After my whole family overheard my thoughts, they went berserk.

"Your Majesty, Princess Qingling requests an audience," Granny Bai announced.

The Empress Dowager rested one hand on the soft couch and pressed the other against her temple, feeling a headache and a tightness in her chest, and she was generally unhappy.

"If there's nothing urgent, let her come another day." As the Empress Dowager, she didn't want anyone to see her like this.

"Her eyes are red, as if she's been crying," Granny Bai said in a low voice.

After all, she was someone she had raised herself, and she was the only one left by her side. The Empress Dowager couldn't bear to see her suffer, so she nodded in agreement.

"Mother!" Shi Qingling cried as soon as she entered the room, burying her face in the Empress Dowager's lap in grievance, and then bursting into tears.

The Empress Dowager felt heartbroken seeing her like this and reached out to stroke her back.

"Mother, please help Qingling. I really don't want to marry into the Marquis of Zhongzhen's household. Feng Yu is not a good man." Shi Qingling cried, her voice choked with sobs.

The Empress Dowager sighed softly: "The Marquis of Zhongzhen is a loyal minister of his generation, and his eldest grandson is six years younger than you. Now I am old and can no longer protect you for life. Isn't marriage a new choice?"

"Qingling sent someone to inquire. Feng Yu is a playboy with no ambition. Although he is not yet married, he has more than a dozen maids and often frequents brothels."

Shi Qingling shed tears of resentment.

She was once extremely proud, feeling that no man in the world was good enough for her, and she would rather wait than marry just anyone.

But to my surprise, what I got was this kind of man!

The Empress Dowager sighed deeply.

“Even normal men cannot escape worldly customs. Who can guarantee that he will be faithful to you for life? Which man doesn’t have three wives and four concubines? Once you marry into the Marquis of Zhongzhen’s mansion, you will be the new mistress of the house, and everything will be up to you.”

Shi Qingling cried her heart out; no matter what, she couldn't accept this fact.

She was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age, and was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, surpassing all the legitimate daughters in the capital. Now, however, she is to marry that kind of man, and she will be ridiculed.

Looking back on the women who had been with her, they were all married and living glamorous lives in the capital.

She finally found a man she liked, but his family was so poor.

"Then why is it that my brother is so devoted to my sister-in-law, even though she has already given birth to five children?"

At that moment, she didn't know whether she felt envy or jealousy.

The Empress Dowager's face darkened. The Emperor loved Hua Jinxiu to the extreme and was willing to give up other women for her. Looking back on her own life, she not only lost to the Empress but also to Fu Rufang.

She couldn't understand matters of love between men and women either.

"Mother, please help Qingling. I beg my brother to cancel this marriage. I am willing to serve you by your side for the rest of my life."

The Empress Dowager shook her head; she pitied Shi Qingling, but was powerless to help.

Once the Emperor has spoken, it's hard to turn back. Besides, the Marquis of Zhongzhen's family has already given betrothal gifts, and the two will be married in seven days.

Even if she pleaded for mercy, the Emperor would not agree. If she displeased the Emperor, it would damage the bond between siblings.

"After you marry into the Marquis of Zhongzhen's household, you must act like the mistress of the house and not let anyone bully you. As for Feng Yu, you should try to get along with him properly."

Shi Qingling was in despair. Her eyes were red and swollen as she looked at the Empress Dowager.

"Mother, is Qingling destined to marry against her will?"

The Empress Dowager sighed and helped her up with heartache: "Your mother will prepare a generous dowry for you. You are still you, no less than any other woman in the capital."

After leaving Qingning Palace, Shi Qingling clutched her dress tightly, her face filled with resentment.

After leaving the palace, she had her maid invite Luo Jialin out for a meeting at Qingya Tower.

"This humble servant, Luo Jialin, greets Princess Qingling!"

Luo Jialin wore a coarse cotton shirt, his clothes were extremely simple, but even in such attire, he could not hide his gentle and refined manners and dignified appearance.

Looking at such a handsome young man, Shi Qingling couldn't help but feel her eyes well up with tears.

Why does fate have to play such a cruel trick on her? Is she unworthy of love?

Looking into Shi Qingling's eyes, Luo Jialin clearly sensed a hint of tenderness. He blushed involuntarily but dared not think too much about it.

“Princess,” her personal attendant, Tao Ling, reminded her.

Shi Qingling then came to her senses and quickly wiped the corners of her eyes.

"Young Master Luo, please have a seat. I invited you here today simply to have a chat, so please don't stand on ceremony."

Luo Jialin, who came from humble origins, naturally couldn't relax in front of the noble princess.

He was even more worried that Princess Qingling was seeking revenge for what happened that night.

Seeing Luo Jialin's unease, Shi Qingling felt he was special. She even noticed a hint of shyness on Luo Jialin's face, as he dared not look directly at her.

"Luo Jialin, look up at me." Shi Qingling's heart pounded like a deer.

Luo Jialin looked up and met Shi Qingling's gaze. He blushed instantly, lowered his head in a panic, and dared not look at her again.

"I wonder what brings the princess to summon me here? My elderly mother is ill and is waiting for me to return and take care of her," Luo Jialin said.

These words brought Shi Qingling back to reality.

The man before her was truly captivating; she longed to abandon everything and be with him.

But she was already twenty-eight. If she ended up marrying into a family that was not her equal, how could she hold her head high in the capital in the future?

If he were to encounter those women from the past, he might never be able to recapture that sense of superiority he once felt.

She knew she couldn't bear that kind of humiliation, but over the years, Luo Jialin was the only man who had truly touched her heart, and she didn't want to endure this torment.

"Rogarin, am I the kind of woman you like?"

Such blunt words made Rogalin panic and become frightened.

"Please, Your Highness, do not joke with me. Everyone in the capital knows that you are about to marry into the Marquis of Zhongzhen's household. You are of unparalleled nobility and are worthy of the Marquis of Zhongzhen's household. I am insignificant and would never dare to have any improper thoughts about Princess Qingling!"

Shi Qingling, her eyes red, drank one glass of wine after another.

"Even you think I should marry into the Marquis of Zhongzhen's household and spend my life with Feng Yu? No one has ever asked me if I'm happy or if I'm willing."

One cup of bitter wine after another slid down my throat, and only in a state of slight intoxication could the pain in my heart be eased.

"Princess Qingling, there is no need to be sad. Many things may not be as bad as you imagine."

Shi Qingling's cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes were blurry with drunkenness, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

She knew she shouldn't have lost her composure like this, but she was in so much pain inside that she just wanted him to know.

She could have married him, but she couldn't get over her inner conflict.

"Actually, you had special feelings for me from the very first time we met, didn't you?"

Luo Jialin's expression changed drastically, and he quickly bowed, saying, "This humble servant is but a lowly person, and dares not presume upon the princess's ambitions!"

Now that she has married into the Marquis of Zhongzhen's family, if this matter gets out, he will definitely be criticized and gossiped about. The Luo family ancestors will not allow him to do so!

"Are you afraid of the Marquis of Zhongzhen's mansion?" Shi Qingling sneered.

It turns out that this man couldn't escape worldly conventions either; he was afraid of power, afraid of facing reality, and afraid of getting involved with her.

She got up, walked to Luo Jialin, and looked at his face, unable to erase the image from her mind.

Her legs went weak, but Luo Jialin's large hand caught her, accidentally touching her waist.