Chapter 351: Chapter 17: Princess

Thanks to “Heart as vast as the sea” for the reward, kisses~

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Time passed quickly, and Li Shuning reached the age of maturity. The Emperor held a grand coming-of-age ceremony for Li Shuning.

Unlike in the plot, when she came of age, many envoys from neighboring countries came to offer their congratulations.

In the plot, the King who had an interest in Li Shuning actually came to the Imperial City and proposed marriage to the Emperor.

And naturally, the proposal was for Li Shuning.

The Sixth Princess has always been favored. Over the years, although the Imperial Concubine managed the harem, she never dared to intervene in Li Shuning’s marriage. If the Prince Consort was not pleasing, wouldn’t he be despised by the Emperor? The Emperor wouldn’t bring it up, and neither would any aristocrat in the entire Imperial City dare to mention it.

After all, being a Prince Consort is not that easy, especially for the Sixth Princess’s consort, it’s even more challenging.

But today, the King from the neighboring country spoke up, startling everyone in the Imperial City.

Indeed, the Fifth Princess was married off, and there wasn’t much age difference between the Fifth and Sixth Princess. Now there wasn’t even a word about the Sixth Princess’s marriage.

Although being a Prince Consort isn’t easy, some people still aspire to it, since the Sixth Princess is the Emperor’s most cherished princess after all.

Putting aside the dowry, even the status is extraordinary. And if the Sixth Princess speaks on one’s behalf sometimes, it might lead to a great future?

The King of Qing Country made a public proposal, causing the Emperor’s expression to become unpleasant.

Xiao Six is his most beloved daughter, even though Qing Country has been growing stronger in recent years, would he let his daughter marry so far away?

Who’s to say how these people will treat Xiao Six in Qing Country?

The Emperor smiled faintly, “Xiao Six is my favorite daughter, I cannot bear to let her marry far away. In the future, her spouse must be in the Imperial City. I’m sorry, King of Qing Country, but you probably do not meet my selection criteria.”

The King of Qing Country wasn’t ready to give up. In recent years, Qing Country has thrived; however, the land area is so small, limiting expansion, and hindering the country’s development.

Besides, smaller surrounding countries all pay tribute to the ancient country annually.

If Qing County attacked those countries, perhaps the ancient country would take action against Qing Country?

After discussing, Qing Country ministers unanimously thought they could seek a marriage alliance with the ancient country’s princess.

The Sixth Princess is the most loved. Originally, they eyed the Fifth Princess, but she was suddenly married off. After some consideration, only the Sixth Princess was suitable.

If a Princess were married there, in case of any issues, she could help mediate, or even say it’s to protect the Princess, creating an excuse, wouldn’t that make things easier?

Originally they thought, as long as the interests aligned, the Emperor would certainly agree. After all, it’s merely a princess, who would eventually marry anyway. Their King is young and handsome, surely wouldn’t mistreat the Princess. But unexpectedly, before saying much, they were straightforwardly refused.

The King of Qing Country didn’t show it on his face, smiling: “Your Majesty, I sincerely like the Princess. If she marries Qing Country, I promise to treat her wholeheartedly.”

Prince Lian remained silent, while Su Zi’s expression changed, yet she had no room to speak.

If allowed to speak, Su Zi would undoubtedly raise both hands in approval.

In recent years, the business of Prince Lian Mansion has grown larger, and they’re aware of Qing Country’s situation. Qing Country is now wealthy and populous, mainly due to its small territory. Given a chance, they might become another ancient country.

If Prince Lian had Qing Country as an ally, then…

Prince Ning didn’t say anything; it didn’t concern him anyway.

Prince An Yi furrowed his brows, suddenly stood up, and exclaimed, “The Sixth Princess resides in the harem and has never made an appearance. Please, King of Qing Country, be cautious with your words, lest you tarnish the Sixth Imperial Sister’s reputation.”

Indeed, until today, the Sixth Princess has never met the King of Qing Country, so how can he speak of affection?

The Emperor looked around, somewhat disappointed. Except for Prince An Yi, no one stood up for Xiao Six, deepening his disappointment.

The Imperial Concubine has always been understanding; originally, there were hopes for Prince Ning, yet at this point, he saw through it all—relying on anyone was unreliable.

Such a small Qing Country, daring to covet Xiao Six, humph.

Post the coming-of-age ceremony, Su Zi found Prince Lian and analyzed the various benefits of the Sixth Princess marrying into Qing Country.

Prince Lian was swayed, entering the palace the next day to help persuade.

Saying how mighty and extraordinary the King of Qing Country is, Xiao Six marrying there with the ancient country’s deterrence would never suffer grievances. Also, the King likes Xiao Six and would certainly treat her well, and so on.

The fury in the Emperor’s eyes almost erupted.

An unfilial son! While he’s still here, this ungrateful son dares to treat Xiao Six this way, daring to meddle in her marriage.

Don’t think he can’t see through it—it’s just using Xiao Six to exchange for benefits.

Because of Prince Lian’s actions, the Emperor became more determined. He granted Li Shuning a Dark Department that completely obeys orders. Once given the token, they would fully follow Li Shuning’s commands.

There were even a few relatively attractive women in the Dark Department directly serving by Li Shuning’s side to ensure her safety.

With a long history in the ancient country, this Dark Department has always solely protected the Emperor or his successor since the country’s founding, totaling thirty thousand elite troops, capable of taking on ten with one.

Meanwhile, the Emperor secretly issued orders for several countries near Qing Country to frequently harass Qing Country, even dispatching aid without Qing Country knowing, thinking it was just from those neighboring countries.

The King of Qing Country was ambitious, unfortunately for him meeting the Emperor’s trap. Naturally, the Emperor seized the opportunity to handle Qing Country.

And within just three months, Qing Country lost a vast sum of wealth. Once robust military forces now had many casualties, and with no money, Qing Country might decline from now on.

From this day forth, the Emperor also began searching for Li Shuning’s Prince Consort.

The Emperor, however, was unaware that the marriage proposal by the King of Qing Country during the coming-of-age ceremony had led many to have their own calculations; the choice of Prince Consort wouldn’t be easy either.

During this time, the Emperor frequently went to Lanxin Hall, regularly taking official documents there, handling governmental affairs.

Sometimes he’d ask Li Shuning to assist in reviewing them.

Li Shuning’s eyelids twitched constantly, sensing something was off.

“Father, women of the harem should not engage in politics.”

The Emperor sighed: “Sixth girl, Father’s health hasn’t been good since childhood, but back then, the previous Emperor’s offspring were few, leading him to ascend the throne. These years, he’s diligently worked hard, barely relaxing. Father has many princes and princesses, yet those who genuinely care about Father, only you, Xiao Six.”

“Father has always worried over the years, unsure when he might pass. However, you often think about Father’s health, prepare honey water, cook various delicious foods for Father, leading to Father’s better health now. But Father still worries, when he’s gone, how will your days be?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep