latelenovela Chapter 172 The Emperor Grants Shangguan Rui a Marriage
Chapter 172 The Emperor Grants Shangguan Rui a Marriage
Everyone applauded when they saw the emperor praising Shen Rou.
The empress dowager also had a new understanding of Shen Rou. She did not expect that this girl from the countryside was so knowledgeable. There might not be a girl in the entire capital who could compare with her.
Rong Zhang, the third prince of Northern Yan, now has a greater appreciation for Shen Rou, and has found a girl in the entire Yanjing City who is comparable to her.
All the ministers looked at Shen Rou with admiration. They did not expect that Princess Furong was so knowledgeable and of high caliber, which made them sigh in admiration.
Shen Rou bowed slightly, thanked the emperor, and said to him: "Your Majesty, Miss He just promised me the first prize, now it's time to fulfill her promise."
He Qinghuan was so shocked by Shen Rou's poem that she stood there for a long time, unable to calm down. When she heard Shen Rou say that she would fulfill her promise, she was shocked and even more embarrassed.
He looked panickedly at Concubine He who was sitting on the high platform, and looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping that she could intercede for him and avoid the apology, otherwise the whole aristocratic circle would talk about his joke tomorrow.
Concubine He looked at the emperor cautiously. Before she could speak, the emperor said loudly: "I accept the loss. Miss He, you can now apologize to Princess Furong."
He Qinghuan gritted her teeth. Although she was unwilling, she had no room for maneuver since the emperor had spoken. She walked up to Shen Rou with great reluctance and whispered, "Princess, I was wrong. Please forgive me!"
Shen Rouying smiled and said, "Miss He, you are a forgetful person. You just promised to shout three times, how come you forgot in just two cups of tea?"
He Qinghuan's face turned red and white, and she could only raise her voice and repeat it three times.
The hall erupted in laughter, which continued uninterruptedly. The ministers who were usually sworn enemies of Censor He took the opportunity to humiliate him.
This laughter pierced He Qinghuan's heart like a needle, making her feel so ashamed that she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
It also penetrated deeply into Censor He's heart. His face looked extremely ugly. He had never been so embarrassed in all his years as an official, which made him angry.
However, it was not appropriate to get angry in front of the emperor and the ministers. He could only suppress his inner anger and refrain from attacking He Qinghuan.
He Qinghuan returned to her seat with a face full of grievance and resentment in her heart. Mrs. He felt both distressed and angry when she saw her carefully raised daughter suffering such humiliation.
As time went by, the banquet reached its climax.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the emperor saw that it was almost time for the important part of the day.
The Emperor looked at the Sixth Princess of Beiyan and asked, "Sixth Princess of Beiyan, the three princes across from me are all my sons. The eldest prince already has a wife, and I've already arranged a marriage for the second prince. Only the third prince is unmarried."
The second prince was looking at the sixth princess affectionately when he suddenly heard the emperor say that he had arranged a marriage for him. He looked at the emperor in surprise. When had his father arranged a marriage for him? How come he, the person involved, didn't know about it?
The Emperor saw the Second Prince's surprised look and said solemnly, "Ling'er, I issued an imperial decree a few days ago, granting you Pan Jinzhi, the legitimate daughter of Minister Pan of the Ministry of Rites, to be the Crown Princess. The marriage will take place soon."
The second prince stood there in a daze. If he was already engaged, how could he marry the Sixth Princess of Northern Yan as his principal wife? If he couldn't marry her, how could he expand his power?
The Minister of Rites was a civil servant with no power or influence. He could not help him at all. Moreover, he occupied the position of the principal wife. He was unwilling to marry such a useless principal wife as a decoration, but he did not dare to refute the emperor's decision and could only swallow his anger.
The mentality of Minister Pan's family of three contrasts with that of the Second Prince. It's like a pie falling from the sky for his family, leaving them dizzy.
Pan Jinzhi never expected that the emperor would give her to the second prince as his princess consort. This was a great honor and made her very excited.
Her smile could not hide her inner joy, and the Second Prince became even more angry and sarcastic when he saw Pan Jinzhi's smile.
The Third Prince, Shangguan Rui, had originally thought that there was a Second Prince above him who could marry the Sixth Princess of Northern Yan. Now that his father had granted him this marriage, his heart instantly plummeted. It was over, it was over. What should he do? How could he avoid this marriage?
When Shen Rou and Shangguan Yunting heard that the second prince had been granted marriage by the emperor, they looked at Shangguan Rui at the same time. They were both worried that the marriage would fall on him, so what would happen to Xiaoxue?
The Sixth Princess glanced at Shangguan Rui, who wished he could hide his head under the table, and then she turned her gaze to Shangguan Yunting.
When Shangguan Yunting saw the Sixth Princess shift her gaze to him, his face became terribly gloomy and he glared at her fiercely with sharp eyes, scaring the Sixth Princess so much that she dared not look him in the eye.
Shen Rou also looked at Shangguan Yunting worriedly, afraid that the Sixth Princess would choose him.
Just as they were lost in thought, they heard the clear and pleasant voice of the Sixth Princess of Beiyan.
"This princess is completely at the mercy of the emperor."
Shangguan Yunting and Shen Rou breathed a sigh of relief, but Shangguan Ruixin was heartbroken.
The Emperor's face was filled with joy. He declared loudly, "The Sixth Princess of Northern Yan has traveled a thousand miles to join the marriage of Great Qi for the sake of the stability of both nations and their people. This is a blessing for both nations and the people. The Third Prince, Shangguan Rui, possesses both literary and military skills, and possesses both talent and virtue. I hereby appoint the Sixth Princess of Northern Yan, Rong Xin, as his consort. All arrangements will be made by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory in the spring of next year. I decree this."
Shangguan Rui hurriedly stood up and saluted, "Father, I am still young and need to go to the military camp for training. Please withdraw your command."
"Rui'er, you are ambitious, and your father is very pleased. After you get married, you will continue to go to the military camp for training. Your father strongly supports it. First, marry the Sixth Princess, and then go. You must not disobey orders."
"Father..."
"This matter ends here and there is no need to discuss it further."
Shangguan Rui was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do.