Chapter 150: Chapter 87: Dust Settles, Prince Qing of Great Yin
Li Xuan’s visit to the palace was informal; even if word got out, it would just be a friendly Commandery Princess leading him into the palace. And this... only needed to be reported to the palace’s internal affairs office.
After the carriage entered the palace, it headed directly towards the harem.
Li Xuan slightly lifted the curtain, revealing a crack.
Along the way, he had felt numerous eyes turning towards them.
Needless to say, those were spies.
However, they were not the Sovereign’s spies, but the Prime Minister’s.
The Prime Minister wanted to undermine the Sovereign, and for that, he needed to fill the palace with his own people.
The carriage continued forward into the harem and stopped in front of a luxurious garden.
On the small pavilion in the garden, an elderly lady dressed in opulence was admiring the flowers.
Commandery Princess Chunyang pulled Li Xuan over, and with her hands gently tugged behind her back, she softly said, "Empress Dowager."
Li Xuan realized and bowed deeply, saying, "Commoner Li Xuan pays respects to the Empress Dowager."
The elderly lady looked at him with a smile, quickly sizing him up, and said, "You are indeed a fine young man; no wonder Yunshang would mention you to me, saying you are talented, passionate, and righteous."
Li Xuan replied with a smile, "Aunt Yun praises excessively."
The Empress Dowager gestured to her side and said, "Come and sit."
Li Xuan thanked her respectfully and sat down appropriately, his tall figure slightly hunched, resembling a junior.
The Empress Dowager liked his manners even more, as she glanced at the maid beside her, who had her head lowered, and said, "Die’Er, remember this, the famed Li Xuan in the capital now—make sure to tell your master."
The maid named Die’Er was stunned, shocked as if struck by lightning, and hurriedly knelt down, repeatedly saying, "I dare not, I dare not."
Even Commandery Princess Chunyang, watching from the side, was taken aback.
Die’Er was known to be close to the Empress Dowager; she had traveled to the capital multiple times and was even quite familiar with Die’Er.
In Commandery Princess Chunyang’s eyes, Die’Er naturally was the Empress Dowager’s trusted aide, and her master was, of course, the Empress Dowager.
But the Empress Dowager’s current statement suddenly made her realize one thing: Die’Er’s master was actually the Prime Minister.
The Empress Dowager had always known this in her heart, yet hid it, but now suddenly revealed it, making Commandery Princess Chunyang feel as if the chessboard had been turned upside down.
The Empress Dowager finished speaking and looked at Li Xuan, saying, "You are twenty this year, right?"
Li Xuan replied, "Yes, Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "I still remember Wang Baxian when he was twenty, and also Yan Fujing at twenty; when they received the former king’s summons, they came here just like you do now."
Li Xuan said, "I dare not compare myself to the Prime Minister and Grand General."
The Empress Dowager chuckled, and then began to recount the stories of the Grand General and Prime Minister, talking about their achievements and their loyal dedication to the Great Yin.
Commandery Princess Chunyang was a bit puzzled; she hadn’t yet figured out what Grandma wanted.
Wasn’t this clearly a marriage proposal?
Why not say a word about marriage, but instead bring up these topics?
She turned to look at Li Xuan again.
Li Xuan seemed to enjoy listening, occasionally chiming in, which greatly entertained the elderly lady.
The two, one old and one young, looked like cunning foxes with benevolent expressions.
Commandery Princess Chunyang pondered for a while, unable to fully grasp the situation.
Meanwhile, the conversation between the old and the young seemed about to reach its climax.
The climax is often where the knife is revealed.
The Empress Dowager appeared to draw out the knife and asked, "Yan Qing is dedicated to serving the country, yet he is unable to do so; Li Xuan, what do you think he should do?"
Saying this, she added with a smile, "Die’Er, you have been with me for so long, you should understand the royal family; what do you think your master should do to break the deadlock?"
Die’Er felt her eardrums buzzing; though the royal family had fallen, it remained the legitimate authority of the Great Yin, intertwined with countless interests, how could she, a mere maid, talk about it?
She was just the Prime Minister’s eyes and ears...
Thus, Die’Er repeatedly said, "I dare not, I dare not."
The Empress Dowager said, "Then watch how Li Xuan responds."
On the other side, Li Xuan didn’t offer any extraordinary opinions; he merely respectfully said, "I am just a commoner; how dare I comment on such significant matters?"
The Empress Dowager said, "You are a Martial Artist of Secret Martial Arts, a disciple of Yan Qing. But you are also the top scholar of our Great Yin, my country’s disciple. Now, you stand between the two; why can’t you act as the catalyst to reconcile them both? To fulfill your name of loyalty and righteousness."
Li Xuan’s expression slightly tautened, as he asked, "May I ask the Empress Dowager, how to achieve that?"
The Empress Dowager said, "Princess Yongjia is the Crown Prince’s sister; she is eighteen this year, just the right age for marriage. Talented men and beautiful women, you match well. Let me decide and grant the marriage to you, shall I?"
She slightly closed her eyes and said, "In this way, you are both Yan Qing’s disciple and an ideal son-in-law, and also a pillar of the state; it’s a path for Yan Qing to retire."
To Yan Qing, you fulfill the word righteousness.
To yourself, you also preserve the word loyalty.
Loyalty and righteousness are achieved; isn’t it beautiful?"
In the small pavilion, the atmosphere became slightly silent.
Before Li Xuan could respond, the Empress Dowager looked at Commandery Princess Chunyang and said, "Yunshang, you are familiar with Princess Yongjia, tell your nephew more about her, tell him how wonderful she is."
Zhao Yunshang looked at Li Xuan and said, "Princess Yongjia is indeed good, talented, and beautiful."
Li Xuan’s expression slightly changed, as he looked towards the tea table.
He thought quickly.
If today, the Empress Dowager or the Sovereign directly mentioned the marriage, he could rightfully decline.
But the Empress Dowager didn’t focus on the marriage but on solving the problem, focusing on loyalty and righteousness, moreover while the Prime Minister’s eyes and ears were present.
