Empire Conquest
Chapter 276 - 272 Bestowed Marriage

Chapter 276: Chapter 272 Bestowed Marriage

Returning home, Bai Zhizhan felt so bewildered that he didn’t even know how he had gotten there.

Indeed, it was a home—and not the guesthouse of the Navy Commander’s headquarters.

This "home" was something quite extraordinary; it was a manor located in the northern suburbs of the Imperial Capital, next to the Royal Garden.

After much reflection, Bai Zhizhan had realized only one thing.

All of this must have been arranged well in advance, and everyone who knew the truth had kept it from him, not just Li Yunxiang but also his iron buddy Zheng Jiangming.

On the day he set off for Baku, Zheng Jiangming’s expression hadn’t been right; he knew already!

No wonder Li Yunxiang and Fang Suqing acted the way they did, for this was a marriage bestowed by the Holy Emperor.

At the airport, when the Imperial Guard produced the imperial gold medallion, a symbol of identity, Bai Zhizhan had a sudden epiphany, linking all the previous suspicions together.

She was not Zhang Xiaoqing at all!

Indeed, she was a member of the Imperial Family, the sister of today’s Holy Emperor.

The Little Eldest Princess of the Empire: Wu Xiurui.

Calling her by name was definitely not in keeping with etiquette; it was just that at the time, Bai Zhizhan hadn’t thought so much about it.

Having the Little Eldest Princess of the Empire play along in a charade with him?

It couldn’t be a joke, could it?

No matter how formidable or significant Bai Zhizhan might be, he didn’t have the status to arrange for the Little Eldest Princess to play such a role; so it definitely wasn’t a charade.

The key point was, this was a bestowed marriage!

Let’s not forget, the Emperor’s words are no trifling matter!

Although the imperial power had been limited and restrained after the Constitutional Amendment, in the Liangxia Empire, the Imperial Family still held supreme prestige and influence.

A marriage bestowed by today’s Holy Emperor, and moreover, his own sister—what could a mere Navy Major General do?

This marriage, once accepted, could certainly not be renounced.

Of course, it wasn’t just the marriage that was bestowed, but also the manor adjacent to the Royal Garden, which had originally been the Little Eldest Princess’s summer palace.

According to Zheng Jiangming, the estate walls had just been constructed in the past few days, separating the manor from the garden.

Of course, there was a door left for the convenience of passing through.

In addition, all the dowries stipulated by traditional customs and Royal etiquette were not omitted.

Even the arrangements for the new house were taken care of by the Royal Family.

According to popular saying, this wasn’t taking a wife, but rather, entering into the Royal Family by marriage.

Of course, to marry a princess is to become a Prince Consort to the Royal Family.

All other matters were arranged by the Fifth and Sixth Bureaus.

A few days earlier, to be precise the day after Bai Zhizhan had departed for Baku, personnel from the Fifth Bureau had gone to Yuzhou, notified the local officials, and then informed Bai Zhizhan’s parents that Bai Zhizhan was still fighting on the front lines and could not return home for the wedding celebrations. By necessity, the wedding rituals could not be discarded, hence everything had to be simplified. In other words, a wedding feast was first to be held in Bai Zhizhan’s hometown, then subsequently, the Royal Family would hold another one in the Imperial Capital.

As the old saying goes, it’s hard to balance loyalty and filial piety.

In times of war, when the nation and race are in distress, naturally, accommodations must be made.

Moreover, this was a joyous occasion of rising to dragon and attaching to phoenix.

Bai Zhizhan’s parents certainly expressed understanding and even actively cooperated.

After the officials left, Bai Zhizhan’s father widely distributed the wedding invitations and later gathered the clan members to personally offer incense in the ancestral temple.

It seems the Bai Family’s ancestral graves were now billowing with blue smoke.

In the dialect of Yuzhou, this meant that the ancestors were bestowing their blessings.

Just a few days before, arranged by the Fifth Bureau, two stand-ins had managed the occasion in Bai Zhizhan’s hometown, with local officials all attending to show support.

Afterward, the Fifth Bureau transported Bai Zhizhan’s family to the Imperial Capital.

Since the wedding feast had already been held in Bai Zhizhan’s hometown, the ceremony in the Imperial Capital was conducted in accordance with Royal etiquette, with Bai Zhizhan’s family all staying in the Royal Garden’s palace.

Though henceforth regarded as Imperial Relatives, basic etiquette was still essential, with a clear distinction between insiders and outsiders.

If this wasn’t a setup from the start, then it must be a lie meant to fool the devil himself!

Sending Bai Zhizhan as a Navy representative to attend the negotiations in Baku is related to this; he fell into a trap that he couldn’t climb out of.

Yes, there’s no doubt my suspicions are correct!

In the negotiations at Baku, Bai Zhizhan’s role wasn’t significant.

He did know Dunz and was on good terms with him.

But the problem is, neither he nor Dunz would compromise their country’s interests over personal relationships, so even if it wasn’t Bai Zhizhan who went to Baku, the result would have been the same.

So why not send a general from a faction?

Besides, the Navy’s cooperation mainly involved the Tiaoman Empire and centered on technical exchanges, with little relation to combat operations.

What reason was there for Bai Zhizhan, who had won a battle, to go there?

Putting it this way, it really used this issue to make Bai Zhizhan leave the Imperial Capital, forcing him to cover up the secret talks in Baku with something as significant as marriage.

Of course, these few days were also needed to arrange things in the background.

In any case, it was a trap!

Thinking it over, the only thing Bai Zhizhan couldn’t figure out was: why him and not some other officer?

Just because he had won a battle?

Obviously, that was not the reason!

There were plenty of generals who had won battles. Even if Liu Xiangzhen and Lian Xusheng were married, there were many unmarried young officers and senior military officers capable of being promoted to general. Among them were many young and promising ones who were even more handsome than Bai Zhizhan.

The key point was that Bai Zhizhan was already forty-two, ten years older than the Little Eldest Princess!

A bona fide old man!

Although it was common among commoners for an older man to marry a younger woman, not just by ten years but even by twenty, within the Imperial Family, the Prince Consort would not be much older than the princess.

If the age difference was too great, would it make the young princess a widow too soon?

Moreover, Bai Zhizhan was just a commoner, how could he have the status to climb up to the phoenix?

Over the past few decades, princesses of the Imperial Family had almost all married into noble families. Not to mention the Holy Emperor’s own sister, even his niece would certainly marry into a distinguished family. The few princesses who truly married commoners were extremely rare, and those so-called commoners were actually all military heroes.

The most representative among them was Chen Bingxun.

Back then, Chen Bingxun married the daughter of Emperor Shiwu only after he had cleared the West East Ocean and Fan Flame Ocean, becoming the War God of the Imperial Navy.

Bai Zhizhan’s achievements simply couldn’t compare with Chen Bingxun, at least not yet.

The more he thought about it, the more Bai Zhizhan couldn’t understand.

Even if all the reasons found were correct, there was no need to involve the Holy Emperor’s own sister as a supporting role. Couldn’t they have found a counterfeit princess with royal lineage?

If it were truly so, then it would definitely be a performance.

With the Holy Emperor’s own sister’s involvement, it couldn’t be a mere performance.

No matter how open-minded, remarriage for a woman was a dishonorable matter, something the face-conscious Royal Family could not tolerate.

This was also the most troublesome part for Bai Zhizhan.

It seemed that once the play was over and the raw rice was cooked, there would be no turning back.

To say, even if at this point the wedding banquet had already taken place in Bai Zhizhan’s hometown, not only the elderly and neighbors but also local officials had all attended.

Any room for maneuver?

It was not only cooked rice but it had almost burned to the pot!

Thinking of this, Bai Zhizhan kept silent all the way.

Waiting in the estate were Li Yunxiang and his wife Fang Suqing. They were the bride’s chief wedding sponsors and the matchmakers of this good match.

The formal engagement ceremony was scheduled for tomorrow; not only would friends and relatives from both sides attend, but the Holy Emperor would also participate as the brother of the bride, ensuring a grand occasion.

As for Li Yunxiang and his wife, they were responsible for taking care of the soon-to-be-wed couple.

According to the customs of the common people, they would accompany the couple during the engagement ceremony, mainly introducing them to the etiquette to avoid embarrassment in front of the guests.

After getting out of the car, Fang Suqing took the Little Eldest Princess, also known as Wu Xiurui, and left first.