The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 10: This is a marriage fraud

"I am attracted to Xu Rongrong, the daughter of Xu Chaoqian, the Minister of Works, and I earnestly request Your Majesty to grant her marriage." Inside the Zhengyang Palace, at the Qixi Festival banquet, Weiyuan Marquis Mu Rong once again pleaded with the emperor.

The whole house was in an uproar.

The emperor was a little confused. He stood up and looked around: "Whose family is the Xu Rongrong that Rong Ge'er mentioned?"

It’s not the emperor’s fault for not knowing about it, but the sixth-rank officials in the Zhou Dynasty were not required to attend court meetings, and His Majesty the Emperor had no idea that there was such a person in his court.

But as an emperor, he had to at least give his subjects some face. It was not appropriate to ask in public who the court councilor was, so he had to choose his daughter.

Xu Rongrong sighed.

Amidst the envious gazes of those around him and the resentful gazes of Xu Liu, he slowly walked to the steps and knelt down according to etiquette.

"Your humble servant, Xu Rongrong, wishes the Emperor and Empress good health and happiness."

Seeing her graceful demeanor and the bearing of a lady at such a young age, the emperor and empress looked at each other with satisfaction.

Because she was a woman, the Queen said, "Raise your head, so that Your Majesty and I can have a good look at the beauty of this young lady who has captivated the Marquis Weiyuan of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Xu Rongrong looked up as she was told.

"It's really good-looking." The Queen nodded, "No wonder our Rong Ge can't forget it."

The Crown Princess, who was sitting at the bottom, smiled and jokingly said, "This beauty is not inferior to Jiaojiao's."

Hearing this, Lin Jiaoyue's face, which was already pale, became even more embarrassed. She felt as if her face was being trampled under Mu Rong's feet, and she couldn't control herself for a moment.

"Yes, the Empress Dowager was stunned when she saw Princess Qingyang." The Fourth Prince Wu Tianqi spoke up to help her out.

Xu Rongrong's heart was not stirred by the crowd's praise. In her previous life, as the concubine of the Marquis of Weiyuan, she had no right to show her face in front of these royal nobles. During festivals, she could only kowtow outside the palace.

Now, when she walked in front of people, she was just so-so and felt bored.

But this expression had a different interpretation in the eyes of the emperor and empress.

The Emperor was very pleased. "As expected, she is dignified. It is rare for her to be so composed during her first audience. It shows that she was well brought up. What do you think, Empress?"

The Queen smiled and said, naturally she was happy to do the favor: "Since Rong'er has asked, I will naturally agree. The Minister of Works is also a sixth-rank official in the capital. This girl can marry Weiyuan Hou as a concubine."

The emperor was about to nod when Mu Rong interrupted him, "Thank you, Your Majesty, and the Empress, for your kindness! However, I am attracted to the eldest daughter of the Xu family, and I would like to marry her as my principal wife. I beg your Majesty and the Empress for your permission!"

"You!..." The emperor and empress looked at each other again. This was going to be serious!

"Ah?..." Everyone was shocked again. Marquis Weiyuan wanted to marry the daughter of a sixth-rank official as his wife?

"No!..." Lin Jiaoyue shouted in her heart, does Brother Rong know what he is doing?

"What?..." Xu Chaoqian was a little confused. He leaned closer to Xu Liushi and whispered, "Pinch me..."

Xu Rongrong looked at Mu Rong's profile in surprise, with countless questions in her mind... Why is everything different from the previous life?

In her previous life, she had put in all her efforts, only to be given the position of a concubine without love or favor. But what was going on today?

She couldn't help but look at Lin Jiaoyue. The woman who had been cherished by Mu Rong in her previous life now looked heartbroken. Could it be that these two were playing a sadomasochistic love game?

She was puzzled when the Queen spoke:

"It's rare that Brother Rong likes her so much, but this marriage is consensual. Miss Xu, are you willing to marry Marquis Weiyuan?"

Xu Rongrong pondered for a moment, then prostrated herself and replied, "I bow to the Emperor and Empress for their grace, and I thank the Marquis of Weiyuan for his kindness. However, the Marquis is a formidable general of the Great Zhou, his divine might and unstoppable power. I, a humble servant, confined to the inner chambers with little experience, fear I am not a suitable match for the Marquis of Weiyuan. I beg the Emperor and Empress to choose another wife for him."

Her voice was not loud, but everyone in the hall could hear it clearly.

Because there was silence in Zhengyang Palace.

"There are people who refuse to accept Marquis Weiyuan's proposal?!" This is what everyone is thinking.

The emperor and empress had obviously never encountered such a situation before, and they both saw disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Hahahaha..." Crown Prince Wu Tianao clapped his hands and laughed, breaking the strange atmosphere in the hall. He pointed at Mu Rong and said with great joy, "Brother Rong, I don't like you."

Several princes also joined in the joke, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Mu Rong did not feel embarrassed, because he was no less shocked than anyone else in the hall!

Every word spoken in the girl's soft voice indicated that she didn't want to marry him!

how so……

Is it...

Mu Rong felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

Lin Jiaoyue saw his expression clearly. She picked up the cup inconspicuously, took a sip, and snorted in her heart: You don't know how to appreciate my kindness.

The sound of a table being knocked over was heard in the hall.

Everyone looked for the person and saw an official stumbling over. Someone recognized him and explained to those around him, "This is Xu Chaoqian, the Minister of Works."

Xu Chaoqian hurried forward and knelt down: "My daughter has behaved badly. I beg the Emperor and Empress to forgive me."

The emperor naturally wouldn't criticize him for such a small matter, but Xu Rongrong had embarrassed his nephew after all, so he was somewhat displeased and said in a light tone, "You have raised a good daughter."

Xu Chaoqian shuddered when he heard that and glared at Xu Rongrong: "You've lost your mind!"

After saying this, he quickly apologized to Mu Rong, "It is my daughter's blessing to be favored by the Marquis, but I have spoiled her since she was young. The Marquis must not treat her with such arrogance."

Mu Rong's gaze passed over him and turned to Xu Rongrong: "What you just said, is it really what you think in your heart?"

There was a candlelight beside Xu Rongrong. When she raised her head, her hair glowed with the flames.

She looked up at Mu Rong, her gaze unwavering. "General Mu is the envy of thousands of young ladies. I am of low status and foolishness, so I dare not pursue him."

Although she didn't know what Mu Rong was up to, she didn't want to get involved in his life anymore.

She was unwilling to repeat the mistakes of her previous life, nor did she want to offend this powerful person. After all, she had to make money in the imperial capital, and offending Marquis Weiyuan would not end well.

Therefore, she could only do it reluctantly and belittle herself.

The bustle in Zhengyang Palace also spread to the back hall.

Wu Ping, the son of Marquis Changxing, did not dare to enter the palace and stood in the corner accompanied by his mother.

His eyes were playful: Very good! If she really married Weiyuan Hou, what would he do?

Mu Rong's sharp eyesight immediately spotted the person lurking in the corner. He frowned slightly and caught sight of Xu Chaoqian, who was sweating profusely and had a fawning look on his face. He came up with a plan:

"Your Majesty and Empress, a few days ago, I personally proposed to Lord Xu to marry the eldest daughter of the Xu family, and we exchanged engagement letters. What I did today was careless. I wanted to give her a surprise, but I didn't expect to scare her instead."

Xu Chaoqian's eyes widened, and he looked at Mu Rong in bewilderment: When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?

Seeing his dazed look, the emperor smiled and said, "Lord Xu, tell me what you think."

This was the first time the emperor had spoken to him in person, and Xu Chaoqian felt like he was about to throw himself on the ground. "Indeed...it is indeed as Marquis Weiyuan said. The Marquis has proposed marriage to me, and I have already exchanged my daughter's horoscope with yours. The Marquis also asked me to keep this matter a secret from my daughter. It was my failure to handle it properly that led to everyone's misunderstanding."

What's the difference between this and marriage fraud?! Xu Rongrong was furious, but she had no idea how to deal with it:

Mu Rong, General Mu, you really know how to manipulate others! With Xu Chaoqian's personality, even if the person proposing marriage was an old, frail, and perverted man, as long as he held a high position, he would agree without hesitation.

You made up a story like this? Mu Rong...are you still the same person from your previous life?

The emperor smiled and said, "Brother Rong usually looks cold and heartless, but I didn't expect him to be so attentive. But as someone who has been through this, I have to teach you a lesson: this woman needs to be coaxed. If she's frightened or pushed into a corner, you'll end up losing more than you gain. If it weren't for Lord Xu stepping in today, I would have thought you were going to snatch the bride in public."

Mu Rong bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "I was reckless. From now on, I will doubly protect Miss Xu and will never hurt her in the slightest."

The Emperor and Empress nodded in satisfaction, and everyone in the palace was envious:

"I didn't expect that Weiyuan Hou, who has killed countless people, would be so interested in Xu Rongrong."

"Who says it's not true? It's a pity that my daughter is still young, otherwise I would have put my old face on the line and begged His Majesty and His Majesty for a favor today."

"..."Xu Rongrong knew that she would not be able to escape this time.

As she sat down, Lin Jiaoyue's nails were pinched off.