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

Gong Zishang looked somewhat bewildered. "What are we going to talk about?"

Lin Qingyue sighed, and was about to speak again when Gong Yuanzheng spoke first, his tone cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Although Yue'er is a princess, she does not have royal blood. Her marriage to me only deepens the cooperation between the court and the palace."

Gong Yuanzheng looked at Lin Qingyue, a slight smile playing on his lips, but his eyes held no mirth.

"The best way for the royal family to control the martial arts world forever is to let their bloodline inherit this power."

"Currently, there are no princesses or noblewomen of marriageable age in the royal family, but there is a young woman of marriageable age unmarried in the palace."

Gong Zishang's face paled slightly, and her voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

"I understand. Once the martial arts world is stable, I will be needed to arrange a marriage."

Lin Qingyue looked at Gong Zishang and said, "Most princes get married before the age of twenty. Now, all the princes who have come of age, except for the thirteenth prince, have already married and had children."

“In their residences, besides the principal wife, there are also concubines and maids.”

Gong Zishang's face turned completely pale, and she silently clenched her fists.

If there's already a principal wife, what would she be if she married into the family? A concubine?

She became the Blade Master because she wanted to take control of her own life, didn't she?

After all her hard work and twists and turns, is she really going to end up on this path?

It's an even more unbearable path than being the master of the Shang Palace.

“The thirteenth prince grew up by the crown prince’s side since childhood and has seen a lot about the affairs of the court.”

"He probably already guessed that something like this might happen in the future."

That's why he made that suggestion.

However, it's unclear whether he brought it up out of genuine concern or for the sake of the bigger picture.

Qi Yan'an is a good friend of Gong Shangjiao, and he knows Gong Shangjiao's temperament.

If Gong Zishang were to become a concubine, even the emperor's concubine, Gong Shangjiao might flip the table.

Seeing Gong Zishang's somewhat absent-minded expression, Lin Qingyue looked at Gong Yuanzheng and gestured for him to leave.

Gong Yuanzheng clearly understood her gaze, but remained unmoved.

Lin Qingyue tried to pull her hand back again, but failed.

Fine, if he wants to hear it, then let him hear it. Anyway, he'll find out about many things sooner or later.

Thinking this to herself, Lin Qingyue stopped paying attention to Gong Yuanzheng and instead looked at Gong Zishang.

"Sister Zishang, what do you think of the Thirteenth Prince?"

Gong Zishang sighed and recalled her time with Qi Yan'an.

"I have no opinion, I'm just a man."

Lin Qingyue looked at her with utmost seriousness.

"It's good that you don't have any ill feelings towards him. Compared to the other princes, at least you know the thirteenth prince, and you get along with him fairly well."

Lin Qingyue's usually gentle voice took on a hint of coldness as she spoke pointedly:

"More importantly, he has never been engaged."

Gong Zishang seemed to understand something. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes were clear again.

Although her face was pale, her words carried a firm resolve.

"Qingyue, I know what I should talk to him about."

She stood up and walked out. "Thank you so much for your help today. Qingyue, please keep Yuanzheng company. I'm going back to Zhiren Palace now."

As they reached the door, Gong Zishang turned around again: "Qingyue, do you think Qi Yan'an will make me his principal wife?"

Lin Qingyue hesitated for a moment before cautiously replying, "As for the principal wife, it's not easy to get past the Crown Prince and the Empress. But if I were a concubine, there would definitely be no problem."

Gong Zishang seemed to understand, then suddenly smiled, "I understand, thanks, Qingyue!"

Unlike the gloomy atmosphere when she arrived, Gong Zishang has now regained her former liveliness and agility.

Lin Qingyue was somewhat surprised; Gong Zishang's recovery speed was a bit too fast.

"Sister Zishang, are you really alright?"

She turned to look at Gong Yuanzheng and saw him staring intently at her, his eyes holding something she couldn't understand.

But that was definitely not disgust.

"What's wrong? The expedition?" Lin Qingyue asked with a smile.

Gong Yuanzheng smiled, playing with Lin Qingyue's hand, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.

"Yue'er, you don't need to worry about her. She knows what she should do. There are no fools among the children of the Gong family."

"But Yue'er, you really opened my eyes today."

Lin Qingyue smiled too; she didn't mind at all that Gong Yuanzheng knew about her other side.

"So, has it surprised you?"

“Yuanzheng, as you have seen, I am not actually that naive and ignorant.”

"Although the Lin family is simple, I have been reading the official gazette since I was a child, and I know a lot about the darkness of the world."

"There are many things that you would never even imagine, but I have already guessed the ending."

Are you afraid? The expedition.

Lin Qingyue tilted her head to look at him.

Are you afraid of someone as complicated as him?

Although she tried her best to appear calm and collected, Gong Yuanzheng clearly caught the fear in her eyes.

People love simple and kind women, but simple and kind is the rarest thing in the world.

What kind of environment can cultivate such a woman?

It's impossible to be a true nobleman; while enjoying the family's glory, one also bears the family's responsibilities.

Being a wife and a mother means having even more responsibilities.

The struggles within the inner courtyard are merely minor matters; helping her husband secure the family's honor is the primary task of the matriarch.

Gong Yuanzheng's smile deepened as he took Lin Qingyue's hand and kissed it gently.

“I’m so happy, Yue’er. You’ve shown me another side of you, which means you truly want to spend your life with me.”

A low laugh escaped his lips.

He desperately wanted Yue'er to know everything about him, but he dared not. He was afraid that Yue'er would be terrified and would want to escape from him even more.

Compared to Yue'er, he was a coward.

Yue'er wanted him to know everything about her, but he didn't dare.

When he looked up again, Gong Yuanzheng's face was full of smiles, his eyes were shining like stars, and there was an undisguised madness in his eyes.

"Yue'er, I'm so happy, so very happy."