allonlinenovel Chapter 287 The Marriage Agreement is Set
Chapter 287 The Marriage Agreement is Set
Chapter 287 The Marriage Agreement is Settled
The next day, after the court assembly, Cheng Yan went to the Imperial Study to tell Empress Dowager Cheng about the matter. Not long after, he returned to bring Ming Nianxue into the palace.
After much deliberation, Qin Yizhen also decided to go to the palace with them.
Cheng Yan initially disagreed, but considering that she hadn't seen Empress Dowager Cheng for a long time, and now that three months had passed, things would be more stable, and that she wouldn't dare to go out later when her belly got bigger, she had no choice but to agree.
However, once she went along, the journey slowed down considerably. What should have been a half-hour carriage ride took a full hour.
Upon arriving at the palace, Cheng Yan took Ming Nianxue to speak with Empress Dowager Cheng, while Qin Yizhen went to speak with Emperor Jing'an in a side hall.
Soon after, Princess Huizhen arrived.
"I heard you're pregnant?" Princess Huizhen looked Qin Yizhen up and down, her lips twitching slightly.
Qin Yizhen hummed in agreement: "I heard you escaped a disaster. So, how are you and your Yulang doing now?"
Previously, Liang Xihuai had proposed to Princess Dongqin, and Princess Huizhen was almost married off. However, she openly roamed the streets with her kept man and became entangled with Lu Yangyusheng.
Although Liang Xihuai was a hostage, he wanted to use the Eastern Qin to avenge himself and his mother, but he did not want to wrong himself by marrying such a disgraced princess.
Princess Shuzhen was chosen as the bride, and the wedding will take place in a few days.
Princess Shuzhen had cried several times because of this, and she also resented Princess Huizhen.
Empress Dowager Cheng and Emperor Jing'an were also somewhat annoyed with her and told her to visit the palace less often in the future.
Qin Yizhen and Cheng Yan also didn't really want to see her.
Speaking of this matter, everyone had reminded her to get married as soon as possible, but she kept putting it off. Now that the matter has fallen on her own shoulders, she can't blame anyone else. However, she went too far by shamelessly pushing the matter onto her younger sister.
She herself was carefree and unrestrained, but she didn't care about the lives of others at all.
"It's alright, I'm not tired of it yet." Princess Huizhen raised her chin slightly and answered, then sat down opposite Qin Yizhen.
Then came a long silence.
After a long silence, Princess Huizhen said somewhat dejectedly, "Was I wrong? What do you mean by 'my responsibility' and 'whose responsibility'? Shouldn't such things be judged by each person's own abilities?"
"The officials and Liang Xihuai all think that Shuzhen is more suitable than me. What does that have to do with me? Why is it all my fault? Why do they think I used tricks and that I, as a princess, am unwilling to take on the responsibilities of a princess?"
"Yizhen, you should know me best."
"And you're the most reasonable one. Everyone fights for good things, and they fight for them based on their own abilities. Everyone avoids bad things, and they avoid them based on their own abilities. It can't be that I'm wrong if I don't stand still and avoid them."
Qin Yizhen hummed in agreement, indicating that she didn't want to say more.
Princess Huizhen nearly suffocated when she saw her like this.
"Please speak!"
Princess Huizhen was probably furious because she had been criticized too much. Seeing Qin Yizhen doing the same thing, she was really annoyed and spoke quite loudly.
Qin Yizhen was startled and almost couldn't stand up.
Green Qiao and Granny Jin quickly helped her up.
Granny Jin's face changed: "Princess Huizhen, even if you are angry, it has nothing to do with our princess. She is heavily pregnant and cannot be frightened like this by you."
Princess Huizhen's face stiffened, a mixture of anger and panic.
Perhaps he was angry that he couldn't vent his anger, and also afraid that something bad would really happen.
Qin Yizhen patted her chest, took a breath, and then shook her head, saying, "I'm fine, there's no need to worry too much."
Princess Huizhen bit her lip and remained silent.
Qin Yizhen said, "What my elder sister said is indeed true. Everyone is scrambling for good things, and it takes skill to get them. Everyone avoids bad things like the plague, and it takes skill to avoid them."
Princess Huizhen breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew you approved of me."
Yes, she did nothing wrong. It was just that she was clever and Shuzhen couldn't escape her. If Princess Shuzhen is so capable, she should also learn from her and tarnish her own reputation!
Qin Yizhen shook her head again: "It's not that I approve of you."
Princess Huizhen's smile froze on her lips.
Qin Yizhen said, "Everyone says that there is no kinship in the royal family, but the Empress Dowager never taught us to scheme and fight with each other. I think we are different, so we are really disappointed in you."
They had arranged a path for Princess Huizhen long ago, marrying her off so she could avoid everything and remain the most honored princess forever, but she herself refused to take that path.
"However, what you said does make sense. It's all because Shuzhen couldn't beat you, and you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that... since you did what you did and got the result you wanted, then don't blame others for not agreeing with or understanding you."
Since you've already done it, and others don't agree, there's no need to say anything more, lest both sides feel unhappy.
Well, as long as you're happy.
Princess Huizhen was speechless for a while, and in the end, without saying a word, she turned around and left the palace.
Emperor Jing'an said to Qin Yizhen, "Don't worry about her. She's been like this lately. Besides, she's not the one who's going to marry anymore. She can continue to raise her young master in a carefree manner. What else could she possibly be dissatisfied with?"
"Are we supposed to expect Sister Shuzhen to be grateful to her to tears, and for us to be understanding, comforting, and telling her that no one blames her and that this is the best thing she could do?"
"Forget it, let's leave her alone. Let her live a peaceful life and not cause Mother any more worry. That would be a good way for her to be filial."
Qin Yizhen nodded, but then remembered something else: "Xie Zhan is back, and I'm afraid she'll continue to pester him."
"No, that won't happen." Emperor Jing'an said calmly. "The Xie family has already arranged a marriage for Xie Zhan. Now that Xie Zhan has returned, we will choose an auspicious day to exchange gifts."
"Xie Zhan is getting engaged?" Qin Yizhen asked in slight surprise. "Which family's daughter is it?"
"The youngest daughter of Minister Chen, the Minister of Rites." Seeing her confusion, Emperor Jing'an said to her, "Actually, you don't know that this Miss Chen only returned to Qin Capital after the New Year."
"In the past, Minister Chen did have a youngest daughter, but she passed away when she was eight years old. However, after the New Year, this Miss Chen came to our door and said that she was the real Chen family's biological daughter. It turned out that the girl who died young was the daughter of a midwife, a cuckoo who usurped the family's place."
Qin Yizhen was immediately shocked: "There's such a thing? How come we haven't heard about it outside?"
Emperor Jing'an said, "I have heard that Minister Chen's family used to dote on his original wife, and now they are unwilling to acknowledge Miss Chen's identity to the public. I'm afraid they are letting down his original wife."
"Sister Yizhen, do you think these people have something wrong with their brains? They don't care that their own children have suffered for years, but they are very devoted to that imposter. They are even afraid that the imposter will be sad when she dies."
"So what's the story behind this marriage?"
"It seems that Miss Chen accidentally saved Madam Xie, and Madam Xie likes her very much and wants her to be her daughter-in-law..."