Spring Drunk Chang'an

Liu Chang'an, who lived a leisurely life deep in the palace, was unaware of the misery of the Liu family.

Ever since Liu Qingru was taken to the Ministry of Punishment and disappeared, and Liu Qingya was also kicked out of the palace, life in Chuxiu Palace has been quite dull.

The concubines didn't know whether they were afraid or for some other reason, but they no longer had any thoughts of competing for favor in secret, and there were not even any arguments. They were humble and gave in to each other, and lived in harmony with each other!

Peaceful days always pass by especially quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the days of waiting for selection in the palace were over.

In front of the Qiankun Palace, Emperor Yingwu personally issued an imperial decree...

As everyone knows, Xiao Xun's "no chicken" incident had exhausted the old emperor and he had no interest in the harem. Therefore, no one from the six palaces made it into this selection.

As for the royal family, in addition to Li Shuangshuang and Zhao Xiunv, one the prince's wife and the other the princess of a county, Han Shuyuan from Han Shoufu's family was also betrothed to the second son of an iron-hat prince.

Of course, there were also many beautiful girls who were assigned to members of the royal family, such as Duke of Fuguo, Duke of Zhenguo, second-class generals, etc.

In addition, there are also many arranged marriages in the court. In recent years, the elegant young men from the families of civil officials and military generals have almost been swept away...

Of the many selected beauties, except for a few who put down their names and arranged marriages on their own, the rest were all given marriages by the old emperor...

The first person to put up his name was undoubtedly Shi Xiaoyue. No one was surprised by this choice. After all, based on the birthmark on her face, everyone knew that she would not be chosen.

Even how this person made it to the final selection is a mystery...

But the second candidate who put up his name surprised everyone who was following the talent show!

Song Zhinian!!

The legitimate daughter of Duke Cheng'en, the niece of the Empress, the cousin of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, a famous socialite in the capital, it is almost known that she is the future Crown Princess!

How could you give up the sign?

Could it be that the Donggong Party and the Cheng'en Mansion had a falling out? No, that shouldn't be the case. He is my own grandfather. What good would it do to break up with him?

The nobles in the capital were at a loss, confused and regretful. If they had known that the candidate for the Crown Princess had not been decided, they should have tried harder, because that was the position of the future mother of the world!

The nobles were greatly annoyed, and they also noticed that, "...no one has entered the Eastern Palace yet. The girl from Duke Cheng'en's mansion didn't become the Crown Princess, but there should be Crown Princesses and Crown Consorts!"

"Your Highness is already in his twenties. It's uncertain whether he will return this time. Wait another three years!"

"How old is he?"

"Aren't you going to be a bachelor now?"

"What exactly does your majesty mean?"

Are you still trying to suppress the Crown Prince and help the Prince of Yan ascend to the throne? This shouldn't be the case. Isn't His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan injured in a serious area? Is he no longer a man?

And push him up?

It won’t work.

Besides, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already secured victory, and His Majesty has already compromised and is ready to abdicate, so what kind of trouble could there be?

The nobles in the capital were all intermarried and had many channels for spreading information. They had long been aware of what Emperor Yingwu had tried so hard to conceal.

So, I was completely confused and didn’t know what was going on because there was no one in the East Palace.

They decided to wait and see, but...

On the third day, the result of the wait-and-see period came out. Emperor Yingwu sent the chief eunuch to deliver the imperial edict to Duke Cheng'en's mansion.

In the mansion of Duke Cheng'en, Song Bin and Old Lady Song led the way, along with the rest of the princes, their wives, Song Zhilan, and all the other masters, especially Liu Chang'an. They set up a long table, placed incense burners on it, and knelt down in unison in the courtyard.

The chief eunuch held the imperial edict in his hands and read aloud:

"By the Will of Heaven: The Emperor proclaims: I have heard that the eldest granddaughter of Duke Cheng'en Song Bin, Liu Chang'an, is gentle, kind, virtuous, and of outstanding character and appearance. I am personally pleased to hear this."

"Now that the Crown Prince has reached the age of twenty and is of marriageable age, he should choose a virtuous woman as his match. Liu Chang'an is still unmarried and is a perfect match for the Crown Prince. I hereby betroth Liu Chang'an to the Crown Prince as his principal consort."

"All ceremonies will be handled jointly by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory, and an auspicious date will be chosen for the wedding."

"Drink this!"

The chief eunuch has finished delivering his orders.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live your Majesty!"

The Song family, led by Song Bin, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times before standing up to receive the imperial edict. Old Lady Song handed the chief eunuch a thick red envelope and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, General Manager! You've made such a long trip!"

"Of course, of course. For such a great event as the Crown Princess being bestowed upon us, I'm here to share in the joy!" The chief eunuch smiled politely and said, "Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations to your family!"

"Joy and rejoice together!"

Old Lady Song exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and then the chief eunuch left the imperial edict and tactfully took his leave.

Only the Song family was left in the courtyard.

"Well, Chang'an, you finally got what you wanted after all the hard work!" Song Bin sighed, his face full of emotion. He looked at Liu Chang'an and earnestly instructed: "Good boy, you and the prince must live a good life, in harmony and happiness. Discuss everything together, so that your fate will not be in vain!"

His daughters, Queen Song and Song Zhilan, all had unhappy marriages, especially the youngest daughter, who could be said to have been "tricked into marriage". Therefore, Song Bin had some psychological trauma about this behavior of "marrying girls".

He couldn't help but want to remind him.

Liu Chang'an held the imperial edict in his hands, his brows curved, and he said in a very good-natured manner: "Grandfather, don't worry, your granddaughter knows."

"My granddaughter and Your Highness will definitely discuss and work things out together until old age."

"That's good, that's good!" Song Bin rubbed his hands.

On the side, Old Lady Song pushed him and said angrily, "On such a happy day, why do you have that expression? Hurry up and take it away. Chang'an, come with your grandmother and talk to your mother. Let's discuss your dowry..."

"The Emperor has issued his decree. The Imperial Observatory will soon select an auspicious date. We must prepare in advance, otherwise we will be too late!"

"Grandma, don't worry. If you're worried about not having enough time, my mother prepared a dowry for me when I was in my teens. Now there are more than a hundred pieces. If Sister Chang'an wants to use it, feel free to take it first!"

Song Zhinian said loudly with a smile.

"How can that be? How can I use yours?" Song Zhilan said quickly, "I've already moved my dowry back, so I should use mine!"

"It doesn't need to belong to anyone else. I am Chang'an's father. I will buy it for her!" Prince Song took the responsibility.

The atmosphere in the mansion was warm.

The Crown Prince's wife chuckled as she watched the scene unfold. She turned her head sideways, quietly walked over to her daughter, and asked softly, "Do you regret coming here to deliver the imperial decree today?"

Song Zhinian raised an eyebrow and snorted nonchalantly, "What's there to regret? What's so good about getting married? You have to serve your parents-in-law, wait on your husband, manage concubines, look after illegitimate children, and manage the household expenses. You even have to pay for the dowry. It's a completely losing business!"

"I'm not doing that!"