Chapter 638: Superb Eloquence

The Great King unexpectedly took a liking to Xie Tu—this matter Xie Yuan really hadn't anticipated; he thought the Great King would choose one of the Wei brothers.

Frankly, the two sons of the Marquis Wei Ting are both outstanding. I believe it's not just him; most people in the court probably think the same.

How could he know the Great King's thinking is so progressive, knowing at age six that cousins cannot marry?

"Xie Tu… is not yet married. As your subject and your teacher, Your Majesty, if you have any plans, you can tell me directly." Don't beat around the bush—otherwise, those who don't know might think this "superb" eloquence is something I taught!

The Great King felt close hearing Xie Yuan say that, so he wasn't polite either.

"Exactly! I have taken a liking to Xie Tu, Teacher—do you think Princess Ningguo would be a good match for him?"

"We've been teacher and student for so long—there's something I need to ask first: Is it Princess Ningguo who has taken a liking to Xie Tu, or is it Your Majesty who has taken a liking to Xie Tu?"

The Great King wondered, 'Is there a difference?'

"……Yes." If the clan or Xie Tu himself really disagrees, even if the princess takes a liking to him there's still room to struggle; but if it's this guy who takes a liking, it's wasted—he won't budge!

"There is a difference. Your Majesty knows that our Xie Clan has been out of official service for many years, focusing solely on scholarship in Chen Commandery; I am the first of the Xie clan in recent times to enter officialdom. The Xie Clan has never married into the imperial family—this is a major matter, and I'm not entirely clear on the attitudes of the clan chiefs and elders. If the princess takes a liking to him, I will certainly strive to persuade the clan; if it's a passing fancy of Your Majesty, I won't be so anxious."

He still found those words quite satisfactory to the Great King, feeling close.

"Imperial Elder Sister might not even have gotten a clear look at Xie Tu's face—I think his talent, looks, and temperament all match hers perfectly~"

Xie Yuan let out a breath, 'Your Majesty, have you asked the princess about this?'

The Great King exclaimed in shock, 'Xie Tu is so handsome that even old ladies setting up stalls stop to stare—how could the princess not like him?!' She isn't a woman, is she?!'

Xie Yuan: ……

"Your Majesty, it would be better to first ask the princess's opinion to avoid misunderstanding."

The Great King, dissatisfied, hurried off to the inner palace to seek confirmation. Princess Ningguo was strolling through the garden with the Noble Consort, and the Great King came running up with a thundering sound, 'Elder sister, I have a major matter I'd like to discuss with you~'

Princess Ningguo found it strange, 'This isn't such a big deal, is it? Now it's my turn to be consulted.'

"Big! Very big!"

The Great King pulled the two to sit down, went straight to the point, and opened with a bombshell: 'I've heard you like the Xie Clan, Elder sister—how about we casually pick a prince consort from the Xie Clan~'

Princess Ningguo stood up to leave, saying, 'I'm leaving first—I haven't had enough of Ziwei Palace.' This time, even without the Great King, the Noble Consort reached out and pulled her back.

"Let's first pick a good one and set him aside—it's not like you're getting married now; you can marry after you've had your fill of Ziwei Palace, and it won't be too late!"

The Great King blocked the other side, 'Yeah, yeah! If we miss Xie Tu, where else could I find someone that handsome!'

Bringing this up, Princess Ningguo also felt a bit embarrassed, '……We can't just go by looks, can we?'

The Great King stood there, shocked, 'What else would you pick for a prince consort if not looks? I'm the emperor—wealth, status, and power you already have; among handsome men, Xie Tu is the most talented—if not him, who else?'

Princess Ningguo sincerely asked her brother, 'Where is your silver?' As for wealth—

The Great King instantly let his guard down, 'Sister, this way it's boring—my silver is still being dug out of the silver mine~ Anyway, I still have your dowry.'

"I heard the Forbidden Army in Chang'an might run out of grain—you……"

The Noble Consort felt these two were unreliable, seeing the conversation drift off, she quickly interjected: 'Xiao Wu, what do you think of Xie Tu? The Xie Clan's offspring from Chen Commandery are top‑tier scholar‑aristocracy; previously princesses couldn't even hope for someone this good! Xie Tu is also the best of this generation—you should trust Your Majesty's judgment; this child has high standards, he wouldn't settle for just anything good.'

The Great King nodded repeatedly beside them.

The two spoke, one sentence each, as if missing this Princess Ningguo would make them regret it for half their lives.

"……The Xie Clan's rules are strict one‑by‑one; I've attended several of their banquets and gatherings, and the Xie sons never approach the female guests—I've never seen that. The clan's few female attendants are quite easy to get along with, you can tell the family style is decent? But…… Xie Tu seems overly popular—I go to Flower Fragrance and can hear female guests talking about him……"

The Great King clapped his hands, 'Look! Put him in Flower Fragrance and the business will surely boom! Miss this, and such a graceful, outstanding young man would be hard to find a second of anytime soon. I've counted the outstanding ones around—Wei Ke and Wei Shen are fine, they're related by blood, and that great‑nephew of the maternal grandmother is also decent and related by blood; Xie Tu's face is a scarce resource.'

Princess Ningguo: '……Elder sister doesn't place that much importance on looks.'

The Great King didn't believe it!

The looks‑obsessed projected their own views: 'Who wouldn't care about appearance? So, between Xie Tu and Tie Zhu, which would you pick?'

The Noble Consort was puzzled: 'Who is this Tie Zhu?' What respectable family would give their son such a name!'

Princess Ningguo: '……It's the personal guard beside my brother—built like a black iron tower, not smiling he's especially frightening.' When he smiles he's just a silly fool.'

The Noble Consort glared at the Great King to rebuke him.

The Great King: ……

"Tie Zhu is now the Lord of Youchuan City; if he returns, his lowest rank will be a colonel!' The Great King would not allow anyone to look down on his beloved general."

Come to think of it, the Great King felt the Imperial Elder Sister hadn't seen Xie Tu, which is why she's being so picky. Put Xie Tu among a crowd, and she'd see the gap between people. If we let the newcomers from Youzhou City and Chang'an's playboys serve as a contrast, Xie Tu would stand out even more.

This guy instantly came up with a good idea: 'Why not have the Noble Consort host a banquet and invite the young masters of all families, letting the elder sister choose for herself.' Placing Xie Tu among that crowd of playboys would definitely highlight his already outstanding bearing, making it even more exceptional.

The Noble Consort's eyes lit up, though she was still demurring—she also wanted to see him, but…… 'Would the Xie Clan agree to such a meeting?' After all, that's the Chen Commandery Xie Clan.

The Great King thumped his chest, guaranteeing to take responsibility, then went back and ran to tell Xie Yuan: 'I've decided—I won't use imperial authority to force Xie Tu into marrying a princess; I'm not that sort of person! Instead, let's arrange for Xie Tu to meet the Imperial Elder Sister. Outwardly we'll say the Noble Consort is getting on in years and likes having young gentlemen and ladies around, inviting all the young families of Youzhou to come to the palace to enjoy the flowers~'

Xie Yuan pondered the Great King's two sentences over and over, feeling that aside from the punctuation marks, it might not be genuine at all.