an, who was standing at the forefront of the crowd with a calm and peaceful face, and smiled: "It is said that when one family has a daughter, a hundred families ask for her hand in marriage. Now this has become a difficult problem for me. This is a dilemma, Elder Brother, you'd better say something, which family should the little girl from the Second Brother's household be married to?"

  The emperor wants to suppress the South River Wangfu while never forgetting to guard against the East Palace.

  Chu Yi'an's expression didn't change, and he calmly said: "As Father Emperor has said, it seems that this matter cannot be settled with a single bowl of water. Rather than being thick-skinned on one side and thin-skinned on the other - I think it would be better to choose another suitable family for the Fifth Prince and Su Ai to select a good match. As for the precious treasure of the second son's family..."

  Chu Yi'an said with a smile, revealing a few hints of teasing, "The Empress Dowager will not mistreat her in any case, and if there's someone who suits her heart's desire in the future, she can choose again."

  Today's affair of seeking marriage in the Golden Palace, although Chu Lingyun did not directly participate, but after this commotion, the matter was also caused by her, and her reputation will definitely plummet in the future.

  Chu Yimin and Chu Qiyan were both shocked, but they never thought that the usually cautious Chu Yi'an would directly intervene and make such a suggestion.

  Following his usual style, this matter would definitely be directly pushed to the Emperor for decision, because he broke off the engagement with Ling Yu, which was equivalent to telling the Emperor that he wanted to openly obstruct the expansion of the Nanhe Wangfu's power.

  The emperor's pupils suddenly contracted.

  Chu Yi'an also turned a blind eye to this.

  Chu Yi Min suddenly spoke with a forced smile: "When it comes to talent and military strategy, the Fifth Prince and Su Shi Zi are both among the best of their peers. To reject him at the door, I'm afraid I'll have to be a bit reluctant. Brother Minister, don't you remember that several maids in the imperial household are also about to reach marriageable age? Why not make it a double happiness and settle this matter between our two families?"

  Chu Yi'an looked at him and remained noncommittal.

  It is well known that Chu Nianyang will not easily agree to marry, and now that Chu Yuexin has already reached the age of marriage, Tuoba Huayan and Su Lin will definitely not look at her with favor. There's no use in saying more.

  The emperor's gaze was profound and obscure, sweeping across the faces of the two men in a circle.

  Chu Yi Min was furious, he knew it, but how did Chu Yi An suddenly change his temper today?

  The emperor seems lost in thought.

  Taotao Huai'an's eyes flashed slightly, and he suddenly spoke again, "Your Majesty, Xiaowang is indeed sincere in his desire to marry the Princess of Anle, since the marriage between Su Shizi and the princess was just a misunderstanding, I implore Your Majesty to issue an edict to fulfill Xiaowang's wish!"

  As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down with a flourish of his sleeve.

  Su Lin's eyes suddenly flashed sharply, and he immediately opened his mouth to say, "Your Majesty, I truly love Princess Anle, and I have vowed not to marry anyone else. Please consider the fact that my ancestors have followed you through life and death for many years, and grant me this request!"

  Two people, each with their own sharp points, refused to give an inch, and sparks flew between them as their eyes met.

  Tuoba Huai'an let out a cold laugh through his nose: "Su Shizi, don't you think this is going too far? If you really have feelings for Princess Anle, why didn't you ask the Emperor for permission to marry her earlier? Why wait until today when I'm about to propose and then intentionally sabotage me? I shouldn't have offended you before, should I?"

  Su Lin's eyes turned cold as she gazed back at him, retorting: "I said that Your Highness had ulterior motives, and now you're proving me right. If you were truly sincere in your pursuit of marriage, what have you been doing all this time? Why wait until today to make a scene in the grand hall?"

  "This king wants to know on what day he will marry and on what day he will propose, is it not enough that I have to ask for your opinion, Su Shi?" Ta Ba Huai An raised an eyebrow, as if he was a true rival in love, and had clashed with him.

  "You——" Su Lin's face had already turned beet red with rage, and just as he was about to open his mouth to argue again, the emperor on the throne sternly rebuked in a low voice: "In the Golden Palace, you are making such a racket without end. Do you still put me in your eyes?"

  The two of them were shocked and still glared at each other with deep-seated hatred, then hastily apologized to the emperor.

  The emperor's face was gloomy, and he seemed somewhat tired of it. He said coldly, "Second brother, this is your own family affair. You handle it yourself and come back to me with a unified result along with these two kids!"

  Having said that, he stood up with a flourish and shouted: "Everyone scatter for today!"

  "Long live the Emperor!" The crowd bowed in unison and paid their respects.

  When the emperor left, Chu Yi'an led the way, and the crowd also dispersed one after another. Only four people were left behind: Chu Yi Min, his son, Tuoba Huai An, and Su Lin.

  "What exactly do you mean, Tuoba Huai'an?" Su Lin finally spoke up, each word almost squeezed out from between her teeth.

  "It's obvious that I'm here to propose a marriage." Tuoba Huai stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling faintly, then turned to face Chu Yimín, whose face was also ashen. "Your Highness of Nanhe, the words that needed to be said have already been spoken in front of His Majesty. Since you still need time to consider, I won't disturb you further. I only hope you can make a decision soon and give me an answer. You know..."

  He said with a pause, and his smile became more relaxed: "My case will not be delayed for several days in the emperor's palace!"

  At most half a month later, the envoy from Mobei and his entourage will leave Beijing, and he indeed has little time left.

  Chu Yimin's face sank and he didn't say a word.

  Tuoba Huai'an had already bowed to several people and took a step forward, walking out of the grand hall.

  Chu Qiyan gazed at his retreating back, a thick and murderous aura rising in her eyes.

  There's definitely something wrong with this person!

  Su Lin couldn't wait any longer and asked Chu Yi Min: "Your Highness, you wouldn't really marry the princess off to a place as far as Mo Bei, would you?"

  Chu Yimin's face was tense, and he said coldly: "The emperor's words are so, but in the end, this matter still cannot be left to me to take charge of."

  Su Lin naturally knew this, and immediately became somewhat urgent, saying: "Let's not talk about other things, just the princess herself is a delicate flower who has always been in the prosperous capital city. Mobei is far away from the border, and it is often invaded by wind and sand. How can you bear to let her go to Mobei to suffer so much hardship?"

  Chu Yimin's face sank, but he pursed his lips and didn't speak.

  Su Lin then said, "Your Highness, I truly love and admire the princess. I will spend my life respecting and protecting her. Your Highness, even if it's just for the princess's sake, please grant us your blessing!"

  Chu Yimin looked at him for a moment, and after a long time, he finally just sighed and turned around silently to walk out.

  "Prince Wang—" Su Lin couldn't help but rush out even more urgently, wanting to chase after him, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone.

  Chu Qiyan took a deep breath and said: "The prince can leave now, I'll see you out of the palace!"

  Su Lin exchanged a glance with him, thinking of the close relationship between Chu Qiyan and her younger brother Chu Lingyun, and felt slightly more at ease. He temporarily suppressed his emotions and left the grand hall with him, one in front of the other.

  On the way out of the palace, neither of them spoke a word until they reached the outer gate. Then Zhen Qiyan raised his hand to dismiss the attendants and led Su Lin to a quiet yet open area.

  "What did you want to say?" Su Lin glanced around and asked in a bad tone.

  He couldn't fathom Qiu Yi's thoughts, but he knew that this matter wouldn't be easy to resolve smoothly.

  Unexpectedly, Chu Qiyan didn't beat around the bush and directly asked: "Are you certain that your original intention to marry my elder sister won't change?"

  Su Lin was taken aback, then nodded and gritted his teeth: "My feelings for the princess aren't just a day or two old, can't you see that? If I said I wouldn't marry anyone else, it's not a joke."

  In that case, it's just a joke when said in private, but now that it's been brought up to the grand hall, it's a different matter altogether.

  "Alright!" Chu Qiyan nodded, revealing a faint smile, "With your words, I'll think of a way, you can rest assured!"

  Su Lin didn't expect him to be so pleased and couldn't help but feel surprised.

  Chu Qiyan had already seen through it and explained: "As the young master said, whether it's me or my parents, we can't bear to let her marry into the harsh and cold land of Mobei. Since you've given your promise, I have nothing more to say. I'll do my best to help you both!"

  Su Lin looked at him, with a thousand thoughts tangled in her heart, and finally said: "However, that Tuoba Huai is overbearing and aggressive, the situation is tricky, for now it's probably only possible for the princess to go and ask the empress dowager to issue an imperial decree to grant their marriage."

  Chu Qiyan's expression was cold and distant, gazing at the horizon in the distance. After a while, she slowly opened her mouth: "I will do my best to arrange this matter, but Su Shizi, you must make early preparations. Once this marriage is settled, I'm afraid that the Emperor will no longer be so lenient and tolerant towards your Su family."

  Su Lin's heart skipped a beat, and after reacting for a moment, he said: "You're saying that because of the marriage between our two families, my Su family will be deliberately suppressed by the Emperor?"

  "Grandfather was a man who valued appearances, so on the surface, nothing would seem out of the ordinary, but behind closed doors..." Chu Qiyan said with a shake of his head and a faint smile. "You're an intelligent person, Crown Prince, you must have understood why my father, the king, hesitated to approve your marriage to my elder sister back then. This matter is something we both understand without needing to say it out loud. Now that we've been forced into this situation by Tuoba Huai'an and have no way out, I only hope you can see through the pros and cons of this situation and avoid any future conflicts between us."

  Su Lin heard this, and his expression suddenly had a moment of daze, then he sneered: "Young Master, you are so farsighted, isn't this the situation you've been waiting for?"

  He's not a fool, he can see through the current situation. The marriage between the Su family and the South River Wangfu will indeed provoke the emperor's anger, but because the old generation's Longshun King was a founding contributor, the Su family now doesn't have any intention of betraying the emperor, so he didn't take it too seriously.

  At this moment, being mentioned by Quanrong, he cannot help but take it seriously.

  He looked at Chu Qiyan: "The prince's actions have always been thorough, if you didn't want to get involved with Princess Anle and me, you would have taken action to stop it early on. Now that you see the Su family and the East Palace becoming enemies, is there still room for the Su family to choose in front of you? This obvious and subtle probing can be spared."

  If it weren't for Chu Lingyun, he and Su Wei wouldn't have clashed with Chu Muyang either. Now that things have come to this point, their opposing stance has been established, and even if he didn't want to take sides, he couldn't help it anymore.

  At first, he thought it was just a dispute between women, but later the situation completely spiraled out of control, almost resulting in loss of life, and there was no turning back.

  Chu Lingyun might have been used unintentionally, but Chu Qiyan absolutely was not.

  Chu Qiyan's thoughts were stirred up by him, and she smiled slightly without changing her expression: "I just like talking to clever people like the prince, don't worry, your Longshuang Wangfu is an iron-hat viscount, as long as you don't openly disobey the emperor, nothing will happen for the time being!"

  To overthrow Che Ye An and replace him, this process cannot be rushed. Before that, as long as they do not violate the emperor's authority and bottom line, nothing will happen.

  Su Lin heard this and merely gave a cold laugh: "Then I'll just go back and wait quietly for good news!"

  Since he has already been drawn in, Chu Lingyun must be won over, otherwise how can he be at peace?

  Su Lin rode his horse away, but Zhu Qiyan stood there for a long time without moving.

  Li Lin walked over from a distance, worriedly saying: "Young Master, if you just openly clash with Su Young Master like this, won't that leave some handle for him to grasp?"

  "What's the use of talking? Isn't it just empty words? And do you think he can't see through the situation in front of him? It's just that once you make a mistake, it becomes a regret for eternity. Now everyone is tied to the same boat, and he can't even think about getting ashore." Chu Qi snorted coldly and bent down to brush off the dust on the corner of his robe.

  Because the Su family's title was a hereditary iron hat viscount, it was unrealistic to try to win them over through marriage, so he simply let Chu Lingyun take action and thoroughly dragged Su Lin down.

  "But what about the county lord's place——" Li Lin still couldn't help but worry.

  "This has nothing to do with you, now immediately do something for me!" Chu Qiyan said, raising her hand to interrupt his words. "Immediately go and investigate for me, who has Tuoba Huai'an secretly met recently, or if there are any suspicious signs!"

  "Hmm?" Li Lin involuntarily held his breath, "Is the young master suspecting that he was instructed by someone?"

  "Someone who can make others think, for a moment I really couldn't think of it!" Chu Qiyan's mouth twitched slightly with a hint of a smile, her gaze seemed to wander for a brief moment before she waved her hand: "Go!"

  "Yes!" Li Lin led the way, calling out to the people below to bring over the horse-drawn carriage.

  Chu Qiyan got on the carriage, and Li Lin himself also mounted his horse. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Chu Qiyan stuck her head out of the carriage again and said, "By the way, also give me a rundown of the recent movements in the Eastern Palace."

  He said so, which means that the East Palace is suspected of secretly colluding with Tuoba Huai'an.

  Li Lin was even more cautious and responded carefully.

  That afternoon, Queen Zheng of Nanhe presented her card and entered the palace to see Empress Luo. Her purpose was none other than to ask Empress Luo to intervene in the marriage between Su Lin and Chu Lingyuan.

  It's no longer a matter of worrying about the emperor's suspicions, but rather that under no circumstances can Chuxiuyu be married off to the north.

  Of course, Chu Yi'an's proposal was even more out of the question. If both families were to reject him together, Chu Lingyun's reputation for being arrogant and overbearing would be known outside, and in the future, when discussing marriage, she would inevitably be affected.

  Empress Luo listened to her words and immediately became extremely angry, slamming the teacup in her hand onto the table. "Who did this outrageous thing? A young girl's marriage has been blown up to such a big deal that it's reached the Golden Palace? Not to mention whether this marriage will succeed or not, but what about Yun'er's reputation?"

  "Empress Dowager, I never thought such a thing would happen!" Zheng Shi hastily knelt down, wiping away tears with her handkerchief. "Not even the slightest rumor was leaked beforehand, but today that Fifth Prince of Mobei directly came to the palace to propose marriage, catching us completely off guard. This prince and I are truly at a loss for what to do, so we can only come to seek your help, Empress Dowager. The road to Mobei is long and treacherous, how could you bear to have Yun'er marry into that place? Just then, the Marquis of Su took advantage of the chaos to speak out, so I thought..."

  Her words were cut off halfway through, because Queen Luo's gaze had unknowingly turned cold and sinister, making those who saw it feel a chill run down their spines.

  "Empress Dowager——" Zheng's voice unconsciously weakened.

  "You want me to personally grant a marriage to the Su family? Have you considered how to explain this to the Mo Bei side?" Empress Luo asked coldly.

  Zheng's eyes widened in surprise and she stuttered: "Father Emperor, hadn't you already decided on a candidate for the marriage alliance before?"

  Mentioning this matter made Empress Luo even more depressed.

  "Your Majesty, I know this is a difficult situation for you, but Yun'er was raised by you, and you can't just watch her suffer in the desolate north, can you?"

  Lu Empress rarely took a liking to Zhen's gentle and elegant demeanor, seeing Zheng's tear-stained eyes also moved her heart.

  But this matter was pushed down by the emperor, she wanted to go and ask, but didn't know what the emperor would think again?

  "You withdraw first, let Ben Gong consider it, and then give you a message later." Lu Huang Hou said after careful consideration.

  Zheng's mouth opened slightly, originally wanting to say something else, but seeing her unpleasant expression, she didn't dare speak up, softly responding and getting up to withdraw.

  After Zheng left, Empress Luo leaned on the couch and rubbed her temples with her eyes closed, murmuring discontentedly: "Do you think I should go and discuss this matter with the Emperor?"

  This was said for the benefit of Nurse Liang.

  Madam Liang stood beside her, seeing that her complexion was not good, and spoke cautiously: "Your Majesty is being overly anxious, if we really talk about the closeness of kinship, His Majesty can grant the request of the fifth prince of Mobei in the Golden Hall today. Now it's been passed down to let the king handle it himself, don't you think... His Majesty intentionally wants to help Su Shizi?"

  Lu Empress was stunned for a moment and slowly opened her eyes.

  Tuoba Huai'an is a guest and an honored guest, he took the initiative to propose to marry Chu Lingyun, so the emperor should give him this face.

  Empress Luo supported her head and thought for a moment, "Are you saying that the Emperor's intention is probably not to let the Second Prince marry off to Mo Bei?"

  "This is just my own humble opinion, I wouldn't dare to guess the holy one's intentions." said Liang Yiniang, gently lowering her eyes.

  Empress Luo has followed the Emperor through thick and thin to get to where they are today, having personally experienced many major events during the change of dynasties. With Lady Liang by her side, she has naturally gained some insight into certain things, but is constrained by her status and cannot speak out of turn.

  The empress dowager remained silent for a long time, carefully considering her words, and vaguely understood.

  This is indeed the emperor's intention to release water, he is worried that the South River King's Mansion will be involved with the North Desert.

  If it's what the emperor means, then it's much easier to handle.

  "Empress Dowager Liang!" Having made up her mind, Empress Luo's expression also eased a lot. She propped herself up and sat up, saying: "You go to the Second Prince's mansion for a visit, just say it's about Yun'er, I've agreed."

  "Yes!" The housekeeper nodded and responded with a voice, exiting the palace.

  Empress Luo thought for a moment and then ordered Caiyun to go to the small kitchen to stew a bowl of bird's nest, which she personally brought to the imperial study.

  In the Nanhe Wangfu, Chu Lingyun was crying bitterly, and in a fit of rage, she had smashed up the entire room.

  She lay on the bed and cried, Zheng also sat beside her with a worried expression, irritably saying: "You should stop crying too, this is already the best solution for now. Taohuai has been pressing you hard, if you don't marry into the Su family, do you really want to follow him back to the desert?"

  "I said I won't marry, and that's final!" Chu Lingyun exclaimed loudly, turning around to grab a pillow and slamming it to the ground.

  She scrambled up, tears streaming down her face as she grasped Zheng's arm, her voice laced with pleading, "Mother, you know I never liked Su Lin. If I really had feelings for him, I wouldn't have waited until now. You want me to marry him? I—"

  She said and became more and more annoyed, bowed her head on Zheng's shoulder and sobbed again.

  "Actually, Su Shizi is not bad either—" Zheng said with a frown, subconsciously blurting out.

  "What's wrong?" But instead of calming down, Roulingyun suddenly became furious upon hearing this. She stood up instantly, her eyes blazing red as she stared at Zhengshi, her beautiful face twisted in anger to the point of being almost grotesque. "Mother, I'll say it one last time, I won't marry!"

  Zheng's facial expression stunned her, and she stared blankly with her eyes wide open for a long time without reacting.

  Chu Lingyun was really furious, and didn't hide her emotions. She stared at her with piercing eyes and said: "If you force me, when the time comes and something goes wrong, don't blame me!"

  As she spoke, her lips curled up into a strange and ominous cold smile, which made Zheng's heart skip a beat.

  "Zheng also stood up, annoyed: "What are you talking about? If there was even a little bit of another way to do things, would the Empress Dowager deliberately go against your wishes? I only have you as my daughter, and if you don't marry well, will I feel good in my heart? But now this trouble has come knocking on our door, what can I do about it? Should I tell your father to openly defy the imperial decree and refuse the marriage? It's not like things are going well in Mobei either. If we also offend the Su family, even if you have the support of your imperial grandmother later on, it will be hard for you to find another family as prestigious as this one. Are you willing to lower yourself and marry down?"

  Zheng was getting more and more agitated, his chest heaving up and down. He slammed his hand on the table and sat back down in his chair with a thud.

  Chu Lingyun was also seeing her gentle and elegant mother's such a big temper for the first time, after being stunned, she heard the few words behind her, suddenly her eyes lit up.

  She calmed down, and her emotions eased a lot in an instant. She turned around with a flick of her sleeve and said: "Even if it's a lowly marriage, as long as it's what I want, what does it matter?"

  The words had barely left his lips when a loud shout of anger rang out: "Shut up!"

  The mother and daughter were both startled, and they turned their heads at the same time. They saw Chu Yimín walking in from outside with a furious expression on his face.

  He pointed at Chu Lingyun with a trembling finger, scolding: "Don't you dare confuse your own identity! As the princess of Nanhe Wangfu, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? What's this about marrying or not marrying? Are these words supposed to come out of a girl like you? If this gets out, you'll lose all face, and I and your mother will be too ashamed to show our faces!"

  Chu Lingyun, although spoiled and arrogant, was still very fearful of her father. Being scolded by Chu Yiminchao's sudden rebuke, she immediately became dispirited and humbled, biting her lip in grievance, but dared not to argue back a single word.

  "Your Highness——" Zheng Shi felt a pang in her heart, got up to pay respects to Chu Yi Min, and while helping him catch his breath, said, "Rong'er was just momentarily confused, you mustn't treat her the same way. In my opinion, this marriage between Long Shun Wang Fu is actually very good. That Su Shi Zi——"

  Chu Lingyun heard this, and tears couldn't help but roll out again. She didn't care about being afraid of Chu Yimín anymore, and directly knelt down on the ground, her knees pressing onto the broken porcelain of the flower vase. Instantly, a patch of blood stained her skirt.

  Zheng's eyes welled up with tears as she hastily got up to pull her up, "What are you doing? Can't you just have a proper conversation with your father?"

  Chu Lingyun wiped away a cold sweat, but stubbornly shook off her hand and took two steps forward to grab the hem of Chu Yimins robe, pleading: "Father, daughter is asking you, please help me get out of this marriage, I dont want to marry Su Lin! Daughter has never asked you for anything before, just this once, please agree to me!"

  Chu Lingyun was born and raised in a pampered environment, she had never been one to endure hardships, even if it was just a ruse, the fact that she could do this also shocked Chu Yimeng.

  Zheng's heart was like a knife, and she also followed him to pull his sleeve: "Wang Ye - You see - this -"

  Chu Yi Min suddenly came back to his senses, and with a complex gaze, he looked at the crying Li Hua, who was accompanied by Chu Ling Yun, but then resolutely turned around and walked away.

  "Get up!" he commanded in a low voice.

  "No! Father, if you don't agree to my daughter's request, I'll kneel here forever!" Chu Lingyun also steeled herself, her face pale as she remained motionless.

  Zheng cried and rushed over, grasping Zhuo Yimins hand tightly, "Your Highness, since Ronger is unwilling, lets just forget about this matter. If you feel embarrassed, Ill go! Ill go and plead with the Emperor, ask him——"

  Zheng's family was really heartbroken for their daughter and at this time they couldn't care about anything else.

  Chu Yiminfurrowed his brow, turned around and glanced at Chu Lingyun, hesitated for a moment, but did not compromise. He coldly said: "Just now, the palace's Liang Ayi came over to pass on a message. Your imperial grandmother has already gone to the imperial court to ask for an edict regarding your marriage to the Su family. At the latest, by tomorrow morning, the imperial decree will be issued, so you can rest assured and prepare for your wedding!"

  As he spoke, he had already stepped out of the door with one foot.

  Chu Lingyun's body shook, her legs went limp, and she sat paralyzed on the ground.

  Zheng also didn't expect Empress Luo's actions to be so swift, and it took her a while to react before she came back to reality, confirming, "It's already been decided?"

  "Uh-huh!" Chu Yimín nodded and continued walking outwards without stopping.

  "You two, are you going to help Yun'er up or not?" Zheng Shi still had something to ask him, and while chasing after his footsteps as he walked out, she instructed Ziwei and Zixue.

  Just as the words had fallen, a sharp and stern voice was heard from behind: "Your Majesty!"

  Chu Yimin furrowed his brow in annoyance and turned around, only to see Zheng Shi's legs give way beneath her, almost causing her to kneel on the ground.

  In the middle, separated by half a courtyard, Chu Lingyun held a piece of broken porcelain against her neck in that house, and the two maids were shocked and pale, but they didn't dare to move standing beside her.

  Chu Lingyun looked at him, with a strong resentment bursting out from the bottom of her eyes, and said word by word: "If you force me, I will die here."

  "Yuner, don't be reckless!" Zheng's wife was flustered and waved her hands repeatedly, speaking incoherently.

  Chu Lingyun also gritted her teeth and stretched her neck forward, the sharp end of the broken porcelain had already pierced a few points of crimson blood on her snowy white neck.

  Zheng shouted and was about to pounce over, but Chu Yimín's eyes turned cold, and he grabbed her wrist.

  He also looked at Chu Lingyun.

  The father and daughter looked at each other as if they were looking at an enemy.

  "Threaten me?" Chu Yimin sneered, and immediately turned the conversation around, saying in a cold voice, "The imperial marriage has not yet reached the point of regretting halfway through, even if you die today, I will still have someone carry your corpse to the Su family."

  He didn't care about Zheng's struggles and forcibly dragged her out of the yard.

  Chu Lingyun's eyes widened in shock, and she sat there for half a day without reacting.

  Even threatening to die didn't work?

  She suddenly felt her whole body lose strength, as if she had fallen into the deep water of a cold winter's day, desperate and unable to find any edge.

  Two maidservants with tears in their eyes carefully went over and tried to pull her hand, "Young Mistress, get up!"

  Chu Lingyun didn't struggle and let the two of them take the broken porcelain pieces from her hands, then was mechanically helped to sit down on a chair beside.

  The two maids did not dare to persuade her, but carefully treated her wound for her.

  Chu Lingyun was like a puppet on strings, being manipulated by others. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't let them fall.

  No audience, these tears are just for show, what's the point of wasting them?

  But should she resign herself to her fate? Was it really necessary for her to marry Su Lin? This was something she had never thought of from start to finish.

  Chu Yi Min then ordered someone to seal off Chu Ling Yun's courtyard, saying that she was not allowed to take a step out before formally leaving the house.

  Chu Qiyan rushed over as soon as she received the news. Chu Lingyun sat there with a cold face, not saying a word. Seeing her like this, Chu Qiyan naturally said some hypocritical words to save face and accompanied her for a while before leaving. As soon as he walked out of the remote gate, he saw Li Lin hurrying over with a worried expression: "Young Master, it seems that there is indeed something fishy about this matter, and it's likely related to the Eastern Palace!"

  He hastily walked away and couldn't wait to report back to Zhu Qiyan.

  Chu Qiyan's heart tightened and she hastily blocked his way: "Let's talk about this when we get back!"

  Then, however, it was already too late. A cold and emotionless voice with no ups and downs came from behind: "What are you talking about that has something to do with the East Palace?"

  Digression

  Tweet: "Empress Formation Record" by Gongzi Yao, a great female empowerment novel, author Xiao Yao is so cute, strongly recommended on the homepage, babies remember to go and get ready to kill with tools ~

  PS: Got married, Chu Lingyun is getting married...