Jinglan unconsciously raised her finger and twirled the jade ring on her finger, seemingly lost in thought...
An Xin twitched her lips and said, "I appreciate the Empress Dowager's kindness, but I don't think any of them are good..." Before she could finish speaking, An Youwei interrupted her.
"Since the Empress Dowager is so kind as to worry about you, why don't you appreciate it, you little brat?!" An Youwei had been troubled by An Xin's marriage. In this world, a married woman is like firewood that has been burned; no one would even look at her anymore. Now that the heavens have presented such a good opportunity, this brat still says that she doesn't think any of them are good. Isn't that going to offend all the officials in the court?
Naturally, the other young masters were also trembling with fear. What if An Xin took a liking to them? They wouldn't be able to refuse her, and if they really took her, wouldn't that be a huge joke? To put it bluntly, she was someone the Ling family had used before. They were all people of noble status, and who would want to pick up a second-hand item?
An Xin had a headache. It was one thing to deal with others, but her father was a stubborn old man. If she directly refused the Empress Dowager, who knew what he might do?
An Xin wondered if she was really that old? In her previous life, she was still in middle school at the age of ten or so. How did she become an old and faded woman here?!
"..." An Xin couldn't say a word, but she raised her eyelashes and seriously scanned everyone present. Anyone who met An Xin's gaze looked unnatural, trying to hide their faces, as if they wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
An Xin's eyes flickered, and she glanced at Yan Zhen unintentionally, only to find him casually glancing at her. An Xin felt inexplicably guilty, then looked away and said calmly, "The Right Prime Minister will do!"
Jinglan's hand, which was turning the ring, suddenly stopped.
The expressions of everyone in the hall instantly became varied and colorful!
Chapter Sixty-Four: Where Does Truth Remain?
Yan Zhen's gently waving folding fan suddenly stopped, and she abruptly raised her eyelashes to look at An Xin. Her bright, youthful eyes shimmered with an exquisite brilliance, as if she were somewhat stunned.
An Xin's gaze shifted slightly, wondering if there was something wrong with what she said. She seemed to have agreed to give Yan Zhen a try... Besides, they had already kissed, so she felt that she was much more familiar with him than with other people, right?
The Empress Dowager paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "An'er, the Right Chancellor is a pillar of our court, a dragon among men, and women all over the world flock to him... However, this matter still needs to be discussed with the Right Chancellor..."
An Xin's eyes darted around casually. Of all the young men in the court, she could probably choose any one of them and the Empress Dowager would have the final say. But as for Yan Zhen, even the Empress Dowager couldn't force her to agree...
Yan Zhen seemed lost in thought, her folding fan obscuring half her face, but it was unclear what she was thinking. The court officials, however, suddenly seemed to realize what was happening and began to discuss among themselves.
Who is the Right Chancellor?!
Women are only allowed to be chosen by the Right Chancellor; there's no way a woman could choose the Right Chancellor! This An Xin is truly too arrogant!
Moreover, anyone who wants to curry favor hopes that their daughter can be favored by the Right Chancellor. Even though the Right Chancellor has recently been pampering An Xin, can he pamper her for a lifetime?
Unexpectedly, An Xin has become even more arrogant!
An Youwei was also startled. He glanced at the Right Chancellor tremblingly, then knelt down with a thud and said loudly, "Your humble servant's daughter was rude. Please punish her, Your Excellency."
Yan Zhen suddenly snapped back to her senses, and the smile in her eyes suddenly blossomed like a spring breeze overnight, exuding an exquisite beauty that left everyone mesmerized, utterly captivated, and completely losing their souls.
"I agree." Yan Zhen smiled lazily and looked at the Empress Dowager. "Your Majesty is very kind. Xin'er is just what I want."
An Xin's lips twitched.
The Empress Dowager subconsciously exchanged a glance with Huang Yixuan. The Right Chancellor, who was always aloof and arrogant, and regarded everyone else as dirt, had actually agreed!
The Empress Dowager suddenly rubbed her forehead, her brows furrowing slightly. "I suddenly feel unwell. Let the banquet begin. I'll take my leave now." With that, she stood up, and everyone hurriedly saw her off. As she was leaving, the Empress Dowager turned back and glanced at An Xin, saying, "An girl, you come with me."
An Xin instinctively refused, but was glared at by An Youwei, so she had no choice but to walk over unsteadily.
Everyone stared at her as if they'd seen a ghost. An Xin returned the same astonished look, to which the other person replied, "..."
Royal palaces and gardens have always been exquisite and magnificent.
An Xin followed the Empress Dowager for a few steps, when she heard the Empress Dowager ask, "Why did you choose the Right Chancellor, An girl?"
An Xin paused for a moment and then said, "It looks pleasing to the eye."
The Empress Dowager smiled mockingly: "Pleasing to the eye? If it were ordinary, what do you think the Right Chancellor would do?"
An Xin didn't understand why the Empress Dowager was suddenly saying all this. But if it were any other time, what would Yan Zhen have done? Openly refuse? Make sarcastic remarks?
The Empress Dowager said coolly, "There are plenty of people who find the Right Chancellor pleasing to the eye... How do you think the Right Chancellor treats you?"
An Xin said casually, "It's fine as it is."
The Empress Dowager chuckled and said, "Let me put it this way, the Right Chancellor was indeed engaged, but a few years ago a horrific tragedy occurred. At that time, the Right Chancellor was a wealthy young man, and his father, Yan Hui, held the high-ranking position of one of the Three Dukes. However, he offended someone and was falsely accused and imprisoned, causing the Yan family to fall into decline and suffer greatly from persecution. The Right Chancellor's fiancée and his birth mother were also burned alive. Of course, the most tragic thing was that the flesh from his mother and fiancée's bodies was cut off and forced to be eaten by Yan Zhen..."
An Xin lowered her eyelashes, her face as cold as ice.
"These are extremely confidential matters, known to no one but me. Do you know why I am telling you?"
An Xin said calmly, "I don't know."
The Empress Dowager took An Xin's hand and said kindly, "What I want to talk about is the Right Chancellor's fiancée. She was originally my niece, named Xueman. From birth, people said she would become the most beautiful girl in the capital, and she was also deeply loved by the Right Chancellor. In that tragic incident, Xueman and Yan Zhen's birth mother were burned alive to save Yan Zhen... Can you imagine Xueman's position in Yan Zhen's heart?"
An Xin raised her eyelashes and said calmly, "Does the Empress Dowager mean for me to withdraw?" These kinds of matters between men and women are the most troublesome. She felt that she had accidentally fallen into some kind of entanglement.
She was unfamiliar with matters of the heart, but her decisions were never swayed by external factors. However, upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, she inexplicably felt a surge of irritation.
To put it simply, the man she likes must also like her, and this feeling must belong entirely to her, without any impurities allowed. In this respect, she is somewhat selfish.
Everyone has a past, but those past events can also cause unease...
The Empress Dowager patted her hand and smiled, "If you don't mind Xue Man's existence, it's not impossible, but I'm afraid it will be unfair to you..."
An Xin thought that if she really liked Yan Zhen, then she would definitely mind Xue Man's existence, and mind it very, very much! Besides, she was never one to compromise herself.
Without any emotional fluctuations towards Yan Zhen, there would be no feeling of being wronged or bothered.
An Xin said calmly, "Since I have made my choice, I will not change it. Since the Right Chancellor has also agreed, there is nothing to change. I'm sorry to trouble the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager paused, her gaze sweeping over An Xin. This young girl was unfathomable from the moment she was seen. She was beautiful, but too aloof. Her personality was too sharp and outspoken; she might die young in the future!
"In that case, you'd better take care of yourself. I'm tired, you may go back." The Empress Dowager waved her hand, turned around and walked away slowly.