funbook-pk Chapter 206: The Imperial Marriage – A Mess
Chapter 206: The Imperial Marriage – A Mess
The song is over.
The room was filled with silence.
Yu Ruowei withdrew her hand from the zither and bowed to the emperor.
"May His Majesty live a long and prosperous life, and enjoy boundless blessings."
Emperor Xiangwu clapped his hands slowly, and the other court officials followed suit.
"Not bad," Emperor Xiangwu praised.
"Truly worthy of being personally trained by Master Qiuyue."
"This music is wonderful, and I am very pleased with it. It should be played."
"I will bestow upon you a bushel of South Sea pearls and ten bolts of cloud brocade. I will also grant you a sandalwood zither table inlaid with mother-of-pearl."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ruowei quickly bowed and said, "This humble woman thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
Empress Chu Yuanji, standing to the side, smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I also think that the daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an played this piece exceptionally well. I would also like to reward her. However, Your Majesty has already bestowed so many fine things upon her, and compared to them, my offerings seem rather inadequate."
"I've heard that the daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an is still unmarried. How about I bestow upon you a good husband?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Ruowei's heart skipped a beat.
Yu Ningyao rolled her eyes inwardly and complained to the system.
[If the Empress loves matchmaking so much, why be an Empress? She might as well become a matchmaker.]
"Is the old lady of the Grand General's Mansion here?" Empress Chu looked in the direction where Shen Chuyu and Yu Ningyao were.
Yu Ningyao: !!!
No way, it can't be what she's thinking.
Currently, Lu Lingguang is the only unmarried member of the Lu family who is of marriageable age.
"Your Majesty, I am here," Shen Chuyu replied calmly as she rose to her feet.
The Empress smiled slightly: "I've heard that your grandson Lu Lingguang is sixteen years old this year. He is both scholarly and martial, brave and resourceful. He is quite a good match for the daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an."
Everyone present could tell that the Empress was going to bestow a marriage upon Lu Lingguang and Yu Ruowei.
Lu Lingguang suddenly tried to stand up to refuse, but Lu Qingyun grabbed him and held him down.
"Grandfather, I don't want to marry Yu Ruowei." Lu Lingguang gritted his teeth.
Has the Empress gone mad? Why would she arrange a marriage for him?
"Shut up. Your grandmother knows what's going on. Don't cause any more trouble." Lu Qingyun scolded in a low voice, then added with some displeasure, "If you had arranged a marriage with Yaoyao earlier, none of this would have happened."
Shen Chuyu was also caught off guard by the Empress's sudden bestowal of a marriage.
She gathered her thoughts and was about to politely decline.
Then the Crown Prince spoke: "Mother..."
"My son, if you have anything to say, please wait until the old lady has finished speaking." Empress Chu smiled and spoke kindly, but her eyes were full of warning.
She knew everything the Crown Prince had done.
After he attended Yu Ruowei's coming-of-age ceremony, she immediately sent someone to investigate Yu Ruowei's affairs.
The imposter, a fake heiress, must never become the crown prince's concubine.
The crown prince must not have any blemishes.
The eldest and third branches of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion seem to be at odds, while Lu Qingyun's family has an excellent relationship with the third branch of the Jing'an Marquis.
This marriage disrupted the close relationship between the two families, but the Emperor probably won't punish them.
Seeing her somber gaze, Pei Wuyang knew that his mother's intervention in arranging Gong Qiuyue's marriage was a way to lull him into a false sense of security.
She wanted him to think that she would do anything for him.
Pei Wuyang sneered.
He's grown so big, yet his mother still treats him like a child.
So he smiled slightly and said, "Mother, please don't be in a hurry. Let me hear what I have to say first."
[Wait, are the Empress and the Crown Prince at odds?]
Yu Ningyao noticed the undercurrents between the mother and son and watched the drama unfold with great interest.
Unexpectedly, the next second, the blame fell on him.
Pei Wuyang continued, "What I want to say is that Lu Lingguang seems to be in love with Miss Yu's sister. Please don't play matchmaker, lest the two families become enemies over marriage, which would be bad."
The smile in Empress Chu's eyes faded, but the corners of her lips still maintained a polite smile.
The crown prince actually contradicted her.
Yu Ningyao: ? ? ?
What does the prince want to do?
Shen Chuyu hadn't expected the Crown Prince to interfere.
They're just being silly.
To say that Ling Guang has feelings for Yao Yao is to make it sound like two children having an affair, which would damage both of their reputations.
She smiled slightly: "Hehe. I didn't expect the Crown Prince to pay so much attention to my good-for-nothing grandson. The second daughter of the Yu family is my husband's apprentice. She grew up with my grandson since she was a child, studying the Book of Rites together and practicing riding and archery together. There were always elders present when they met. Their friendship is naturally incomparable to that of ordinary people."
Pei Wuyang followed up, saying, "Mother, did you hear that? So you shouldn't bestow a marriage between Miss Yu and General Lu's grandson. He's clearly a better match for Miss Yu's second daughter."
"As for Miss Yu, it would be better to bestow her upon me as a concubine."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess Murong Jingshu, who was standing next to the Empress, turned pale.
She knew that the Crown Prince still harbored designs on that vixen.
At this moment, Yu Ruowei suddenly knelt down.
She said loudly, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, I have something to tell His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress."
Everyone looked over.
Crown Prince Pei Wuyang stared at her, seemingly wanting to see what kind of tricks she would come up with.
Could it be that she intends to reveal the words he used to coerce her in front of all the civil and military officials?
Naive, foolish.
He stared coldly at Yu Ruowei.
Yu Ruowei said gracefully, "My background is tainted. I am not the biological daughter of Marquis Jing'an, and I am afraid I am not worthy of the position of Crown Prince's concubine."
These words sparked a flurry of discussion among the crowd.
They all knew about Yu Ruowei's coming-of-age ceremony, but the entire Jing'an Marquis's mansion unanimously claimed it was a rumor.
Now that the eldest daughter of the Yu family has said that she is not their biological daughter, it confirms that she was switched at birth.
With a morally flawed biological mother and such a background, even if this Miss Yu is a disciple of Master Qiuyue, she will likely find it difficult to find a good husband in the future.
No respectable family in the capital would want a daughter-in-law like this.
Yu Kangping and Cui Ruixin were so angry that they almost fainted. What on earth was this daughter trying to do?
Emperor Xiangwu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Oh? And what's the story behind your background?"
"Your Majesty, I only learned of this recently," Yu Ruowei said, revealing her background.
After Yu Ruowei finished speaking, Emperor Xiangwu looked at Yu Kangping, whose forehead was covered in cold sweat:
"Lord Jing'an, is she telling the truth?"
Yu Kangping dared not lie to the Emperor, for that would be a crime of deceiving the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, what my daughter said is true. But after all, we have been father and daughter for more than ten years. Even though she is not my biological daughter, I still regard her as my own daughter.”
Yu Kangping's mind was racing.
This was the smartest thing he'd ever done in his life.
He knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "I only pity my own flesh and blood, who is now suffering somewhere. I dare to beg Your Majesty to issue an edict to help me find my own flesh and blood, so that my daughter and I can be reunited as soon as possible."
He cried and beat his chest, pounding his feet, crying, "My daughter, my daughter!"
Yu Ningyao, the biological daughter who was present at the scene, watched this scene unfold: ...
How come I never realized my own father was such a good actor before?