The next day, Gao Residence.
After Lord Gao returned from the court, the housekeeper came to report on clearing out inappropriate people from the residence.
"My Lord, all the servants in the residence have been checked, and some unsuitable ones have been dealt with."
"Also, these are the two people you sent out to investigate that young master two days ago. Today when we checked them, we found out that they not only concealed some information when investigating and following the other party, but were also caught and tricked by the other party."
Then, scolding at the two kneeling on the ground, "Speak up, tell everything!"
"Replying to my Lord, yesterday when we followed that young master, we discovered his intimate behavior with the female guard beside him, looks like they have an affair."
"Is that true?" Jianan Principality Princess walked in from outside the yard right when she heard this and asked loudly.
"Replying to the Princess, yes, yes. We saw that young master not only bought a night blooming jasmine hairpin for that female guard, but also walked hand in hand with her."
"Moreover, that female guard was really powerful. The two of us were taken down by her in one move. But after she caught us, she just asked who was behind us and the purpose of following them. My Lord, spare our life. We definitely won't dare to secretly conceal anything next time." The two of them knelt on the floor and kept kowtowing, begging forgiveness .
Lord Gao didn't even raise his eyelids, and said coldly, "Take them away to be dealt with."
"Yes."
"My Lord, Princess, spare our lives, spare our lives..." The two were dragged away, their voices gradually fading.
"Miao, what brings you here today?"
"Oh, since when can I not come to see my uncle when I'm free?"
"Your uncle welcomes you anytime. It's good that you came just in time. Since you already heard that young master has someone he fancies, just look for another husband. I think this Shangguan Cheng is not bad. He is the number one talented person in the capital city, not bad looking and just barely matches you."
Jianan Principality Princess stared with wide eyes at Lord Gao with an unbelievable expression, "Uncle, are you trying to help me or harm me? That Shangguang Cheng with such poor sight that he can only see clearly within three meters, how can you let me marry him? What are you thinking?"
"Well, that's too much. Although Shangguan Cheng can't see distant objects clearly, he is not as blind as you described. Besides, nobody is perfect. Apart from slight vision problems, his family background, talent and appearance are unparalleled in the capital city. Many girls from prestigious families are lining up to marry him. And he also holds an important position in the royal court. How can you not want him?"
"I don't want him. I just want that one. So what if he has someone he fancies? That person is just a servant, how can she compare to me? As time goes by, he will surely only like me in the end. Uncle, we already agreed that you’d help me with this."
"Let me tell you the truth. Whether he has someone he fancies is not important. The key issue is that the person is from Ye Country. Your mother and I cannot allow you to marry into Ye Country."
"Then, then let him settle down in Liang Capital City."
"What?"
"Uncle, you already promised me." Jianan Principality Princess stared at Lord Gao with her big eyes while pulling his sleeve and swaying, acting coquettishly.
Lord Gao looked at the soft and cute Jianan Principality Princess in front of him. He couldn't resist her appearance at all. His heart softened immediately, "Your uncle will try."
"Thanks, Uncle."
"You're the only one so bold in the entire capital city who dares to openly pick your own husband."
"One should strive for what one desires."
So Lord Gao wrote a letter and sent it to Qin Chuyuan and their residence.
Upon receiving the letter, Lord Shi went directly to the Crown Prince's study. The Crown Prince and Qin Chuyuan were playing chess.
"Your Highness, there's a letter from the other side."
Right then, the Crown Prince was frowning and staring at the chessboard. Without raising his head, he said,
"Read what it says yourself."
"Yes."
After quite a while without hearing any sound, the Crown Prince looked up at Lord Shi and saw his facial expression changing. So he asked,
"What happened?"
"Your Highness, in Lord Gao's letter, it says...uh..." While speaking, Lord Shi looked at Qin Chuyuan, talking haltingly.
"Why are you hem and haw? Speak up." The Crown Prince said curiously.
"Lord Gao said he could help us win King Liang over, but required Lord Qin to marry Princess Jianan, settle down in Liang Capital City, and Lord Gao also revealed that King Liang has always had the ambition to dominate the five countries. Now he's just waiting for Wei Country to go to war with our Ye Country."
The Crown Prince looked at Qin Chuyuan in surprise, "Since when did you get in trouble with Princess Jianan? And who is this Princess Jianan?"
"Replying to Your Highness, this Princess Jianan is from Princess of Runan Palace. She is Lord Gao's niece. It should be that she took a fancy to Lord Qin during the Fragrance Collection Pavilion contest the day before yesterday." Lord Shi explained at the side.
"I see. Ah Yuan, a blessing in disguise! You just arrived in Liang Capital City and already a noble lady falls for you at first sight."
What he got in return was a cold glance from Qin Chuyuan, so he quickly changed his words, "How silly of that Lord Gao. Our Ah Yuan is the future heir of our Ye Country's Prime Minister's Residence. He is wise and brave, favored by His Majesty, and already an official of high rank conferred by His Majesty in our Ye Country Court. How could he possibly settle down in Liang Capital City? Moreover, Ah Yuan already has a wife. Surely Lord Gao doesn't expect the Princess to be a concubine."
Lord Shi understood his intention, "Right, how could that be? Let me write back to Lord Gao to explain the situation."
"Go ahead."
But unfortunately, the reply letter in the afternoon only contained a few words: Divorce your wife or take concubine.
Seeing this reply letter, everyone had an ugly expression. Lord Gao went too far.
But to ensure the alliance between the two countries, Lord Shi looked at Qin Chuyuan, wanting to say something but hesitated.
How could Qin Chuyuan not know what he was thinking? He just said, "Qin has only one wife in his life, that is Xiao Hua."
Lord Shi looked to the Crown Prince, hoping he could make a decision.
The Crown Prince didn't respond either. He also didn't expect the other party to be so overbearing and had mixed feelings.
Seeing this, Lord Shi didn't give up and whispered to Qin Chuyuan,
"Um, Lord Qin, don't overthink. I shouldn't have said these in front of you. But men all have three wives and four concubines. I understand how you feel as someone who has gone through this. But when you get older in the future, you won't think like now. In the end, you will still take in other women. If you don't like Princess Jianan, just maintain a superficial relationship. You can live alone with Xiao Hua in a separate yard normally."
"If you find it hard to tell Xiao Hua, I can talk to her. This concerns the interests of both countries. As a general of Ye Country, I believe she will prioritize the big picture."
"If you dare leak any word to Xiao Hua, I won't let you off." Qin Chuyuan said gloomily to Lord Shi.
Lord Shi didn't dare to respond.
"Let's think of other ways for the alliance matter. The Imperial Guard has made great contributions to our Ye Country. Treating contributors like this will disappoint the hearts of our citizens and officials of Great Ye." The Crown Prince stepped forward to smooth things over.
Some words should not be heard by His Majesty and court officials, in case someone with ulterior motives makes use of them. He gets along well with Ah Yuan and of course won't say nonsense, but can't guarantee that about others.
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Lord Shi also thought of Xiao Hua. Judging by her contributions and help to them all the way, she understands propriety.
"It's subordinate's mistake. Subordinate will write back immediately."
The next day, Gao Residence.
After Lord Gao returned from the court, the housekeeper came to report on clearing out inappropriate people from the residence.
"My Lord, all the servants in the residence have been checked, and some unsuitable ones have been dealt with."
"Also, these are the two people you sent out to investigate that young master two days ago. Today when we checked them, we found out that they not only concealed some information when investigating and following the other party, but were also caught and tricked by the other party."
Then, scolding at the two kneeling on the ground, "Speak up, tell everything!"
"Replying to my Lord, yesterday when we followed that young master, we discovered his intimate behavior with the female guard beside him, looks like they have an affair."
"Is that true?" Jianan Principality Princess walked in from outside the yard right when she heard this and asked loudly.
"Replying to the Princess, yes, yes. We saw that young master not only bought a night blooming jasmine hairpin for that female guard, but also walked hand in hand with her."
"Moreover, that female guard was really powerful. The two of us were taken down by her in one move. But after she caught us, she just asked who was behind us and the purpose of following them. My Lord, spare our life. We definitely won't dare to secretly conceal anything next time." The two of them knelt on the floor and kept kowtowing, begging forgiveness .
Lord Gao didn't even raise his eyelids, and said coldly, "Take them away to be dealt with."
"Yes."
"My Lord, Princess, spare our lives, spare our lives..." The two were dragged away, their voices gradually fading.
"Miao, what brings you here today?"
"Oh, since when can I not come to see my uncle when I'm free?"
"Your uncle welcomes you anytime. It's good that you came just in time. Since you already heard that young master has someone he fancies, just look for another husband. I think this Shangguan Cheng is not bad. He is the number one talented person in the capital city, not bad looking and just barely matches you."
Jianan Principality Princess stared with wide eyes at Lord Gao with an unbelievable expression, "Uncle, are you trying to help me or harm me? That Shangguang Cheng with such poor sight that he can only see clearly within three meters, how can you let me marry him? What are you thinking?"
"Well, that's too much. Although Shangguan Cheng can't see distant objects clearly, he is not as blind as you described. Besides, nobody is perfect. Apart from slight vision problems, his family background, talent and appearance are unparalleled in the capital city. Many girls from prestigious families are lining up to marry him. And he also holds an important position in the royal court. How can you not want him?"
"I don't want him. I just want that one. So what if he has someone he fancies? That person is just a servant, how can she compare to me? As time goes by, he will surely only like me in the end. Uncle, we already agreed that you’d help me with this."
"Let me tell you the truth. Whether he has someone he fancies is not important. The key issue is that the person is from Ye Country. Your mother and I cannot allow you to marry into Ye Country."
"Then, then let him settle down in Liang Capital City."
"What?"
"Uncle, you already promised me." Jianan Principality Princess stared at Lord Gao with her big eyes while pulling his sleeve and swaying, acting coquettishly.
Lord Gao looked at the soft and cute Jianan Principality Princess in front of him. He couldn't resist her appearance at all. His heart softened immediately, "Your uncle will try."
"Thanks, Uncle."
"You're the only one so bold in the entire capital city who dares to openly pick your own husband."
"One should strive for what one desires."
So Lord Gao wrote a letter and sent it to Qin Chuyuan and their residence.
Upon receiving the letter, Lord Shi went directly to the Crown Prince's study. The Crown Prince and Qin Chuyuan were playing chess.
"Your Highness, there's a letter from the other side."
Right then, the Crown Prince was frowning and staring at the chessboard. Without raising his head, he said,
"Read what it says yourself."
"Yes."
After quite a while without hearing any sound, the Crown Prince looked up at Lord Shi and saw his facial expression changing. So he asked,
"What happened?"
"Your Highness, in Lord Gao's letter, it says...uh..." While speaking, Lord Shi looked at Qin Chuyuan, talking haltingly.
"Why are you hem and haw? Speak up." The Crown Prince said curiously.
"Lord Gao said he could help us win King Liang over, but required Lord Qin to marry Princess Jianan, settle down in Liang Capital City, and Lord Gao also revealed that King Liang has always had the ambition to dominate the five countries. Now he's just waiting for Wei Country to go to war with our Ye Country."
The Crown Prince looked at Qin Chuyuan in surprise, "Since when did you get in trouble with Princess Jianan? And who is this Princess Jianan?"
"Replying to Your Highness, this Princess Jianan is from Princess of Runan Palace. She is Lord Gao's niece. It should be that she took a fancy to Lord Qin during the Fragrance Collection Pavilion contest the day before yesterday." Lord Shi explained at the side.
"I see. Ah Yuan, a blessing in disguise! You just arrived in Liang Capital City and already a noble lady falls for you at first sight."
What he got in return was a cold glance from Qin Chuyuan, so he quickly changed his words, "How silly of that Lord Gao. Our Ah Yuan is the future heir of our Ye Country's Prime Minister's Residence. He is wise and brave, favored by His Majesty, and already an official of high rank conferred by His Majesty in our Ye Country Court. How could he possibly settle down in Liang Capital City? Moreover, Ah Yuan already has a wife. Surely Lord Gao doesn't expect the Princess to be a concubine."
Lord Shi understood his intention, "Right, how could that be? Let me write back to Lord Gao to explain the situation."
"Go ahead."
But unfortunately, the reply letter in the afternoon only contained a few words: Divorce your wife or take concubine.
Seeing this reply letter, everyone had an ugly expression. Lord Gao went too far.
But to ensure the alliance between the two countries, Lord Shi looked at Qin Chuyuan, wanting to say something but hesitated.
How could Qin Chuyuan not know what he was thinking? He just said, "Qin has only one wife in his life, that is Xiao Hua."
Lord Shi looked to the Crown Prince, hoping he could make a decision.
The Crown Prince didn't respond either. He also didn't expect the other party to be so overbearing and had mixed feelings.
Seeing this, Lord Shi didn't give up and whispered to Qin Chuyuan,
"Um, Lord Qin, don't overthink. I shouldn't have said these in front of you. But men all have three wives and four concubines. I understand how you feel as someone who has gone through this. But when you get older in the future, you won't think like now. In the end, you will still take in other women. If you don't like Princess Jianan, just maintain a superficial relationship. You can live alone with Xiao Hua in a separate yard normally."
"If you find it hard to tell Xiao Hua, I can talk to her. This concerns the interests of both countries. As a general of Ye Country, I believe she will prioritize the big picture."
"If you dare leak any word to Xiao Hua, I won't let you off." Qin Chuyuan said gloomily to Lord Shi.
Lord Shi didn't dare to respond.
"Let's think of other ways for the alliance matter. The Imperial Guard has made great contributions to our Ye Country. Treating contributors like this will disappoint the hearts of our citizens and officials of Great Ye." The Crown Prince stepped forward to smooth things over.
Some words should not be heard by His Majesty and court officials, in case someone with ulterior motives makes use of them. He gets along well with Ah Yuan and of course won't say nonsense, but can't guarantee that about others.
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, Lord Shi also thought of Xiao Hua. Judging by her contributions and help to them all the way, she understands propriety.
"It's subordinate's mistake. Subordinate will write back immediately."
