"Qin Shao Sima, this king will grant you a marriage. What do you think?"
"Everything is up to Your Majesty."
"Haha, what do you think of the palace maid? Although her family background is ordinary, she is talented in both civil and military arts, and her future prospects are limitless. When taking a wife, one should marry a virtuous woman."
Everyone looked at Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua sympathetically.
They thought, Your Majesty, how shameless can you be to say something like this. No matter how promising her future prospects, without a powerful and prominent family background, how far can she go, not to mention benefiting the Qin family?
As for Gong Xiaohua, with her background, marrying into the Qin family, Your Majesty, aren't you trying to harm her?
Gong Xiaohua was speechless. What was going on today that everyone was staring at her?
She signaled Qin Chuyuan with her eyes, hoping he would reject the marriage offer.
Her eyes were almost twitching. He seemed to be thinking about something and didn't even glance at her, completely isolating her.
Seeing that he was ignoring her, she could only reject it herself. Just as she was about to step forward, Qin Chuyuan's voice rang out.
"This subject thanks Your Majesty for the marriage offer."
A thousand grass mud horses galloped through Gong Xiaohua's heart. Big brother, have you gone mad?
"Your Majesty, this subject opposes..." Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted again.
"Come, pass down an edict, offering marriage between Qin Chuyuan of the Qin family and the young lady of the Gong family, set a date for the wedding."
Gong Xiaohua looked at the enthroned king above, then at Qin Chuyuan kneeling on the ground. She finally understood that behind today's ridiculous scene, countless forces were pushing things along.
At this point none of her thoughts mattered. The ending would be the same regardless.
She did not fear death and could reject the marriage, but behind her was the Gong family, her maternal grandparents' family, and countless other relatives. She could not defy the edict for a marriage and disregard her family.
So she could only kneel down and express her thanks: "This subject thanks Your Majesty for the marriage offer."
Qin Chuyuan, also kneeling to one side, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His tightly clenched hands hiding in his sleeves slowly relaxed. No one knew how nervous he had been just then.
He admitted that he had some indescribable, inexplicable feelings towards Gong Xiaohua, and they became more pronounced the more time they spent together.
Among all of this, as a supporter of the Sixth Prince, the Third Prince had only leaked a little bit of information.
"Alright, the banquet shall end here for today. You are all dismissed." After speaking, the king rose and left.
"Farewell, Your Majesty."
As soon as the king departed, everyone offered Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua their congratulations.
After a moment, the only people left in the great hall were the Qin family, Gong Xiaohua, and Qin Chuqin who had married into the Zhou family.
The Qin family matriarch put on an affectionate expression towards Gong Xiaohua, "Little Flower, we will be family from now on. Come by the Qin estate often. This old mother shall take her leave first to allow Chuyuan to take you back home."
The Qin matriarch was overjoyed inside. If Chuyuan married Gong Xiaohua in the future, let's see what else she could use to compare with her sixth son. She eagerly wanted to return to the Qin estate and see the expressions on the faces of her good siblings and sisters-in-law.
Qin Chuqin saw the joyful, relaxed look on the face of her elder mother's back and couldn't help but shake her head with amusement. The pent-up frustrations after years of being oppressed by her mother were finally released for her elder mother today.
"Little Flower, you're a good girl. To be honest, from the first time I saw you, I really liked you. As Chuyuan's sister, I'm very happy you will be tying the knot with my little brother, but as a Qin family member, I also worry that you will be mistreated if you marry into the family."
"Big sister." Qin Chuyuan knitted his brows in disapproval as he glanced at Qin Chuqin.
Seeing her usually stoic little brother with such a lively expression today, Qin Chuqin only smiled without speaking.
"Qin Chuyuan, all of this was your scheme, right? What's your purpose for doing all of this? Don't tell me what Lin Yueru said was true, I don't believe that kind of nonsense."
Hearing her questions, Qin Chuyuan's ears quietly turned red as he stubbornly said, "Miss Gong is thinking too much. I did all this only for the Qin family's sake, it has nothing to do with you."
"Nothing to do with me, then why don't you reject the marriage offered by His Majesty? Why drag me into it?"
"It's not something I can fully explain to you right now. Let's talk more on the road back."
Inside the Qin family carriage leaving the palace:
"In recent years grandfather has become increasingly domineering and His Majesty has long been dissatisfied. If the Qin and Lin families join in marriage, sooner or later the Qin family will be dealt with by His Majesty. If there was no marriage edict, there would have been another family like the Lin family which His Majesty does not wish to see." Qin Chuyuan explained to Gong Xiaohua.
"Don't tell me your grandfather harbors ambitions to usurp the throne?"
Qin Chuqin immediately covered Gong Xiaohua's mouth and whispered softly in her ear, "Little Flower, watch your words. You absolutely cannot say anything like this again outside in the future."
"Grandfather is utterly loyal to the Da Ye Dynasty. It's just that the current state of affairs in the realm are unstable, the struggle for the crown prince's position in court is intense, and grandfather worries that the Qin family will become a political sacrifice in the future. That's why he thought of allying with the Lin family to preserve the Qin family in the days to come."
"So you schemed against both the Qin and Lin families, and also the Sixth Prince, then gave the Lin family a push to match them with the Sixth Prince?"
"I only played a small part. There were others with further plans afterward." Qin Chuyuan said.
"Then doesn't the Crown Prince have a powerful opponent now?"
"Don't worry. An untamed white-eyed wolf, sooner or later will become raising a tiger which brings trouble. The Crown Prince doesn't bother using this kind of person."
"After all, these matters are yours. Why drag me into it? I don't want to get involved in your sinister schemes at all."
"Because at the time you were involved in the incident and your status was the lowest, this was what pleased His Majesty the most."
"So all of you influential nobles can disregard my wishes and forcibly make me enter a marriage of convenience? You people really are disgusting."
"Miss Qin, although my brother's methods were somewhat unsavory..." Qin Chuqin anxiously tried to explain.
"Big sister." Qin Chuyuan timely interrupted Qin Chuqin with a shake of his head towards her.
"Now that things have turned out this way, I can marry you but we need to first agree that despite formally tying the knot, we'll actually have a pretend marriage. When the time is right in the future, we'll each go our own way." Gong Xiaohua said.
Qin Chuqin threw a gloating look at Qin Chuyuan as if to say it serves you right for acting tough.
"That's fine."
"Alright, we're almost at my place. Stop here."
When the carriage halted, Gong Xiaohua lifted the curtain and hopped off, "Miss Qin, I'll take my leave first."
"Farewell, safe travels."
Watching the retreating figure of Gong Xiaohua's back, Qin Chuyuan thought, I'll let you leave?
