Quick Transmigration: Still Life Fairy

Chapter 317 I Want to Be in a Relationship

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Yu Liu eventually returned to the bedroom that Wangsun Chuquan had arranged for her to rest. The regent, who had been rejected, was not angry. However, when they were alone, he smiled meaningfully.

Yu Liu, who had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep, had no idea that when they met the young emperor, she and the young emperor had already stepped into Wangsun Chuquan's trap.

……

……

Back at the palace, the young emperor changed out of his clothes and into a bright yellow dragon robe. He dismissed the eunuchs and maids around him and stayed alone in the imperial study, pacing back and forth in circles. He even gave up his favorite pastime of reviewing memorials.

How to do how to do?

He was anxious.

Having no other choice, he finally stopped and said, "Guards, summon the Prime Minister to the palace!"

The old prime minister is loyal and has always disliked the regent. Perhaps we can get some advice from him on this matter.

The young emperor pondered in his heart, feeling extremely uneasy, for his worst fears had come true.

The young emperor ascended the throne at the age of five. He was still a child, too young to understand anything, and was unwittingly placed on the dragon throne by the regent, who completely disregarded his feelings. For the first five years, he endured being neglected by others, simply because his mother's family was not powerful and she held a lowly position in the harem. Suddenly, he rose from humble beginnings to become a true dragon, and the young emperor truly became arrogant. If it weren't for the guidance of the old prime minister and other learned men, perhaps the young emperor would have long since become a tyrant.

Even so, the young emperor was not as naive as he appeared. He knew he was inferior to his uncle in every way, and even if his uncle returned the throne to him, he wouldn't be able to handle it well. But he couldn't care less about those things; he just wanted the throne, the throne that was temporarily held in his uncle's hands.

Only when he has the throne can he feel at ease.

Because of this, the thing he fears most now is the regent taking a wife.

The Imperial Uncle lived a solitary life, rarely venturing out. People said he had seen through the vanities of the world, and the young emperor believed it. He thought that since his Imperial Uncle had seen through the vanities of the world, the throne would eventually pass to him as he grew old. And as his Imperial Uncle's only heir, he would receive the support of the court officials and the people.

He had dreamt of that scene before and was excited about it for a long time.

Later, Wangsun Chuquan began to think about dating. He wanted to find a woman and even announced that he wanted to find his own queen.

The young emperor had lost his former sense of superiority, replaced by panic. If his uncle really married the princess, they would surely have a child, and would that child compete with him for the throne? After all, a nephew can never compare to one's own son, and if that were to happen, the uncle would definitely side with his son.

This thought reminded the young emperor of the first few years after he ascended the throne. Many people didn't understand the regent's actions; they took it for granted that the throne belonged to him, the empire to him, and everything in the royal family to him. They disregarded him, treating him like a prince to be bullied, and instead fawned over him. They said that if the regent wanted to rebel and overthrow the emperor, they would be the first to join him.

He ascended the throne by luck, and had no real ability to win over the people; nobody supported him. He was a frustrated emperor, but even so, he wanted to stay on the throne. He didn't want to relinquish that position; he wanted it to belong to him forever!

Therefore, the fact that Regent Prince Wangsun Chuquan was getting married was a major unresolved issue for him. He had previously considered controlling the Regent Prince by controlling the Regent Princess, thereby securing his own position. However, every time he sent a woman to the Regent Prince, none of them stayed. He initially thought it was a problem with the women he chose, but later discovered that the Regent Prince hadn't kept any of the beauties, and realized that the problem lay with the Regent Prince himself.

Wangsun Chuquan thought he would grow old alone like this, but who would have thought that a future princess would suddenly appear in his life, and she seemed to be the only one for him.

That young girl wasn't his at all; he couldn't control her. What if she married the royal uncle, had a child, and then coveted the entire empire? No one could guarantee she wouldn't have such thoughts, and if she did, the empire would never be his.

The young emperor was perfectly aware of this. Therefore, he needed to devise a foolproof plan on how to control his uncle and preserve his throne without provoking his resentment.

"Your Majesty, you're getting stuck on a rut!"

Having understood the young emperor's meaning, the old prime minister rebuked him without any politeness.

"Oh? So it seems the Prime Minister has a solution?"

The young emperor was surprised that the prime minister had an idea and hurriedly said, "Tell me, where exactly did I get stuck in a rut?"

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, instead of preventing the Regent from marrying, we should encourage him to do so."

With a smile on his face, the old prime minister, remembering the regent's instructions, earnestly tried to deceive the emperor: "Your Majesty's concern is merely that after the prince marries, he might be influenced by the princess, or perhaps by his children..."

The following words were somewhat treasonous, so the old prime minister simply brushed them off and continued, "Actually, this old minister thinks that Your Majesty's worries are completely unnecessary. Not only are there no need to worry, but this is also an opportunity for Your Majesty."

"Oh? Why is that?"

The young emperor stared intently at the old prime minister, his hand gripping the dragon throne so tightly it turned white, his heart pounding with tension.

"Your Majesty, you should know the Regent's temperament, right? Do you remember why he, when he was still the Prince of Xiaoyao, embarked on the path of seizing power?" The old prime minister's eyes were bright: "It was because his fiancée was caught up in the vortex of the princes vying for the supreme position on the eve of their wedding, and in the end, she died and her body was never found."

"Before that, he was still the carefree prince. He clearly had amazing literary talent and unparalleled martial arts skills, but he never showed them. He only knew how to travel around every day. He had no power or influence and was the weakest prince at that time."

After the old prime minister finished speaking, he sighed with regret: "The regent doesn't actually like power, otherwise he wouldn't have appointed you..."

Realizing he had said something sensitive again, the old prime minister glossed over the rest of his words: "He was never very interested in politics to begin with, and now he has a princess he wants to marry. Do you think it's possible that he might turn back into the carefree prince he once was?"

"...Possibly." After a moment of silence, the young emperor gave his answer. He knew in his heart that the old prime minister was right; the regent had never changed from the beginning. He used to love traveling and sightseeing, and now he preferred to stay in seclusion, showing no interest in matters of the court.

"Are you saying that after Uncle gets married, he might gradually give up his power?" The young emperor was excited at the thought of that scenario. He sat up straight, leaned forward slightly, and asked impatiently.

"This old minister is not certain, but these memorials provide excellent evidence." The old prime minister dared not make a guarantee; he dared not admit it explicitly, but he dared to guide the young emperor indirectly: "This old minister heard that His Highness the Regent went out with a woman today, presumably the same woman Your Majesty saw today. Your Majesty, you see, in order to make time for this woman, His Highness the Regent presented all the memorials to the Imperial Study today, clearly intending for you to review them. Isn't that excellent proof?"

Yes! Indeed! To free up time, the Imperial Uncle has even stopped approving memorials. So what about the future? To better spend time with that woman, will he…

The more the young emperor thought about it, the more excited he became.

"Furthermore, Your Majesty's previous concerns about whether the Regent would vie for the throne if he had a child are unfounded. Think about it carefully: Right now, the Regent is only casually strolling around with his wife to find time to deliver memorials to you for review. If he were married, wouldn't he be spending all his time with his wife at home, leaving no time for state affairs? In that case, he would definitely have to hand over his duties to someone else, and Your Majesty would be the best candidate. Even if the Regent had a child, it would take at least five years, or at least six, for the child to grow up to be sensible and ambitious. Your Majesty, don't you have the confidence to take back all the power from the Regent?"

The old prime minister's voice was full of allure. With each word he spoke, the young emperor's eyes lit up a little more. In the end, the young emperor's previous depression was swept away, and his mood became brighter than ever before.

"Excellent! Your words, Prime Minister, have enlightened me! I was indeed stuck in a rut before, and I must thank you for your guidance!" The young emperor was so happy that he even bowed to the Prime Minister at the end.

The old prime minister repeatedly said he dared not, but in his heart he knew that the matter was settled.

……

……

Yu Liu rested until the next day. During this time, Wang Sun Chu Quan knocked on the door once out of concern, wanting to wake Yu Liu up to eat something. Yu Liu mumbled that she wasn't hungry. Seeing that Yu Liu looked very tired, Wang Sun Chu Quan felt sorry for her and ultimately instructed people not to disturb her, letting Yu Liu sleep until the next day.

When Yu Liu woke up, the maids and servants who were waiting outside rushed in and quickly dressed her. The head maid, whom Wang Sun Chu Quan had specially arranged, reminded Yu Liu while styling her hair that an imperial edict had been sent directly to the Regent's Palace early that morning, and that the Prince and Miss Yu Liu needed to receive the edict together.

Upon hearing this news, Yu Liu felt a sudden unease, a sense of foreboding washing over her, as if the young emperor was plotting something.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have heard that Yu Liu, daughter of the Duke of the State, is virtuous, generous, gentle, kind, and of outstanding character and appearance, and I am greatly pleased to hear this. Now that the Regent is of marriageable age, a virtuous woman should be chosen as his consort. Yu Liu is currently waiting in her chambers, and she and the Regent are a match made in heaven. To ensure the happiness of this beautiful woman, I hereby betroth you to the Regent as his Princess. All the ceremonies shall be jointly handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and the wedding shall be held on an auspicious day."

The proclamation was made known both domestically and internationally.

Hereby——"

The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict read it aloud in a shrill voice, rolled it up, and placed it in the hands of the bewildered Yu Liu.

"His Majesty specifically instructed that the day after tomorrow is an auspicious day, and the Ministry of Rites has already begun preparations. Please make the necessary arrangements, Miss Yu."

After doing all this, the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree gave a final reminder.

Holding the imperial edict, Yu Liu was completely bewildered. If she hadn't misheard, the edict was being read by Yu Liu, the daughter of the Duke of Fu Guo? Was this Yu Liu referring to her? If so, when did she become the daughter of the Duke of Fu Guo? And what had gotten into the young emperor? Why was he suddenly bestowing a marriage, setting the date for the day after tomorrow? What was he trying to do? Finally, the way the edict was received was so casual. She didn't even kneel; the little eunuch just read it aloud as soon as he saw her, and then put the edict down in her hand. Was that really the right thing to do?

And what the hell is going on? Why does it feel so unfamiliar when I wake up?

"In that case, it can be considered an imperial edict to the world. Moreover, you cannot disobey the imperial edict, because disobeying the imperial edict will result in the extermination of nine generations of your family. You are now the daughter of the Duke of Fuguo, and the Duke of Fuguo's family has hundreds of members."

A strong arm wrapped around Yu Liu from behind, and Wang Sun Chu Quan's calm voice rang in her ears.

In an instant, Yu Liu had a flash of inspiration and understood everything.

She turned her head and held up the imperial edict in her hand: "Did you do this?"

"Yes, are you surprised, baby?"

Wang Sun Chu Quan asked happily.

Yu Liu wiped her face helplessly: "There was only shock, a huge shock, not a single surprise!"

"But this is a pleasant surprise for me." Wang Sun Chuquan had a smile on his face the whole time, and it was clear that he was genuinely happy.

“I really…” Yu Liu covered her eyes with her hands: “I forgot that you are the Regent, someone who has come through bloodshed and has plenty of methods.”

Although she was greatly frightened, Yu Liu didn't dislike it. She just couldn't accept that she had been tricked like this without her knowledge.

Moreover, she wasn't given a chance to refuse. If she did, the lives of hundreds of people from the Duke of Fu's household, whom she didn't even know, would be in danger. Although she knew that even if she refused, the Duke of Fu's household would likely be safe, Yu Liu didn't dislike Wangsun Chu Quan, so why should she refuse?

Yes, it still feels like things are progressing so fast.

We've only known each other for two or three days, and now we're getting married. If I had known, I wouldn't have refused that bright red wedding dress. A couple of days earlier or later wouldn't have made much difference.

I really... don't know what to say.

"Hehehe, baby, we'll be getting married soon, and you'll really be mine from now on!"

Resting his chin on Yu Liu's head and stroking her soft hair, Wangsun Chuquan, who was unusually excited, couldn't calm down. He held Yu Liu tightly, feeling her presence.

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