The Double-Chapter 741 - 222 Visiting_3

Yin Zhili heard the words but didn’t take them to heart. She had only seen Jih Heng a few times and hardly spoken to him; it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, said with conviction, but she would soon forget. On the other hand, he appeared unaffected, yet... no one knew of his dejection.

It was all in the past. Yin Zhili looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.

Resigned to her fate. freёnovelkiss.com

...

After the grand banquet in the palace, with the lights dimmed and the revelry dissipated, it seemed even more desolate than on ordinary days.

Empress Dowager and Emperor Hongxiao were walking towards the Imperial Garden.

Emperor Hongxiao had dismissed the Concubines; he had drunk some wine that day but wasn’t intoxicated, appearing instead in a very cheerful mood. Empress Dowager, observing his demeanor, smiled and said, "Your Majesty seems very happy today."

"Naturally," Emperor Hongxiao said, "I remember several years ago, Old General Jih had mentioned to me that if a suitable girl was found, she must be promised in marriage to Duke Su, as the Duke Residence was lacking a mistress. Years have passed, and I have finally fulfilled Old General Jih’s wish, living up to the trust placed in me."

His eyes and brows were full of mirth, which he didn’t bother to conceal. Empress Dowager followed with a smile, "The events of today took me by surprise too. I had thought you would grant the marriage to the Crown Prince, but Duke Su stepped forward before anyone else. You never told me about this, Your Majesty."

"You were unaware because Duke Su approached me himself. Everyone in Yanjing City says Duke Su is capricious, never really caring for anyone. Yet he took the initiative to ask for Miss Jiang the Second’s hand in marriage. I happened to think highly of the Jiang Family, and Miss Jiang the Second’s performance in the Tongxiang case was both brave and resourceful. Duke Su has good taste, and I simply took the opportunity to grant a favor and make a match."

"It’s a pity for the Crown Prince," Empress Dowager lamented, "I saw today that he was deeply affected."

"That’s because he and Miss Jiang the Second were not fated to be together, no one else is to blame," Emperor Hongxiao laughed, "Besides, a man can always find a wife, there’s no need to dwell on it so."

"That’s true, Duke Su really got his wish this time." Empress Dowager seemed to reminisce with a look of nostalgia on her face, "I still remember when he was a child, brought into the palace by General Jih, he was like a doll stepped out of a painting. He was quite well-behaved as a child, but as he grew up, he became more and more inscrutable and frightening."

Emperor Hongxiao disagreed, "Duke Su just acts a bit more audaciously. As long as people don’t provoke him, he won’t cause trouble."

This was clearly taking Jih Heng’s side. Empress Dowager smiled, looked at Emperor Hongxiao, and chose not to continue the conversation. As they walked the final stretch of the Imperial Garden, the night was getting late. Empress Dowager, claiming tiredness, returned to Cining Palace first.

Emperor Hongxiao stood in the garden, his face still wearing a joyful smile, quietly watching Empress Dowager and the palace servants as they walked away. Eunuch Su stood by, head lowered, feeling a flicker of unease for some reason.

"Let’s go," Emperor Hongxiao said.

After returning to Cining Palace, Empress Dowager settled on her daybed. The palace maids hurried to massage her shoulders and legs, prepare tea and fan her. The censer in the chamber was lit, and her mood seemed somewhat calmer.

"Did Duke Su enter the palace yesterday?" she asked with a frown.

The palace maid closest to the Empress Dowager answered, "We haven’t seen Duke Su’s presence."

Empress Dowager’s frown deepened. After a moment, she said to the palace maid, "Send a message, tell Yin Zhan not to act rashly for now. The Emperor... is wary of him."

The maid nodded in agreement, lifted her head, and revealed a familiar face—it was Mei Xiang, who had once been the most trusted personal maid of Princess Yongning.

...

Regardless, what’s done is done.

In this late summer and early autumn season, Jiang Li’s marriage had been settled like this. Moreover, it was an imperial decree, unlike the verbal agreement with Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion, which Zhou Yanbang could annul on a whim or change the betrothed. Now, with the Emperor’s irrevocable decree, who would dare to annul it, who would dare to switch partners? All could do was obediently prepare.

Jiang Yuanbai personally visited the Duke Residence. When he returned, he told Jiang Li that after discussing with Old General Jih, since the decree came as a surprise and the Jiang Family was unprepared, the marriage would be postponed until next summer. Jiang Li guessed that Jiang Yuanbai still wanted to delay, probably because he felt Jih Heng was indeed not to be trusted, but all these were merely stalling tactics. Could an imperial edict ever be changed? Unless Jih Heng were no longer alive, and even then, it wasn’t guaranteed that she wouldn’t end up bound by widowhood.

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