The capital was in an uproar.
The powerful Marquis of Pingyuan, Lu Mingxiu, is going to visit An Jiuniang, a concubine's daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an, who is now embroiled in a bad reputation and rumors.
No matter how beautiful An Jiuniang is, Lu Mingxiu shouldn't do this!
However, the imperial edict was the emperor's golden word, and no matter how dissatisfied or shocked people were, they could not change it, nor could they openly discuss the right or wrong of the emperor's actions.
Could it be that Marquis Pingyuan has lost the Emperor's favor?
Everyone couldn't help but guess, otherwise why would Marquis Pingyuan marry such a woman?
However, after court these past two days, Marquis Pingyuan, Minister Tan, and General Sha were still kept in the Imperial Study to discuss matters, and the relationship between these powerful ministers remained unchanged. In particular, the fact that Crown Prince Yun Liu was pestering Lu Mingxiu to give him martial arts pointers completely dispelled such absurd speculations.
In particular, when the Emperor announced that he would personally take the Empress to attend the ceremony, everyone was completely stunned.
Lu Mingxiu didn't care what these insignificant people thought.
The accounts were all sorted out, and the imperial decree had been issued. The female officials sent by the Empress to help Lu Mingxiu had already prepared the betrothal gifts for him to propose marriage.
Little did they know, a considerable disturbance was brewing within the Nan'an Marquis's residence.
Chapter 84
Marquis An Yuanliang of Nan'an has not had an easy time these days.
Last time, he only briefly mentioned Anran's marriage to Zhao, but Zhao rejected him with a single sentence.
“I can’t make decisions about Ninth Sister’s affairs. She’s Third Sister’s darling right now,” Zhao said coolly. “If the Marquis is willing, Third Sister will have to agree first. The Marquis should try to persuade his daughter first.”
“If Third Sister doesn’t object, I will naturally agree.”
He was speechless, choked by Zhao's words.
Although he hadn't had much contact with his own daughter, An Yuanliang knew her temperament very well. He couldn't control his eldest daughter, San Niang, even before she got married. Moreover, after marriage, San Niang's status as the Crown Prince's consort was different from before.
When Zhao Shi had An Yuanliang's household under her complete control, San Niang was somewhat domineering. On the other hand, if San Niang wanted to protect An Ran, An Yuanliang would have no choice but to comply.
Judging from the marriage San Niang had chosen for An Ran last time, he knew that San Niang was particularly protective of Jiu Niang. Fang Ting's future was limitless, and it would probably have been difficult to achieve without San Niang's strong efforts.
As for Chen Qian's matter, An Yuanliang didn't even dare to mention it to San Niang.
The rumors in the capital continued to circulate, and Princess Yunyang seemed to be giving Jiu Niang preferential treatment again. Jiu Niang's injuries weren't serious, yet she was kept in the palace. If it weren't for San Niang's introduction, how would Jiu Niang have come to know Princess Yunyang?
I'm afraid we can't marry Jiu Niang to Chen Qian as he wishes!
Therefore, An Yuanliang was caught in a dilemma.
An Yuanliang has always been indecisive and lacks a clear sense of direction, but since he accepted Chen Qian's gift, he was unwilling to give up the benefits he had already received. So, An Yuanliang tactfully and hesitantly told Chen Qian about his concerns.
Fortunately, Chen Qian was already close to being a shrewd person, and he finally understood from An Yuanliang's cryptic words that An Yuanliang could not make decisions for his daughter.
But Chen Qian was not discouraged.
By deliberately getting closer to An Yuanliang these past few days, Chen Qian has gained a very accurate understanding of An Yuanliang's personality.
"I understand what Your Excellency means." Chen Qian remained completely calm and composed; anyone else might have already slammed their fist on the table in anger. What kind of person would take the money and not do the job? But Chen Qian continued to drink and chat happily with An Yuanliang.
He personally poured An Yuanliang a glass of fine wine, and then smiled casually, "As expected, Your Excellency manages your household well; your children are so loving towards each other. To put it bluntly, in other families, the legitimate and illegitimate daughters might fight to the death."
Hearing Chen Qian's words and seeing that he didn't seem to care, An Yuanliang felt a little relieved.
"Third Sister has always doted on her younger sister." Feeling he had regained some face, An Yuanliang couldn't help but boast, "My daughters are all well-behaved and sensible."
Chen Qian smiled and nodded.
"If that's the case, then the Crown Princess must be extremely filial to you, Marquis. If the Crown Princess is unwilling to marry her sister to me, it's simply because she doesn't trust me." Chen Qian kept praising An Yuanliang, making him feel somewhat smug.
An Yuanliang readily admitted, "That's right, my third mother is a virtuous and gentle woman. She obeyed her father before marriage and her husband after marriage. Who wouldn't praise her for being virtuous?"
If Chen Qian and Ding Shi hadn't been involved in the affairs of Prince Yi's mansion, it wouldn't have mattered. However, the mother and son had witnessed the internal strife within Prince Yi's mansion and knew about Third Sister's jealous, domineering, and flamboyant nature. They could only chuckle inwardly at An Yuanliang's words, but their expressions remained respectful.
"That's all thanks to Lord Marquis's skillful management of his household!" Chen Qian continued to flatter An Yuanliang.
An Yuanliang smiled smugly.
“My lord, I sincerely wish to marry Miss Jiu. May I express my sincerity to the Crown Princess?” Chen Qian said, seeing that the time was right. “I can first write all the land deeds of the shops and farmland into Miss Jiu’s name to show my sincerity.”
Before he finished speaking, An Yuanliang immediately showed a troubled expression.
Chen Qian maintained a humble and respectful expression as he waited for An Yuanliang's reply, but in his heart, he looked down on An Yuanliang even more.
No matter how glamorous a daughter's marriage may be, the Marquis of Nan'an's family is still a prominent family in the capital. She needs the support of her maternal family to maintain her standing in her husband's family. How can a father be so afraid of his own married daughter?
“This…I’m afraid?” An Yuanliang stammered.
He was really reluctant to give up those benefits and dared not refuse Chen Qian outright, but he couldn't make the decision for Jiu Niang either.
Just as he was struggling with this dilemma, Chen Qian suddenly had an idea.
“It’s understandable that the Crown Princess is too fond of her sister and can’t change her mind right away.” Chen Qian’s tone was gentle, with a hint of coaxing. “But the matter of Ninth Miss can’t be delayed. Why not settle it first? In the future, when the Crown Princess has thought it through, she might find it to be an excellent marriage.”
"If we miss this opportunity, the Crown Princess might regret it later."
An Yuanliang nodded in agreement. "You're right."
Chen Qian smiled knowingly to himself, but showed no sign of it on his face.
“The Crown Princess is extremely filial to you, so if you were to arrange the marriage for Ninth Miss, she probably wouldn’t object.” Chen Qian gave An Yuanliang plenty of face, and smiled, “It’s just that you love your daughter and can’t bear to hurt her feelings.”