Chapter 461 - 461 458 Facilitation_1

Chapter 461: Chapter 458: Facilitation_1 Chapter 461: Chapter 458: Facilitation_1 Dong Tingzhen’s throat churned, “Cousin can even go to the battlefield like men. Even though she is a woman, she makes a name for herself among nations and becomes a fierce general feared by all. This is something many men can’t achieve! I really envy that cousin can make decisions for her own life and control her direction!”

When Dong Tingzhen was a child, she saw Bai Qingyan and King of Zhen, Bai Weiting, sparring with bamboo swords in the courtyard. After returning, she tried to mimic with bamboo but was scolded by her mother. She wanted to ride a horse but was forced to learn embroidery. She wanted to practice martial arts but was forced to learn the zither.

She had never made a decision for her own life.

Even before King Liang appeared, she thought her life would be to master the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, learn from her mother how to manage the household, then marry, have children, and learn to navigate between her husband and in-laws, and to manage her husband’s concubines.

This was probably the life of most Jin Kingdom women.

Dong Tingzhen smiled and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, “I’ve already chosen this path. If I don’t walk it, how will I know if it’s right or wrong? Perhaps King Liang is ambitious and covets that lofty position. Perhaps his cowardice and incompetence are all to deceive others. But unless I see it for myself, I will never know!”

Dong Tingzhen stood up and bowed deeply to Bai Qingyan, “If King Liang marries me for our affection, I will have won! If he marries me to gain the support of my uncle, the governor, and you, the fierce general of Jin, then I won’t let him succeed! The Dong family has always treated sincerity with sincerity, an inch for an inch. But if someone betrays us, there will be destruction!”

“Did your parents raise you delicately so that you could destroy yourself along with someone worse than a pig or dog?!” Bai Qingyan couldn’t control her anger, her voice rising, “Tingzhen, will today’s words not deter you from marrying King Liang?”

Dong Tingzhen bit her lip tightly, “Cousin, just let me have my way this once! Please don’t tell my parents about this. Otherwise, even if it reaches the Emperor, I will only admit that I have privately agreed to marry King Liang. The reputation of the Dong family women will be affected, and I don’t want it to come to that!”

Bai Qingyan clenched her fist, feeling utterly powerless. Even if King Liang held Dong Tingzhen’s close-fitting longevity lock, as long as she could persuade Dong Tingzhen, Bai Qingyan could find a way to salvage the situation.

But if Dong Tingzhen insisted on marrying King Liang, no matter how many tricks she had, she couldn’t use them.

She could only hope that the Crown Prince would enter the palace and stop this.

She clenched and unclenched her fists and calmed down. “It doesn’t have to end in destruction. The Emperor won’t hastily decree a marriage just because of your longevity lock. Your uncle is not an unreasonable person. If you are determined to marry King Liang, you can get engaged first. After one or two years, if you still find King Liang trustworthy, then marry him. If you discover that he uses you, it will be easier to cut ties swiftly. Tingzhen… ruining your life for a moment of impulsiveness is the least worthwhile. Moreover, if you have children after marriage, how can they bear to see their parents destroy each other?”

Since she couldn’t dissuade Dong Tingzhen from her intentions, it was better to let her be honest with her uncle, so he could be prepared.

Even if they ultimately couldn’t stop Dong Tingzhen from marrying King Liang, the worst outcome would be an engagement, leaving room for maneuver.

King Liang was desperate for that position. He hadn’t secured the Crown Prince’s position. The Emperor was currently taking elixirs… if anything happened, the Crown Prince would ascend. Could King Liang not be anxious?

Anxiety easily leads to mistakes.

“Not even willing to wait one or two years?” Bai Qingyan asked again.

Dong Tingzhen shook her head, thought for a moment, and nodded, “I’ll go to my father and mother now. Cousin… can you come with me?”

Dong Tingzhen twisted her handkerchief, feeling a bit scared.

“Okay!” Bai Qingyan nodded.

·

King Liang entered the palace, anxiously seeking an audience with the Emperor, who was listening to Lady Qiu playing the zither, thinking something serious had happened.

Who would have thought King Liang would kneel before the Emperor, crying and telling how he mistakenly believed Bai Qingyan to be the girl he admired since childhood, which was why he proposed to her. Now, he found the girl who didn’t despise him and wiped his face with a handkerchief. Before he could report to the Emperor and seek a marriage decree, Minister Chen had already sent the retired Imperial Master’s wife, Lord Tan, to propose marriage for Chen Zhaolu.

The Emperor listened, intrigued by the twists and turns. “You’ve cried for half a day, and I still don’t understand… whose daughter is it?”

“Father… it’s the legitimate daughter of Honglu Temple Governor, Lord Dong, Dong Tingzhen!” King Liang hurriedly produced Dong Tingzhen’s close-fitting longevity lock, holding it high above his head, “This is Tingzhen’s longevity lock. She gave it to me, fearing that Father wouldn’t believe our mutual love! Please, Father, make the decision! I will only marry Tingzhen in this life! Please, Father!”

King Liang kowtowed earnestly.

Lady Qiu, standing beside the Emperor, appropriately sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, “Your Majesty, King Liang and Miss Dong’s deep affection moved me. Why not fulfill this pair of lovers?”

The Emperor looked at his usually cowardly son, who actually dared to plead for a woman before him. Leaning back on his embroidered dragon-patterned pillow, he asked, “You and this Miss Dong… have you been intimate?”

“No, no! Absolutely not!” King Liang knelt in terror. “Father, Tingzhen is a well-mannered girl. This time she gave me the longevity lock because she feared Father would not believe our mutual love due to my earlier mistake with Princess of Zhen. So she gave it to me! Please, Father, understand our sincerity!”

“Your Majesty!” Lady Qiu tugged coquettishly at the Emperor’s sleeve, “You see how terrified King Liang is! This proves… he truly loves Miss Dong! Why not fulfill his wish?”

“Father, I’m afraid of everything in my life! But when it comes to you and my brothers, I feel immensely brave. Now, I feel the same for Tingzhen. I’m fortunate to have found her. She doesn’t disdain my incompetence, doesn’t despise me as a worthless…”

“Enough nonsense! You are my son… who dares to call you worthless!” The Emperor, annoyed by King Liang’s self-deprecation, exclaimed.

King Liang was his son. Even if he were useless, as the Emperor, he could say so, but who else would dare!

“Father…” King Liang looked up at the Emperor, tears streaming down his face, “They might not say it, but they think it in their hearts!”