Chapter 599 - Marriage in the Hall, King Yans Return (1/2)

Princess Caifeng grew up in the royal palace as well. Those who grew up in the palace tended to be suspicious of things. Especially when it seemed as if King Yan was indeed in the wrong. It was unbelievable that a prince would be imprisoned because a second consort was wronged.

What was more, he did not defend himself. King Yan seemed to be a good person.

Princess Caifeng thought about it in her heart. It would be good for her if she mentioned King Yan in front of the Emperor. On the one hand, it would repay Consort Yan’s kindness; on the other hand, it would show King Xuan that she was a gentle and kind person. If anything happened to current Consort Xuan in the future, it would not be her fault.

This would be of great benefit to her. She agreed readily, “Consort Yan, don’t worry. My elder brother will reveal the intention of the marriage alliance later. He will choose between the princes. I will ask about King Yan. Hope that it will help you.”

“Many thanks for your help, Your Highness. If His Majesty forgets it, please bring it up a few more times.” You Yue’e was delighted but there was a hint of bitterness on her face, as if she was extremely worried that the Emperor would ignore Princess Caifeng, regardless of her face.

“Don’t worry. I will keep talking about it until His Majesty pays attention to my suggestion.” Princess Caifeng patted her chest and promised.

You Yue’e was relieved when she heard that. When she saw that Princess Caifeng had dressed up, she did not bother her and left with her maidservant. Princess Caifeng straightened her clothes and went to the main hall as well.

The palace maid at the entrance of the main hall had long been waiting anxiously. When she saw Princess Caifeng approaching, she hurried in to report to the Empress. The Empress motioned for the banquet to officially begin.

Princess Caifeng’s seat was not next to Crown Prince Xieyue’s because men’s seat were on the left side while women’s were on the right side. The seats in the main hall were divided into two rows, with the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress sitting on the top while the others sitting below them. Princess Caifeng sat beside the Sixth Princess, the Seventh Princess and Consort Yan.

Opposite them were the several princes and Crown Prince Xieyue.

Although their seats were on both sides, since they were close to the Emperor’s seat and were on the first layer of jade steps, they could hear each other clearly.

Crown Prince Xieyue came up first to toast and hope that the Qin Kingdom and the Southern Barbarian Lands could be close friends forever. Emperor Zongwen naturally drank a cup of wine politely.

The scene was very harmonious. When Crown Prince Xieyue returned to his seat, he told several princes around him that he hoped the two countries would be friendly to each other and had a good relations.h.i.+p. Beside them were several ministers treating the emissaries from the Southern Barbarians. They were also laughing and clinking their cups.

Suddenly, an emissary of the Southern Barbarian picked up a cup of wine and took a step forward, leaving his seat. He said, “Respected Great Qin Emperor, I’ve long heard that the women of Great Qin are gentle like jade and the men of Great Qin are mighty and handsome. Our Emperor specially asked us to get a n.o.ble girl of Great Qin on behalf of our Crown Prince to be the Crown Princess of our Southern Barbarian Lands. He also wants Princess Caifeng to marry a n.o.ble man of Great Qin, so that the two countries can be united forever.”

“Alright, since the two countries are friends, such a request is naturally not a problem. I will promise to find a n.o.ble girl the Crown Prince likes and a n.o.ble man the Princess likes.” Emperor Zongwen had a gentle smile on his face and his tone was as soft as a spring breeze. This was what everyone had secretly decided. However, the so-called n.o.ble man and girl were usually the princes and princesses.

Emperor Zongwen had always paid attention to the Fifth Princess who was born by the Empress, and did not care about other princesses who were born by consorts. If a princess married into the Southern Barbarian Lands and became their crown princess, and then their Empress, this would only benefit the Qin Kingdom and was harmless.

Princess Caifeng could marry into the Great Qin. The Eldest Prince, Third Prince, and Eighth Prince all had wife. At most, Princess Caifeng would get the position of co-wife. It was not a big deal and would not affect the overall situation at all. Of course, it would be best if she chose Feng Yuran, which would make him much stronger. Although Consort Xuan was a blessed person, she was too young and was always ill. Emperor Zongwen felt sorry for his son!

Princess Caifeng was not bad looking. She looked to be about 17 or 18 years old and was about the same age as Feng Yuran. Her nose was high and she had a stern expression on her face. She was not a soft person and could manage the back yard. If she were to marry into King Xuan’s manor, she would definitely be able to get rid of all the mess in the back yard. This would be beneficial to Feng Yuran.

The emissary bowed with a smile and returned to his seat. The matter was only made public today. It did not mean that their Crown Prince would select a wife and their princess would select a husband now. The sons and daughters of the royal family were not items that could be picked casually. They had to inform the others in private. They showed their att.i.tude here today.

The Seventh Princess’ expression grew fl.u.s.tered. She looked up at the Sixth Princess who was sitting opposite, and bit her lips nervously.

The only princesses who could enter the hall today were the Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess. Everyone understood that the Crown Princess would be one of them. Even though the Crown Princess of the Southern Barbarian Lands was n.o.ble, she would not be able to return for the rest of her life once she left her parents and married into the Southern Barbarian Lands thousands of miles away. Which princess would be willing to do so?

The customs and rules there were different from those here. At that time, she would be alone there and had no one to weep out her grief to even if she was wronged. Especially if the two countries started a war, the most unfortunate one would be this kind of woman. Maybe she would be used as a sacrifice and become the flag of war.