Ye Ziāan chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "Itās not as bad as you think. Plus, the Emperor doesnāt want Linyu to have a political marriage either; he actually detests such arrangements."
The direct cause of conflict between Great Zhou and Great Qi would be a failed political marriage.
"When the Prince of Yueluo Kingdom proposed this matter, I noticed the Emperor looked displeased, so I said in front of everyone that Linyu was already engaged to Qingtong, and the betrothal gifts had been exchanged; all thatās left is picking a date for the wedding."
"Will that work?" Yang Chuxia asked, "Can everyone believe that? Plus, clearly the betrothal gifts havenāt been exchanged yet. Saying that in front of the Emperor, if anyone finds out, thatās deceiving the sovereign."
The last few words she said with utmost caution.
"Donāt worry, exchanging betrothal gifts isnāt as formal as sending out invitations, it doesnāt have to be public knowledge. Now if both our families say theyāve been exchanged, then they have, and others canāt verify it. As for the Emperor, whether Linyu is engaged or not, he knows well. By saying this, Iām helping him solve a problem."
"You know, my uncle and Linhao are his greatest military support, thereās no way he would hurt my uncle over something like this, especially since my uncle only has one daughter."
"Thatās good!" Yang Chuxia lightly patted her heart, "Youāve managed to solve the issue between Qingtong and Linyu, so tomorrow we can respond to Linyu, otherwise her tears could flood Prince Anās Mansion."
"That exaggerated?" Ye Ziāan lowered his head, laughing, "What time did you get up today, still tired?"
She glared at him, "Tonight you will sleep with our son."
"Haha, that wonāt do." Ye Ziāanās hand moved to her waist, "Holding a little baby isnāt any fun."
"Nonsense."
Pulling his hand away from her waist, intertwining their fingers tightly, she asked, "Earlier, you said you had a plan for the situation with Linyu and Qingtong, donāt tell me you predicted the Young Prince of Yueluo Kingdom would propose?"
"Haha!" Ye Ziāan laughed, pecked at her rosy lips, and said loudly, "My lady, youāre too adorable, how could I be so remarkably prescient?"
"Stop laughing and tell me, what was your original plan?"
"Linhao didnāt refuse Lord Xing, right?" Ye Ziāan said, "He was my original choice..."
It turns out, he planned to have Lord Xing propose, Linhao would feign agreement to provoke Yang Qingtong. Although Lord Xing had a higher official rank than Yang Qingtong, he was a few years older and didnāt have as strong of backing. Advancing in rank would be exceedingly difficult. Seriously speaking, Lord Xing came from humble beginnings, with conditions worse than Yang Qingtongās.
If Yang Qingtong heard that Linhao wanted to marry Linyu to someone with worse conditions than himself, itās hard to believe heād remain calm.
"Your plan is quite cunning."
"As long as it works, itās a shame it coincided." Ye Ziāan said, "If my calculations are right, Qingtong should arrive in Capital City in the next two days."
"Did you send him a message?"
"Of course, without a message bringing him back, how can Linyu have her wish fulfilled? And without it, how could we satisfy the Young Prince of Yueluo Kingdom?"
"But whatās with Prince Heās grandson?" She knew about the other two, but whatās up with this boy?
"I donāt know." Ye Ziāan shook his head, "Maybe he has a crush on Linyu, who knows?"
"Listening to you makes me rest easy."