bookrebus Chapter 415
Chapter 415
Shangguan Mu thought to himself that as far as he was concerned, the hundred-year agreement had not yet arrived.Even if it had, he would have to find a reason to extend it.
"Your Highness, do you know when Lord Yan will enter the capital?" Pan Chong asked cautiously.
"He will arrive in another month." Shangguan Mu recalled that he and Shangguan Yun had first come to the capital of the Lannuo Kingdom with their identities concealed.
They just wanted to see if the Lannuo Kingdom was truly as destitute as rumored, unable to even put food on the table.
"Your Highness, the situation in the Lannuo Kingdom is excellent right now. I suspect that the Emperor of Lannuo might be hiding something from us." Pan Chong thought about how the Emperor of Lannuo did not seem particularly afraid when he stopped sending tributes to the Qinling Kingdom.
He also harbored a doubt in his heart about what the real reason could be.
After all, the most trusted figures in the palace were King An, Grand Preceptor Cheng, and Grand Tutor Wei. None of them were easily bribed.
"My royal father sent me to bring my ninth sister here for a marriage alliance. Who in this capital would be the most suitable match?" Thinking of Shangguan Yun's marriage, Shangguan Mu still asked for Pan Chong's opinion.
"If it were before, the most suitable person would be King An. After all, King An is the Emperor's trusted confidant," Pan Chong said with some hesitation.
"Why not now?" Shangguan Mu asked in dissatisfaction upon hearing this. Since King An was the Emperor's confidant, it would naturally be best if they could win him over.
"King An is getting married next Saturday. Lord Yan won't arrive for another month; it's too late," Pan Chong quickly explained.
"Who is King An marrying?" Shangguan Mu frowned, not expecting that the very person they should be trying to win over was about to get married.
It seemed they had arrived too late.
However, he still needed to inquire thoroughly to see if there was any room to maneuver.
"The future Princess Consort An is the daughter of the current Vice Minister of Revenue. Her original background wasn't all that impressive." Pan Chong thought of Li Zhiwei, feeling that this woman had probably just stumbled into dumb luck.
Otherwise, she was originally supposed to enter the capital to marry the heir of the Marquis of Ru'an's estate.
Come to think of it, as a mere merchant's daughter, if she hadn't met King An, she wouldn't have been able to give her father the opportunity to become the Vice Minister of Revenue. One had to know that many people had their eyes on that position back then.
Who would have thought that Li Tianyou would suddenly swoop in and take it.
Thinking of this, Pan Chong felt somewhat indignant. After all, he had also wanted to fight for that position at the time.
"So her background is poor? Is she the lost daughter of some prominent family?" Shangguan Mu asked, puzzled.
"No, it's because after she entered the capital, the Emperor appointed her father as the Vice Minister of Revenue. Her father was originally the wealthiest man in the Lannuo Kingdom, and the Emperor wanted him to earn more money for the imperial court," Pan Chong explained in detail.
"Is King An the Emperor's brother? Why didn't he marry a noble lady from the capital?" Shangguan Mu asked, still confused.
"King An is the Emperor's confidant. The late Emperor granted King An's father the title of King An, and he inherited his father's title. However, they are kings of a different surname and are not members of the imperial family," Pan Chong shook his head and quickly explained.
"No wonder he was allowed to marry a merchant's daughter. It seems that while the Emperor speaks of trusting him, he is secretly guarding against him, isn't he?" Hearing this, Shangguan Mu drew his conclusion.
"King An previously married a princess consort who passed away during childbirth. There is also an heir in the King An Estate, so when looking for a second wife, they probably aimed a bit lower, right?" Pan Chong thought for a moment and said.
"I see. I will have to meet this King An another day." Shangguan Mu wondered if, given this situation, it was still necessary to have Shangguan Yun marry into the King An Estate.
King An Estate
"Grandmother, please let me go out." Xu Qingshi had been staying in the King An Estate for a few days and was getting restless.
Being stuck at home every day was simply too miserable.
"No, your father specifically ordered that you cannot go out these next few days." The Old Princess Consort thought of her son's words; her grandson couldn't go anywhere recently, otherwise he would be in danger. How could she possibly let him out?
"Then, Grandmother, can I go find my pretty sister?" Xu Qingshi's eyes darted around. He hadn't gone to see Li Zhiwei recently.
And Li Zhiwei hadn't come to see him either.
It was really too annoying.
"Good boy, just endure it a little longer. In a few days, your new mother will be marrying into the estate. You must not cause trouble for your father at a time like this," the Old Princess Consort said earnestly as she looked at her grandson.
The Old Princess Consort only found out later that her grandson had almost been kidnapped.
Just thinking about it made her feel like she couldn't catch her breath.
"But Grandmother, I'm dying of boredom."
Xu Qingshi was still just a child, after all. Previously, because he had been terrified, he managed to stay quietly in the estate for a few days. But now, his scars had healed, and he had forgotten the pain.
At this moment, he just wanted to go out for a walk.
"Young Master, His Highness ordered that you cannot go out," Mo Yu also advised from the side.
After all, the danger to the heir had truly not been resolved.
His Highness worried that the people trying to capture the young master had not yet given up.
Furthermore, His Highness was not only busy with official duties recently but also occupied with the upcoming wedding with Miss Li.
If the heir were to go missing again, His Highness would surely be overwhelmed with anxiety.
"I don't care, I want to go out!" Xu Qingshi couldn't be bothered with all that; he only knew he wanted to go out.
"Young Master, why don't we wait until His Highness returns to discuss it?" Mo Yu thought for a moment and advised softly.
"I don't care, I want to go out right now!" Xu Qingshi said in dissatisfaction.
"Go fetch His Highness back!" The Old Princess Consort was also getting a headache from her grandson's fussing.
However, regarding this matter, her stance was that for her grandson's safety, she still wouldn't relent.
After all, the incident with the Zhou family last time had already caused her immense heartache.
She absolutely did not want to go through such an experience a second time.
Moreover, her ungrateful son had signed an unequal treaty with the Li family, stating that any future grandsons or granddaughters born would belong to the Li family.
Counting it all up, the only one who truly belonged to her was Xu Qingshi, who stood right before her.
Thinking of this, the Old Princess Consort was even more unwilling to let her grandson go out.
"Qingshi, be a good boy and listen to Grandmother. How about Grandmother takes you to see her private treasury?" The Old Princess Consort thought to herself that the last time Xu Qingshi went to her private treasury to pick things out, he had been very happy.
Presumably, he liked the items in her treasury.
After thinking it over, she decided to use this method to coax Xu Qingshi.
"Grandmother, do you still have those pretty stones?" Xu Qingshi, who had been crying and making a fuss just a moment ago, instantly stopped crying.
After all, he still wanted to find many, many pretty stones for Little Dumpling.
"Pretty stones? Oh, yes! Grandmother has them!" The Old Princess Consort was taken aback at first, but then she realized that the pretty stones Xu Qingshi was referring to were actually gemstones, so she quickly smiled and said.
However, the Old Princess Consort simply thought that the child just wanted to pick out some pretty stones and meant nothing else by it. Although those gemstones were precious, they were not as precious as her own grandson. As long as her grandson liked them, all her belongings would be left to Xu Qingshi in the future anyway.
Whether she gave them to him sooner or later, they would all be his.