The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 701 - 701 329 Granting Marriage (Two Tael)_2

Chapter 701: 329 Granting Marriage (Two Tael)_2 Chapter 701: 329 Granting Marriage (Two Tael)_2 A sudden jolt in Marquis Zhuang’s heart!

Announcing it in public, wouldn’t it let all the officials, the whole world know about Zhuang Yuheng’s failure in integrity?

By then, Zhuang Yuheng’s good reputation of nearly twenty years would be ruined overnight.

Not everyone can stand at the peak of power with a notorious reputation, only Marquis Xuanping is an exception amongst the six countries. Zhuang Yuheng still cares about face, or rather, the Zhuang Family does.

The Emperor didn’t say it clearly yet, but the civil and military officials have already started to whisper, even Marquis Zhuang felt their gazes had changed.

Marquis Zhuang dared not disagree any longer, he knelt and uttered painfully and humbly, “I…thank his Majesty for his grace!”

After the court was dismissed, Marquis Zhuang stopped the Empress Dowager’s palanquin.

He walked in front of the palanquin, staring intensely at the Empress Dowager behind the gauze curtain, “Why didn’t the Empress prevent his Majesty? Would the Empress just watch as Hengheng marries that infamous woman, Gu Jinyu?”

In contrast, whether the calm Empress returned to the Imperial Palace or not wasn’t within Marquis Zhuang’s concerns. She was just a powerless Empress, the situation was settled, and she could not be established as another Empress.

The Empress Dowager didn’t speak on her palanquin.

Marquis Zhuang’s expression was unstable.

Eunuch Qin slightly bowed to Marquis Zhuang: “Get on the carriage–”

The Empress Dowager’s palanquin departed.

When they returned to Renshou Palace and the palanquin came to a halt, Eunuch Qin extended his arm.

The Empress Dowager descended from the palanquin, holding his arm.

While waiting on the Empress Dowager to the Sleeping Palace, he said while walking, “Is the Empress giving a warning to the Zhuang Family? This servant remembers the Empress once told the Marquis that this world belongs to the Qin Family, this land is the Qin Family’s land, it isn’t Zhuang’s. Today’s matter finally made Marquis Zhuang fully grasp this.”

“Hmm.” Empress Zhuang huffed coldly.

Eunuch Qin was startled. He was familiar with any tone of the Empress. It was apparent that she was mocking him for speaking wrongly. He widened his eyes, “Isn’t that so? Why didn’t you say anything then?”

The Empress Zhuang solemnly responded, “Jiaojiao asked me to rest my voice.”

Eunuch Qin: “…”

Just that? Only that?!

–

The news of Gu Jinyu’s engagement with the Prince of An quickly spread. In less than a day, the whole Capital City knew that she was to marry the Prince of An.

“Is she to be a concubine? Or a side wife?”

“None of them! The news said she will be the official wife! Future plans include the full marriage process from the matchmaker’s first visit to the bridal procession to Zhuang’s house!”

The students at the Women’s School were stunned.

Of course, they were also filled with extreme envy.

Gu Jinyu’s reputation in Capital City was once not bad, but later she made mistake after mistake. First, her background was exposed. Then, she was ambitious and reckless, impulsively changing the bellows design, causing a large number of craftsmen in the Ministry of Works to be injured. More people said that the bellows were not her invention at all. She had claimed someone else’s work as her own.

In short, her reputation was completely tarnished. She hadn’t been to the Women’s School for several months.

Everyone speculated that she was too ashamed to show her face.

No one expected the next news about her: she was to marry the Prince of An and become his Princess.

Before the emergence of the new top scholar, Prince An was the dream beau of all the daughters of Capital City. He still was, after all, the new scholar was taken, but Prince An was still ‘available’.

Whoever Prince An marries will inevitably become the public enemy of the ladies in Capital City, and Gu Jinyu has reached the maximum value of hatred.

How could a woman with such ungraceful conduct deserve the exceptional Prince An?

The heavens must be blind!

No matter how they curse Gu Jinyu, she was the woman they could not envy.

The news soon reached the residence of Marquis Ding’an, and here, Marquis Gu, who was in charge of construction for the Empress Dowager, finally welcomed his first day off.

He had been staying at the construction site all these days, supervising the workers day and night. He was so tanned that a layer of skin had peeled off and had lost a lot of weight.

He returned to his residence first, planning to pay his respects to his father and the old Madame Gu, then to check on the Yao family and his son in Bishui Alley. To his surprise, he heard from old Madame Gu that his daughter’s marriage had been settled with the Prince of An.

The old Marquis was not at home, so old Madame Gu was the one to tell him.

Marquis Gu’s first reaction was shock. After all, whether from the perspective of matching social status or from factions’ conflict, neither family was well suited.

The second reaction was surprise, as there were few in Capital City who could be more outstanding than Prince An in terms of appearance, character or family background.

If his daughter could truly marry him, it would be an impeccable marriage.