Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

After their pleasant chat, the group stepped out of the restaurant and naturally continued their shopping spree from the last time, strolling through the bustling streets.

The slanting sunlight adds a touch of warmth and comfort to this leisurely time.

As the sun set, they reunited at an elegant restaurant and shared a sumptuous dinner. Time slipped by as they chatted and laughed.

Jiang Muxue then took her leave, as she was going to continue her pursuit of He Jin'an.

It was just the time when he finished school.

After she left, Xie Zhiyi also suggested that she go home early.

In the end, only Lingyan and the three princesses remained.

Lingyan still had something to say to them, so the group found a quiet teahouse.

Upon arriving at the private room in the teahouse, Lingyan's expression turned serious.

She spoke slowly, her tone revealing an undeniable seriousness: "His Majesty's birthday is just around the corner, and the other six kingdoms will also be visiting to offer their congratulations. Your sixth brother has received news that the Northern Desert wants to form a marriage alliance with our Great Zhao. Judging from His Majesty's actions and thoughts, he will definitely agree."

These words immediately filled the room with tension and unease.

The three princesses had different expressions.

The Seventh Princess, in particular, accidentally dropped her teacup, the crisp sound of it shattering particularly jarring in the quiet private room.

Because she knew that if a marriage alliance was to be formed, she was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate, without exception.

So, is she going to the northern desert for a political marriage?

It is said that the northern desert is barren and impoverished, and their people live on the grasslands. They are a nomadic people who make a living by herding.

They are rough, savage, and lack manners.

These are all secondary; she can tolerate them.

Most importantly, they also have a custom called "levirate marriage," also known as "transfer marriage."

This means that if she marries the current King of the Northern Desert, then after his death, when his son succeeds him, she will become his woman.

Moreover, if this successor dies, she will become the woman of the next successor.

She continued to be the woman of one man after another until she died.

She could almost see herself imprisoned in the cage of time, constantly becoming an appendage of different men, losing herself and her dignity.

For her, such a life was tantamount to living in hell; the fear and despair were enough to drive her to a mental breakdown and madness.

She doesn't want that; she doesn't want to accept that custom.

That would make her wish she were dead; she would go insane.

However, the current King of Mobei is nearly sixty years old. If she marries him, he will pass away in a few years.

However, the Emperor was still in his prime, and his sixth brother was not yet able to ascend the throne. The Emperor would never agree to let her return to Dazhao.

She had no choice but to stay in the northern desert and accept the custom of levirate marriage.

Thinking of this, the Seventh Princess felt an unprecedented chill rise in her heart, spreading from the bottom of her heart to her whole body.

Her face instantly lost all color, turning as pale as paper. Her body trembled violently with fear, and sweat poured down her forehead like fine rain, soaking her clothes.

She seemed to have foreseen her tragic future, and the despair and helplessness she felt almost suffocating.

The Eighth Princess and the Ninth Princess both looked at her with concern.

The two men each held one of her hands, offering warmth and reassuring her.

Seeing this, Lingyan gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid. I'm telling you this in advance so you can avoid this disaster. They won't arrive for a while. Although you are the most suitable candidate, as long as you get married during this time, you can avoid it."

Among the unmarried princesses, the Fifth Princess had already been deposed, and besides, Emperor Jingzhao would not allow such an extreme and ruthless person to be sent for a political marriage.

Given the Sixth Princess's personality, was her marriage a marriage of convenience or a marriage of enmity?

Although the Eighth Princess was of suitable age and in all other aspects, Emperor Jingzhao would never allow his legitimate princess to be sent for a political marriage.

She was, in particular, the only legitimate princess.

The Ninth Princess is still young, only twelve years old.

As for the rest, they are even smaller.

So after all the calculations, only the Seventh Princess is the most suitable.

In terms of age, appearance, talent, personality, conduct, and interpersonal skills, he is the most suitable and outstanding.

Therefore, the only candidate chosen for this marriage alliance would ultimately be the seventh princess.

However, that's just how selfish she is.

She would rather send someone else to marry into a foreign power than send the seventh princess.

That's why she told her in advance so she could prepare.

Upon hearing Lingyan's words, the Seventh Princess forced herself to calm down.

Yes!

It's not a dead end yet.

How can we give up so easily!

It's really unacceptable that she panicked and despaired after only hearing the beginning.

Once she regained her inner peace, she took a sip of warm tea.

That warmth seemed to flow into her heart as well, allowing her to smile and convey determination and hope to the others: "I'm alright now, there's still a chance."

The group was relieved to see that she had indeed calmed down.

Then the Seventh Princess calmly said, "Sister-in-law is right. As long as I get married early, I can avoid this."

At this moment, she was already thinking of a suitable candidate.

Lingyan then looked at the three of them and said very solemnly, "Your sixth brother asked me to tell you that although he cannot make the decision right now, when he can, there will definitely be no more marriage alliances. He assures you, so you can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, the three were overjoyed and deeply moved.

Having such a good brother who doesn't sacrifice them to achieve his goals is their good fortune and blessing.

Lingyan then said she wanted to speak with the Seventh Princess alone.

Upon hearing this, the Eighth Princess and the Ninth Princess wisely went to the private room next door.

Lingyan then asked the Seventh Princess, "Are you already thinking of a suitable candidate?"

The seventh princess nodded.

Lingyan smiled warmly and said, "You don't need to worry. I have a suitable candidate. This person not only has a simple family relationship, with no parents, no brothers or sisters, and only one master in the mansion, but also no concubines. Moreover, he is chaste and never gets involved with women."

"He himself was a third-rank official in the court. He was not corrupt or lawless, nor did he form cliques or engage in favoritism. He was only focused on doing his job diligently. He was also upright, selfless, polite, and reliable. He was also exceptionally capable, skilled in both literature and martial arts. He did not rely on anyone and had no bad habits."

"Finally, he is an outstandingly handsome man, a rare find, with an extraordinary temperament, and his age is just right, only in his early twenties. He is also absolutely clear-headed, which perfectly matches your criteria."

The seventh princess was puzzled after hearing this.

She asked, puzzled, "If someone is so outstanding, why is he still unmarried?"

Lingyan smiled meaningfully and said, "That's naturally because he has someone he loves!"

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Princess...

I was initially satisfied with the candidate, but I instantly lost interest.

Let's choose the next one.

Lingyan could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression.

Then he continued, "Don't make a decision so quickly. I haven't told you who his sweetheart is yet."

The Seventh Princess looked at her sister-in-law's expression and felt something was off.

She asked curiously, "Who is it? Do I know them?"

Ling Yan smiled at her and said in an ambiguous tone, "It's you."

The Seventh Princess froze on the spot after hearing this.

she?

Is she the one this person loves?

Actually, after her sister-in-law finished stating these conditions, she already guessed who this person was.

Meng Huai'an is currently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

He was once the youngest and most brilliant scholar in the capital, stunning the entire city.

How could someone so outstanding and exceptional like him like her?

It has to be said that if it were him, she would be extremely satisfied in every way.

This is absolutely the perfect husband for her.

If he still likes her, then it would be even more suitable.

At that moment, she had already made up her mind; it was him.

Seeing the change in her expression, Lingyan smiled and teased, "It seems you're quite satisfied with him. I think he's pretty good too. Last time I caught him secretly looking at you, I was thinking of not telling you so he could pursue you properly, but things are urgent now, so I had no choice but to tell you. He can achieve his wish without even having to chase after his wife, he's really getting off easy."

Lingyan probably knew what Meng Huai'an was thinking.

Why did he dare not express his feelings for the Seventh Princess, let alone propose to her?

It's simply because he feels inferior to his beloved, who comes from a noble background, even though he is now a high-ranking official of the third rank.

If she guessed correctly, if it weren't for the marriage alliance, he would have secretly loved the Seventh Princess for the rest of his life and would never have taken the initiative to confess.

Because he has low self-esteem!

Right now, it's actually done for him.

I wonder if he'll faint from joy upon hearing this.

I'm really looking forward to his reaction.