Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1620 The Rules of Blind Dates

The following morning, at the Royal Garden Panda Pavilion.

"You came?"

"I am coming."

"You are finally here."

"I've finally arrived."

"I never expected that my mom would be the first to urge me."

"I never expected that the piece of roasted meat I cut off would be brought to the Empress Dowager."

In the bamboo warehouse, two people were splitting bamboo.

"So why did you agree?" Zhu Ling asked.

"I'd also like to ask you why you agreed?"

"Because... there's one point you made that makes a lot of sense. It can save both of us a lot of trouble, since I'm getting on in years. If I don't go on blind dates, my aunt will probably arrange one for me. Then, I'm afraid I won't be able to refuse—you know, it's not that I can't refuse. It's just that everyone who gets a message through my aunt has a lot of face to save. If I say that, it will hurt their pride."

"Suddenly thinking about saving face, that's not like you."

Zhu Ling shook her head: "It's not that I don't understand anything, I just don't want to think about it—but if I agree to go on a blind date with you, I can continue not to think about these issues. Besides, what we usually do is actually similar to going on a blind date, right? We seem to have spent enough time together already."

"Yeah"

Shangluo noticed something—Zhu Ling did indeed possess some of the Zhu family's habits: when faced with pressure, they hoped to relieve it by focusing on one thing, and they often became ridiculously focused on what they were doing. For example, Zhu Xianxi always got up early every morning, as did a certain carpenter, a certain mathematician, a certain pharmacologist, and so on.
They were all under a lot of pressure. If we're talking about the one under the most pressure, besides the carpenter, it would be Zhu Xianxi.

Although Zhu Xianxi doesn't say it himself, he faces the pressure of major changes. When he inherited this position, he probably didn't expect that he would be the one standing in the last shift; he has so much to do.

For him as a child, alchemy was a form of spiritual practice. But after he truly ascended to the throne, alchemy became a way to relieve his stress. Every morning he would check the alchemy furnace, adjust the parameters, and then continue alchemy for another day—it was like fishing; who knows, he might catch a big fish.
As for Zhu Ling, although she didn't seem to be under any pressure, her focus on her side hustle might not necessarily be due to pressure; she just liked having something to do. However, recently, she's become more focused on her work than ever before, and she even volunteered to persuade the red panda.

His recent behavior is indeed due to the pressure he's been under. For her, the greatest pressure undoubtedly stems from the fact that, as she grows older, she must begin to fulfill her duties as the eldest princess—and for the eldest princess, that most important and primary duty is the proper conduct of sexual relations. This is the same as the emperor's duty, whose most important duty is also to fulfill the proper conduct of sexual relations.

Although the rites of marriage have many informal meanings in informal settings, for the emperor, the rites of marriage meant marriage. It encompassed a series of ritual activities centered on marriage, all of which began with matchmaking.

The so-called "rites of conduct" refers to the etiquette of maintaining harmonious human relationships, which was considered the duty of a monarch. This was ethical education; it would be outrageous for the emperor not to marry.

For a long time, Zhu Ling had been troubled by this issue—but now, all of that was unnecessary. As long as she went on a blind date with Shang Luo, she could be in a state of being both "married" and "unmarried," fulfilling the prerequisite of "proper conduct": not all marriages are about harmonious relationships; only those based on proper etiquette are acceptable. And a blind date was necessary before marriage. Following the rules step by step was the only way to behave like a princess.

Once Zhu Ling accepts the arranged marriage, the burden on her shoulders will be lifted immediately. Because as long as she is in a state of "harmonious human relations," she will not be chosen as the target of the "propriety of human relations" to be punished.

The situation of blind dates is actually quite special. It has little to do with personal feelings, but rather it is about "cultivating personal feelings." It also implies "cultivating personal feelings under the guidance and encouragement of education," but it does not force the two people to develop feelings for each other.

In other words, if the blind date is successful, that's naturally good, as it allows the traditional marriage ceremony to continue.

But if it doesn't work out, it doesn't really matter—because blind dates aren't necessarily a must-success situation. Two people meet under the guise of societal expectations, but those expectations can't force a match.

Thus, this becomes a relationship that runs parallel to that of lovers. It's above friendship but below marriage. It can move forward at any time, but it can also end at any time, without putting any pressure on either person.

Of course, this mainly relieved Zhu Ling's pressure—after all, Shangluo doesn't have much pressure.

"You're just like your brother in this respect."

"Huh??? You and my brother are going on a blind date too? This isn't very appropriate, is it? I knew you were playing the White Fox the first time we met."

"What nonsense! I mean, your brother also thinks he can ask me to handle troublesome matters."

"Oh, I see."

"What else could it be?"

"Well, I guess I've been reading too many comics. Come to think of it... But you're really a nice person; you helped me when I asked. So, is there anything you want?"

Shangluo shook his head: "I don't need you to repay me. After all, I don't dislike this."

He didn't actually dislike it. In fact, he was somewhat pleased. After all, he didn't dislike Zhu Ling.

"Hmm," Zhu Ling said, bending down to split a bamboo. "So, thank you very much. This has been a great help to me."

"Didn't you already thank me?"

“I just remembered something else—since we’ve decided to go on blind dates, we have to follow the rules of blind dates, right?”

"What are the 'rules of blind dating'?"

“We should meet at a set time,” Zhu Ling replied. “We’ve seen each other a lot before, but we haven’t had regular meetings. If we’re going to go on this blind date, then we need to spend some time together at a fixed time each week. What do you think?”

“Sure,” Shangluo nodded. “How do we choose? You decide. I can adjust the schedule according to your arrangements.”

"Then, to make things convenient for both of us, let's set it as a weekly get-together—it's fine to do it in a public setting. We can go out for dinner together, and then take a walk or go shopping afterwards. Hmm, that would be great."

(End of this chapter)