Chapter 50

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

When Yan Xiner stepped into the courtyard where the Princess Consort resided, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere rushed at her, as if even the air had grown dense.

She carefully picked her way inside, and at a glance saw the Princess Consort sitting to one side, her face pale with fright and unease.

A thread of doubt and worry welled up in her heart, so she walked up quickly and asked softly, "Mother, what exactly has happened?"

At this moment, An Wang, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke: "Xin'er, when you went out on the spring outing yesterday, did anything else out of the ordinary occur?"

Yan Xiner's heart tightened at those words; she knew her father the king had likely already learned of certain matters. After a brief pause, she decided to conceal nothing further and replied straightforwardly: "Replying to Father, your daughter and Young Master Ai exchanged betrothal tokens."

The words had barely fallen when the Princess Consort beside her wore a look of utter shock, her mouth gaping wide, and she cried out in disbelief: "Wh... what?????? Th... this is too fast!"

An Wang, however, remained seated as steady as Mount Tai, merely fixing his beloved daughter with a deep gaze and asking unhurriedly: "Then as for this Young Master Ai, what exactly is your view?"

Yan Xiner steadied her emotions a little, and replied with a bashful yet determined expression: "Young Master Ai is not only profoundly learned, his character is also gentle and modest; he treats your daughter with utmost care and consideration. Moreover, after spending time together, your daughter has indeed given her heart to him, so I beg Father to bless this marriage of ours."

An Wang frowned slightly upon hearing this, and said earnestly: "Xin'er, the men you have met are few after all. If you come to regret it later, what then?"

Yet Yan Xiner responded without the slightest hesitation: "Your daughter will absolutely not regret it! Since I have already chosen Young Master Ai, your daughter will surely stand firm and walk hand in hand with him through every spring, summer, autumn, and winter of the remaining years."

Just then, An Wang produced an imperial edict from his sleeve and said evenly: "Good. Since that is so, then receive the decree." Yan Xiner was instantly stunned, frozen in place at a loss.

Seeing this, the Princess Consort hurriedly reached out to pull Yan Xiner down, and the two knelt together to give thanks. All the maids in the courtyard also hastily knelt; only An Wang's voice was heard, calm as he read: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: We have heard that the legitimate daughter of An Wangfu, Yan Xiner, has looks like a celestial maiden, beauty that surpasses the nation, and a kind heart, like the bright moon; her disposition is gentle and graceful, and she daily observes the way of a wife, her words and deeds all follow ritual teaching, her every movement displays the model of a boudoir lady. Now We confer upon Yan Xiner the title of Princess Wenshu. At the same time We bestow this talented and beautiful lady in marriage to Ai Chun, legitimate son of the Minister of War. We specially grant Jingzhou as the Princess's fief, and bestow ten thousand taels of gold, ten thousand bolts of cloth, five bolts of fragrant cloud gauze, and a pair of jade ruyi. The Minister of War's legitimate son Ai Chun bears a dignified appearance, is humble and courteous, his character gentle like jade; such a fine lady matched with a handsome man is truly a match made in heaven. Awaiting the selection of an auspicious day for the wedding, We hope the two will form a good bond, walk side by side, hearts in unison, and create a beautiful tale."

After An Wang finished proclaiming the imperial edict, Yan Xiner standing to one side seemed to have been hit by a body-freezing curse, utterly unresponsive. She knelt on the ground, eyes wide, staring fixedly at An Wang, as if she completely failed to understand what was happening before her.

At this, the Princess Consort gently nudged the still-dazed Yan Xiner beside her and whispered: "Xin'er, quickly receive the decree!"

At her mother's prompting, Yan Xiner finally came to her senses as if waking from a dream, though she still looked rather foolish. She slowly said: "This subject-daughter... thanks the Emperor for bestowing marriage."

Having spoken, she slowly stretched out both hands, carefully accepted from An Wang's hand that imperial edict symbolizing a heaven-ordained match, and then slowly rose to her feet.

Yan Xiner held the edict as if cradling a priceless treasure, examining it meticulously. The Princess Consort beside her, seeing this, could not help but curiously lean in to look as well.

However, the moment she saw the content on the edict, her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up. Until now, the Princess Consort had been deeply worried over her daughter's marriage, losing sleep and appetite, yet who could have imagined that in just the turn of a moment, her daughter's lifelong affair would actually be settled like this.

This sudden change left the Princess Consort with a jumble of feelings for a time.

An Wang standing on the other side likewise remained silent; after a long while he finally broke the silence and said slowly: "As long as you are willing, your mother and I will fully support your choice."

With that, An Wang let out a deep sigh. At this moment, the Princess Consort also wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and said with a choked voice: "Mother long ago saw that you held affection for Young Master Ai, only I never expected the two of you to be mutually devoted and perfectly suited. And that Young Master Ai is indeed a true gentleman, decisive and efficient, without any dragging of feet. As parents, our greatest wish is to see you live happily ever after."

Yan Xiner's beautiful eyes also reddened slightly at this moment, and she said softly: "Mother, Father, thank you! For a long time now, I have always felt incomparably blessed. From childhood to adulthood, whether trivial matters of daily life or major crossroads on the path of life, every single thing was decided by me myself.

And all of this is because you stood behind me silently giving support and encouragement. I originally thought that regarding my marriage, you might perhaps interfere, but to my utter surprise, even this matter you respect my wishes so much; this kindness I can never repay, I am truly too grateful to you both!"

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the room was both warm and tinged with a hint of sorrow. However, this mood did not last long; soon the family of three began to bustle about.

After all, preparing a wedding is a tedious and important task, especially the many details — the Princess Consort simply could not rest easy leaving it to the servants; she had to take part personally and do it herself.

Time flew by, and in a blink it was already afternoon. Suddenly, urgent footsteps came from outside the door; it turned out the Minister of War had specially dispatched his own steward to visit the Wangfu and report relevant matters to An Wang.

The steward bowed respectfully and then said: "Reporting to His Highness An Wang, my master has already calculated the wedding date. After careful consideration, the afternoon period for the betrothal visit is not suitable, so it is decided to come tomorrow morning to present the betrothal gifts.

My master will arrive at the residence immediately after early court tomorrow, to discuss specific matters with the Prince; we hope the Prince will be understanding."

Hearing this, An Wang's face showed understanding; he nodded slightly: "No matter, this king understands. Then please convey to the Minister that he need not worry over this; this king will quietly await his arrival tomorrow."

Finished, An Wang waved his hand signaling the steward to withdraw. Afterward, he turned his head to look at the busy Princess Consort, who could not help but shake her head with a wry smile...