Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 728 - 726

Chapter 728: 726

Princess Ling’er was taken aback by the Empress’s comment about her age!

In the entire Imperial Capital, who could possibly surpass the Fifth Princess in terms of age and remaining unmarried?!

Princess Ling’er, feeling uncomfortable, inadvertently revealed her true feelings: "The Fifth Princess is older than me. Why didn’t the Empress secure this excellent marriage for her?"

With these words, Princess Ling’er had not only offended the Empress but also turned the Empress Dowager’s face somber. She was displeased!

How dare a mere county princess compare herself to her precious granddaughter? On what grounds?

What was a good marriage for her was far from acceptable for her cherished granddaughter!

The second son of the second son of the Duke of Zhen’s household—thinking of marrying her granddaughter—how could that even be possible?!

Decades before, Jiang Yuheng, the eldest direct son of the Duke of Zhen who had been consecrated as the heir, was just barely acceptable to her! In reality, she was actually discontented!

Only because she saw he treated her beloved granddaughter kindly, she simply couldn’t bear to disappoint her!

It seems that in the past couple of years, Princess Ling’er, spending so much time in her company, assumed she and her cherished granddaughter were equal!

The marriage the Empress intended for her was far too lofty! Why not connect her with some worthless suitor instead! The Empress Dowager thought with discontent.

The Empress was also displeased and her dissatisfaction was evident on her face! What was her status? Did she need to preserve others’ dignity? She voiced her dissatisfaction: "Does Princess Ling’er think the engagement bestowed by the palace is not good enough?"

Of course not good!

Seeing the Empress Dowager’s face darkening, Princess Ling’er realized she had misspoken.

She deeply regretted this. Hearing the Empress’s words, she was angry in her heart but didn’t dare to express it: "I dare not."

"Dare not", not "do not", which meant she thought the marriage arrangement was not good. It now appeared that this engagement was indeed a mistake! She was not good enough for the son of the Duke of Zhen’s household! As for her own son, he was downright delusional!

Now that the decree has been issued, it cannot be retracted. The Empress snorted coldly: "If you dare not, then joyously prepare for the wedding! Your match was requested by the Duke himself. After marrying there, no one will dare disrespect you. Besides, the Duke’s family has not been divided yet, so you are marrying into the Duke’s mansion—it won’t disgrace your position as a county princess!"

Actually, the engagement decreed by the Empress wasn’t simply achieved by Shangguan Xuanyi’s mere suggestion.

The Duke’s son was adamantly opposed to marriage, hence willingly accepting a far-off and remote position as a country magistrate. The Duke, left with no other options, thought of requesting an Imperial decree for an arranged marriage.

Certainly, the Duke’s decision was nudged by Shangguan Xuanyi’s suggestion.

Once the Duke made his appeal to the Emperor, the Emperor couldn’t refuse.

The emperor intended to match the Fifth Princess with him, but the boy could not inherit the Duke’s position, making his status somewhat inferior.

The Emperor was somewhat hesitant.

The Fifth Princess and the original heir of the Duke’s grounds were childhood friends, and their betrothal had been settled. Unfortunately, the latter accidently fell from a cliff and his remains were not recovered. Determined to mourn him for three years, she refused any marriage proposals within the mourning period. The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress couldn’t persuade her otherwise so, they had to let her be since they also wanted to keep her around for a few more years.

Unexpectedly, after three years, the Fifth Princess was still unwilling to marry! The Emperor and Empress were having a headache over this.

The Emperor and Empress discussed arranging the marriage of the Fifth Princess to the second son of the Duke of Zhen’s second son, Jiang Weijia, but Shangguan Xuanyi mentioned he was romantically involved with someone else.

Hence, the two dropped the idea.

Shangguan Xuanyi’s mention of a lover was kept from the Emperor and Empress. The true reason was his romantic feelings for a man.

The Empress was now somewhat troubled. Given the high status of the Duke’s family, she didn’t know which unmarried noble girl in the Imperial City was a suitable match for him.

Then, Shangguan Xuanyi suggested Princess Ling’er.

The Empress summoned the Duke’s wife to the palace to ask her opinion. Once the wife agreed, the marriage was decreed.

As for the opinions of Princess Ling’er and Mrs. Zhong, it was well known that they disagreed; all along she wanted to marry her own son! How could that be possible?!

Despite Xiao’er always winning her money in Mahjong, the affection between her son and daughter-in-law made her feel no desire to separate them.

Princess Ling’er, being appointed as county princess, was essentially of equal standing as the Duke’s family.

Yet now she dared to demean her own daughter! How could the Empress not be angry!

Humph, underestimated herself and had no knowledge of her standing—apart from the Duke’s family, she was not suited for any other higher-ranking family!

Princess Ling’er carefully glanced at the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager also did not look happy: "The Empress is right. You and the Duke’s son are indeed of equal rank. If you miss this matrimonial opportunity with the Duke’s family, you might never find a better one. Go back home and prepare. Be ready for your bridal sedan! Don’t come to the palace if it’s not necessary."

Princess Ling’er swayed a bit. Was the Empress Dowager dismissing her?

For the past years, she had carefully accompanied her, cheering her up, but everything collapsed because of a single ill-spoken sentence! She was now displeased!

Indeed, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t win her heart etc.

Filled with deep resentment and bitterness, Princess Ling’er didn’t dare to show it. She bowed and left.

Speaking of the Fifth Princess’s marriage, the Empress was also annoyed. Surely, the girl couldn’t remain unmarried for an entire lifetime!

"Take the marriage of the Fifth Princess more seriously. You can’t let her be reckless." After Princess Ling’er left, the Empress Dowager said to Empress.

"Yes, mother. But the child is stubborn. The Emperor and I cannot persuade her. She normally listens to mother. If you have the time, help to persuade her." The Empress implied that if she could be persuaded, she would already be cradling a grandchild.

Now the Empress Dowager was also troubled. If she could be easily persuaded, she would have already persuaded her! This child was like her father, the Emperor, stubborn and obstinate!

The Empress Dowager looked at Xiao’er and the others, "As the Fifth Princess’s sister-in-laws, and having a good relationship with her before leaving home, try to persuade her more in your daily lives! Youngest son’s wife, you are usually talkative. You need to invest more effort in this! The lifelong happiness of the Fifth Princess is now in your hands!"

Articulate Xiao’er: "..."

It was clear that the Fifth Princess didn’t believe that the Duke of Zhen’s son was dead. She was still waiting for his return! How could she persuade her?

She really wanted to say, seven or eight years have passed. If he could return, he would have returned long ago.

However, it wasn’t a solution for the Fifth Princess to keep waiting like this. She seldom ventured outside the palace and didn’t like bustling places. Perhaps she could step out more often, see the great world and meet more excellent men. She might forget the past and slowly accept new relationships.

Thinking to this point, Xiao’er then said: "I will do my utmost."

Hearing her words and seeing Xiao’er’s serious expression, the Empress Dowager’s mood had somewhat improved. Mrs. Shen was indeed a deserving eye-catcher for the Fifth Princess.

At this point, the Empress Dowager was a little tired, and waved her hand to say, "I am tired, you may leave."

Everyone seeing this, bowed and left.

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