Chapter 435 Getting Married? There Was No Need to Hurry!
The Emperor looked at Prince Cheng who kept kowtowing to him in terror and then found his Second Son look pale. "Get up." The Emperor sighed as his expression softened slightly.
There were eunuchs immediately coming to them and hurriedly helping Prince Cheng and Prince Zhou get up.
Later, the Emperor granted them two seats and they sat down.
"Although Qin Huaiyong's eldest daughter does behave in an unashamed manner, not every woman is like her actually. After all, women like her are a minority. You can't refuse to get married or to have children because of this woman." The Emperor tried to find ways to mollify Prince Cheng who now looked frightened.
Since the Emperor persuaded him not to refuse to get married, Prince Cheng had to suspend this matter, even though he was quite reluctant to make compromises. "Big brother, at least I don't want to get married now!"
He had checked those women the Empress introduced to him. However, he didn't like them at all.
"Fine, there is no hurry, but there is no need for you to decide to become a monk." The Emperor took a step back and he tried to persuade his brother not to be tonsured.
"I will listen to you!" Prince Cheng finally stopped and nodded in agreement.
As regards his brother's matter, just let it be. Looking at Chu Liuzhou and Chu Liuchen, the Emperor said, "You now are old enough. I will ask your Imperial Grandmother to help you select some ladies!"
"Uncle, there is no hurry. I am in poor health so I want to take another two or three years to recuperate my health." Opening his eyes slowly, Chu Liuchen answered as he covered his chest and coughed lightly.
It seemed that Chu Liuchen would get tired even when he talked. Seeing his feeble look, the Emperor was silent for a while and finally nodded. He said softly, "Yes, there is no need for you to get married in a hurry, but you can select some ladies first. You can tell your Imperial Grandmother what kind of ladies you favor."
"I sure appreciate, uncle! I know that!" Chu Liuchen coughed lightly again as he answered gently with his shining and smiling eyes. It seemed that he was in a good mood.
The Emperor took a deep sigh inwardly and clenched his fists in the sleeves. Then he turned to Chu Liuzhou and said, "Please tell your mother to take more care of your marriage."
"Father, I am also in no hurry for it. You know, I am still young and callow." Chu Liuzhou immediately refused.
Since he had heard those words, he was in no mood to select his wife and concubines. He kept telling himself that as the consort selection was a big deal, he must figure out every miss's background and disposition. Otherwise, if women like First Miss Qin married him, he would be smeared by those people.
Prince Zhou thought he must spend more time deliberating his marriage. Before he was told First Miss Qin's stories, he had only focused on a woman's background, asset and family status. Now he found it extremely necessary to include the morality and he couldn't deal with this thing carelessly.
Realizing these two princes were scared, the Emperor knew he had to take it slow. The Empress Dowager and he had decided to help these princes confirm their marriage today, as there might be a year for the imperial palace to prepare betrothal gifts before these princes got married officially.
However, now it seemed that it would be better for him to ask them to decide who they intended to marry later. At least, these princes had enough time to check and consider, since the consort selection was very important, especially when those women they chose would marry into the imperial family and behave as a positive role model in front of citizens. Thus, they must deal with these things in a very careful way.
The eldest prince was only fifteen and they might be much more mature in a few years.
Thinking in this way, the Emperor slightly changed his mind that he wanted to ask them to hold consort selections now.
Besides, there was no need to hurry these princes to get married. It was much more important for them to select their wives carefully.
The Emperor only thought that his sons and brother were scared by that woman's stories but didn't know he was also imperceptibly influenced by these things and even thought it necessary to rearrange these princes' marriages.
A eunuch came into the imperial study room hurriedly, saying, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager is asking you to go to her courtyard!"
"Why?" The Emperor replied in an unpleasant way.
"Rui'an Great Elder Princess enters the royal palace and finds Empress Dowager. It seems that she has found the former Heir of Duke Xing and Infanta Qinghua's daughter," answered the eunuch.
Chu Liuchen's eyelashes fluttered but he still closed his eyes without moving. If unnecessary, he would always look like this in the imperial study room.
"Qinghua and Shao Jiang's daughter?" The Emperor was shocked.
"It seems so, but I don't know the details," the eunuch answered gingerly and didn't dare to say anything wrong.
One had to be extremely careful and prudent when working in the imperial palace because he or she might get killed if the one exaggerated anything.
"Good, let's go there!" After feeling shocked, the Emperor now got pleasant. He was on good terms with Shao Jiang when they were young. Knowing he had a daughter, the Emperor was delighted and stood up immediately.
"Big brother, I shall leave now!" Prince Cheng stood up and said. He was ready to leave the palace.
"So do I." Prince Zhou also stood up and bowed to his father. As the matter seemed to be weird, they both thought they'd better leave first.
"Fine. Chen'er, let's see your Imperial Grandmother," the Emperor said happily.
"Uncle, you can go first and I will catch up with you later." Chu Liuchen opened his eyes and said in a low voice.
"Great. Take your time!" The Emperor agreed and strode outward the study room with his servants.
Prince Cheng and Prince Zhou then left together after the Emperor walked out the door.
Xiao Xuanzi fetched Chu Liuchen's fox-fur robe from a eunuch behind and helped Chu Liuchen put it on. Then he pushed his wheelchair expertly while two eunuchs came to help him raise up the wheelchair as they got close to the threshold. After these two eunuchs put down the wheelchair outside the room gently, Xiao Xuanzi nodded at them smilingly and left when pushing Chu Liuchen's wheelchair.
During this time, the Emperor, Prince Cheng and Prince Zhou had left.
"Your Highness, do you want to take a chariot?" Xiao Xuanzi asked as he was pushing Chu Liuchen's wheelchair.
"No. Just take me there slowly in this way!" Chu Liuchen answered leisurely. Looking up at the sky, he found it was sunny and the gentle breeze was comfortable when Xiao Xuanzi pushed him in his wheelchair. Wrapping himself in the fox-fur robe, he leaned against the chair in a much drowsier manner.
His face was as white as jade. Even though the fox-fur robe was white, his skin was still very light.
"I see. I will bring you there by pushing you in your wheelchair VERY SLOWLY!" Xiao Xuanzi understood his master's meaning and stressed the last two words. He then gesticulated at the rear. Several eunuchs moved backwards and followed them by keeping about ten paces behind them.
Looking back, Xiao Xuanzi was satisfied with the distance between those eunuchs and them. "Your Highness, do they know Second Miss Qin's real identity now?" He lowered his voice and asked as he was pushing the wheelchair.
Chu Liuchen closed his shimmery eyes and made a sound like "hmm" in a very lazy manner. Later, he was so quiet that Xiao Xuanzi even thought his master was asleep. Suddenly, Chu Liuchen said calmly, "It is the best time to disclose the fact that Zhuozhuo is the former Heir of Duke Xing's daughter!"
"How come?" Xiao Xuanzi blinked and said with puzzlement, "Second Miss is still young, and if she returned to Duke Xing's Mansion, people there must conspire against her. Besides, I heard that the one whom Old Madam of Duke Xing's Mansion likes is First Miss Qin but not Second Miss. I suppose she will not treat Second Miss well in the future."
Since her biological grandmother didn't intend to care about her, Madam of Duke Xing who would be Second Miss's aunt would not show solicitude for her. It could tell that Madam of Duke Xing intended to ruin Shao Yuanhao by spoiling him to the skies from the way that she raised the little master. It was obvious that Madam of Duke Xing was also very sophisticated.
"She is not an idiot who will be controlled by others so easily." Chu Liuchen's mouth curved into a soft smile. Even though he didn't open his eyes, Xiao Xuanzi knew his master was smiling sincerely and had smiling eyes now.
An idea occurred to him. Checking Chu Liuchen's countenance carefully, he ventured to ask, "Your Highness, do you care about Second Miss very much?"
Usually, Xiao Xuanzi didn't dare to say these words, but just thought about this matter in his mind. Since his master now seemed to be in a good mood, Xiao Xuanzi thought he might not be punished even if he said something inappropriate!
"She has my flowers and cat. Thus, if she gets into trouble, my flowers and cat will die."
Chu Liuchen said casually.
Xiao Xuanzi twitched his mouth and, for the first time, he thought his master was stubborn. How could some flowers and a cat be so important?
Although others might not know what kind of person his master was, he knew this very clearly. Flowers? Even though they all belonged to a rare breed, his master would kill them. He had never cherished anyone, not to mention flowers. As regards the cat, it was good, but the one who raised it was not his master.
He would hug his cat if he was in a good mood, but if not, he would throw it away directly. He had never cared about his cat. He just intended to let others think he liked the cat.
He acted as if he really cared about his cat and flowers, but not Second Miss!
If he didn't care about her, why would he have come to the imperial palace so hurriedly? Xiao Xuanzi watched the whole process very carefully. Not only did Prince Cheng and Prince Zhou get scared, the Emperor didn't look good. He must come here to frighten them deliberately.
"Your Highness, you once said you want to let Second Miss marry into our mansion, didn't you?" Xiao Xuanzi didn't dare to tell his master what he was thinking about, and thus, he asked with a smiling face.
"My mansion needs a hostess. She satisfies me basically and at least she is to my liking!" Chu Liuchen said slowly, "Since I choose her, I can't let her be bullied by others. However good Ningyuan Army General's Mansion is, it isn't her biological family and people there don't treat her well enough!"
He said in a very calm and slow manner, which seemed that he was talking about something irrelevant to him. However, Xiao Xuanzi could sense that he was unhappy and thus, he smiled brightly.
"As I said, Second Miss Qin, well, Second Miss Shao is special to my master! Wait, no, according to the family ranking of Duke Xing's Mansion, she doesn't rank second but should rank behind. Since there are four misses in the Duke Xing's Mansion, she should rank fifth there."
"How is the plan arranged yesterday going?"
Hearing his question, Xiao Xuanzi quickly looked serious and said, "Don't worry, your Highness. Everything is on your schedule."
"Hmm!" Chu Liuchen murmured. Then he reclined against the wheelchair and closed his eyes in silence. "Imperial Grandmother's courtyard should be in chaos now."
He didn't want to go there now because those people would make a conclusion later. It seemed that he had to calculate his next move now. Given the situation that Prince Cheng extricated himself from the consort selection with this matter and he was also in no hurry to get married, Chu Liuchen was hesitant and didn't know whether he should engage Qin Wanru to him right now.
He planned to engage Qin Wanru to him before because Imperial Grandmother urged him to get married. Since now there was no need to hurry and they were still young, could he suspend his engagement now?
However, if he suspended this plan, it might be inconvenient for him to get involved in something. Rolling his shimmery eyes, Chu Liuchen thought it might be better for him to engage Qin Wanru to him now. Besides, Qin Wanru was also a clever person and he just needed to give her a hand when she went into action.
Palace of Benevolent Peace where Empress Dowager lived was in chaos now...
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