Marrying Gold and Jade

The Qianqing Palace at this time.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to grant my wish!"

Emperor Xianzhen had already gone to bed, but when he heard that his only daughter had come to him in the middle of the night, he still came to see her in his clothes. At this time, he leaned back in the rosewood armchair, quietly looking at the girl lying on the ground.

Just now she expressed her ambition to go to the northwest to join the army.

He had always known that Pingyao was an unusual girl. She had been taught by the Queen for many years, but unlike her mother who always talked about rules and etiquette, she was more like him in her heart.

If he could go back twenty years, Emperor Xianzhen thought, he would admire such a girl very much.

But Pingyao is her daughter, not only her own, but also the queen's daughter.

The man pointed at the desk in front of him and suddenly said, "The clothing bureau is not doing its job properly. The new cloak I made for you this year is so short."

Pingyao, who was lying on the ground, looked up when he heard the voice. He met his father's sidelong gaze with a slightly evasive look.

"Your son...I came out of my mother's palace in a hurry. A palace maid saw that my clothes were thin, so she offered me a piece of clothing."

Emperor Xianzhen knew that his daughter was not a good liar. Seeing her hesitating and not daring to look at him, he knew that the matter was not that simple.

What's more, Kunning Palace is connected to Qianqing Palace. If she really came from the Queen's place, why would she be so late?

After keeping a secret in mind, Emperor Xianzhen finally got to the point: "You want to join the army just to avoid getting married?"

Pingyao's marriage was delayed for many years. When the former queen talked about it, he neither refuted the queen nor forced his daughter, and acted as a peacemaker.

It was just that Pingyao would be twenty years old in a few days. So when the empress mentioned it again, Emperor Xianzhen had no choice but to nod.

"No, Father! I have been practicing horse riding and archery since I was young. Do you remember that my third brother once presented you with the 'shooting arrows through a willow' at your birthday banquet? He practiced hard for a month, but I can do it in three days!"

"When I was sixteen, I practiced martial arts with my brothers. None of them could match me! If they could fight in battle, why couldn't I?"

She begged eagerly, asking for a way out for herself and even more so for fairness with her brothers.

Emperor Xianzhen listened carefully, then suddenly laughed and shook his head slightly.

"Father..."

"I was just thinking, being young is good. It makes me ambitious. I can't wait to rush to Hexi and chop off the little prince's head."

He did not say yes or no. Pingyao thought for a moment, and Emperor Xianzhen said, "But I am getting old after all."

When he was young, he had high aspirations and didn't care about anything. He just wanted to fight the enemy and recover lost territory. Now that he is nearly fifty years old, he just wants to accumulate more merits for himself so that future generations can praise him as a great emperor.

"I have so many sons, but I didn't expect that the only one who looks like me is you."

Pingyao felt more alive the more he listened, and stood up and asked carefully, "Father, do you want me to go?"

Lin Yu really got it right. The mother didn’t agree, but the father agreed?

Emperor Xianzhen raised his eyebrows slightly, without even looking at his daughter kneeling below, and stood up to go to the bedroom, muttering: "It's useless even if I agree. You are also your mother's daughter. Even if I go and ask, your mother won't agree."

Just before stepping out of the palace, the emperor glanced and said, "Pingyao, for some things you not only have to ask others for help, you also have to fight for it yourself."

Having said this, and without caring about his daughter's reaction, the eunuch outside the door immediately came forward to light the lamp, and the group went away together.

Pingyao was left kneeling there, wondering whether his father had agreed or not.

After pondering almost every word he said, Pingyao finally realized: Father had no objection, but he could not convince Mother.

Finally, she said that she had to fight for it on her own.

She slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Maybe Lin Yu was right. At worst, she could just run away, hoping her father would be willing to cover for her in the palace...

Emperor Xianzhen returned to his bedroom and sat on the couch, but he couldn't fall asleep.

"Li Quan!"

As soon as he spoke, a eunuch bowed and came in from the outer room.

"His Majesty orders."

Emperor Xianzhen stared at him for a moment, crossed his legs on the couch, and suddenly said in dissatisfaction: "Why didn't I realize that you have become so old!"

"Oh, my master," Li Quan said with a smile, "I have been following you since I was seventeen. It has been almost forty years in the blink of an eye. If I were not old, I would have been regarded as a monster and tied up and burned!"

As an old friend, he knew best how to make people happy. Emperor Xianzhen sneered when he heard this.

"I ascended the throne at the age of seven, and you were serving me in the Palace of Heavenly Purity at that time. So, I have been emperor for almost forty years."

The past events of his youth are still vivid in his mind, but when he glances at the people around him, he sees that they are hunched over, with faces that look like they were weathered and sharp.

In fact, he knew in his heart that Li Quan was getting old, and he was getting old too.

He turned around and lay down on the couch, like a teenager, with his hands behind his head, "I remember when I was ten years old, I was flying a kite in the Imperial Garden. I asked you to climb a tree, but you fell flat on your face."

Li Quan stepped forward and said, "Fortunately, we were young then. If it were today, I'm afraid all my bones would fall apart."

Seeing that the emperor was lying on his back without answering, Li Quan rolled his eyes and said, "It was fortunate that Miss Jiang was there at that time."

"Yes." Emperor Xianzhen was indeed thinking about her. "Remember she is five years older than me. Li Quan, do you think she will age?"

"People who eat grains will grow old, get sick and die. However, Your Majesty is the true dragon emperor, blessed by God..."

"Oh, okay, okay! You're really getting more and more annoying as you get older. Don't say these flattering words to me!"

Li Quan hurriedly pretended to slap his mouth, "Yes, yes, my mouth is getting less and less useful as I get older."

Seeing the emperor turning over on the dragon couch, Li Quan stepped forward and said, "It's late at night, Your Majesty should go to bed early."

"Ah."

Emperor Xianzhen was a little tired, but he was still thinking about his youth. For a moment, the tree wanted to be still, but the wind did not stop.

Before going to bed, he instructed: "Didn't the Grand Master go to see her when he returned home this time? Ask him to come and talk to me tomorrow."

"Yes, I can save that."

"Also, where did Pingyao go after leaving Kunning Palace today? Find out for me."

"Yes."

……

Two days later, Princess Pingyao’s 20th birthday party was held.

Considering that her daughter really didn't want to get married, the queen still left some wiggle room for her. She selected five young talents who were not yet married and wanted her to meet her today and choose one of them.

But the palace maid went back and forth to ask for help, but Pingyao kept delaying and never showed up.

The emperor was also here today. Compared to the queen's urging and blaming, he seemed to turn a blind eye and instead advised the queen not to be anxious.

Finally, half an hour later than the originally scheduled time for the banquet, the maidservant beside Pingyao knelt tremblingly in front of the palace and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your Majesty, please forgive me. Princess, the princess..."

"What happened to the princess?"

Emperor Xianzhen did not listen to the rest of the story. He leaned back and realized that his daughter had taken his words to heart.