In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

Chapter 235 Zhan Pianpian

Li Chengze's eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and weighing of options as he spoke slowly and deliberately, "The eldest princess of Northern Qi."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted the shoulder of the person beside him heavily, "I intend to bestow her upon you as your wife."

As a defeated state, the Northern Qi sought only to survive by paying financial compensation and signing treaties.

In addition, a princess was sent as a bride for a political marriage.

Li Chengze was initially unwilling to accept it, but in this era, marriage alliances were like a rope that maintained peace between two countries; if you didn't accept it, the people of the world would not feel at ease.

So he had no choice but to agree reluctantly. He did agree, but he had no intention of taking anyone in, so he had to choose a brother from the imperial clan.

The third brother is in prison, the fourth brother's surname is Fan, and the fifth brother is a little kid.

Thank goodness, my elder brother is still unmarried. (Li Chengze clasps his hands together in prayer)

Before Li Chengru could recover from the sudden news, Li Chengze dragged him to look at the woman in the painting.

At first he was reluctant, but when his gaze actually fell on the woman in the painting.

Li Chengru then found it surprisingly good.

He froze instantly, and even his hand, which was holding the wine and about to bring it to his lips, suddenly stopped in mid-air.

"Is she... the princess of Northern Qi?" Li Chengru's drunken voice escaped in a low, barely audible tone.

"She's...quite good-looking."

Li Chengze had already started discussing the marriage, while Tao Jingyang had already moved his "battleground" to Chaoyang Palace, where he was preparing to share some little secrets.

The first thing they did was take off their shoes and climb onto the couch. They quickly scrambled up and gathered around to gossip.

The girls urged Ye Ling'er to tell her story of "drifting down the Misty River," explaining how she drifted from upstream to downstream after being wounded by an arrow.

How did she end up being saved by a man?

Fan Ruoruo pulled out a cushion from somewhere and pressed it tightly against her chest, her legs crossed, urging incessantly, "Ling'er, Ling'er, hurry up and tell us! We're getting so impatient!"

Ye Ling'er looked bitter, feeling overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the crowd, and lay on her back in a crooked and unsteady position.

When there was no way to avoid it, she reached out and grabbed Tao Jingyang's dress, covering her face with it, saying, "We really have nothing to say to each other, please don't ask anymore—"

Lin Wan'er lay on her side next to Ruoruo, while Zhu Youran lay opposite her, propping her head up with one hand as she listened to people talking.

The bed was just the right size for them to lie down.

The skirts were layered together in pale pink, light yellow, moon white, and crimson, and some women had taken off their outer robes and were only wearing beige inner garments.

Like the colorful flowers blooming freely in a garden in spring and summer, it is vibrant and beautiful.

Lin Wan'er covered her mouth and chuckled, teasing, "Look at her shy face, she's still stubbornly insisting she didn't."

As a married woman with experience, she saw the young girl's worries as nothing more than a child lying.

Ye Ling'er's face grew even redder. She secretly peeked out from under her dress and glanced at the crowd, her voice barely audible, "He... he's very skilled in martial arts."

After saying that, he chuckled foolishly twice, then lifted Tao Jingyang's skirt again to cover his face completely.

She was laughing and rolling around, clearly immersed in the joy of being in love.

Everyone watched silently, exchanging glances without saying a word, but their eyes revealed understanding and amusement.

But Tao Jingyang had a rough idea of ​​what was going on, and she tentatively asked, "Ling'er, what's his name? Do we know him?"

"You probably don't recognize me." Ye Ling'er then pulled off the dress covering her face, sat up, tidied her slightly disheveled hair, and said softly:

"His name is Wang Xi. He is from Dongyi City and was the thirteenth disciple under Si Gu Jian.

She turned her head slightly, her gaze becoming somewhat distant, as if talking to herself, "He's the one who pulled me out of the Fog River. We spent more than ten days together, and I felt he was an upright person."

Ye Ling'er's eyes sparkled as she slowly spoke of her innermost thoughts, "Wang Xi and I get along very well."

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On the Double Ninth Festival in September, Zhan Pianpian arrived in a foreign country alone.

Orphaned and alone, the carriages following behind her carried her dowry prepared by the Empress Dowager, which was now her only support.

She was encouraging herself.

"Zhan Pianpian, you are a princess of Northern Qi, the eldest princess! You have nothing to fear. Live well here, establish yourself here, and then send the intelligence from Qing back. You can definitely do it!"

As she approached the city gate, she clenched her fists, noticed her palms were sweating, and quietly wiped them on her knees.

Mentally recite the mantra, your lungs following along: Inhale—, exhale—

Logically speaking, even if she was a princess sent by a defeated country for a political marriage, someone should have come to the city gate to receive her.

Zhan Pianpian nervously calculated in her mind: if it was a high-ranking official, she absolutely couldn't lose face; if it was just a servant... she still had to maintain her pride and not let anyone look down on her. Otherwise...

Her palms were sweating more and more. After all, things were different now. Northern Qi was now a defeated country with no dignity left.

Zhan Pianpian knew that if she offended the people of Qing Kingdom, she would suffer all kinds of bullying and have nowhere to complain.

"Whoa—" the coachman shouted, and the carriage came to a stop.

Zhan Pianpian straightened her back, tucked her chin in, and smoothed the hair that was draped over her shoulders, making sure she could present herself in the best possible condition.

.........

There seemed to be the sound of horses' hooves outside the carriage, which stopped as it approached the vehicle.

"The eldest princess of Northern Qi." The voice that came out was that of a man, deep, powerful, and magnetic.

"That's right, it's me." Zhan Pianpian sat up straight in the carriage, her whole body on alert. "May I ask, young master, did His Majesty send you to pick me up?"

"I suppose so." The man pondered for a moment, then said to the distance, "Open the city gates."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a woman's voice rang out, "Prince He, have you come to greet the Princess as well?"

Fan Ruoruo's inner monologue: I know you like it, but this boyfriend material isn't that obvious.

Li Chengru smiled and slightly clasped his hands in apology.

Zhan Pianpian's heart tightened. The Prince He? Wasn't that her fiancé...?

Before she could decide what to say, she heard the woman outside the carriage say, "I am the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Please, Your Highness, come with me to the palace."

Zhan Pianpian had long known that women in Nanqing could also become officials. After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth, lifted the curtain, and gave a polite smile. "Then I'll trouble you, Your Excellency, to lead the way."

Her eyes secretly glanced at the man beside her...

Upon noticing that the man had been staring at her, Li Chengru even gave a faint smile after catching her gaze.

......

Tao Jingyang flipped through the dates selected by the Imperial Observatory, pointed to the closest one and said, "Let's make it the eighth day of next month. The eighth day of the eighth month sounds like 'prosperity, prosperity, prosperity,' and it's auspicious."

Li Chengze, on the other hand, was nonchalant, standing aside smashing almonds for someone. "Whatever, it's fine, you decide."