mtlumby2d Chapter 358 A Marriage Cannot Be Granted!
Chapter 358 A Marriage Cannot Be Granted!
"You mean... the marriage between the Qu family and the Ke family has been called off?"
Song Ruozhen couldn't help but be surprised. Qu Kuo had put on a show at the Ke family before, trying to appear magnanimous but failing. He was still quite smart.
Otherwise, if the Qu family knew that Qu Kuo had readily agreed to such a large sum of money, they would probably be so angry they would vomit blood.
"It hasn't been mentioned yet; it's just been put on hold for now. The Qu family's idea is probably to wait until the Ke family settles this debt before getting married, otherwise it will definitely drag them down."
"As for the Ke family, they used to have the leverage to negotiate with the Qu family, but now that the matter is widely known, apart from the Qu family, I'm afraid no one else would dare to take Ke Yuanzhi," Chu Junting explained.
Song Ruozhen understood perfectly. In fact, given Ke Yuanzhi's status, she was not as well off as many other young ladies in the capital.
The reason she is so famous is entirely because her fourth brother spent a fortune on her pursuit, which astonished many people.
Despite these circumstances, Ke Yuanzhi remained unmoved, which naturally elevated her status in the eyes of many.
Now that her fourth brother has completely given up, Ke Yuanzhi's reputation is naturally not what it used to be. In addition, with so much money in debt, many of the shops owned by the Ke family have fallen into the hands of the Song family. You can imagine what the situation is like.
This is also why Ke Yuanzhi has been so eager to find Song Jingshen recently.
"Your fourth brother was truly devoted to Ke Yuanzhi before, but he chose to give up because of amnesia. Aren't you worried that he might repeat the same mistake one day when he remembers his memories?"
Seeing that Song Ruozhen seemed calm and collected, as if she was enjoying watching the show, Chu Junting chuckled and spoke.
Song Ruozhen shook her head. "My third brother and I have already discussed it. If my fourth brother is not thinking clearly and is still focused on finding Ke Yuanzhi, we will just knock him out and lock him in the house."
In her eyes, Song Jingshen is now intelligent and wise, and she has an excellent relationship with him as her fourth brother. However, if he still loses his mind for Ke Yuanzhi, then their sibling relationship can be overturned in an instant.
In any case, we absolutely cannot let Song Jingshen fall into this fire pit again.
Hearing the woman's words, Chu Junting couldn't help but chuckle. Thinking about it, given Song Zhiyu's personality, he might actually do something like that.
……
The next day, the palace.
The Empress looked at the young eunuch who had just returned and asked, "Has the Prince of Chu made any moves today?"
"Your Majesty, I just found out that Prince Chu went to the Imperial Study immediately after the morning court session and is currently meeting with His Majesty alone."
Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression changed slightly. "He went straight to the Imperial Study after court?"
"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Chu did not send Miss Ling back yesterday; it was Young Master Ruan who did. It is said that Miss Song left first, and His Highness Prince Chu was focused on chasing after her."
This morning, His Highness the Prince of Chu went to see Miss Song. I wonder if it was because…
"You mean the King of Chu is very likely to ask the Emperor for a marriage decree?"
The Empress's eyes narrowed. She knew Chu Junting's temperament very well. Last time, she had only said a few words to Song Ruozhen, and Junting had already revealed his trump card.
That's why she didn't say it directly this time, but thought it best to let the two children get to know each other first.
Jun Ting has always been clueless when it comes to relationships. Song Ruozhen is just lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Once Jun Ting meets a few more girls, he will find that she is nothing special.
"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Chu is about to go to Jiangnan to deal with the floods. If he were to suddenly request a marriage at this time, I'm afraid it would displease the Emperor."
"You're right, I must stop the King of Chu!"
The Empress didn't have time to think much and rushed to the Imperial Study, already convinced that Song Ruozhen had instigated it.
If it weren't for her, given Jun Ting's consistently steady nature, he wouldn't have done something so reckless, not only angering the Emperor but also becoming a laughing stock if word got out.
How can the reputation that has been built up over so many years be ruined because of a girl?
The atmosphere inside the Imperial Study was quite solemn.
Chu Junting reported all the clues he had discovered to the Emperor.
"Is everything you said true?" The Emperor's face darkened slightly, and a hint of coldness appeared on his dignified face.
Chu Junting presented the evidence. “Father, I heard these things when I passed through Pingyang City before. I felt it was inappropriate at the time, but the war situation was severe, so I just sent people to investigate further.”
The south is currently experiencing flooding, while Pingyang City is suffering from drought. Relief funds had already been allocated, but it is said that large numbers of refugees are currently on their way.
Floods can destroy houses and displace some people, but droughts won't. As long as relief food arrives, people won't easily leave their homes.
The emperor looked at the evidence before him, and even though it was only partial, he could see the clues.
"Father must have sensed something when he summoned Grand Tutor Ling back to the capital this time?"
Chu Junting raised his eyes. He had been investigating this matter before, and now his father had summoned Grand Tutor Ling back to the capital. He believed it was no coincidence.
The emperor gave Chu Junting a deep look. "Grand Tutor Ling has been away for many years. Back then, there were many problems on the border, and the officials in charge of guarding the city could not manage the people, so Grand Tutor Ling was sent there."
Now that the situation at the border has been largely stabilized, I should have recalled them long ago.
Chu Junting's expression remained unchanged, as if he had already made up his mind.
The Emperor suddenly chuckled and patted Chu Junting approvingly, "Truly worthy of being my son!"
"Her Majesty the Empress requests an audience!"
Suddenly, a eunuch's voice came from outside the door, accompanied by several panicked attempts to stop him, followed by the Empress's urgent voice: "Your Majesty!"
The door to the Imperial Study opened, and the Emperor and Chu Junting stopped their conversation, looking at the Empress who had suddenly arrived with a puzzled expression.
"Your Majesty, what has happened?"
The Emperor frowned slightly. The Empress was usually calm and composed, so why was she so flustered today? Could something terrible have happened?
When the Empress entered, she saw the Emperor smiling at Chu Junting. During the last hunting competition, the Emperor had asked Junting if he liked Song Ruozhen.
If they truly loved each other, they should be allowed to marry. She denied any feelings between them at the time. If the Emperor had agreed to the Prince of Chu's request, there would have been no turning back.
"Your Majesty, do not grant the Prince of Chu's request!"
The sudden remark caused a moment of confusion for both of them inside the room.
"Empress, what are you saying?" the Emperor asked.
Chu Junting instantly understood the Empress's thoughts, and his calm and composed expression darkened.
"Your Majesty, Prince Chu's actions were merely impulsive. The matter of bestowing a marriage upon him still requires careful consideration. I believe that Grand Tutor Ling's granddaughter, Ling Qian'er, is more suitable for him!"
The Empress bowed, her expression slightly tense. "Although Song Ruozhen is not bad, she has broken off her engagement. The Prince of Chu has been outstanding since childhood. How can he marry a woman who broke off her engagement?"
If word gets out, the people will laugh at us!
The Emperor glanced at Chu Junting, his eyes holding a hint of something deeper, then looked at the Empress, "You mean... you think Ling Qian'er is good?"