Upon entering the courtyard, one could see the Prince of Zhenbei standing in his study with the door wide open, writing and painting. Recognizing the voice, one knew that Beigong Minhao had arrived and said, "Come in."
“Yes, Father!” Bei Gongminhao immediately stepped forward and went inside. “Father, I have something I want to tell you.”
"Hmm." The Prince of Zhenbei's hands did not stop. "Don't say anything yet, I have something to tell you."
"Father, please explain." Bei Gongminhao was a little worried. If he said something like he was not allowed to go to General Ji's mansion to propose marriage, he couldn't imagine how he would react!
"The princess from the Western Regions has actually escaped from the palace."
Beigong Minhao rolled his eyes. What did this have to do with him?
"Therefore, her marriage to Jueshi has been temporarily put on hold."
This has nothing to do with me! It has to do with Jue Shi, okay?! Bei Gong Minhao shouted in his heart, but he held back and remained silent.
“I’ve said all I have to say,” the Prince of Zhenbei suddenly said.
"Huh?" Bei Gongminhao felt like vomiting blood, but seeing the gaze of the Prince of Zhenbei looking over, he immediately stood up straight. "Yes!"
"Speak your mind!" The Prince of Zhenbei turned his gaze away and sat down at his desk.
"Father, I want to marry Ji Wushang, the eldest daughter of General Ji's family." Bei Gongminhao's palms were sweating, and he could clearly feel his heart pounding, each beat stronger and faster than the last!
The Prince of Zhenbei frowned and looked up at him. "Tell me, what's so good about Miss Ji that you're going to join in the fun just because you heard that the Prince of Nan went to propose marriage?"
So he had already heard about it, then there was no need for me to say anything more.
Bei Gongminhao nodded and said, "I have long admired Miss Ji and wanted to tell Father about it. However, Jueshi told you his feelings for Miss Ji before I could, but you stopped him. So I had to put the matter aside for the time being. But today I heard that the Prince of Nan has come to propose marriage, but the Ji General's Mansion has not yet agreed. So I can no longer keep these words to myself! Father, I beg you to grant my request!"
"Good!" The Prince of Zhenbei stood up abruptly, looking at him with some admiration. "This is the son of my Beigong Cang!"
Beigong Minhao was somewhat surprised. Did he agree with what he said? Did he agree to let him propose?
At this moment, Princess Zhenbei came out from the inner room and said with a smile, "Minhao has really grown up. I saw that Miss Ji before, and she understands human relationships and knows how to be filial to her parents. I have also heard some things about her. I like such a daughter-in-law." After saying that, she stepped forward and straightened Beigong Minhao's clothes. "My son, if you like her, then go ahead!" As she spoke, she looked at Prince Zhenbei.
The Prince of Zhenbei paused for a moment, then stepped forward and said warmly, "Madam, why are you out again? I was discussing something important with Minhao!"
"My son is thinking of coming to propose marriage, how can I, as his mother, not come out and listen? This is an important matter, but it also concerns me. Look at you, what kind of state are you in?" Princess Zhenbei said, feigning reproach.
Prince Zhenbei remained silent.
Bei Gong Minhao was shocked. To be honest, when Bei Gong Jueshi was thinking of marrying Miss Ji, the Princess Consort of Zhenbei didn't say anything. But now that he was thinking of marrying the eldest daughter, she was overjoyed and wanted to support him wholeheartedly.
"Mother," Beigong Minhao called softly.
“Your father will definitely agree, so you can go without worry!” Princess Zhenbei said, glancing at Prince Zhenbei.
"Yes!" Bei Gongminhao was overjoyed to receive permission, and the day felt especially good!
"Your mother will go with you personally. Your father is shy, so don't worry about him!"
Bei Gongminhao smiled and glanced at the Prince of Zhenbei. The Prince of Zhenbei could only pout, flick his sleeves, and sit down at his desk. "Go ahead! If it doesn't work, then forget it! Your father will find you a princess to be your heir!"
"Thank you, Father! Thank you, Mother!" Bei Gongminhao was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling.
Princess Zhenbei said, "Go and tidy up quickly. I'll have the steward prepare some small gifts first."
"Yes!" Beigong Minhao nodded immediately and ran off happily.
Watching the departing figure, the Prince of Zhenbei scolded, "Look at you, what a sight! Running away like that? You spoil your son so much!"
"Look at how rigid you are. If I hadn't come out, you would have been talking to Minhao with a stern face," said the Princess of Zhenbei. "Now that you've married a good wife, you'll have to give Minhao some face."
“Disobedience will be punished just the same.” The Prince of Zhenbei did not back down.
Princess Zhenbei snorted and then walked out.
She thought to herself, "Xu Cong, your aunt is really sorry." On one side was her son, and on the other was her distant cousin, who was naturally vying for her son's affections.
——
Ji Wushang returned to his Xinyuan Garden, lay down on the chaise lounge in the room, and said, "Zhu'er."
"yes."
"Send someone to inquire about how the Prince of Nan is doing." There weren't many people in the room, and since Zhu'er had been with him for a long time, she knew roughly about his relationship with Nan Xuzong, so Ji Wushang spoke up.
"Yes." Pearl nodded. "Pearl will take care of it right away."
"Be careful, be smart," Ji Wushang cautioned.
"yes."
Ji Wushang lay there for a while, then slowly became sleepy, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
In the plum garden over there, Ji Meiyuan broke quite a few things, and all the maids were so frightened that they knelt down on the ground with their heads down.
"You useless bastards! Can't you give me a good idea?!" Ji Meiyuan was furious. She was already angry that Ji Wushang hadn't handled things well before and had escaped death. But now, she was so angry that she had a huge headache for three days in a row!
“Miss, actually, I think Dongmei is right.” Baoqi came forward after seeing Ji Meiyuan sitting down to catch her breath. “Even if you use some tricks to become the wife of this Second Young Master Nan, who will dare to upset you in the future?”
"Huh?" Ji Meiyuan glared at her.
Baoqi continued kneeling, "Second Miss, how about this?" As she spoke, she winked.
Ji Wushang, puzzled, leaned closer to listen. Baoqi said a few words before asking, "In that case, how can we not let Second Young Master Nan marry you?"
"Hmm." Ji Meiyuan thought for a moment. In three days it would be the eighth day of the tenth month, the wedding of her elder brother Ji Tiankui. He would definitely invite many rich young men to the banquet. If she really didn't like any of them, well, she would go with this plan!
“Okay, I’ll reward you another day!” Ji Meiyuan said.
"Thank you, Miss." Baoqi was overjoyed.
The kneeling maids finally breathed a sigh of relief. From now on, they would have to flatter this head maid, Baoqi, because she could make the second young lady stop being angry with just a few words!
——
Ji Wushang was half asleep when she turned over and heard someone calling from outside. Judging from the voice, it was a maid, "Young Miss, Young Miss."
"What's all the noise about! Can't you see that Miss is taking a nap right now!" Xian'er came out of the room and scolded the little maid, "Speak up, what is it! Is it urgent or not!"
"Sister Xian'er, it was the old lady who sent me to call the eldest young lady over. She said that the Princess Consort of Zhenbei and the Prince have come to the manor." The little maid was probably frightened by Xian'er's words and immediately knelt down and said.
Upon hearing this, Xian'er was slightly taken aback. "Get up! Why are you kneeling before Xian'er? Xian'er is not your master!"
"What is it?" At this moment, Ji Wushang rubbed his eyes, still half asleep, and walked to the door to ask.
“Miss, it’s the old lady who wants you to come over. She said that the Princess Consort of Zhenbei has come to the manor with the Prince’s son and wants you to come over,” Xian’er said. “You mean it?” As she spoke, she looked at the little maid, who knelt down and nodded.
Ji Wushang seemed to snap out of his daze. What was going on here?! The Princess Consort of Zhenbei! Bringing the Crown Prince! This... this wasn't explicitly stated, but... they've come to propose marriage, haven't they?
"Did they say something?" Ji Wushang still asked, his previous dazed expression completely gone.
"I haven't heard of that, but the Princess Consort of Zhenbei brought a lot of gifts, several large red ones, which are all placed in the guest hall," the maid said.
Goodness, the reception hall is quite busy, with gifts being moved around... But that's not what I need to worry about...
Ji Wushang took a deep breath. "You go first. Let me go in a moment. I need to wash up first."
"Yes." The little maid then left.
Xian'er looked at Ji Wushang and immediately went up to her, "Miss."
"No rush, help me wash up." Ji Wushang gathered his thoughts.
Xian'er agreed and immediately followed Ji Wushang back to the inner room. Then she helped her change clothes, dressing her in a floral print cloud-patterned silk robe, a silver-white moon-shine silk skirt, with cloud-like silk threads wrapped around her waist, a fragrant sachet, and styling her hair in a "morning cloud and near fragrance" bun, adorned with two white jade and silver hairpins. After getting ready, she came out.
Ji Wushang was not just a little nervous, he was extremely nervous. This was the Princess Consort of Zhenbei coming to visit, which was no small matter. Although the Prince's Mansion was a level higher than the Marquis's Mansion, if the Old Madam Yuan wanted to establish a connection with a high-ranking family, she would definitely choose Beigong Minhao! Beigong Minhao was a well-regarded young master in the capital, and in terms of advantages, his conditions were, on the surface, better than Nan Xuzong's!
“Miss, don’t be anxious. There’s still room for maneuver as long as this matter isn’t settled,” Xian’er said, looking at her.
"You make it sound so easy for me to say," Ji Wushang said with a sigh. "I just hope that Grandmother can also say that once my father returns, my elder brother's wedding will be held in three days. It will naturally be a lively affair. It's best to postpone the decision for as long as possible!"
"Miss, we have arrived at Jingyuan."
Ji Wushang was startled, then took a few steps back to compose himself before entering the quiet garden.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard a lot of laughter and the sound of actors singing.
Ji Wushang then recalled that Aunt Xie had mentioned inviting actors to perform at Jingyuan earlier that morning, and he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"Miss, let's go in. We can't keep them waiting." Xian'er said softly, bowing her head.
Ji Wushang said in a low voice, "I understand."
Bei Gongminhao had been looking towards the entrance of Jingyuan Garden, waiting to see if Ji Wushang had arrived. Finally, he saw Ji Wushang arrive late, and he was overjoyed. He secretly tugged at the sleeve of the Princess of Zhenbei and whispered, "Mother, Wushang is here."
☆、115 Troubles: Miss Ji's Marriage
Only then did Ji Wushang adjust her mood and gracefully move over. The Princess Consort of Zhenbei looked at Ji Wushang, and a refreshing fragrance wafted towards her, yet it was so natural that it didn't feel vulgar at all.
Ji Wushang looked at everyone with composure, and then bowed to the matriarch and the Princess of Zhenbei, saying, "Greetings to the matriarch, greetings to the Princess of Zhenbei, and greetings to the Crown Prince."
The matriarch nodded and looked at the Princess Consort of Zhenbei, saying, "Wu Shang has finally arrived."
"What a beautiful woman! I was completely mesmerized just now," Princess Zhenbei said with a smile.
"Your Highness is making fun of Wu Shang," Ji Wu Shang replied politely.
Bei Gongminhao kept looking at Ji Wushang, wanting her to look at him, but Ji Wushang wouldn't look at him.
"Let Wushang sit down first. Come, sit here." The old lady looked at the Princess of Zhenbei with a big smile on her face.
Princess Zhenbei nodded.
Ji Wushang sat beside the matriarch, now appearing somewhat composed. She had made up her mind: she would politely decline Beigong Minhao's offer and wish him well, but hoped he wouldn't make things difficult for himself, and that the matriarch and the Princess of Zhenbei wouldn't pressure her either.
At this moment, Princess Zhenbei said, "The reason for this visit is Minhao's marriage. I wonder if the matriarch of the Yuan family could arrange for the eldest daughter to marry Minhao as the heir apparent."
That was quite blunt. Upon hearing this, Ji Wushang immediately looked at the Old Madam. If she nodded, he would become the Crown Prince's consort!
The matriarch received Ji Wushang's gaze and looked at her as well. Ji Wushang's eyes narrowed slightly, and she gently shook her head.
Bei Gongminhao also stared intently at Ji Wushang, but seeing her shaking her head in secret, a feeling of disappointment welled up in his heart.
Ji Wushang lowered his head and pursed his lips.
The matriarch shifted her gaze to the Princess of Zhenbei and said, "I am honored that the Princess of Zhenbei thinks highly of my granddaughter Wushang. However, as the saying goes, marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers. Her father is not at home, yet he has repeatedly instructed me to return before making a decision on Wushang's marriage. He will be back in a few days and can then report back to the Princess and the Heir Apparent. I cannot make a decision at the moment, and I hope the Princess and the Heir Apparent will understand." The matriarch's words were reasonable, effectively passing the matter on to Ji Dingbei.
This was also because news had just arrived that the Japanese pirates were gradually retreating along the southeast coast. The reason was unknown, but it was definitely good news for Ji Dingbei, as it meant he could return to personally handle his children's marriages. This was also a father's wish.
Ji Wushang breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was still a chance. But what would her father, Dongdi, choose? If he valued the power of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, then she would be ready to marry him at a moment's notice.