When the emperor made such a request in public, Su Yuanyuan had no choice but to comply. She rose to her feet, lifted the hem of her dress, and stepped forward.
As Su Yuanyuan drew closer to the emperor, many people below couldn't help but hold their breaths, speculating in their hearts about the emperor's intention.
Su Yuanyuan stopped just within the emperor's reach. Finally, the emperor got a clear look at her.
This was the first time the emperor had examined Su Yuanyuan so intently.
The young girl had a well - shaped oval face with fair and smooth skin, like a peeled egg. Her nose was small and straight, and her lips resembled ripe cherries. Her bright, lively eyes were veiled in a faint mist. When she smiled, two dimples appeared on her cheeks, making people around her want to smile too.
The young girl had reached the age of maturity, and her beauty was already breathtaking. It was easy to imagine that in a few more years, countless young talents in the capital would be vying for her hand, just like they did for Shu Moyun back then.
While the emperor was sizing up Su Yuanyuan, she was boldly looking at the emperor as well.
They had met before at the Yandang Mountain villa, but the emperor had been in disguise then. So Su Yuanyuan only remembered him as a kind and smiling person. Back then, the emperor had been a bit chubby, but now he had lost a lot of weight, and his cheeks were no longer as round. There were indeed many similarities between his eyebrows, nose, and facial features and those of Cang Xuan.
However...
Su Yuanyuan's heart skipped a beat. In her eyes, the emperor, who had been surrounded by a purple aura at Yandang Mountain, was now shrouded in black qi. It wasn't the deep purple that bordered on black, but a suffocating black.
This was a sign that he didn't have long to live.
If one didn't look at the black halo between his eyebrows, one could also notice that his lips were purplish - black, completely different from the rosy lips of a healthy person.
"This child looks so blessed. Baocheng, don't you think so?" After sizing up Su Yuanyuan, the emperor turned to Eunuch Bao beside him with a smile. Perhaps he had been smiling too much, for he couldn't help but cover his lips and cough softly twice.
Su Yuanyuan moved her lips, instinctively wanting to say something, but due to the occasion, she couldn't speak freely. She could only look at Cang Xuan, who was on the emperor's right, her eyes filled with worry.
Cang Xuan saw her expression. Remembering that she was skilled in medicine, he frowned slightly and lowered his eyes in thought.
"Fubao, you did an excellent job in this imperial examination. You comforted the displaced people and saved many candidates, thus avoiding a disaster. Such a noble act is worthy of being recorded in history. I've always wanted to reward you properly. Today, during this official - conferring ceremony, I'm going to fulfill this reward. But after much consideration, I still don't know what to give you."
"I still remember that at Yandang Mountain, I owe you three favors. You can ask for whatever you want, and I will surely satisfy you."
As soon as the emperor said this, the court officials below couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise. They never expected the emperor to be so generous as to let Su Yuanyuan set her own conditions, and three of them at that! Such an honor was extremely rare throughout history!
Seeing that the emperor didn't propose to take Su Yuanyuan as a concubine, Xiao Zisheng let out a sigh of relief. He watched the young girl on the high platform leisurely, curious to see what kind of reward she would ask for.
Su Yuanyuan blinked her eyes and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, can I really ask for anything?"
The emperor nodded with a smile. "Of course."
Ordinary people would usually ask for a promotion or a higher rank. Su Yuanyuan was already a fourth - rank official at the Imperial College and a princess. She had both status and wealth, as the emperor had just rewarded her with a batch of treasures when she returned to the capital. So what else could she possibly want?
Blinking again, a blush suddenly crept up on Su Yuanyuan's fair cheeks and spread to her ears, making her look like a blooming peony, extremely gorgeous.
"I'd like to ask Your Majesty for an imperial decree." The young girl quickly glanced at Cang Xuan on one side and said in a clear voice, "Some time ago, His Highness the King of Cang came to the Prince of Qing's mansion with betrothal gifts to propose marriage to my parents. But my parents were reluctant to let me get married so early, so they drove His Highness away..."
Realizing what Su Yuanyuan was about to do, Cang Xuan stood there stunned on the spot. There was obvious surprise on his face, and his eyes were fixed on the young girl. His heart was trembling violently because of her words.
Not only him, but the people below also gasped in surprise, their expressions extremely varied. Among them, Xiao Zisheng's was the most intense.
"No, no..." Xiao Zisheng murmured, his expression ferocious. He pressed his hands tightly on the wheelchair and tried to stand up. The Prince of Qi beside him noticed his strange behavior, reached out his hand to press on Xiao Zisheng's shoulder, and pushed him back down. He leaned over and said maliciously in Xiao Zisheng's ear,
"My dear brother, I didn't expect you to care so much about that girl. Don't you forget that you just took a concubine these days, and the Princess of Jin is pregnant. So, do you want to marry the beloved daughter of the Prince of Qing as a secondary wife? Just take a look. Do you think the Prince of Qing will agree?"
Xiao Zisheng looked at Su Qing and saw that Su Qing was standing in the front with a smile on his face, seemingly very satisfied with this marriage.
Gradually, Xiao Zisheng gave up struggling.
He knew that he couldn't offer that girl the position of a princess now, but - he wouldn't give up so easily.
Su Yuanyuan didn't know what was going on below. Even if she did, it wouldn't stop her from continuing what she was about to say.
"On the day of the imperial examination, I was held hostage by the displaced people. If His Highness the King of Cang hadn't arrived in time to save me, I would have lost my life. Actually, my parents don't know that I've been deeply in love with him for a long time. Today, taking this opportunity, I sincerely beg Your Majesty to bestow a marriage between His Highness the King of Cang and me."
A bright light flashed in the emperor's eyes, and his eyes were full of approval. He laughed heartily and said, "Good! Excellent! Su Yuanyuan, Cang Xuan, listen to the imperial decree!"
Su Yuanyuan and Cang Xuan were both startled. They knelt down together in front of the emperor. "Your subject is listening."
"Cang Xuan, the grand scholar of the Astrological Pavilion and the chief minister of the cabinet, is highly talented, modest, sensitive, upright, and honest. He is in his twenties but has no wives or concubines. Miss Su, the fourth daughter of the Su family from the north of the desert, is my adopted daughter and is conferred the title of Fubao. She is now of marriageable age. The two of you are a match made in heaven and have mutual affection for each other, making you a perfect couple. Now, I hereby issue an imperial decree to bestow a marriage. His Highness the King of Cang will be promoted to the King of Cang, with the highest rank. Fubao will be the Princess of Cang, with the first - rank imperial title. I will bestow a princely mansion on you. After Miss Su reaches the age of maturity, a wedding date will be chosen. I hope the two of you will be of one heart and one mind, live happily ever after, and not disappoint me."
After the imperial decree was written, the emperor picked up the seal, stamped it on the decree, and handed it forward. "Fubao, receive the decree."
The emperor's eyes were full of smiles, and he winked at Cang Xuan. Although they didn't say a word, Cang Xuan understood his meaning.
The emperor seemed to be saying, Look, you were rejected when you went to propose marriage. I wanted to bestow a marriage on you, but you refused. Now, you've been proposed to in public by a girl! Letting a girl make such a request in front of so many people, where will you put your face in the future?
There was an uncontrollable joy on Cang Xuan's face. Usually, he always looked unfathomable and distant, looking more like a man in his late twenties than a twenty - year - old. But now, with this beaming smile on his face, he looked a bit more like a young man.
Su Yuanyuan had told him before to wait until after the official - conferring ceremony to discuss their marriage and said she would give him a surprise. He never expected that this was the surprise she meant.
Before, he had gone to propose marriage with betrothal gifts. Now, she was doing everything she could to marry him. They had given and taken, and it was a draw between them.
She really never let him down in the slightest.
From now on, she would be the wife clearly stated in the imperial decree, a wife that no one dared to question or covet.
And their marriage would surely be blessed by the whole world.