The delicate little cabbage was pushed by the old emperor

"I have decided to betroth my fifth princess Mengxi to General Ye's eldest son Ye Jinzhi, and the marriage will take place after the princess reaches the age of 15." When Emperor Yong'an said this, the whole audience was in an uproar.

The fifth princess was the legitimate daughter of the queen. The queen and the imperial concubine were incompatible with each other. Letting the fifth princess marry someone from the Ye family would make her feel more uncomfortable than killing her.

Not only was the Queen unwilling to do this, the Ye family was also extremely reluctant. If an ordinary person could marry a princess it would be a great joy, but for a general it was really difficult.

If he really became the princess's consort, it would mean that he would no longer have control over the military power. At this moment, Ye Jinzhi could no longer force a smile on his face.

Although Ye Huan was not satisfied, he still kept a smile on his face. He didn't know whether this was a test of the Ye family by the emperor or he really wanted his son to marry the princess.

However, they must not make any mistakes at this moment. If they are caught, the loss will outweigh the gain. He secretly helped Ye Jinzhi and told him not to act rashly.

He believed that the Lu family was not very willing to do so, and the queen would especially try to stop it.

Sure enough, the Queen couldn't help but speak after a while, "Your Majesty, please think twice. Mengxi is still young. I want to keep her for a few more years and let her accompany me for two more years!"

The empress looked at Emperor Yong'an with tears in her eyes, looking weak and unable to take care of herself.

The fifth princess also sincerely expressed her desire to continue to stay with her father and mother to fulfill her filial piety.

The Lu family, who had been silent until then, also instigated some of the ministers present to echo, "Yes, Your Majesty, the Fifth Princess has not yet reached the age of marriage."

But Emperor Yong'an had made up his mind. "My dear ministers, there is no need to persuade me any further. I have made up my mind. General Ye is handsome and a perfect match for my princess. The two of them are a match made in heaven."

"If the Emperor is determined to reward General Ye and grant him a marriage, why not grant a marriage between Ye Jinzhi and the Second Princess Mengli?"

"Mengli is now of age, and her age is just right for General Ye, so she's a good match."

After listening to this, Emperor Yong'an thought for a moment and seemed to think that the Queen's suggestion was good.

The Queen slowly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Emperor Yong'an had listened to her. Just as she saw Emperor Yong'an was about to draw a conclusion, the Ye family suddenly spoke.

Not only does the Queen not want to let her daughter marry into the Ye family, she even wants to push another princess to the Ye family. Why should she be the only one to have all the benefits?

At this moment, Ye Jinzhi could no longer bear it. He didn't want to marry a princess or be a useless prince consort!

He immediately stepped forward and pleaded, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. However, I only want to fight on the battlefield right now and have no plans to marry or have children. So I beg Your Majesty to withdraw your order!"

Emperor Yong'an smiled and said, "I know that General Ye has his own ambitions, but you are already an adult. If you are not anxious, your father should be anxious. Don't you agree, my dear Ye?"

Ye Huan, who was named, quickly agreed with a smile, "Your Majesty is right. Thank you for your consideration. I am indeed a little worried about my son's marriage."

He sighed and continued, "It's just that my rebellious son has such a bad temper now that even I, a humble servant, am sometimes helpless against him."

He was also feeling a little anxious. It seemed that the emperor was planning to arrange a marriage for their Ye family today.

The imperial concubine, who had been silent the whole time, looked at the awkward atmosphere and hurried out to smooth things over.

Smiling, she said, "Your Majesty, Jinzhi's temperament is indeed as my brother said, a bit naughty and not calm enough, but this kind of temperament also has its advantages. Just like me, she is straightforward and says what she thinks."

"You dare to refuse the emperor's kindness? I will ask my brother and sister-in-law to discipline him when I get back!"

"How about we just let the arranged marriage go today and discuss it later?"

Emperor Yong'an was silent for a moment, and finally agreed with a cold face, but he still promoted Ye Jinzhi to the rank of General Yunhui, a fourth-rank general.

All the ministers congratulated the Ye family, and for a time the Ye family was in great glory. Not only did they receive many rewards, but they were also given higher official positions, which made the Lu family extremely jealous.

This palace banquet lasted for two or three hours. When it ended, the moon was bright in the sky, and the ground was covered with silver light. The endless pavilions looked like they were covered with frost and snow. Bright lights were still on on both sides of the palace road, making it seem like dawn.

When Shen Leyan returned home, she was so sleepy that she couldn't open her eyes and quickly went to bed to rest.

On the other side, General Ye's mansion was still brightly lit.

After returning home, Ye Huan scolded Ye Jin severely, asking him why he rejected the emperor's kindness in public.

Ye Jinzhi disagreed and thought he was not wrong.

"Father, I don't like that princess at all, and I don't want to be her consort!"

"If I really marry the princess, I will no longer have military power!"

Ye Huan shook his head helplessly. "Do you think your father doesn't know? You shouldn't be so reckless. If I hadn't stopped you the first time, you would have gotten into big trouble."

"Even if you don't like the princess, you can't refuse her. What's more, the Fifth Princess is still the legitimate princess. The Queen and the Lu family are just waiting to find something to hold against us."

"Besides, the emperor's arranged marriage was a test to see our attitude. So, whether you marry the princess or not, you will not retain the military power."

"The day after tomorrow at the morning court, we will hand over the military power to the emperor!"

"Father, why is this happening?" Ye Jinzhi asked with some confusion.

They had just returned from a victorious battle, so why did they have to hand over their military power so soon? What was the use of those newly appointed Yunhui generals?

Ye Huan said earnestly, "You've been on the battlefield all your life, so you've rarely been exposed to the intrigues of the imperial court. The greatest taboo for all previous emperors is the interference of external relatives in government affairs, which threatens the emperor's power."

"Nowadays, there are countless people outside staring at our Ye family, especially the Lu family, who are eyeing us covetously, waiting for us to make a mistake. Now that we have won a victory and received a large reward from the emperor, we must act low-key to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion."

"Father also knows that the Lu family is eyeing us covetously, so we can't hand over the military power so quickly. If we don't have the military power, we will have to act according to others' wishes in the future."

"The military power is useless in our hands now. It would be a disaster if it were in our hands..."

"Alright, if Father wants to hand it over, then do it yourself. Anyway, I won't hand over my military power tomorrow!"

Ye Huan was shaking with anger. "You are simply fooling around! If you continue to be so willful, you will get into big trouble sooner or later!"

After saying that, Ye Huan turned and left, leaving Ye Jin alone in the room in deep thought.

He didn't understand why his father became so cautious after returning and asked him to act in the same way. This made him feel that it would be better to live happily at the border...