The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

Seeing Gong Shangjiao's expression, Qi Yan'an continued:

"Let's get engaged first, and let your younger brother and Miss Lin get to know each other. If your brother is unwilling, we can cancel the engagement."

Upon hearing this, Gong Shangjiao's expression softened considerably.

Inside the palace, the Emperor looked at the memorial submitted by Lin Ruhai, his expression unreadable.

Lin Ruhai, I thought you would be the last loyal subject, but I never expected you to choose sides too.

Since that's the case, he doesn't need to worry about the previous relationship between ruler and subject anymore; let them deal with it however they want.

At this moment, he completely forgot that it was he who had used Lin Ruhai as a target and kept him in Jiangnan for nearly ten years.

The Emperor's eyes turned cold, and he casually tossed the memorial to the eunuch. "The affairs of the martial arts world have long been entrusted to the Crown Prince. This matter will naturally be handled by the Crown Prince."

The young eunuch listened with trepidation, holding the memorial, and quickly left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Inside the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince, who was enjoying tea, couldn't help but smile when he received the memorial. He was usually unsmiling.

Unexpectedly, the person he had been trying to win over but had never been able to do so was pushed to his side by his father.

Lin Ruhai wouldn't have taken this step if he hadn't been forced into a desperate situation.

At the same time, Qi Yan'an also arrived at the East Palace.

"Brother, Gong Shangjiao has agreed. The marriage partner is his younger brother, Gong Yuanzheng."

"Excellent!" The Crown Prince clapped his hands and laughed. "I will immediately issue an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon Miss Lin and Young Master Zheng."

After thinking for a moment, the Crown Prince continued, "Let's add another imperial decree, bestowing upon Miss Lin the title of Princess Anle."

"This marriage alliance between the court and the palace is still a secret. These two imperial edicts do not need to be issued openly. You can send them directly to Yangzhou. However, it will be difficult for Miss Lin to go to the palace alone first."

"Please tell Lord Lin that once the great undertaking is accomplished, the court will give the Lin family everything that is rightfully theirs."

Qi Yan'an readily agreed, "Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

After saying this, Qi Yan'an did not leave, but looked at the Crown Prince with a hesitant expression.

"Is there anything else?" The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow.

Qi Yan'an hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"Brother, what Gong Shangjiao means is that the marriage shouldn't happen yet. If his younger brother is unwilling after things have come to this, he wants to cancel the engagement."

The prince frowned.

Qi Yan'an immediately explained, "Gong Shangjiao loves his younger brother very much, and he doesn't want his brother's marriage to be a transaction."

The Crown Prince's expression softened. "He does love his younger brother, but this marriage is a matter of great importance, and I do not wish for any mishaps."

He sighed softly, "In the end, this marriage is a disservice to Miss Lin. If it really can't be maintained, let them decide whether to cancel it or get a divorce."

The crown prince stood up, patted his younger brother on the shoulder, and the two stood side by side, looking at the scenery outside the palace walls.

"Yan An, I'm entrusting all matters of the martial world to you."

Qi Yan'an's expression turned solemn. "Don't worry, brother. Once you ascend the throne, I guarantee you a peaceful and prosperous world."

宫门

As Gong Yuanzheng was preparing the medicinal herbs, a guard at the door announced, "Young Master Zheng, Young Master Jiao has sent a letter."

Gong Yuanzheng was overjoyed. He immediately put down the medicinal herbs in his hand, strode to the door, took the letter, and eagerly opened it.

Upon reading the contents of the letter, the smile on his face vanished instantly, and his expression grew increasingly dark until the very end, at which point his complexion improved somewhat.

The palace masters all knew about the marriage alliance with the imperial court and tacitly agreed to it. The marriage partner was Gong Huanyu, but no one expected that it would end up being him.

However, his brother also said in the letter that if he was not satisfied with the bride, he could break off the engagement, which made Gong Yuanzheng feel much better.

My brother didn't sell him out for the sake of the palace gates.

Gong Hongyu also received a letter, but naturally, his letter did not contain the phrase "break off the engagement."

Gong Hongyu was very dissatisfied with the arranged marriage, as the age was not right; Ziyu's age was not much different from Miss Lin's.

If anyone should be replaced, it should be Ziyu, so why did it become Gong Yuanzheng? Could it be that Gong Shangjiao pulled some strings?

He seized the position of young master from Gong Shangjiao, and Gong Shangjiao then took away Ziyu's marriage.

Gong Hongyu was in a bad mood, but there was nothing he could do; the imperial decree had already been issued.

When the result was told to Gong Huanyu, Gong Huanyu accepted it very calmly.

Who he marries, and who will marry him, is meaningless to him; his plans will never change.

Hayashiya

These past few days, Lin Qingyue has been trying hard to recall the plot she watched in her previous life.

At the time, she wasn't particularly interested in the TV series; she only watched a few clips and some吐槽 videos online.

I don't remember much of the plot, except that Gong Huanyu faked his death, Gong Ziyu succeeded as the Blade Master, and both Gong Ziyu and Gong Shangjiao chose Wufeng as their brides. Oh, and Gong Hongyu's wife was also Wufeng.

Lin Qingyue frowned. The family head's bedmate is a mortal enemy. Is the Gong family reliable?

Can we really wipe out Wufeng by cooperating with them?

In the TV series, they are portrayed as positive characters, and they win their duel with Wu Feng, though it appears to be a Pyrrhic victory.

From this perspective, cooperation is still possible.

At this moment, in the front hall of the Lin residence, Lin Ruhai was entertaining Qi Yan'an and Gong Shangjiao, who had secretly come to visit.

Holding the two imperial edicts in his hands, Lin Ruhai felt a mix of emotions.

Qi Yan'an coughed lightly, breaking the silence.

"Lord Lin, this marriage is confidential. I'm sorry to trouble Miss Lin to return to the palace with Shang Jiao first."

Upon entering the Lin residence, Gong Shangjiao immediately noticed the difference. Now, seeing Lin Ruhai's expression, he seemed to understand why the Lin family had taken the initiative to propose a marriage alliance.

He stood up, bowed slightly to Lin Ruhai, and gave a salute.

"Rest assured, Lord Lin, I will escort Miss Lin safely to the palace gate."

Looking at the exceptionally handsome man before him, Lin Ruhai felt somewhat relieved.

His demeanor and appearance were in no way inferior to those of royalty, so his younger brother must be just as good.

"I'll leave Yue'er in your care for now, young master."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but say, "My daughter has been pampered by my mother and me since she was a child. She has a delicate temperament. I hope you will all take good care of her when she arrives at the palace."

Towards the end, his voice even trembled.

Gong Shangjiao remained silent. He had not yet married or had children, so he did not know what it was like to be a father.

But now he could clearly feel Lin Ruhai's deep love for his daughter.

"Lord Lin can rest assured that once Miss Lin enters the palace, she will be the wife of the Palace Mistress of Zheng Palace, and no one will dare to disrespect her."

"Good, good, that's good." Lin Ruhai said, thinking of the information he had found out that Old Dust Valley was hundreds of miles away from Yangzhou.

Those within the palace walls cannot freely leave the valley, and even if they do, the distance is so vast that meeting would be incredibly difficult.

It seems that they will never see each other again before the crown prince ascends the throne.

As I thought about it, my eyes started to well up with tears.

Gong Shangjiao took out a medicine bottle and placed it on the coffee table next to Lin Ruhai.

"This is a blend of herbs, which can cure all poisons. Lord Lin should find it useful."

With just one sentence, the heat in Lin Ruhai's eyes vanished instantly.

Qi Yan'an immediately closed his folding fan. "Shang Jiao, what did you say? Lord Lin has been poisoned?"

Who would dare to poison a high-ranking official? Thinking of the princes currently embroiled in a fierce power struggle at court, Qi Yan'an immediately fell silent. Perhaps it was one of his brothers who did it.

If we get rid of this salt inspector, we can replace him with our own people.

Gong Shangjiao nodded. Although he was the master of Jiao Palace, the master of Zheng Palace was his younger brother, so he knew a little about poisons.

"The greenery in Lord Lin's residence is rather special."

Lin Ruhai immediately understood his meaning. He took a deep breath and bowed to Gong Shangjiao.

"I will always remember your life-saving kindness."

I will remember your great kindness, but I will still call off the engagement if it is deemed necessary.

Gong Shangjiao helped Lin Ruhai up, and thinking of his promise to Gong Yuanzheng, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Fine, let's send a doctor to the Lin residence to save this family's lives. That way, we'll be even.