Chapter 444 - Chapter 444: Chapter 431: Marriage Contract (1/2)
Chapter 444: Chapter 431: Marriage Contract
“The eldest granddaughter of Minister Qian of the Ministry of Rites, the young daughter of Mr. Zhao from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the daughter of the Ge family from the Hanlin Academy… In my opinion, they are all virtuous, decent, and good-looking young ladies.”
“Grandmother Empress…” Chu Yunzhao started to speak, trying to dissuade her once more.
The Empress sharply retorted, “What’s the matter with you, child? I am arranging this for Jinnian, not for you. You are putting up so much resistance, could it be that you don’t want Jinnian to get married?”
She was right; he really didn’t want Chu Jinnian to get married.
At least, not recently.
But the Empress’s tone clearly carried a hint of anger. Chu Yunzhao didn’t dare to intervene further and could only shrink back, looking anxiously at Chu Jinnian.
My dear brother, you must remember our agreement and withstand the pressure.
“Grandmother Empress.”
Under Chu Yunzhao’s earnest stare, Chu Jinnian finally spoke, “I understand Grandmother Empress’s good intentions and am very grateful for her concern and arrangement.”
“Are you agreeing?” The Empress was overjoyed, “Previously, you showed no interest in these matters. I thought you had no interest in marriage at all, which made me hesitant to even bring it up…”
“Oh, never mind. Since you are willing, then I will…”
This Chu Jinnian, why is he acting different from what we agreed on?
Chu Yunzhao glanced at Chu Jinnian. He wished he could stab Chu Jinnian with a knife out of anger.
“Grandmother Empress,” said Chu Jinnian, “I appreciate Grandmother Empress’s effort in arranging this, but please forgive me. I cannot follow Grandmother Empress’s arrangement regarding the marriage.”
“Oh?” The Empress was rather surprised.
After a moment of thought, she said, “I don’t think you are someone who doesn’t want to get married. Tell me, why can’t you follow my arrangement? Are you afraid I will arrange it arbitrarily, not considering your wishes?”
“Rest assured, as I said earlier, if you don’t agree, I won’t force you.”
“In reply to Grandmother Empress, I wasn’t worried about this. It’s just that…”
Chu Jinnian looked up, his eyes clear as day, “It’s just that I am already engaged, and therefore cannot follow Grandmother Empress’s arrangement.”
Engaged?
The Empress was stunned for a moment. After a while, she regained her composure and asked, “When did this happen? How come I wasn’t aware of it?”
“It’s rather embarrassing to say, I only recently found out about this.” answered Chu Jinnian, “The marriage was arranged by my mother when I was young. A token of commitment was even given. However, due to various household affairs, my mother never mentioned this to Grandmother Empress or others, so almost no one else knew.”
“So that’s it,” The Empress nodded slowly.
Back then, when the King of Qi favored Mrs. Ruo, Mrs. Xiao Qiao was upset and took Chu Jinnian back to Yangzhou. For the next few years, there was a standoff between them and the King of Qi.
Given Mrs. Xiao Qiao’s character, not only did she hate the King of Qi, she also detested the entire royal family. It wouldn’t be out of character for her to have arranged an early marriage for Chu Jinnian, keeping it out of the royal family’s reach. It did sound like something she would do.
It didn’t matter much though, as her primary intent was to find a suitably satisfying marriage for Chu Jinnian, encouraging him to marry early. If Chu Jinnian was already betrothed, it could actually hasten his matrimonial matters.
“So, which family’s girl did your mother pick for you? What’s her background, character, and looks like?” The Empress inquired.