The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

"Empress has become wicked too, making fun of me about marriage..." Yuan Rui blushed.

She was about to spit at Fu Luan, but then she remembered that Fu Luan was now the Empress and her nominal stepmother, so no matter how close their relationship was, they should still be more discreet, and she stopped herself.

Fu Luan said frankly, "How could I joke about such a thing? I'm serious! If the princess is worried that the emperor will go back on his vow of 'never marrying into another country,' then 'marrying' is the only way out!"

"Find a prince or general who lives in Chang'an permanently, close to the palace; whether you're happy or unhappy, you can go back to the palace for a short stay, who would dare to say anything to you then?"

After considering it for a few days, Yuan Rui finally agreed to Fu Luan's proposal. As for the groom, it was naturally Fu Luan's three unmarried brothers—

Second brother: Marquis of Chang'an, Fu Zhan; Third brother: Marquis of Yangxin, Fu Che; Fifth brother: Marquis of Changqing, Fu Qing.

Among them, Fu Qing, Fu Luan's real twin brother, was the first to politely decline—"My second and third brothers are not married yet, how can it be my turn?"

Third Brother Fu Che simply smiled at Fu Luan, shook his head, and no one knew his true feelings, only that he had rejected the marriage proposal.

As for Fu Zhan, he only replied, "It's all up to Her Majesty the Empress! If Princess Chun'an takes a liking to me, that's naturally a good thing; if she doesn't like me..."

"I don't want the princess to think that I'm marrying her out of pity, in a condescending manner to save her from a marriage alliance!"

Yuan Rui originally only wanted to get rid of the "marriage alliance," but after hearing Fu Zhan's words, she was quite tempted; in addition, Fu Zhan himself was handsome and dashing, and Yuan Rui was even more satisfied when she saw the portrait.

Even more coincidentally, news came from the front lines that Fu Zhan had just won a battle and made military achievements. As a young general full of vigor and high spirits, Yuan Rui put her thoughts of "looking at a few more princes and noblemen" to the back of her mind and became even more convinced that she would not change her mind about Fu Zhan.

When Yuan Li brought up the matter of "adoption" with Fu Luan again, Fu Luan smiled and told her about taking Yuan Rui into his family.

“You two had a good relationship last year, so there’s nothing wrong with this; however…” Yuan Li smiled, but his expression was not good. “I asked A-Luan to adopt a prince so that a crown prince could be established as soon as possible, but A-Luan only adopted a princess.”

"My Ah Luan... I'm afraid she's not yet at the point where she doesn't understand my feelings and the unspoken meaning behind the scenes?"

Fu Luan smiled and said, "In the past, so many troubles were caused in order to establish a crown prince. Your Majesty is in the prime of your life, why establish a crown prince so early?"

Yuan Li sneered, "Hmph, A-Luan, don't think I don't know what you're up to! That imposter Fu Jin has disappeared without a trace, and your eldest sister-in-law and fourth sister-in-law are both pregnant now;

"You want to wait until your Fu family has a new eldest daughter, and then use the ancestral precepts of the Great Wei as a pretext. In the meantime, some concubines with princes might make some mistakes and be demoted, deposed, or even killed."

"You'll have a lot more options than you do now! Then you can choose a prince you prefer as crown prince, won't you?"

Fu Luan felt a chill run through her body. If she had even had such a thought for a fleeting moment, it wouldn't have mattered; but she had never considered it! Yet Yuan Li looked at her like this…

Fu Luan said coldly, "Back then at the Yuanjia residence, the Emperor said that even if all the thoughts of the three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines were combined, they could not compare to those of me."

"If I am so 'intelligent,' how could I have come up with such a foolish method? Is this what Your Majesty calls 'intelligent'?"

"Alright, alright! Let's just say I was being petty and wronged Ah Luan!" Yuan Li laughed loudly, thus covering up the matter.

Princess Chun'an, Yuan Rui, was adopted by Empress Fu Luan and promoted to "Princess of Qi". She was further promoted to "Grand Princess of Qi" because of her engagement to Marquis Fu Zhan of Chang'an.

According to the rules of the Great Wei Dynasty, only the emperor's sisters or the legitimate daughters of the empress could be granted the title of "Princess". However, Yuan Rui, who was neither of the two, was given this title by force.

Overnight, Yuan Rui went from being a lowly, unfavored concubine princess to the legitimate daughter of the Empress, possessing more than seventy cities in Qi. Who could deny that this was a legend in the Great Wei?

"The State of Qi was the fiefdom that Her Majesty the Empress received when she was a first-rank noblewoman before entering the palace. Now she's giving it to this adopted daughter. She's really generous!"

"Who says otherwise? According to the rules of the Great Wei, once a concubine enters the palace, any previous titles or honors she may have are nullified. But the Emperor dotes on the Empress so much!"

"Not only did she receive the monthly stipend of an empress, but she also received the salary of a 'First-Rank Lady of Qi'! Now, that salary has been given away!"

"What does this princess look like? Is she pretty? I heard she's going to marry the second general of the Fu family, and that second general is very handsome!"

"The princess looks... well, she's definitely much prettier than your wife!"

"Wait a minute? The Second General is the Empress's own brother, so isn't he the Princess's uncle...?"

"The Emperor has already agreed, so why are you worrying about this? Eat your food!"

On the day of his triumphant return, Marquis Fu Zhan of Chang'an received three imperial edicts simultaneously: one granting him a higher official rank, another granting him a noble title, and the third granting him a marriage to a princess. He was in the limelight for a time.

But when he went to court to report on his duties, his colleagues discovered that Fu Zhan had been disfigured...

"Marquis of Chang'an, this is the imperial court. What's the meaning of you wearing half an iron mask?" Yuan Li said unhappily in the imperial court.

"Your Majesty, my right cheek was injured by enemy poison. If I don't wear this iron mask, I'm afraid..." Fu Zhan replied calmly.

“I ascended the throne at the age of thirteen. What haven’t I seen? Just take off your iron mask!” Yuan Li shouted.

Fu Zhan removed the iron mask, revealing his bloodied and mangled right face. His right eye was half-open, making him look like a blind man.

The court officials were all filled with regret at the sight of the once handsome and dashing young general reduced to this state!

Yuan Li sighed softly, and in the end, he still made him wear the iron mask. After court, he summoned Yuan Rui.

“His face is like this now. If you don’t want to marry him, I will issue an edict to annul the engagement. There are plenty of people in the court who will be granted titles and honors, you…” Yuan Li sighed again and again.

Even if Yuan Rui is not favored, she is still his daughter; forcing her to marry a man whose appearance is ruined, the suffering she endures is probably no less than that of being sent to a distant place for a political marriage!

To everyone's surprise, Yuan Rui said, "Who did General Fu ruin his appearance for? Wasn't it for the people of Great Wei, for the court, and for Father Emperor?"

"If I were to break off the engagement just because his face is disfigured, wouldn't that discourage the soldiers of the three armies? Besides... I myself am of average appearance and am not favored in the palace."

"Even if it's about 'climbing the social ladder,' I've never been the first choice for nobles and wealthy merchants! But only Fu Zhan..."

"He knew I didn't want a marriage alliance, yet he still agreed to the marriage. Why should I break off a marriage with someone who treats me so well?!"

Seeing that his daughter was determined to marry Fu Zhan, Yuan Li stopped trying to stop her.

Just as everyone in the palace was preparing for the marriage between the Marquis of Chang'an and the Princess of Qi, Anagui's child was born.

This child had golden downy hair, lake-blue eyes, and wheat-colored skin... showing no trace of Han Chinese features!