Her flawless face was slightly flushed. She hadn't expected to fall asleep here, unable to resist her drowsiness. Perhaps it was because she was too tired from riding in the carriage for half a day yesterday.
"You've really troubled Your Highness." She said, standing up and walking to Chu Yao. She reached out and took Wushuang from him. "Shuangshuang, don't cry. Your sister is alright."
Wushuang was only pretending to cry, so she quickly stopped. When Wuxia urged her to thank Chu Yao, she turned around in annoyance, saying polite words in a childish voice, but her little hands covered her eyes and made a face at Chu Yao.
Chu Yao was so angry that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. However, since he had made up his mind about Wushuang, he would not give her the chance to marry someone else. That night, after returning to the capital, he immediately went to the palace to meet the emperor.
"You mean, the third daughter of the Jun family?" Emperor Deqing was very happy for his nephew who came to request an imperial decree to marry her. However, upon hearing the name of the person to be married, he couldn't help but wonder if he had misheard. "As far as I know, she is only five years old. Isn't that too young? It should be at least ten years before you can marry her. Zixiu, you might as well reconsider."
There are plenty of eligible girls in the capital, why did they choose a little boy?
“Uncle, there’s no need to think about it anymore,” Chu Yao said. “I like her because of her kind nature and she gets along well with Wanwan. Besides, I’m not in a hurry to get married right away. I’m young and have no family burdens, so I can wholeheartedly serve you, Uncle.”
Emperor Deqing squinted and stroked his beard, pondering Chu Yao's words.
He wasn't in a hurry to get married, but he was eager to bestow a marriage upon her, because he wanted to marry the princess so that she would get along well with his sister...
The reason seems strange no matter how you look at it.
"Since you're not in a hurry to get married, I think there's no rush to issue this imperial decree of marriage. Besides, no one can predict the future. How about we wait until she's older, and if her personality and appearance still please you, then we can make a decision?" Emperor Deqing discussed with Chu Yao.
Chu Yao refused outright: "Uncle, if we settle the formalities as soon as possible, I can have more legitimate dealings with the Jun family. When Miss Jun encounters problems, I can guide her from the side. I can control how her temperament changes. Moreover, since we are all familiar with each other, the couple will surely get along harmoniously after marriage."
Chu Yao had no intention of actually shaping Wushuang into any particular form; his statement was merely a ploy to achieve a swift victory.
Emperor Deqing, however, had a different feeling when he heard this.
If children are raised and guided from a young age, they will be able to decide what kind of person they become in the future. Is this what the storybooks call "nurturing"?
I never expected Chu Yao to have such a hobby.
However, on the other hand, his determined look piqued Emperor Deqing's interest; perhaps he could also find a little boy to play with and raise.
Ten days later, the Marquis of Runan's residence received two imperial edicts.
Emperor Deqing personally arranged marriages for the daughters of the Jun family. The eldest daughter, Wuxia, married the third prince, Chu Ye, as his principal wife, while the third daughter, Wushuang, became the principal wife of Prince Ying, Chu Yao.
Since Wuxia had already shown Chu Ye's letter of guarantee to her parents, the first imperial edict was entirely within the Jun family's expectations. However, the second one was truly baffling.
Even the eunuch who was ordered to issue the imperial edict couldn't help but steal glances at Wushuang while reading it.
Wushuang knelt with her head down, her chubby face almost scrunched up.
She didn't know what other girls who had their lives intertwined at a young age felt like; she only knew that she wanted nothing more than to rush to the Prince of Ying's mansion and bite Chu Yao hard.
Just because she refused to listen to him, causing her sister's marriage to Chu Ye to fall through, does he intend to marry her and punish her for life?
She had even thought to remind him to be careful after the war with the Western Rong, lest he die an inexplicable death like in her previous life. Now, it seems he should just die!
The imperial decree disrupted the plans of Jun Shu and his wife regarding Wu Shuang and Wang Hongbo, but fortunately, they had always had a good impression of Chu Yao, so although they were surprised, they were not saddened.
The next few months were spent in a flurry of activity for everyone in the Marquis of Runan's household.
First, preparations were made for Jun Nian and He Caiqiong's wedding in mid-November, followed by Wu Xia's wedding to the Third Prince Chu Ye in February of the following year.
It is traditionally believed that a family should have at least six months between weddings, especially for daughters. If the weddings are arranged too close together, people will laugh at the family, as if the daughter is worthless and is being rushed to get married.
However, Wuxia's marriage was more special than that of ordinary people, after all, she was a prince's consort, and everything had to be arranged by the royal family.
In addition, at the beginning of the new year, Emperor Deqing conferred the title of Prince Yi on Chu Ye and allowed him to leave the palace to establish his own residence. The huge princely residence was waiting for the mistress to manage it, so the marriage could not wait any longer.
In early March of that year, less than half a month after Wuxia became the Princess Consort of the County, another imperial edict was sent to the Marquis of Runan's residence.
Emperor Deqing dispatched Junshu to Fujian, concurrently serving as the Commander-in-Chief of both Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, to reorganize the navy. He was to take up his post within a month.
On the day Jun Shu left the capital with his wife, children, and adopted son, Chu Yao, who was his future son-in-law, came to see him off with his sister Chu Wan.
"Shuangshuang, I can't bear to part with you. I really want to go with you." Chu Wan loves to cling to people. As soon as she saw Wushuang, she hugged her tightly and wouldn't let go. She had finally gained a little friend and didn't want her to leave her no matter what.
“We can communicate,” Wushuang said. “You can also come to see me.”
Chu Wan pouted: "They can't read yet."
"Brother can help you write letters and read them to you," Chu Yao comforted his sister with understanding. "Shuangshuang will be your sister-in-law soon. Otherwise, you can ask her to stay and live in our palace."
My brother is my brother; he always has more ideas than she does.
Chu Wan's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Wu Shuang's small hand, shaking it left and right, and began to beg her to stay.
Wushuang rolled her eyes at Chu Yao, not wanting to say a word to him.
She has her own home. Even if she stays in the capital, she will live in the Marquis's mansion. What kind of situation would it be to stay in the Prince of Ying's mansion for a long time?
Besides, she didn't want to be separated from her parents at all.
No matter how reluctant we are to part, we must eventually say goodbye.
The Jun family's carriage slowly moved forward. Wushuang sat in Yang's lap, lifting the curtain to look back.
Chu Yao, holding Chu Wan's hand, stood in front of the pavilion beside the official road, watching them go.
Wushuang's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly shouted, "Stop the car, I want to get off."
Without bothering to explain to his mother, he jumped off the carriage with the help of the coachman and ran back to the pavilion.
"What's wrong?" Chu Yao asked, amused. "You suddenly decided to move into my house and not leave?"
Wu Shuang was panting heavily when she finally said in a serious tone, "Chu Yao, I don't know how long I'll be gone, but you have to be careful. Don't go to war, or I'll never talk to you again."