The Prince's Beloved Little Wife

True to his word, Ouyang Han took Chen Mengyao back to Meilan Garden and then went to the neighboring courtyard to find Mu Qingfeng, asking him to arrange for some more craftsmen to come and help with the renovations so that it could be completed within a week. Mu Qingfeng nodded in agreement.

After returning to the Prince's residence, Ouyang Han summoned the steward and asked him to arrange for a steward, a nanny, and some servants to attend to the Princess. They were to go to the neighboring courtyard to serve the Princess. The steward made the arrangements upon hearing this. Ouyang Han then rushed to the palace to seek his father, the Emperor, to grant him a marriage decree, and also to consult the Imperial Observatory to select an auspicious day for the wedding.

Emperor Mingsheng was very relieved to see Ouyang Han come to request a marriage decree. He was finally hearing good news from this brat. If he hadn't come to ask for the marriage decree, he would have gone to ask him about it himself. He was too slow, taking so long to get the other party's consent.

Emperor Mingsheng slowly pulled an imperial edict from his desk and handed it to him, saying, "I wrote this the moment you brought her into the palace, just waiting for you to come and ask for it. You're really slow; it took you so long to get her consent. To prevent others from gossiping that her status is unworthy of you, I've specially bestowed upon her the title of County Princess. This edict and the marriage decree will be announced together at tomorrow's morning court session. After all, her contribution of high-yield grain seeds is a great achievement. Also, I'd like to remind you that you'd better find a high-ranking minister to recognize Chen Mengyao as his goddaughter. Otherwise, other ministers in court will have doubts about her status and will have opinions about her. Although you won't let their opinions influence your decisions, it will still be quite troublesome."

Seeing how considerate his father was of her, Ouyang Han quickly said, "Yes, Father, thank you for the reminder. I know what to do." After saying this, Ouyang Han respectfully gave the emperor a standard bow, and then slowly retreated from the solemn and dignified imperial study. His steps seemed somewhat hurried, because at this moment he was thinking about something of utmost importance—the day of his wedding to Chen Mengyao.

Upon leaving the Imperial Study, Ouyang Han immediately headed towards the Imperial Observatory. Along the way, Chen Mengyao's beautiful and charming face and gentle smile kept flashing through his mind. Thinking of soon being able to marry his beloved, his heart grew increasingly excited.

Arriving at the gate of the Imperial Observatory, Ouyang Han took a deep breath, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, and stepped inside. Upon seeing the official in charge of calculating auspicious days, he quickly bowed and explained his purpose. The official, not daring to be negligent, hurriedly took out a thick almanac and began to carefully calculate.

Time ticked by, and Ouyang Han waited anxiously. Finally, after careful calculation, the official looked up and smiled at Ouyang Han, saying, "Your Highness, according to astrological and calendar calculations, the nearest auspicious day is the fifteenth of this month. The next earliest possible day is the third of next month."

Upon hearing this news, Ouyang Han's face immediately lit up with joy. After thanking the officials, he hurriedly left the Imperial Observatory, eager to tell Chen Mengyao the good news.

Upon returning, he immediately went back to Meilan Garden and told her about the imperial decree of marriage and his father's words. Chen Mengyao, upon hearing this, felt that the emperor's consideration was truly thorough. She had no relatives here, and marrying Ouyang Han would indeed face opposition from the ministers. Ouyang Han suggested that he would help him find the Grand Tutor to recognize her as his goddaughter. The Grand Tutor only had one legitimate daughter, one wife, and no concubines. He and his wife had a very good relationship, and they had three sons and one daughter. The Crown Princess was the Grand Tutor's only daughter. If the Grand Tutor agreed, it would be a win-win situation. No one could compare to the Grand Tutor's status, after all, he was the Crown Prince's teacher.

Chen Mengyao agreed, finding it reasonable. She thought it best to choose a gift to send as a token of her respect. With a slight furrow of her brow and a thoughtful expression, she softly asked Ouyang Han, "Yichen, what are the preferences of the Grand Tutor, his wife, and the three young masters? I would like to carefully select a gift to express my respect and sincerity." Her clear and focused gaze fell upon Ouyang Han, anticipating a detailed and accurate answer from him.

Ouyang Han explained in detail, “The Grand Tutor is over fifty, yet still vigorous. He has devoted his life to poetry and prose, and possesses extremely high attainments in literature. His wife, though past forty, still retains her charm. She loves music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, especially painting; her works are lifelike and truly admirable.” He paused, then introduced the Grand Tutor’s three sons: “The Grand Tutor’s three sons are of different ages. The eldest son is twenty, with a calm and steady personality, loves reading, and has a deep understanding of military strategy; the second son is eighteen, lively and loves martial arts, excelling in riding and archery; the third son is only fifteen, intelligent and quick-witted, with a strong interest in poetry and prose.” He paused again, then continued, “Each of these three sons has their own strengths, and the Grand Tutor has high hopes for them, wishing them to become pillars of the nation.” Chen Mengyao understood after hearing this and would later go to her space to find suitable gifts for them.

Ouyang Han also told Chen Mengyao about the date chosen by the Imperial Observatory. Chen Mengyao felt that the fifteenth of this month was too rushed. Today was already the second day of the month, and there were still more than ten days left. There wasn't enough time, and the wedding dress hadn't been prepared yet. So Chen Mengyao said, "The fifteenth of this month is definitely not enough time. There are so many things to prepare. Have you prepared my wedding dress and your wedding attire? What about my dowry? And don't you need to find a matchmaker to come and go through the betrothal ceremony? There are definitely more than ten days left, so let's choose the thirteenth of next month." Ouyang Han said, "I'll do whatever you say. As for the wedding dress, I'll have an embroiderer come to take your measurements tomorrow and tell them to finish it as soon as possible. I'll have the palace prepare my wedding attire. As for the betrothal gifts, I've already asked the steward to prepare them. They can be sent over once the house is renovated. As for the dowry, you can prepare whatever you like. I promise you won't be disappointed with my betrothal gifts. It doesn't matter if you have to empty the palace."

Chen Mengyao was even more moved when she heard this, but a dowry was still necessary; she would choose one from her spatial dimension when she had time. So she asked Ouyang Han to deliver a formal invitation to the Grand Tutor, saying she would visit them in a couple of days. Ouyang Han immediately instructed the steward to arrange this.

After arranging these matters, Chen Mengyao took Ouyang Han into her spatial dimension to select gifts. She prepared books of poetry and prose, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for the Grand Tutor and his wife, as well as their third son. She also prepared extra modern Xuan paper and white paper for the paper. In addition, she prepared some modern painting tools, paints, and colored pencils for the wife, as well as the skincare products, underwear, and sanitary napkins that she was selling. For her eldest son, she prepared some military books and military strategy books, especially Sun Tzu's Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems. For her second son, she prepared some sharp weapons and modern crossbows and arrows, especially some very small repeating crossbows.

Ouyang Han was even more delighted to see how meticulously she had prepared, especially when he saw the repeating crossbows; his eyes lit up. It would be even better if the army could use these, as they would greatly enhance its strength. Chen Mengyao, seeing through his thoughts, quickly said, "After we get married, take me to the military camp. I'll send them some weapons and select some talented individuals to form a special team. These people can be equipped with my firearms, and once Ling Qi has researched and developed them, everyone in the army can be equipped with them. This team will mainly be for special missions, such as intelligence gathering and assassinating military leaders—dangerous tasks. I'll download some videos of special training methods for you to watch, or you can find someone to provide them with specialized training. This team doesn't need to be large, but it must consist of elites who have mastered all the skills. After you've trained them, you can test them, and if you think they're promising, you can let them join. What do you think?"

Ouyang Han was shocked. She actually had such an idea! She was truly a treasure, always thinking of him. How could he not support her? Without hesitation, he said, "Of course! That's wonderful! This will make our army even stronger. I'll discuss this with Father later. Yao Yao, but I still suggest that after we get married, you tell Father and my brothers and sisters about your true identity and your spatial abilities. They will definitely protect you. They'll cover for you if you bring out anything new or amazing in the future. What do you think? They are all trustworthy people. You can bring them into your spatial realm to let them see what's inside. That way, you can openly tell Father and the others about the new weapons in your space."

Chen Mengyao thought about it and agreed. Sooner or later, she would bring out more novel items, and she couldn't always say they were bought from traveling merchants, otherwise it would arouse the Emperor's suspicion. Items always needed a source, and stating it directly would allow them to cover for her; they were indeed trustworthy. So she nodded in agreement, "My husband will listen to you." After discussing it, Chen Mengyao, carrying the chosen gifts, left the space with Ouyang Han.