CHAPTER 398: CHAPTER 398: IOU

Princess Shouning cried very sadly.

The Emperor hadn’t seen his daughter for a while and noticed she had lost a lot of weight.

With the heavy palace rules and the Phoenix Seal pressing down, she must have endured quite a bit.

The Emperor felt a bit of heartache.

But as soon as he thought about how Princess Shouning had intended harm but instead ended up being sold to the Baihua Building and needed the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion to save her, that bit of heartache disappeared.

This daughter needed to suffer a little and learn a lesson.

"Why are you fasting for no reason?" the Emperor asked.

Princess Shouning cried, "The Empress wants to marry me to someone I don’t like."

The Emperor furrowed his brow.

Before the Emperor could speak, Princess Shouning said, "Father, you spoil the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, she is a woman bandit who can choose the man she likes, even snatching him openly on the street."

"As your daughter is a princess, I don’t even have the right to choose someone I like to marry. What’s the point of living? I might as well die."

Princess Shouning’s outcry left the Emperor speechless.

Su Jin snatching a man in the street was indeed improper and disgraced her, yet the Emperor was still fond of her.

This showed that what she did did not displease the Emperor.

So if the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion could do it, Princess Shouning could as well.

She wouldn’t go so far as that; she only wanted to choose someone she liked to marry. Was that too much to ask?

The Emperor’s tightly furrowed brow wouldn’t relax, and he asked, "Who has the Empress taken a liking to?"

"The young master of the Left Minister’s Mansion," Princess Shouning said.

"Father, I don’t want to marry him."

The Left Minister’s Mansion?

A gleam of coldness flashed in the Emperor’s eyes.

"Alright, this matter I promise," the Emperor agreed immediately.

Princess Shouning broke into a smile through her tears, then pushed her luck.

"Father, can Shouning choose her own husband?" Princess Shouning pleaded coyly.

Before the Emperor could speak, Consort Li laughed and said, "It seems our Princess Shouning already has someone in mind."

Princess Shouning’s face turned red.

Seeing her expression, everyone knew she truly had someone in mind.

"I wonder which young talent has captured our Princess Shouning’s heart?" Consort Li gently probed.

Princess Shouning looked at the Emperor, pondering if she should directly tell her father, and whether he would grant her wish.

Just as she was about to speak, the Empress walked in from outside.

Knowing Consort Li had encouraged the Emperor to come to Fengyang Palace, the Empress feared it wouldn’t be for anything good, and hurriedly came, disregarding even the bird egg still in her hair bun.

Princess Shouning, as a legitimate princess, should be a model for daughters of the world—dignified, noble, reserved.

Since ancient times, marriages have been arranged by parents and matchmakers. How could one insist on marrying whomever one likes?

If Princess Shouning started this, how could the other princesses in the palace be restrained?

Don’t forget Consort Li has Princess Shuning under her care.

No woman in the harem lives harmoniously or thinks simply. Consort Li acts in her own interests, considering only her own children.

If she didn’t hurry, her daughter might be duped into happiness.

The Empress walked over and said, "How can Shouning, living deep within the palace, have an admirer?"

"It’s only that the Emperor dotes too much on the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, making her envious and jealous. The love story between the Eldest Young Madam and Young Master Xie is known throughout the Capital City."

The Empress deftly shifted the blame onto Su Jin.

Princess Shouning pleaded with the Emperor, "Father, please grant your daughter’s wish."

This request was impossible for the Emperor to agree to.

There was no such precedent in this dynasty.

Princess Shouning pouted and said, "Why can others be the first, but not your daughter?"

The Emperor frowned and said, "This is not a good thing."

Princess Shouning’s eyes welled with tears.

Consort Li then said with a smile, "Such an example indeed shouldn’t be set, or else all the women will want to choose their own husbands, wouldn’t that cause chaos?"

"While one cannot choose their own Prince Consort, if Princess Shouning refuses to marry, the Empress shouldn’t force her to drink water like a cow either. She fainted from hunger this time; who knows what will happen next?"

The marriages selected by the Empress for Princess Shouning are to pave the way for the Second Prince.

But Princess Shouning is considering her own future.

Consort Li had no reason not to lend Princess Shouning a hand in tripping up the Empress.

The Empress gritted her teeth in anger.

But no matter how angry she was, it was useless. Although the Emperor didn’t comply with Princess Shouning’s request, he did promise she wouldn’t have to marry the young master of the Left Minister’s Mansion.

After staying for a while, the Emperor left.

After the Emperor and Consort Li left, Princess Shouning kneeled down and begged the Empress, "Mother, if you don’t agree with your daughter, I won’t get up."

Princess Shouning’s face turned pale, and her body wobbled.

A palace maid looked at the Empress and said, "Your Majesty, the princess is weak and can’t handle much more."

"Can’t handle more?"

"I think she plays the weakling better than anyone!" said the Empress angrily.

The young master of the Left Minister’s Mansion is talented and handsome, a paragon among men, far superior to Prince NanAn. So why was she so determined to hang herself on the crooked tree that is Prince NanAn?

What kind of bewitching potion did Princess Nanan give her daughter?!

The more the Empress thought, the angrier she got.

But Princess Shouning just knelt and cried, her tears breaking the Empress’s heart.

After all, she was the one who had given birth to her, and her whole life was for them.

"Alright, get up," the Empress said helplessly.

Then, the Empress turned and left.

Princess Shouning was overjoyed and quickly got up.

Just kneeling for a while had made her knees hurt terribly.

"Quick, bring me food, I’m starving," Princess Shouning said, rubbing her growling stomach.

The palace maid quickly brought over some pastries.

After eating two pieces, a palace maid said, "Although you suffered a lot, at least you got your wish."

"If things don’t go my way, I’ll go to the street and snatch someone, I will always get what I want!" Princess Shouning said.

"Young Master Xie is poisoned and can’t fight back, otherwise how could the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion have snatched him?" another palace maid poured cold water.

Princess Shouning glared at her, "Can’t this princess poison someone first?!"

The palace maid was speechless.

In the Imperial Garden, on the rockery.

Young Master Su sat there, bored.

The Ninth Prince looked at him and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"There’s nothing fun in the palace; I’m leaving," Young Master Su said.

"Can’t you stay a few more days?" The Ninth Prince was reluctant to part with him.

Young Master Su was the Ninth Prince’s first friend.

If he left, the Ninth Prince would have no companion.

He was reluctant to see Young Master Su leave the palace.

The Ninth Prince was very curious about what was so fun outside the palace that made him unwilling to stay.

Young Master Su swung his legs and said, "There are too many fun places outside the palace..."

He described them to the Ninth Prince.

The Ninth Prince became eager to see them for himself.

Seeing this, Young Master Su said, "Why don’t I take you outside the palace for a look?"

"Can I?" The Ninth Prince asked excitedly.

Immediately, his gaze turned dim, "Father doesn’t allow me to leave the palace."

"You’re so clumsy, you can sneak out," Young Master Su suggested.

"My father doesn’t allow me to leave the Marquis Mansion, but here I am."

The Ninth Prince was persuaded.

Young Master Su then asked, "Do you have money?"

"You’ll need money to buy things outside the palace," Young Master Su explained.

The Ninth Prince shook his head.

Young Master Su scratched his head.

If you leave the palace without money, you’ll have to beg like a little beggar.

Young Master Su thought for a moment and then jumped down from the rockery.

"Come on, let’s go borrow some money," Young Master Su suggested.

"Who can we borrow from?" The Ninth Prince asked.

"Eunuch Fu."

Outside the Imperial Study, Eunuch Fu stood, watching Young Master Su and the Ninth Prince walk away.

Each had a silver note in their hand.

They chased, teased, and laughed with each other.

Eunuch Fu was on the verge of tears.

He had escaped a robbery by Marquis Dongxiang, but couldn’t avoid one by his son.

Eunuch Fu looked down at the paper in his hand.

It was an IOU from Young Master Su.

He was told to find his father for the debt when Marquis Dongxiang returned to the capital.

Eunuch Fu wondered where he had given Young Master Su the wrong impression that made him think he dared to ask his father for debts.

He felt that instead of calling it an IOU,

It was more like Young Master Su had taken 200 taels from him with a piece of paper.