Chapter Forty-Four

  Thank you for the blessing of peace from Tingyuan after the rain...

  It's best to find a prestigious family that is on par with the current Anguo Houfu and become their legitimate wife. After Third Uncle returns to court with his meritorious service, the Anguo Houfu will rise in prominence, and Grandmother and Father are not people who would betray their promises. She just needs to wait until she comes of age and then marry into that family. With the Anguo Houfu as her backing, after she marries in, as long as she doesn't do anything excessive, her husband's family will inevitably give in to her on several matters. Then, if she has a son or daughter, this lifetime of hers will be simple and easy, without any worries!

  As for Gu Qingyao, it's like this between them. Loving or hating someone too much is exhausting. In her past life, she had crazily loved a person who wasn't worth it; must she use this life to hate that person?

  She involuntarily shook her head, weighing the pros and cons. She still understood clearly that the ultimate glory of the Anji Hou Mansion was brought by Gu Qingyao's father, and the ones who benefited the most were the main house, her father, and she wasn't someone who enjoyed the glory earned by others' fathers while trying to "exterminate" their daughters. As long as her father didn't lose his title and her mother wasn't divorced, she wouldn't marry into the imperial family either. There was no fundamental conflict of interest between her and Gu Qingyao, so Gu Qingyao had no reason to be hostile towards her.

  However, without her intervention, between Gu Qingyao and Long Hanshan and the Sixth Prince's entanglement of love and hate, who would Gu Qingyao choose in the end? She looked forward to seeing the scene on that day, although she rarely raised her head. However, Long Hanshan's gaze towards Gu Qingyao was slightly softer and less stiff, indicating that he indeed had some different feelings for Gu Qingyao, unlike his gaze towards her, which was cold and piercing, as if it could freeze the air.

  Thinking of this, Gu Qingjin's heart was filled with schadenfreude. When her third uncle returned to the capital with his meritorious service, and the Emperor arranged a marriage for her, whose family would Gu Qingyao "fall" into? Long Han yuan or the Sixth Prince? The Sixth Prince's concubine vs the Sixth Prince's wife, who would Gu Qingyao choose? In her opinion, the probability of Gu Qingyao choosing the Sixth Prince was very high. Everyone knew that being a prince's wife and a prince's concubine were two different things, so who would choose to be a concubine instead of a wife?

  And would the Emperor give his son's life-saving benefactor's daughter as a concubine to his own son? Looking at it this way, the Sixth Prince's hopes are still quite large. Without her as a buffer, would Long Hanshan give up on this girl who has the title of being the Emperor's life-saving benefactor's daughter? Not to mention whether Long Hanshan currently has any special feelings for Gu Qingyao, just based on the title of being the Emperor's life-saving benefactor's daughter, with her understanding of Long Hanshan, he definitely wouldn't let Gu Qingyao be smoothly betrothed to the Sixth Prince by the Emperor.

  Two dragons fighting for the pearl, what a wonderful show!

  However, to watch this great play, she must first settle her lifelong affairs before the news of Third Uncle's rescue reaches the capital. To settle her lifelong affairs is also a big problem?

  In this dynasty, noblewomen typically get engaged around the age of sixteen, although some may be younger, but it's rare. She is only thirteen years old now, how can we persuade the Jun family to arrange a marriage for her at this time?

  It's now May, and Third Uncle has followed the Emperor to the battlefield. She remembers that news of Third Uncle saving the Emperor was sent back to the capital around October, and the Emperor returned to the capital in early November. She must finalize the engagement before news of Third Uncle saving the Emperor is sent back to the capital; otherwise, her grandmother and father will definitely not agree to arrange a marriage for her at this time.

  From May to October, how can we arrange a suitable marriage for Junshi during these few months? How should she bring it up with Junshi, and also get grandmother and father's approval, this is a big problem!

  Thinking of this, Qingjin also lost the mood to gloat over others' misfortunes. To enjoy the thrilling drama, she must ensure that she herself won't be dragged into it. As an onlooker and outsider, only then can she fully appreciate the show. If she couldn't settle her own marriage before, she would become the tragic figure herself.

  How to tell Junshi? Should I tell Junshi that she has a premonition that San Shu will make great achievements this time, and the girls in the Gu household who have not married yet will double their value. At that time, it is possible that they will be married to the prince by the emperor, but she does not want to marry into the royal family, so before the news of San Shu's achievement spreads back to the capital, she wants Junshi to quickly arrange a marriage for her?

  I guess Jun didn't think she was possessed or had delusional disorder, Qingjin sighed, what to do? Thinking and thinking, there is no reliable way.

  Just as Qingjin was thinking about what method could make Junshi betroth himself to her, May flew by in a hurry.

  In June, the emperor-led army arrived at the border of Dasheng and Mengguo. Under the command of the emperor, Dasheng and Mengguo clashed several times, successfully capturing two cities occupied by Mengguo.

  The news was transmitted back to the capital, and the whole country was jubilant.

  In the capital, the crown prince was in charge for the first time and to show off his abilities, he frequently ordered the guards to patrol the city, arresting anyone who caused trouble or seemed suspicious. Those arrested were immediately thrown into the large prison of the imperial palace and strictly interrogated. As a result of these actions, the security situation in the capital became even better than when the emperor was present, almost reaching the state of complete peace where people didn't need to lock their doors at night and lost items on the road would be returned to their owners.

  When Yuanyang told Qingjin about the situation in Beijing and the news of the emperor's great victory, Qingjin was still thinking about how to bring up the topic with Junshi about arranging an early marriage for herself. Upon hearing Yuanyang's words, she only smiled slightly. If she remembered correctly, the emperor had actually suffered a great defeat at the hands of Mongolia, and soon the situation would be turned upside down. She hoped that by then, everyone could also be optimistic like this.

  In early July, news came again from the border that the Mongol army, which had suffered several defeats under the command of Emperor Ming, began to change its tactics and became more cunning. In the subsequent battles between the Great Jing and Mongolia, there were victories and defeats on both sides, and finally a stalemate was formed.

  As time passed, the border did not bring back news of a great victory, and the people of the capital city put away their previous excitement and joy, waiting for news of a big win. However, as the border repeatedly brought back news that the two armies were still at a stalemate, the atmosphere in the capital began to become oppressive, and the number of patrolling guards increased significantly compared to usual times.

  Just as the tense atmosphere was prevailing, a piece of news came from Bian Guan, completely shattering the surface calmness of the capital. Ming Emperor and the Third Prince, Sixth Prince were outmaneuvered and surrounded by Meng Guo. Although they had not yet shown signs of defeat, if they continued to be trapped like this, the final outcome was really unthinkable.

  The situation and atmosphere in the capital city have clearly begun to change, with ominous winds and mysterious signs everywhere. The air is filled with tension, as if a storm is approaching. The number of patrols by the guards has increased, and their vigilance has become more stringent. Anyone can see that beneath the surface calm, there are turbulent waves waiting to erupt. If bad news comes again from the border regions, the capital city will inevitably be thrown into chaos.

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