?

  Chapter Seventy-Five (3)

  Yesterday's rain washed away the floating dust that had accumulated over the past few days, leaving the sky a bright blue without a single cloud. The tall locust trees by the street, with their lush and green leaves, rustled softly in the breeze, making a pleasant sound. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, but unfortunately, the half-dry mud on the street made people feel annoyed. When Liu Chuan's horse stepped on it, it didn't feel as solid as usual, leaving him with a soft and empty feeling. He felt very uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about it. This situation continued until his horse stepped onto the sandy path leading to the imperial city, when he finally felt more grounded.

  At the gate of the palace, Liu Cheng familiarly asked a trusted eunuch he had known for days to send things in, and then found a secluded corner to wait patiently. Although Pan Rong said that person was more reliable, but now this situation really can't be delayed, every minute counts, so he had to use his own usual route. It seems that even if it can't be done in one go, it can still be dragged on slowly, as long as it can drag on for some time, he will definitely think of a way.

  He leaned quietly against the thick, icy palace wall, looking up at the deep blue sky above his head, his eyes drifting. As the saying goes, "Marrying a princess is like getting an official position without doing anything." The identity of the imperial son-in-law was indeed noble, but in reality, it was no different from being a servant. Although Qinghua County's daughter was not a princess, her status was also noble, and becoming her husband would not be much better than being an imperial son-in-law. He thought of Qinghua County's young husband who had been driven to death by his wife, and for a moment, he felt a pang of sadness.

  Imagine back then, when they were innocent and carefree, others thought the girl with the surname of Wu was a good match, but he didn't think it would be inconvenient to marry a princess or a lady from a noble family. However, marriages within the imperial clan had always been decided by others, she married the son of a duke, while he, due to his father's lack of ambition, ended up marrying Dan Niang. He was resentful, he was indignant, he didn't want to accept his fate, but he was powerless.

  Who would have thought that in just one year, Tsinghua would become a widow. She came to find him, scolding him for not waiting for her, having no conscience. It was probably because of the circumstances that his heart had long since turned cold and hard. He didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt, only thinking that between him and her, there was actually no one who owed anyone anything, not even a little bit, so why make it seem so deep and meaningful? For whom to see?

  He was busy observing, Tsinghua and the person he had an impression of before were different now. She had a beautiful young man by her side, she was bossy and selfish, but she looked more beautiful than ever. He didn't refuse her, **female love**, each took what they needed, no one owed anyone anything. Just like him and Peony, the He family gave the Liu family the money they urgently needed, he gave Peony a chance to recover, using his identity as Mrs. Liu's husband to "suppress" the illness on her body, letting Peony continue to live on, similarly, neither owed the other anything.

  He gets angry whenever he sees peonies, her existence is a shame to him, constantly reminding him that even as the son of a noble family, he's still no different from those handsome young men raised by Qinghua, all relying on selling their bodies and looks to survive. His pain can only be alleviated when he sees Peony crying and sorrowful, why should she get to live comfortably while he doesn't? His dignity can only be satisfied when the noble Qinghua exhausts her mind to pursue and flatter him - he's still different from those who rely on women for food.

  He didn't think it would end up like this. The merchant's daughter also abandoned him, was he really that unworthy? She had recovered from her illness and was now affectionate with others, but she had discarded him without a second thought. How could he swallow this humiliation? Everyone got what they wanted, but no one ever asked what he wanted. He sneered to himself, he wouldn't let them have their way.

  Time passed slowly, the palace walls were too high, and the sunlight flickered slightly before quickly disappearing on the other side of the wall, leaving only a chilling shade. Liu Chong was getting dizzy from standing for so long without receiving any reply, and couldn't help but feel anxious.

  The door finally opened, and it was Yang De Yi, the general manager of the Queen's Palace. Yang De Yi had a well-nourished body and a smile that could rival Maitreya Buddha. As soon as Liu Chuan saw the smile on Yang De Yi's face, he felt a surge of joy in his heart, knowing that things must have gone through. Before he even opened his mouth, Yang De Yi was already smiling and congratulating him: "Congratulations, Liu Gongyi Lang, your wish has been granted, Her Majesty has agreed."

  Just like a thousand-pound weight suddenly lifted off his body, the drowning man was able to breathe freely. Liu Chang couldn't help but feel joyful, and a piece of ancient jade that had been prepared long ago slipped unnoticed into Yang De's hand. He thanked him sincerely: "General Manager, you've worked hard."

  Yang De smiled slightly: "Why be so polite, Gongyi Lang? Liu Shangshu had already greeted me early in the morning, and this matter is also due to the kindness of Princess Kang Cheng. The princess has asked Her Majesty several times, and no matter what, we must settle the matter of Zhou Yuan first. Her Majesty was delighted with the tribute you brought today, and she told me that it seems that people are indeed young and cannot wait any longer. If she doesn't ask the Emperor to grant his decree soon, then she would truly be an unkind person."

  Liu Chong felt dizzy, what does this mean? Why can't he understand it?

  Yang Deyi's opinion was that he looked confused, kindly reminding him: "Originally, the Qinghua County Master had asked for a few times before, but the Emperor said you already have a wife and it's not very suitable. He planned to find another marriage for her among the new jinshi in the next year. During the Dragon Boat Festival, the Wei Wangfu had an accident, which made her unable to enter the palace for several days. The Kang Cheng Long Princess also planned to bring up this matter again after some time. Now it's good, with the Empress Dowager making arrangements for you, it's the most suitable. You can go back and rest assured, I think within half a month, the imperial edict of marriage will be issued."

  Liu Chuan's mind buzzed with a loud noise, and white lights flashed before his eyes. He felt dizzy and could only vaguely see Yang Deyi's mouth opening and closing, with a smile that was piercing to the eyes. However, he couldn't make out what Yang was saying. What exactly had gone wrong? Liu Chuan mechanically grabbed Yang Deyi's sleeve and forced himself to ask, "I asked someone to send things in, how did they talk to the manager?"

  Yang De Yi's white and plump face showed nothing, but he smiled happily: "What's the big deal? The key is that this matter has been settled. If there are no accidents, there will be no changes. Gongzi Lang should hurry back to prepare. We'll just wait for your wedding wine." After finishing speaking, he didn't say much more to Liu Chuan and left directly.

  Yang De Yi entered the palace walls and walked to a place with lush flowers and trees, where Qing Hua Jun Zhu, wearing a bright red fox fur coat, came out and smiled: "It's hard work for the general manager."

  Yang De Yi smiled with curved eyebrows, repeatedly congratulating Qing Hua County Master. Qing Hua County Master smiled faintly, subtly handing over a package without leaving any trace, and quietly left with her back straight.

  It's impossible to change this, is it because he was too anxious and accidentally made it happen? How could that be possible? The queen isn't someone who takes things without doing anything about it, otherwise Liu Chuan and Pan Rong wouldn't have thought of going to ask her. There must be someone behind the scenes who misinterpreted the situation.

  Liu Chuan stared at a lush patch of moss on the wall for a while, then viciously trampled on it with his foot, mashing it into an unrecognizable mess, and turned to leave.

  Xiao Shu saw his ferocious face and was a little afraid, but still reminded him considerately: "Young master, why not wait a bit longer? The people from the imperial concubine's place haven't come out yet... perhaps there might still be a turn for the better."

  Liu Chong said coldly, "I can't wait any longer." What's there to wait for? In the first place, he wanted to deal with Guifei just in case, but mainly he was relying on the Empress. Now that the Empress had taken charge and settled everything, even if Guifei were more formidable, she wouldn't dare oppose both the Empress, Princess Kangcheng, and the Wei King's estate at the same time for the sake of a mere title. This much he could still see clearly.

  Just as they walked out of Anfu Gate, Qiu Shi nervously reminded Liu Chuan: "Young Master, your father is over there."

  Liu Chang stiffly raised his head, only to see Liu Chengcai wearing a purple official uniform, paired with a golden fish bag, stopping his horse in the distance, gazing at him lightly, with a hint of mockery in the corner of his mouth, as if everything was within his expectation and calculation.

  Liu Chuan pursed his lips tightly, staring at Liu Chengcai with a gaze that could kill. His heart and lungs were like the moss he had trampled into mush, dry and lifeless, without a hint of vitality, piercingly painful, and excruciatingly sore, completely unable to breathe.

  Liu Chengcai's eyes swept over Qiu Shi's body with a slight smile: "Congratulations, my son, for getting what he wanted."

  Qiu Shi cowered behind Liu Chuan, wishing he didn't exist. Thinking of Xi Xia's fate, he couldn't help but secretly grab Liu Chuan's sleeve and beg in a low voice: "Master, please bear with it, you are just an old master. After all, we are father and son, how can the old master harm you?"

  Liu Chuan's mouth curled up into a strange smile as he walked steadily towards Liu Chengcai, his throat tight but his voice clear and firm and calm: "Father is returning home? Is the department busy today?"

  Liu Chengcai was slightly surprised, but then felt satisfied. He thought to himself that after all, they were both women - one a merchant's daughter and the other a noble lady from a prestigious family, with differences as vast as those between clouds and mud. His son was just stubborn by nature and wouldn't budge easily. Now he had finally come around, but only because he had been forced to. Since his son had already softened up, Liu Chengcai decided not to pursue the matter further and replied warmly: "Not bad."

  The father and son rode their horses side by side on the street, silent for a moment. Liu Chengcai secretly observed Liu Heng, seeing that after mounting his horse, he maintained a single posture, his hands gripping the reins with white knuckles, his lips pursed tightly. For a moment, he felt some sympathy and said softly: "The money is spent, it's not a loss, anyway. After a few days, we can take the opportunity to find you a good official position. From now on, follow me, listen to my words, and there will be benefits for you. I only have one son, and I still hope that you will support your mother and me in our old age, bring glory to our ancestors, and not disappoint us."

  Liu Chang smiled and said slowly: "Alright. Don't worry, son will not disappoint you. It's just that son was too impulsive in the past."

  Liu Chengcai became excited: "Women, being fierce and jealous is nothing, as long as she has her heart on you, everything can be said. You need to change that temper of yours, women still like to be coaxed a lot." Qi Furen was naturally fierce and jealous, didn't he also spend his whole life like that? He managed to live through it, why couldn't his son?

  Liu Chang cast a cold glance towards the sky and said obediently: "Your son obeys father's teachings."