Chapter 290 - Mo Xuetong Refuses a Marriage in Cining Palace (1/2)

“Princess Anping, the Empress Dowager dotes on you so much. Why don’t you have the Empress Dowager bestow upon you a good marriage? Look at how blissful d.u.c.h.ess Mingyang is, and you will know how satisfied she is with her marriage.” Consort Yu smiled and steered the topic to Mo Xuetong. She wanted Mo Xuetong to ask the Empress Dowager herself.

If she asked the Empress Dowager to bestow marriage upon her, what could Emperor Zongwen say!

The Empress Dowager and Emperor Zongwen would not make things hard on her. They would only think of her as a young lady who had no definite views and treated marriage as a game in order to b.u.t.ter up to the Empress Dowager. This would annoy Emperor Zongwen.

However, could she refuse? The Empress Dowager bestowing a marriage was a great honor. If she did not accept it, she would be going against a royal decree. Furthermore, while Emperor Zongwen had already agreed to bestow her marriage with Feng Yuran, he had not said so openly. She could not use that as an excuse. Mo Xuetong felt very anxious when she thought of that and broke out in a sweat.

“Princess Anping…” Consort Yu said with a smile when she saw Mo Xuetong lowering her head and not answering. It was as if she would not allow Mo Xuetong to leave if she could not answer them.

Mo Xuetong had no choice but to answer. She calmed down slightly and lifted her soft cheeks. There was soft dust of pink on her pale complexion and she looked charming and beautiful. She said, “Your Highness, Consort Yu, you must be joking. How can an unmarried young lady ask for this herself? My father should be the one to decide this.”

Even though her father might not be able to take charge of her marriage, he was her father. It was most appropriate for her to push the responsibility onto her father.

“Princess Anping, do you not want me to bestow your marriage?” The Empress Dowager looked up with a smile. Even though the smile on her face was benevolent and kind, one could not help but shudder when looking at her with rosaries in her hand.

Mo Xuetong was secretly shocked. The Empress Dowager’s question was difficult to answer. She was a daughter of an official, so she did not dare to say that she was unwilling for the Empress Dowager to bestow her marriage. However, if she said that she was willing, the Empress Dowager would definitely do what she wanted and say that it was Mo Xuetong who asked her for it. Even if Emperor Zongwen were to be dissatisfied, Her Majesty would be able to push the blame onto her.

The Empress Dowager had lived in the palace for many years and was not a simple woman. Just a simple statement from her was enough to push Mo Xuetong off the precipice.

Consort Yu leaned back into her wide nanmu chair back and smiled softly. There was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes as she waved her fan lightly. She did not speak, but she was listening intently for Mo Xuetong’s reply.

The room quieted down as everyone looked at Mo Xuetong, waiting for her answer.

If Mo Xuetong did not answer well, she would end up in endless trouble. There was a shy smile on Mo Xuetong’s face. Her long lashes fluttered and she stood up. She knelt before the Empress Dowager and said with a flush on her face, “Many thanks for your kind love, Your Majesty, if I were not engaged, I would definitely ask Your Majesty to…”

“You are already engaged? When did that happen? Are there any witnesses?” The Empress Dowager’s smile froze on her face. She did not expect Mo Xuetong’s reply. Her expression cooled.

“Princess, you must not make things up and lie to the Empress Dowager. That’s a crime worthy of death.” d.u.c.h.ess Mingyang said with disdain. It sounded as if she were reminding Mo Xuetong, but she was actually threatening her.

Even though Emperor Zongwen might have intended the marriage to happen, he had not done it openly. It was not truly considered a betrothal. Mo Xuetong could not speak about it. That was why the Empress Dowager had asked her when she got engaged and if she had any witnesses.

Even though Mo Xuetong was still blus.h.i.+ng, and a shy smile appeared on her face. It was difficult for girls to speak about their own marriages. She looked down and said gently, “I have been engaged since I was a child. This was decided by my mother and I was promised to her good friend. The two families have once promised that if we do not get engaged by 15, then the matter will not be considered again. Mother left behind a pair of jade bangles as proof and my second uncle knows about this as well.”

Even though she was soft, everyone present heard her clearly.

“Why would the matter not be considered again after 15 years? Could it be that the two families have already lost contact long ago?” Consort Yu asked, not willing to give up.

“I heard Mother’s wet nurse say that a woman saved her when she was gravely ill. That was how the two met. However, that family moved away and told Mother that the engagement was off on that day. However, Mother was very grateful to them and was unwilling to do so. As such, that family and Mother made this promise.”

“They said that if we are fated, they will come and marry me. If not, they will also send a letter and that our marriages in the future will be decided by our own families.”

Mo Xuetong answered shyly but also explained the situation clearly. What she had just said was true. Nanny Ming had told her very clearly about this marriage pact. Mo Xuetong’s words were mostly true. In fact, Nanny Ming did not know who that family was either, but the part about marrying her before she turned 15 was true.

She had been especially careful here and had phrased her sentence carefully. She did not say 15 years old for she was not at all interested in this marriage.

Mo Xuetong remembered that the person had not appeared even after she died in her past life. He would naturally not appear again in this life. As such, she might as well make use of it as her s.h.i.+eld. No matter how powerful the royal family was, they would not make her back out of this engagement and marry a royal. She was not even 14 now.

While the Empress Dowager wanted Mo Xuetong in her camp, or perhaps, one should say that she wanted Fu General Manor and her father in her camp, she would not drag it out for too long. King Ning had returned from the Yan Kingdom and needed a legitimate reason for it. Otherwise, leaving without permission as a hostage son was enough to make trouble for Feng Yuzhen.

“To think that there is something like that. Why didn’t I hear anyone talk about it?” Lady of Xian said curiously.