Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

The next day, Su Qianrou got up early, which was unusual for her. She went to Meilan Courtyard and just as she reached the door, she heard Lin Rong and Song Shiyu talking. Then she went in and said, "Daughter greets Mother."

"The sun must have risen in the west today, yet you're up so early."

"I just wanted to come and pay my respects to Mother," he said, then looked at Song Shiyu and added, "Good morning, sister-in-law."

"morning".

Then, Su Qianrou walked over and sat down.

Lin Rong didn't believe she had only come to pay her respects, so she asked, "Tell me, what is it?"

"Didn't I say I came to pay my respects to you?"

"It's that simple."

"How complicated could it be?"

"Are you having trouble sleeping, that's why you're up so early?"

"Mother, do I look like I can't sleep?"

Lin Rong looked closely and it didn't seem like it. However, she usually didn't want to get up before 7 a.m., but now, it was only a little past 5 a.m., and she was already up. This seemed strange no matter how you looked at it, so she couldn't help but think about it.

"Alright, Mom, don't worry about it. I'm really fine."

“If anything happens, you must tell us. Don’t bear it all by yourself, okay?”

"Yes, Qianrou, no matter what happens, we are family and should share joys and sorrows."

Su Qianrou felt both heartwarming and somewhat helpless. Just as she was about to say something, a servant rushed in in a panic.

"Madam, the imperial edict...the imperial edict has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Lin Rong quickly stood up, but due to her overwhelming emotions, she felt dizzy and sat back down.

Su Qianrou quickly walked to her side and asked with concern, "Mother, what's wrong?"

"Rou'er, hurry up, go as far as you can, hurry!" Lin Rong didn't care about anything else and pushed Su Qianrou away.

"mother".

"Hurry up, or you won't be able to leave."

"What will happen to you if I leave?"

"Don't worry about us, just go."

"Mother, perhaps things aren't as bad as you think. Let's go receive the imperial decree first."

"We can't accept it; if we do, there will be no room for maneuver."

"Mother, believe me."

Lin Rong looked at her and, seeing her confident demeanor, had no choice but to trust her.

Afterwards, the group arrived at the main hall, where Mu Xinchen had been waiting for a long time.

"Madam Su, Princess Ping Le."

Lin Rong was surprised to find that it was him who came to deliver the imperial decree, and asked, "Why has the young master come?"

"I have come here on orders."

Su Qianrou then asked, "Did the Prince send you?"

"Ok".

"Then I will trouble you, Your Highness."

"You're too kind, Princess," then called out, "Princess Ping Le, receive the imperial decree."

Upon hearing this, everyone knelt down in unison.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Su Qianrou, the daughter of Su Jing'an, Minister of Revenue, is of upright character, virtuous and generous, gentle and kind, and possesses both talent and beauty. I am delighted to hear of her. Now that Prince Regent Mu Jinchen has reached the age of marriage, he should choose a virtuous woman to marry. I hereby betroth Princess Pingle to him as his principal wife. All the ceremonies shall be jointly handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. The wedding shall be held on an auspicious day. This decree is hereby issued."

"Your Majesty, I accept the imperial decree and thank you for your great favor," Su Qianrou said, taking the decree and rising.

"Congratulations, Princess."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Would you like to stay for a cup of tea?"

"No, I have to return to the palace to report, so I won't disturb you any longer."

"Then please take care, Your Highness. I won't see you off."

"it is good".

Then, Mu Xinchen led the group outside.

Su Qianrou walked to Lin Rong's side and called out, "Mother."

At this moment, Lin Rong was still in a daze, her mind blank. If Song Shiyu hadn't been supporting her, she probably would have collapsed long ago.

Lin Rong looked at Su Qianrou and asked, "Just now, the imperial decree said that you would be betrothed to someone."

"Regent".

"So it wasn't an imperial edict for a marriage alliance, but an imperial edict for a marriage decree. But why was it issued by the Regent?"

“Mother, nowadays, apart from the Regent, no one can protect me.”

“Mother, it’s better for Qianrou to marry the Regent than to marry someone from the Western Regions, don’t you think?” Song Shiyu said.

“But the Regent…”

"Mother, the Regent is fine, you don't need to worry."

“You and the Regent…”

“I have known the Regent for a long time and we have always been in contact, so I know his character very well, so you can rest assured.”

"Alright, Mother, now that the imperial decree has been issued and the marriage is settled, you should prepare Qianrou's dowry as soon as possible. After all, the man she is marrying is the Regent, and we can't let anyone look down on her."

"You're right, we should prepare properly."

Miyazato

Meanwhile, inside the Fengtian Hall, the ministers were still trying their best to persuade Mu Jinchen to agree to the marriage alliance, and they were arguing fiercely about it.

“Your Highness, we can exchange two cities for a woman. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You…”

"Liu Mingye, how dare you say such a thing? Why did Lanzhou and Liangzhou fall into the hands of the Western Regions? Have you forgotten? As the commander-in-chief, instead of thinking about how to avenge our humiliation, you actually thought of exchanging a woman for them. Is this the kind of spirit a soldier should have?" Yang Wenchang angrily rebuked.

"I'm doing this for the sake of the soldiers. If we can return to both cities without bloodshed, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

"You coward."

"General Liu," Mu Jinchen called out.

"Your subject is here."

"What is the mission of a soldier?"

"To protect our homeland and defend our country."

Do you think you've succeeded?

"I am ashamed."

Then, Mu Jinchen looked at the others and said slowly, "Today it is Princess Ping Le, but what about tomorrow? Will you also hand over me or His Majesty?"

"We dare not."

"Duke Su, I ask you, if one day foreign enemies invade and claim that they will withdraw their troops if you are handed over, tell me, will I hand you over or not? Or, would Duke Su step forward on his own initiative?"

Duke Su did not speak.

"Duke Ming, what would you do if you were in his shoes?"

"To die for one's country is an honor, even in death."

"Has the Duke of Ming ever considered the face of Yunyue, and the face of His Majesty? Do we in Yunyue not have the ability to fight against them? Not only do we, but we also have an 80% chance of winning. If that's the case, why send them to their deaths in vain? This would not only lose a key minister, but also cause us to lose face. What's the point?"

“But Princess Ping Le is just a woman,” someone whispered.

Bai Qinming overheard his words and retorted, "Lord Zhu, have you forgotten why Princess Ping Le was bestowed this title? At the palace banquet, you were all helpless, but Princess Ping Le stepped forward and saved the situation. Now, you want her to go and marry a foreign ruler."

Song Rui then said, "Have you gentlemen considered how the Western Regions will view us if we agree to a marriage alliance with them today? How will other foreign countries view us? Yunyue is a great nation, how have we been reduced to the point of needing a marriage alliance?"

The officials bowed their heads and remained silent.

Seeing that the time was about right, Mu Jinchen said, "We will definitely take back Lanzhou and Liangzhou, but not in this way. Therefore, there is no need to talk about the marriage alliance anymore."

"Your Highness..." Duke Mingguo was still unwilling to give up and wanted to say something more.