Chapter 396
"My lord, could there be so misunderstanding here?" Although Lady Yao did not want her daughter to marry so soon, she still felt it was impossible for Xu Heming to intentionally keep them in the dark.
"Father, His Highness only found out about this today as well! We went into the palace together and only learned of it after seeking an audience with the Emperor!" Though Li Zhiwei did not want to upset her father at a ti like this, it was the truth.
However, with the wedding date only a little over twenty days away, Li Zhiwei also felt it was incredibly rushed.
But thinking of what the Emperor had said about the impending visit from the envoys of the Qinling Kingdom, Li Zhiwei was afraid of further complications.
"I think this is just a play directed and acted out by Prince An and the Emperor! He didn't know? How could he possibly not know!" Li Tianyou firmly believed that Xu Heming must have known about this from the very beginning!
The reason he hadn't told him was likely out of fear that he would refuse!
To think he still wanted to marry his daughter with absolutely no sincerity!
"Father, the Emperor said that the envoys from the Qinling Kingdom will arrive in the capital in a few days. A princess is coming with them, presumably for a marriage alliance," Li Zhiwei quickly brought up the other matter.
"A marriage alliance? Does the Emperor an that the princess might choose Xu Heming?" Li Tianyou quickly caught on to the implication.
If that was truly the case, then his daughter's marriage to Xu Heming indeed needed to be arranged hastily.
But if it ca to that, and the princess still ended up marrying Xu Heming...
Could Xu Heming be planning to make his daughter a concubine?
"Daughter, the way I see it, this marriage cannot be rushed!" After mulling it over, Li Tianyou still felt that having his daughter marry on the sixth of next month was far too hasty!
"Cannot be rushed? What if those people from the Qinling Kingdom take a fancy to our daughter and demand she go for the marriage alliance!" Lady Yao was imdiately displeased upon hearing this.
The Qinling Kingdom was extrely far from their Lanno Kingdom. If their daughter really married into the Qinling Kingdom, it would be difficult for her to even see her daughter again.
Rather than that, it would be better to let their daughter marry Prince An.
At least in her eyes, Prince An was quite reliable.
Although he had previously married a princess consort and now had a child, the child was very close to them. Raising him as their own in the future would be the sa.
"What do you know? What if that alliance princess insists on marrying Xu Heming? Could you bear to let our daughter beco a concubine?" Li Tianyou said with dissatisfaction.
"How could that happen? Isn't our daughter the Princess Consort An personally decreed by the Emperor?" Hearing that Li Zhiwei might beco a concubine to Xu Heming, Lady Yao was extrely unhappy.
Their daughter didn't absolutely have to marry Prince An.
"Since that won't do, I will go to the palace right now to speak with the Emperor and see if we can postpone the date." Li Tianyou's thought process was simple: let the envoys of the Qinling Kingdom arrive first. If Xu Heming really had to marry the princess of the Qinling Kingdom, his daughter could simply choose a new husband.
When the ti ca, he would definitely choose carefully, ensuring he picked soone better than Prince An.
At the very least, it should be soone who had never been married and had no children.
Even though the child, Xu Qingshi, was very affectionate with them, he was ultimately born from another woman's womb. He couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy, as they always said it was hard to be a stepmother.
His daughter, at the pri of her youth, hadn't even learned how to be a mother yet, but would have to learn how to be a stepmother. Li Tianyou always felt this was truly an injustice to his daughter.
"You old fool, what are you rushing for? You've thought of this, but our daughter is so beautiful—what if those people from the Qin-whatever Kingdom take a liking to her? Are you willing to just let your daughter go off for a marriage alliance?" Lady Yao quickly stopped Li Tianyou, speaking with so discontent.
She could defer to Li Tianyou on other matters in the household, but when it ca to their daughter's lifelong happiness, Lady Yao felt they could not be careless!
Besides, there was the previous marriage arrangent with the Marquis of Ru'an's Manor. It was precisely because Li Tianyou had said that such a grand marquis's manor surely wouldn't bully their daughter.
As long as they provided an ample dowry, their daughter would definitely be able to establish a firm foothold in the Marquis of Ru'an's Manor.
But the reality was that their daughter hadn't even stepped through the main gates of the Marquis of Ru'an's Manor. Thinking of this, Lady Yao felt deep regret; she shouldn't have listened to Li Tianyou back then.
Otherwise, their daughter wouldn't have ended up with the reputation of having her engagent broken off.
Now, although Prince An had once had a princess consort, from what she could see, Xu Heming actually treated their daughter quite well.
Their daughter had a good temper, and Lady Yao didn't think the two of them wouldn't be able to live a good life together in the future.
Moreover, his previous wife had long passed away, and the child, Xu Qingshi, had not only saved their daughter but was also very close to them.
Therefore, they were willing to treat him as their own nephew.
As for the future inheritance of the prince's manor, Lady Yao hadn't thought that far ahead. As long as her daughter was well, Lady Yao felt that whoever was capable could take that position. Since the child Xu Qingshi was close to them, it was no different from having one of their own blood.
Furthermore, even without the title of Prince An's Manor, wouldn't Weiwei's future children still have the two of them as their maternal grandparents?
With the Li family's wealth, Weiwei's children would be able to live the rest of their lives without worrying about food or clothing.
"As long as our daughter doesn't go to see those people from the Qinling Kingdom, there's nothing to fear!" Li Tianyou felt that as long as his daughter stayed inside the manor and didn't go out, the envoys of the Qinling Kingdom wouldn't see her and definitely wouldn't make her go for the marriage alliance.
"Father, that is inappropriate!" Li Zhiwei sighed and looked at Li Tianyou, thinking to herself, how could her father not know that she might be chosen for the marriage alliance?
It was just that her father didn't want her to go to Prince An's Manor, feeling that she would be wronged there.
"When the envoys arrive in the capital, the family mbers of officials ranked fourth grade and above will definitely have to attend the palace banquet together. If your daughter stays behind closed doors at a ti like this, who knows what the Emperor will think! Besides, my marriage to Prince An was decreed by His Majesty! And the Ministry of Rites is already making the arrangents."
Li Zhiwei looked at her father and said earnestly.
"It's all because your father is incompetent!" Li Tianyou was extrely frustrated, thinking that if he held imnse power in the court, wouldn't he be able to call off this marriage whenever he wanted?
Now, he was nothing but a lowly Vice Minister of Revenue; he had no sway over this matter.
"What are you thinking about, you old fool? Our daughter is getting married, this is a good thing!" Seeing Li Tianyou's expression, Lady Yao knew exactly what was on his mind—he simply couldn't bear to part with his daughter.
Thinking of this, Lady Yao also sighed, thinking that their fate was truly bitter to have to experience the emotions of their daughter getting married twice, even though they only had one daughter!
"That brat Xu Heming is getting off too easy!" Li Tianyou muttered with dissatisfaction.
"Father, how about you make him marry into our family as a live-in son-in-law?" Li Zhiwei raised an eyebrow and asked upon seeing her father so unhappy.
Of course, she was only saying this to coax Li Tianyou into a better mood.
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