Cui Hao's lips curved slightly, and a smile spread across his eyes and brows.
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Actually, this matter is unfair to you. I originally wanted to personally request the imperial decree to grant the marriage in court, but if I did that, I'm afraid everyone would think that His Majesty had some connection with you before, and that he had long coveted the throne and was secretly plotting against you."
"So we can only settle for second best and ask him to grant us a marriage, so that I can become your son-in-law."
Cheng Lan looked at his gentle, smiling face, and her body trembled.
"Why should I? You think you can just marry a prince whenever you want? I've already told you I don't like you and I don't want you to be my prince consort!"
Cui Hao still smiled faintly: "I know, so I have no choice but to force you to marry me."
He spoke as if he knew she didn't want to marry him, so he acted first and then asked for an imperial decree, which sounded rather shameless.
Seeing him like this, Cheng Lan, who had already been unable to control her emotions, suddenly burst out, her eyes red, and said, "Cui Ziqian! Have you gone mad? Do you know what marrying a princess means? Don't you care about your career?"
Seeing her exasperated state, Cui Hao's heart softened even more: "So, it's because you don't want to affect my career that you refuse to tell me about your past and refuse to be with me, right?"
There were only the two of them in the room. He spoke very directly, staring intently at Cheng Lan, making no attempt to hide his meaningful gaze.
Cheng Lan was taken aback by his soft words, and then became even more annoyed.
"Don't flatter yourself! I stopped liking you a long time ago! And I don't want to needlessly ruin your career!"
"Besides, I'm living a good and free life now, why should I marry you?"
“You are a close advisor to the Fourteenth Uncle, and I am the sister of the deposed emperor. It is only thanks to the Fourteenth Uncle’s disregard for past grievances that I have barely managed to keep my title.”
"If I were to follow you, wouldn't I have to be on my guard every day, and do everything I do have to be mindful of your mood? Nobody wants to live like that!"
Cui Hao nodded in realization: "Then don't worry, you'll still be free to do whatever you want from now on, I won't restrict you."
Cheng Lan scoffed: "That sounds nice, but if we actually got married, things would be very different! Putting aside everything else, would you agree to me keeping male lovers?"
Cui Hao: "..."
Instead of directly saying no, he asked Cheng Lan, "What do you want a male concubine for?"
"Of course, it's to serve him in bed!"
Cui Hao nodded again, looking relieved. He walked up to Cheng Lan and said gently, "Why would I need someone else to serve you in bed? I can do it myself, and I'm sure the princess will be satisfied."
As he spoke, he gently placed a hand on her waist, leaned slightly forward, as if wanting to lower his head and kiss her.
Cheng Lan was startled and instinctively backed away. She felt a scalding heat coming from the spot he had just touched, which quickly spread throughout her body, making her face flush red and her mind boil. She was speechless for a moment.
Cui Hao's hand went empty, and the lips he was about to touch disappeared from his sight, leaving him slightly disappointed.
He straightened up, moved closer, and said to Cheng Lan, "I am proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I can do everything those male concubines can do, and I can do it even better. So why do we need to support so many people?"
"His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and it is a time to advocate frugality. Even the imperial palace in Huaijing has not been extensively renovated; only the garden has been modified."
"We should follow His Majesty's example, saving money wherever possible and cutting back on expenses. We don't have to set a good example, but we shouldn't hold His Majesty back, right?"
Yes...you my foot!
Cheng Lan was so angry when she heard him talking such nonsense with a straight face that she forgot all the romantic moments that had just happened.
"I just don't like you! Anyone can be my husband, but not you! Take this imperial decree back and tell His Majesty I won't marry you!"
"I know my fourteenth uncle's temper. Even if I don't agree to this marriage, he won't kill me! At worst, I'll just give up this title!"
Looking at her resolute expression, Cui Hao did not reply immediately. He just silently watched her until she felt a little uneasy. Then he sighed and said, "It is true that the previous sons-in-law of the Great Liang Dynasty did not have any real power. But with a new emperor comes a new court. Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, whether or not to grant official positions and power to the sons-in-law is just a matter of his word."
"He dared to abandon the capital and forcefully suppress numerous powerful families. Would the court officials dare to offend him just because he gave him the title of imperial son-in-law? No one would dare."
"Besides, although you are a princess, you are only his niece, not his sister or daughter. In terms of blood, you are several generations removed from him, and your relationship in the past was not close. They don't need to worry that I, the prince consort, will control the court by relying on the princess's family connections, so they will care even less."
"So you don't need to worry that I will be implicated because of you. His Majesty has already reserved the position of Minister of Personnel for me. It's just that I want to rest for a while. He was afraid that if I didn't take office for a long time after assuming the post, it would cause controversy, so he temporarily put it aside."
In other words, he could take office at any time if he wanted to, and his marriage to Cheng Lan would not affect his career.
Cheng Lan was stunned, and when she came to her senses, she became even more embarrassed and angry.
"I'm not worried about you! I just... I just don't want to marry you!"
"I kindly saved you back then, and in doing so, I..."
She wanted to say that she had given him her innocence, but she didn't say it. After a pause, she said, "In order not to arouse my father's suspicion, I didn't dare to explain to you. I only hoped that you understood and knew that I was not that kind of person."
"But what about you? You don't trust me at all. You think of me as that kind of promiscuous woman, which is why you believe it's true!"
"I dared not let anyone else know, nor did I dare send anyone to Shangchuan to deliver a letter to you. It was only when you came to the capital next time that I found an opportunity to get close to you and explain things to you in person."
"But you ignored me completely, not even glancing at me! You didn't even give me a chance to explain!"
Cheng Lan grew angrier as she spoke, overwhelmed with resentment, and her voice gradually choked with emotion.
"It's true that I liked you back then, but even if I liked you a lot, it wouldn't warrant resorting to such despicable methods!"
"Do you really think you're so incredibly talented that you're unforgettable once you've tasted your beauty?"
Cui Hao found these words somewhat familiar, recalling that Guo Sheng had said something similar to him a few days ago. Guo Sheng had said, "Do you really think you're some kind of peerless beauty, worthy of Princess Chenglan sleeping with you in this way?"
Even Guo Ziyi understood this simple truth, yet he never grasped it, misunderstanding this woman for so many years, using the most malicious thoughts to speculate on her intentions, and thus tainting her sincere heart.
His gaze was lowered, his eyes slightly red, and his lips moved for a long time, but in the end he didn't know what to say, and only murmured, "I'm sorry."
"What's the use of saying sorry? Can it make up for all the grievances I've suffered over the years? Can it salvage my reputation?"
"Cui Ziqian, don't think that requesting an imperial decree to marry me is a favor to me. Don't think that this will make up for it and make me forget how you misunderstood and misinterpreted me in the first place!"
"I don't want to marry you not for your career or your reputation, but because I simply don't want to see you! I don't want to see your face, which can't distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong!"
"The thing I regret most in my life is that I saved you back then!"
Her words pierced Cui Hao's heart like knives, causing him sharp pain in his chest, making him almost unable to stand.
He had always considered himself a gentleman who was upright and honest, but now, looking back, he felt like a scoundrel, worse than a pig or a dog.
He had nothing to explain, no way to defend himself, and even his apology seemed so powerless. He could only take two steps back under the woman's resentful gaze, and finally, without saying a word, he turned and left, his back desolate, as if his spine had been ripped out.
Granny Kong personally saw him out, and after he left, she hurriedly returned to Chenglan's room, exclaiming, "Princess! Why did you say those things just now? Lord Cui truly repented and wanted to marry you!"
It wasn't that she didn't side with her own princess; it was just that she knew all too well how she felt about Cui Hao.
If she didn't still like and care, why would she have openly and secretly helped the current emperor and the former Prince of Qin all these years? Others may not know how much risk she took, but as his personal nanny, didn't she?
Since she likes him and Cui Hao is now sincerely trying to marry her, why deliberately drive her away?
"Are you... are you still worried about affecting Lord Cui's career? Didn't he just say that His Majesty has already reserved an official position for him, so it won't have any impact? Then..."
"So what?"
Cheng Lan lay face down on the table, not looking up, her voice muffled as it came from the table.
"Has the old woman forgotten my current reputation?"
She was no ordinary princess; she was a notorious princess who kept male concubines, a fact known throughout the court.
Even if she herself knew it was fake, and Cui Hao knew it was fake, others didn't.
In everyone's eyes, Cheng Lan was a licentious and shameless princess. If Cui Hao married her, he would inevitably be pointed at and ridiculed for the rest of his life.
Granny Kong understood what she meant: "But...but since he has already requested permission to marry you, he probably doesn't care about these things."
“I do care,” Chenglan said. “Granny, people’s hearts can change. Even if he believes me now, what about later?”
"With so many people talking about him and mocking him, can he really remain indifferent forever?"
"What should I do if he becomes paranoid in the future?"
No matter how firmly Cui Hao speaks now, he cannot deny that his kindness towards her contained a great deal of guilt and self-blame.
But can a relationship maintained by guilt last?
What will happen between them when his guilt is worn away by the rumors and gossip? Will he feel suspicious when he thinks about the past?
Cheng Lan didn't want to live a life where she was constantly suspected, especially by the person she loved.
Hearing her words, Granny Kong looked somewhat dejected, but still advised, "Princess...why not trust Lord Cui just this once?"
Cheng Lan remained slumped over the table, chuckling softly, but tears welled in her eyes and soaked her clothes.
"Back then, I believed he would understand me... but what happened?"
"Granny, I'm scared, I'm really scared..."
Chapter 140 A Wrongful Death
Not long after Wei Hong ascended the throne, news came from Southern Yan that the Yan Emperor had died and that the third prince, Qi Yuan, had ascended the throne.
The new Yan emperor seemed to want to be on good terms with Daliang. After ascending the throne, he sent an envoy to Wei Hong with congratulatory gifts. Every item on the gift list was extremely precious, which showed his sincerity.
However, one gift was not on the gift list; it was secretly delivered by the envoy and his party.
This gift is for one person: Consort Shu, a concubine of the late Emperor of Southern Yan, and Ji Yunwan, the younger sister of Ji Yunshu, Wei Hong's former fiancée.
When Wei Hong saw her, she was still dressed in gorgeous clothes and adorned with pearls and jade. Even though she knew she had become a prisoner, she was unwilling to show weakness in front of Wei Hong and let him see her exhaustion.
But the dark circles under her eyes, which even thick makeup couldn't conceal, betrayed her, revealing her haggard appearance and a body that, beneath its fine clothes and heavy makeup, no longer resembled her former youthful beauty.
Everything she experienced in just a few months made her look older than her age, with fine lines appearing at the corners of her eyes that she couldn't erase.
She refused to kneel when she saw Wei Hong, but someone pressed her shoulders down and forced her down, her knees hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
The sudden pain made her already pale face, accentuated by the makeup, even paler, and a layer of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
Wei Hong looked at her coldly and said, "I didn't want to see you, but there's something I need to ask you in person."
Ji Yunwan forced a smile despite the pain in her knee and looked up at him.
"Is it about the time when Southern Yan sent people to kidnap Yao Shi? Or is it when Southern Yan sent troops to attack Shuozhou?"
"It's true that I did contribute to these things, but it was all forced upon me by the deposed emperor. I was just following orders. If you insist on pinning all the blame on me, then there's nothing I can do. Anyway, I'm already in your hands, and I know I'm not going to survive."
Wei Hong didn't mention any of that, but instead suddenly asked, "I'm asking you, how did your sister die?"
A single sentence struck Ji Yunwan like a thunderbolt from the sky, leaving her frozen in place. Wei Hong took in the shock and astonishment that flashed across her face, confirming that what Guo Sheng had interrogated her about was true.
“You killed your sister,” he said in a deep voice, veins bulging on his forehead. “That accident back then was all a hoax. You killed your sister!”
Ji Yunwan's eyes trembled, and her whole body shook slightly. She couldn't understand why Wei Hong had brought up this old story.
But this brief panic and fear quickly vanished, turning into madness.