The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

The fourth prince left reluctantly, only returning to the palace at night.

As soon as he entered the palace, Emperor Chu Yuan sent someone to summon him, as if he had been waiting for him all along.

"Father, I heard you've arranged a marriage for me with the daughter of the Minister of Personnel. Which daughter of the Lin family is she?"

After bowing, the fourth prince casually approached Emperor Chu Yuan without any restraint.

Emperor Chu Yuan was not angry. "The daughter of the Minister of Personnel is surnamed Qi, not Lin. And you are her savior!"

"Thud!" The fourth prince lost his balance and fell to the ground. "She...she's not my future sister-in-law, is she?"

"Your future sister-in-law is a girl from the Lin family, don't get it wrong." Emperor Chu Yuan glanced at her indifferently, completely unconcerned that everything he knew about what happened at the Imperial Estate was being exposed to the Fourth Prince.

"The person who relayed the message is too stingy; they didn't even explain it clearly," the Fourth Prince muttered, having calmed down.

"What are you muttering about now? Are you dissatisfied with this marriage? If so, then Miss Qi—"

"Father, I am satisfied. This is very good. Miss Qi has great integrity, and I admire her very much."

Since learning of their connection, he had someone investigate the events of the past two years. Qi Yuejiao's attitude towards her savior, the "First Prince," was indeed different from that of an ordinary person.

This marriage is the best option for him at present. Apart from his father Qi Da being an official in the court, Qi Yuejiao has no other brothers to help her and has no worries about being related to relatives.

His mother came from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, a family of great prestige. Unfortunately, her father was suspicious of her, and she did not have a happy life.

This marriage arrangement will put the Emperor at ease and the Empress Dowager at ease as well, which is indeed a good thing.

"Father, why didn't you arrange a wife for me from a humble family, but instead assigned me the daughter of a high-ranking official?"

The fourth prince was used to being at ease in front of Emperor Chuyuan, so he was not restrained at all, which made Emperor Chuyuan relax a bit as well.

"Your older brother is becoming more and more stubborn, so you should be more tolerant of him in the future."

"Why should I give way to them? They are all your sons. Why should I give way to them? I am the youngest. Shouldn't these older brothers give way to me?"

The fourth prince bristled, stood up from his seat, pulled up a stool, and came to Emperor Chu Yuan's side. "Your subject must tell you all about what happened at the banquet. It's truly fortunate that Miss Qi canceled her engagement with him."

"You are the legitimate son of the Empress, and after my death, you will naturally inherit the throne. Your brothers will all be your helpers..."

Emperor Chu Yuan spoke at length, then looked up and saw the Fourth Prince, who was drowsy. Enraged, he roared:

"Did you hear what I said? Starting tomorrow, you will stay by my side and learn how to handle state affairs. You are not allowed to work sporadically!"

The fourth prince was startled and slid off his chair. "Father, you are still so young, how can you need your son's help? My three elder brothers are all outstanding individuals, and they can share your burdens. I should first follow my teachers to study and practice martial arts. I'm going to Mother's palace to have something to eat, I won't keep you company any longer!"

After saying this, the fourth prince ran off in a flash and disappeared without a trace.

Emperor Chu Yuan sat at the table, the smile in his eyes gradually fading.

He clapped his hands, and the masked man in black reappeared. "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Based on your observations, how long do you think they live?" Emperor Chu Yuan's face was expressionless, and his tone was flat.

The person kneeling on the ground felt a chill. "Your Majesty, the message from the Eighteenth Prince, who is with the Fourth Prince, is that the Fourth Prince recites scriptures for you and the Empress every day. When he has free time, he goes to the villa halfway up Qingshuang Mountain to visit Lord Luo. During this time, he does not associate with the sons of powerful and wealthy families who go to the estate. On the contrary, he keeps his distance from them."

"Where is the third child?"

“The Third Prince followed the Second Prince into the mountains to hunt every day and had no time to pay attention to the noble ladies he encountered. However, the Second Prince was interested in Grand Secretary Han’s second daughter, and after the Ghost Festival, the two of them agreed to go hunting in the mountains together.”

As for the Third Prince and Han Yueshi, let's not even mention them; the news from the other side is that he is in love but she is not.

"The second son likes Han Zhen's second legitimate daughter?" After learning this news, Emperor Chu Yuan kept stroking the jade thumb ring on his hand, somewhat undecided.

If Han Lingzhi is to marry the second son, who should be chosen as the bride for the political marriage?

Previously, when Consort Rui mentioned Han Cuiyin, Emperor Chuyuan did not take it to heart.

The emperor of Yun Kingdom prefers spirited women, and previously only Lin Jiabao and Han Lingzhi were suitable.

However, Lin Jiabao's arranged marriage to the eldest prince is causing headaches for Prince Chen.

Between Han Lingzhi and Han Cuiyin, who should you choose?

"Your Majesty, there's something amiss with Princess Wenmin. She suspects that the Crown Prince's wife was secretly murdered, not died of illness," the man in black on the ground mentioned, as if repaying the kindness of the Crown Prince's wife in saving his missing sister.

"Send Wenmin back tomorrow and summon her in the name of the Empress."

The fourth prince left the imperial study, unaware of what would happen next.

If they had known, they would have certainly stopped Emperor Chu Yuan from making a move on Han Cuiyin.

Han Cuiyin is no ordinary person. If she were to be sent away for a marriage alliance, it would be a complete blow to the fate of the enemy country.

He still vividly remembered what happened in the forest on the day of the Ghost Festival. Putting aside Luo Jingqian, if Han Cuiyin really went to marry a foreign ruler, the situation in the surrounding countries would probably be immediately disrupted.

The Empress had a table of food prepared, and when she saw him arrive, she pretended to have a stern face and asked, "Changshou, you weren't in a hurry to come back after you got there. Don't you know your mother was worried?"

"Mother, with Cousin Jingqian here, what could possibly happen to me!" After the Fourth Prince sat down, he didn't need the palace servants to serve him food; he picked at his food until he had filled his stomach.

"He'll be married soon, yet he's still not behaving properly." The Empress was dignified, and her words were gentle, lacking any intimidating force.

"Mother, did you ask for the Qi family girl?" The fourth prince was suddenly betrothed for some reason, and he still had two older brothers who were not yet married. There was no need for him to be in such a hurry.

"Of course not. Don't you know that the more the Empress Dowager asks for something, the more your father does the opposite? Back when he wanted to marry the daughter of the Imperial Preceptor Xu, your father chose three daughters of minor officials of the seventh rank..."

As the story progressed, even the Empress, with her good temper, couldn't help but frown.

The mother and son talked for a while longer before the Empress sent the Fourth Prince back to rest.

"Sigh, I wonder what kind of character the Qi family's daughter has?"

The Empress sighed, her voice filled with helplessness. Emperor Chu Yuan's actions had caught the mother and son completely off guard.

"Tomorrow, I will send a message to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, asking my sister-in-law to enter the palace. Changshou doesn't object to this marriage; it might just be a good match."

However, she didn't really trust Emperor Chu Yuan, so she still wanted her family to help her find out more.

Qingshuang Mountain, Lin Family Village.

Lin Jiabao looked apprehensive when she saw her father sitting in the pavilion. "Father, what brings you here?"

"The Emperor is going to bestow a marriage upon you and the First Prince. The imperial decree will arrive tomorrow. Behave yourself these next few days to avoid trouble from your maternal grandfather, who might then abandon you."

The expected outburst did not occur; instead, Lin Chang brought good news, which greatly relieved Lin Jiabao.

"How did Father find out? Doesn't that mean I don't have to go through the marriage alliance?"

Lin Chang looked at his eldest daughter as if she were a fool, "You've made a foolish mistake once, that's enough. Tomorrow you will return to the capital and wait to receive the imperial decree to marry."

Lin Jiabao casually asked, "Isn't Father going back?"

"I have to stay and clean up this mess!" Lin Chang's face darkened, and he dismissed the man.

Both he and Jialuo are intelligent people, so I don't know how they ended up with such a stupid daughter.