novelraw Chapter 475 - 0450: I Give You Three Days to Hurry Up and Find a Man to Marry (2)
Chapter 475 - 0450: I Give You Three Days to Hurry Up and Find a Man to Marry (2)
Prince Luling had not yet spoken when Li Xingsheng exclaimed, "Dad, I don’t agree to send my sister for an arranged marriage! Let me go to the Capital, and I will kill that old bastard Pei Wenguang, and then that bastard Li Can! I have long been displeased with that guy! Our Zhao Country will sooner or later be ruined by him! The Li Family will sooner or later be destroyed by him!"
Li Xingmao looked at him with a stern face, "Second son, don’t just talk without thinking and say useless things! How are you going to assassinate Prime Minister Pei and the Emperor? The Capital is heavily guarded every year as the New Year approaches; all weapons are strictly prohibited!"
"..."
"Even if you manage to bring in weapons, how will you carry out the assassination? The Prime Minister’s Mansion has a lot of guards, and the Imperial Palace is protected by the Imperial Guard. I’m afraid you won’t even get close to them before losing your life."
Li Xingsheng really had no way, but couldn’t he at least curse a bit?
"Can’t I even curse? Didn’t Dad just curse too?" Li Xingsheng protested defiantly.
Princess Consort Luling looked at Prince Luling, her face full of worry, and said, "My lord, let her sisters escape. We still have some money at home; let them take it all with them. Right, let the second son take them away; heading west from Zhen An Prefecture is the foreign land of Nan’an Country. Once they’re away from here, let’s see how Li Can plans to make a move on them."
Prince Luling shook his head, "Madam, this is the last resort. Not to mention the treacherous and impassable mountain roads spanning thousands of kilometers, it’s deep winter. Entering the mountains, if they can’t find food or shelter from the wind and snow, or if they encounter wild beasts, it’s no different from sending them to their deaths!"
"..."
"Furthermore, madam, do not forget that the entire Wei Family is still in the Capital. Li Can wouldn’t dare to kill us few, but he might target the Wei Family!"
The Wei Family is the maternal family of Princess Consort Luling.
Distant and close relatives totalling one to two thousand people are scattered around the Capital.
There are ten or so families employed or doing business in the Capital alone, involving several hundred people.
Princess Consort Luling’s brothers, sons, and daughters are all intermarried with ministers in the court.
Prince Luling is only dethroned, not exiled. Should the Lu Ling Royal Mansion completely fall and become wanted criminals by the Emperor, the intermarried Wei Family may also not escape misfortune.
Upon mentioning the Wei Family, Princess Consort Luling’s face immediately changed.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Princess Consort Luling’s eyes turned red.
She did not fear punishment; she feared that her family could not be together.
Sending her daughters for arranged marriages with uncertain fates, she would never agree, not even in death. But she also hoped her brothers’ families would remain unharmed.
Li Xingsheng added, "Or, should we let them fake their deaths and go into hiding?"
"Alive means seeing the person, dead means seeing the corpse; how can that be covered up? Second son, that strategy won’t work." Li Xingmao shook his head.
Li Xingsheng also lost his spirit, "If this doesn’t work, and that doesn’t work, what on earth will work?"
In fact, ever since Pei Shenyan came to deliver the message to the Li Family yesterday morning, the family had been discussing this, avoiding Chai Eying and her maids, even sending the two children away.
Last night, the family talked until past midnight, but still couldn’t come up with a solution.
Li Yuzhu thought of an idea and said, "We are unmarried, so the court wants us for an arranged marriage. But if we get married? Surely they can’t force someone to divorce and then take her as a bride for an arranged marriage, right? Forcing a woman to marry a second husband is no different from forcing her into prostitution, right? The Emperor wouldn’t do such an immoral thing, would he? Unless he wants to be condemned by the people."
Everyone pondered her words, looking at each other.
"Married? But we’re not married," the Second Princess frowned.
Li Yuzhu’s words reminded Prince Luling.
Prince Luling looked at Princess Consort Luling, "Madam, let’s marry off the three sisters. Let’s see if Li Can still dares to ask them for an arranged marriage."
Princess Consort Luling looked at him in surprise, "What? This, this... and where can we find a household for them to marry in this haste?"
Prince Luling’s face was full of reproach, "Marry them to whoever they choose. We’ve been here almost a year, and you haven’t found anyone suitable? Isn’t there someone who likes them? What have you been doing every day?"
Princess Consort Luling felt extremely wronged. How could she have anticipated today would come?
Since the daughters were still young, the eldest just turned sixteen, and the second and third daughters were even younger, she never thought of marrying them off within a year or two.
Not having this in mind, she hadn’t been paying attention to suitable families for them.
The Second Princess was on the verge of tears again; indeed, no one liked her.
She hadn’t found anyone she liked either.
"Dad, what if no one likes me? I haven’t found anyone I like either." This time the Second Princess was truly heartbroken, tears streaming down, almost wailing.
The Great Princess pinched the fat on her shoulder, "Stop wailing!"
The Second Princess didn’t listen, continuing to whimper and sob.
The Great Princess rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Li Yuzhu, however, was not worried for herself because she already had someone in mind.
The Great Princess did not cry, but her expression was not relaxed. Many liked her, not a single one didn’t steal an extra glance after seeing her, but she hadn’t taken a liking to any of them.
Really, so many people like her, but which one should she marry?
"Father, are you just going to marry us off so casually?" The Great Princess said discontentedly.
Shouldn’t there be some time to make a choice?
She doesn’t want to marry someone hastily and regret it a few days later.
Prince Luling said, "Do you want to casually marry someone from the village or go for a diplomatic marriage?"
The Great Princess choked on his words and couldn’t reply.
Princess Consort Luling said, "Mr. Pei sent word that the palace will send the Princess of Heqin north in next January. So at the earliest, they will come here with an imperial edict by the end of December. It’s just the beginning of December now; people from the palace won’t come so soon. My lord, let the sisters prepare a bit, and find a suitable husband in the coming days. Rushing into marriage isn’t like a random match in a rural matchmaking event."
"Yes, father, mother is right," the Great Princess agreed.
She intends to write down the names of the men who fancy her and pick carefully.
Prince Luling said, "But don’t take too long. After you’ve decided, I need to host a grand banquet to announce to everyone that you’re getting married, so preparations for the banquet need to be done in advance. Alright, I’ll give you three days; you must find a husband by then."
The Great Princess felt relieved at this; surely in three days, she could find a satisfactory husband?
"Understood, father," she sighed.
The Second Princess was crying inwardly but still nodded bravely, "Understood, papa."
Only Li Yuzhu seemed relaxed.
Princess Consort Luling reminded everyone again, "Three daughters getting married in such haste might raise suspicion. If anyone asks, just say... say I did a divination with their birth charts, and if they don’t marry this year, there will be blood calamity next year."
This was a good idea, and everyone had no objections.
Li Yuzhu stood up and said, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be busy now."
Princess Consort Luling waved her hand in annoyance, "Go on, go on, you’ve been sitting in the carriage for so long, rest in your room."
"Got it, mother." Li Yuzhu smiled and ran out.
The Great Princess snorted coldly, "She’s still smiling; that heartless thing!"
Prince Luling then asked the Second and Great Princess to go back to their rooms and think of ideas.
The two of them left together.
Princess Consort Luling rubbed her forehead and waved to Li Xingmao, "You should go be busy too. E Ying is getting heavier, and there are two kids to look after; she’s quite busy, so you should go back."
Li Xingmao nodded, "Understood, mother." However, not entirely reassured about his parents, he instructed his second brother Li Xingsheng with a few words before leaving.
Li Xingsheng then said, "Speaking about letting the sisters choose a husband, the matter with the third sister is actually quite simple."
Princess Consort Luling and Prince Luling exchanged a glance and looked at him together, "You mean..."
Li Xingsheng said, "Mu Yuanxiu, that boy, although he’s a bit poor and an orphan, looks good and has a decent temperament. He’s nice to the third sister too, so let’s go with him."
Mu Yuanxiu’s character is naturally beyond question; having been around for nearly a year, Prince Luling and his wife have discerned his temperament.
Since the two children were still young, they hadn’t mentioned anything.
Now that matters have reached this stage, there’s no point in hiding anymore.
Prince Luling said, "Hmm, Yuanxiu, that child’s virtues are undeniable, even better than you three."
Li Xingsheng’s face turned dark, "Father, really, compliments are fine, but why do you always praise him while stepping over me? If this gets out, won’t I lose face?"
"Face is earned by oneself, not given by others," Prince Luling huffed.
Li Xingsheng was frustrated and turned his head away, unwilling to argue with Prince Luling.
Princess Consort Luling said, "He’s about the same age as Yuzhu, and they get along well, so let’s settle it this way." She didn’t object, "The eldest girl is clever from a young age; wherever she goes, men like her. I’m not worried about her, but I am concerned about the second girl; what should she do? She was crying in panic just now."
Thinking of the second daughter, who was as plump as Prince Luling, Princess Consort Luling felt a headache.
Having borne six children, five were as slim as she, and only the second daughter resembled Prince Luling—fond of eating and prone to gaining weight.
Her features were decent, except for the plumpness.
Unfortunately, chubbiness ruins beauty; no matter how she’s dressed up, she can’t quite compare to slimmer people.
The second daughter happens to be a quiet person, with a clumsy mouth too. Until now, no man has shown active interest in her.
Princess Consort Luling grew worried; should she just casually find a man to marry off the second daughter?
Prince Luling said, "As for the second girl’s matter, it’s not that difficult. Madam, why don’t you inquire around the village, see if there’s a boy of good character about the same age as our second girl? We’ll give a generous dowry and marry her off."