PFC Chapter 148: Marrying Princess Zhaohua
Chapter 148: Marrying Princess Zhaohua
Then, he said seriously, word by word:
"Your humble servant, Xiao Xingrong wishes to marry Princess Zhaohua as his first and legitimate wife. I beg Your Majesty to grant your blessing."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar everywhere, but Emperor Shengwu pretended not to hear them. He tapped the desk with his knuckles to signal his ministers to continue discussing the matter.
Although Xiao Xingrong was nominally Emperor Shengwu's brother-in-law, he grew up under Emperor Shengwu's care, so in his heart, Xiao Xingrong was almost like his son or nephew.
Emperor Shengwu deliberately left Xiao Xingrong out in the cold, hoping that he would give up when faced with difficulties. However, although this guy seemed to be nonchalant and unruly on weekdays, once he got stubborn, ten oxen would not be able to pull him back.
Since Emperor Shengwu didn't see Xiao Xingrong, he continued to kneel and knelt for the entire day.
Emperor Shengwu rebuked Xiao Xingrong, and he endured it silently. When Emperor Shengwu finished scolding him, the man kowtowed deeply and repeated it again in all seriousness:
"Your humble servant, Xiao Xingrong wishes to marry Princess Zhaohua as his first and legitimate wife. I beg Your Majesty to grant your blessing."
Eventually, this matter reached the harem. When Empress Xiao received the news, she was so angry that she almost fainted. She immediately rushed to the main hall to apologize to Emperor Shengwu, but she used both soft and hard tactics to get Xiao Xingrong to give in.
Empress Xiao was also angry, so angry that she simply gave up and ignored him. Her younger brother had been loved by the whole family since he was born, grew up in luxury, and had never suffered any hardship. She didn't believe that he could really stick with him for a woman.
But Xiao Xingrong persisted and did not drink a drop of water for a whole day and night. It happened that a heavy rain came in the early morning of the next day, and Empress Xiao was so scared that she hurried to the Yangxin Palace.
In the pouring rain, she saw the young man kneeling alone in front of the majestic hall, surrounded by people coming and going. Those people were either indignant, confused, or helpless, chattering incessantly, but he didn't listen to a word they said.
Empress Xiao tried her best to persuade Xiao Xingrong but failed. Finally, she went into Funing Palace in anger and shame.
There is no reason in this world that her precious brother, whom she holds dear to her heart, should be kneeling in the rain while Jiang Lige is contentedly staying in Funing Palace!
Empress Xiao, who had not been seen for many days, was full of resentment, and her eyes were filled with raging fire. As soon as she entered the Funing Palace, she went straight to Jiang Lige's room, and was then stopped by the people arranged outside by Empress Dowager Jiang.
Empress Xiao, who was stopped outside the door, didn't care about anything else. She pushed the guards and cursed loudly, which was very different from the dignified image of the queen she always tried to maintain.
"Jiang Lige, you little beast, how many more people do you want to scheme against? Now I have finally figured it out. The prince of Zhao died in the fight against bandits, but your wedding date has already been set. If it weren't for that fool Xingrong who stood up for you, even if you didn't remain a widow in Zhao's mansion, you would never be able to marry into a wealthy family!
So, that day, you deliberately led me to Taihu Lake, all for this day! How could a princess of a great country use such despicable means! In the past, Xingrong protected you openly and secretly, and I turned a blind eye to it, but in this matter, I will not back down even a single step!
I might as well tell you that Xingrong's wife doesn't have to come from a prominent family, but she must be virtuous and decent. A woman with such a vicious heart like you, you still want to marry into our Xiao family? Bah! Dream on! This is my only legitimate brother, and as long as I am still alive, I will never agree!"
After scolding till this point, Empress Xiao's voice became a little hoarse, and then she suddenly lowered her voice, and her words were still in the same questioning tone as before, but she was still shedding tears.
She said, "Jiang Lige, you evil spirit! It's not enough that you killed Prince Zhao, but now you want to harm our Xingrong?"
The moment she finished speaking, Empress Xiao saw the door several feet away open from the inside, and Jiang Lige, dressed in a light blue palace dress, walked out of the room.
Jiang Lige's face was still pale from her illness, but even so, her clothes and attire still maintained the style of a princess, and were exquisite and meticulous.
"Your Majesty, I won't hold you accountable for what you said today. However, I must kindly remind you that Zhaohua and you have always kept your distance. I don't think your Majesty intended what you said today. What are the intentions of those who instigated a quarrel between you and Funing Palace? Your Majesty, please think carefully about this. As for Xingrong..." Jiang Lige finally paused with an unclear expression at this point. "I will explain everything to him. Don't worry."
Although Empress Xiao was not a good person in Jiang Lige's eyes, she was a very good sister to Xiao Xingrong.
Jiang Lige owed Xiao Xingrong this time, and no matter what, she shouldn't make things difficult for Empress Xiao.
Therefore, after Jiang Lige finished what he needed to say, he walked around Empress Xiao and left without caring about her expression.
Empress Xiao was also caught off guard by Jiang Lige's reminder. Her face changed immediately and she stopped chasing after him.
When Jiang Lige walked to the Yangxin Palace holding an umbrella, only Xiao Xingrong was kneeling in the rain. The imperial court was majestic and vast, making the man's usually tall figure look extremely small and lonely.
Jiang Lige dismissed his attendants, walked slowly over with an umbrella, and slowly stopped beside Xiao Xingrong, shielding him from the rain.
Then she said, "Xiao Xingrong, stop making trouble and go back."
The girl's voice was still a little hoarse, but Xiao Xingrong knew immediately that it was the person he had been thinking about all the time.
In the pouring rain, he raised his head, looked at the girl's smooth jawline, and refuted seriously: "I'm not making a fuss."
Jiang Lige sighed and patiently advised, "Xiao Xingrong, the prince and I are already engaged. Even if you kneel here until your knees break, you can't change this fact."
"Jiang Lige, you and I have known each other since childhood, and we know each other's personalities well. You know, I've never been one to follow the rules." Xiao Xingrong's unbridled attitude as he spoke these words was exactly the same as the Xiao Xingrong Jiang Lige remembered. "A marriage certificate is just a piece of paper to me. If you wish, fame, wealth, and worldly rules are all for me."
"But I want it." Amidst the swirling wind and rain, Jiang Lige stood tall and graceful in her palace attire. Her straight back was not only a source of pride, but also a symbol of her responsibility. "Xiao Xingrong, I am the Princess of Nanchu. Marrying Ning Yunxiao and protecting our two countries from war is my mission, and it is my life."
"But Ning Yunxiao is dead!" Xiao Xingrong spoke passionately. "Now that he's dead, you, a princess married to a foreign country with a bad reputation, are left with only two choices: either abide by the engagement and live the rest of your life as a widow, or cancel the engagement and bear a lifetime of infamy and marry someone of a lower status. Jiang Lige, are you willing to accept that?"
Jiang Lige really didn't expect that Xiao Xingrong, who was always careless, would consider him for this reason, and he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart.
"Xiao Xingrong, I know you're doing this for my own good, but there's really no need for you to sacrifice your life to help me."
"you do not know!"