NCCnovel Chapter 344 The Crown Prince's Persuasion!
Chapter 344 The Crown Prince's Persuasion!
Although the emperor was unwilling, he was forced by the current political situation, and his second son had indeed caused quite a stir!
The Empress knew there was no other way. Rather than keeping them all in the capital and constantly on the move, it would be better to send them away from the capital and away from the power center of the Great Yong Dynasty. Perhaps, in the future, these sons would all be able to die peacefully.
Although the Emperor did not issue an imperial decree, his attitude was quite clear: he agreed to allow the princes to go to their respective fiefdoms.
As soon as the morning court session ended, Duanmu Chuze went directly to the Imperial Study to request an audience with the Emperor.
"Father, I have no objection to going to my fiefdom. However, I wish to get married as soon as possible. I am afraid that I may not be able to return in time for the New Year after the New Year. Can Father bear to let me spend the New Year alone in my fiefdom?"
Duanmu Chuze spoke in a pitiful tone, but the Emperor was amused by his words!
"Nonsense! You didn't have a wife when you were at the border, did you?"
Duanmu Chuze pouted, "Father, you know I've never had a wife before, right? Father, please have pity on me. My brothers all have sons, especially the Crown Prince, whose son is already so grown up. Can you bear to see me all alone?"
Just then, a messenger came from outside, saying that His Highness the Crown Prince had arrived.
"Let him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Greetings to my father."
"No need for that. Come and see your good younger brother. He's here negotiating with me." The Emperor's amused expression piqued the Crown Prince's curiosity.
“Brother, it’s obvious that Father doesn’t love me, his son, at all. Yet he claims that I was negotiating with him. You’ve come at the right time; please judge this matter.”
The Crown Prince chuckled upon hearing Duanmu Chuze's somewhat childish words. "Don't be hasty, tell me what exactly happened?"
Duanmu Chuze pouted, "Didn't Father Emperor intend for us brothers to leave the capital and go to our respective fiefdoms? I have no objection. It's good to leave the capital, so I won't have to be nagged by Father Emperor every day. And having to go to court early in the morning is too troublesome."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's eyes widened, but Duanmu Chuze was not afraid at all. He even raised his chin and eyebrows to meet him.
"The problem is, all of you brothers are married. But what about me? Dear brother, please talk to Father and ask him to let me get married right away! That way, I can go to Yan with my beautiful bride. Why not? But Father just won't agree! I find it so strange. She's clearly my own fiancée. I'm just welcoming her into the family sooner. Why is Father so reluctant to let her go?"
The Emperor leaned back in anger, his beard trembling. "What nonsense are you spouting now! What do you mean I can't bear to part with it?"
"Isn't that right? If not, why don't you just issue another decree for the marriage? Why bother with all this?"
"You brat! You, you're going to drive me crazy!"
At this point, the Crown Prince understood and shook his head. "Fourth brother, that's not what Father meant. Think about it, that Miss Mu is not even of marriageable age yet. How can she marry you now? If word gets out, it might not be good for her reputation."
"What's the big deal? Although girls can get married when they reach the age of 14, there are plenty of girls in our Great Yong who get married at the age of 13 or 14! Why is Mu Xin Nuan the only one missing?"
Duanmu Chuze's nonchalant attitude made the Emperor's expression even more unpleasant.
"You rascal! Don't forget, Mu Xin Nuan isn't just any ordinary girl; she's the daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong!"
"Then Mu Xinyao, who is Mu Chang'an's second daughter, is also married, isn't she? She's even a year younger than Mu Xinnuan." Duanmu Chuze had already planned this move! This was the real reason why he wanted to marry Mu Xinyao off so early!
With Mu Xinyao as an example, who would dare to say a word against Mu Xinnuan's marriage now?
Seeing the Emperor's displeasure, the Crown Prince advised, "Fourth Brother, how can Mu Xinyao be compared to Mu Xinnuan? Mu Xinnuan is not only the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong's family, but also a princess personally appointed by the Empress Dowager! We must consider the Empress Dowager's reputation, mustn't we?"
Duanmu Chuze's eyes flickered. "My mother has always doted on me the most. If I were to rescue her, do you think she would agree?"
The crown prince was taken aback. Given his mother's doting nature towards his fourth brother, it was quite possible that she might actually agree.
"Enough! Your mother is unwell right now, so don't bother her with these trivial matters. If you worsen her illness, do you think I'll let you off the hook?"
The emperor's face darkened, and his imposing presence filled the entire imperial study with his natural kingly aura!
Even the Crown Prince was starting to feel uneasy, but Duanmu Chuze acted as if nothing was wrong, showing no sign of amiss.
“Father, your son is getting married. This is a very important matter. How can it be considered a small matter? Besides, it has always been Mother’s wish for your son to get married. If Mother hears what your son has to say, her illness might be cured.”
"Nonsense! Mu Xin Nuan is only fourteen. Even if you marry her, you can't share a bed with her. You filthy thing, are you trying to drive me crazy?"
"Father, I only said we were getting married, not that we were consummating our marriage. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Seeing that the atmosphere was deadlocked, the Crown Prince could only advise, "Fourth brother, don't be anxious. Let Father think about this matter first. Marriage is a serious matter and not a child's play. Father also values your marriage."
Upon hearing this, the emperor snorted angrily, glared at him again, and then turned his head away from him.
Duanmu Chuze chuckled, seemingly unperturbed by the Emperor's attitude towards him, and bowed, saying, "Then, Your Majesty, I will take my leave now. I await good news from you."
The emperor was so angry that he pointed at him, as if he wanted to drag him over and beat him up.
The Crown Prince stepped forward and gently patted the Emperor's back to calm him down. "Father, please don't be angry. Fourth Brother is young. Seeing that we sons all have families, it's natural that he also wants to marry a wife. There's nothing wrong with that."
"There's nothing wrong with that. But even if he marries Mu Xin Nuan, she'll just be a figurehead. What difference does it make whether they're married or not?"
The crown prince's eyes flashed. "Father, if you are concerned about this matter, you might as well just directly assign him two more concubines."
"A concubine? Look at how desperate he is. Where would he find a ready-made concubine to be assigned to him? Besides, don't you know what kind of person your fourth brother is? If he likes her, he will naturally try his best to protect her. If he doesn't like her, he doesn't care whether she was bestowed by me or not; he might just kill her with a single sword strike!"