The Empress Arranges a Marriage

Tu Lihua's brows drew together slightly. "I understand. Have Eunuch Feng wait in the palace for a moment."

The maid gave a deep curtsy. "Yes."

She felt nothing whatsoever for the Jian'an Emperor; the two of them were little more than husband and wife for a fleeting night.

In her eyes, Zhao Yongxu had neither good looks nor talent.

Even in matters of favor, he merely went through the motions.

He brought her no pleasure as a woman.

In ordinary times, she felt disgusted even at the sight of Zhao Yongxu.

Yet considering her status, she still maintained the basic courtesies. She could not disregard the Emperor's arrangements.

With the maid's assistance, Tu Lihua changed into a fresh set of everyday clothes and lightly dressed herself before going to see Feng Dabao.

At that moment, she was radiant. Having borne children, her figure had grown fuller, lending her a few more airs of a noble lady.

"What brings Eunuch Feng here?"

Upon seeing Tu Lihua, Feng Dabao bowed. "This servant pays respects to Your Majesty."

"The situation is tense at present. His Majesty wishes to steady the Huo Family, and asks Your Majesty to choose a suitable prince to visit the Huo Residence on an auspicious day and show goodwill."

Tu Lihua glanced at Feng Dabao, her eyes lowered. "Did His Majesty state whether a marriage alliance is required?"

"He did not say so explicitly." Feng Dabao wore a broad smile as he answered truthfully.

"This Prince understands. Arrangements will be made today." Tu Lihua said indifferently.

"Many thanks, Empress. This servant shall take his leave."

Tu Lihua instructed, "Eunuch Feng has made a tiring trip. Someone, bring This Prince's Crimson Dragon Longevity Pill."

"Your Majesty, I dare not accept."

"It is merely a single pill. Eunuch Feng need not stand on ceremony." Tu Lihua placed a Crimson Dragon Longevity Pill, stored in a sandalwood box, into Feng Dabao's hands.

Feng Dabao still wore his amiable smile. "Then this servant will accept it without further ceremony."

He knew that the Empress had bestowed the pill this time purely for the Crown Prince's sake, hoping that he would put in more good words before the Jian'an Emperor.

It was no great matter.

To him, it was merely the lift of a hand.

The Crimson Dragon Longevity Pill was a rare precious medicine. Ordinary people could extend their lives by several years after consuming it, while martial artists could gain a year's worth of cultivation.

He truly could not bear to refuse it.

After seeing Feng Dabao off, Empress Tu Lihua fell into thought.

As the Empress, she knew a thing or two about what sort of goods the Huo Family were.

Zhao Yongxu had not explicitly mentioned a marriage alliance, yet had told her to look for a suitable prince. That meant he wanted her to act as a matchmaker and build a bridge between them.

By taking the initiative to lower his stance, he was showing weakness to the Huo Family, ensuring that they would not dare act rashly during this period.

Think about it: if the Emperor wanted his son to marry your daughter, would that mean he intended to move against you?

Clearly not.

Instead, one would think the Emperor wished to compromise with them.

Having spent so many years in the palace, Tu Lihua had long understood such methods of controlling subordinates like the back of her hand.

Now that Zhao Yongxu wanted her to name someone, without specifying any other consort, his meaning was already perfectly clear: the Fifth Prince had been chosen internally.

Because the Fifth Prince had no birth mother, if Zhao Yongxu spoke directly, he would instead lose the dignity of both a father and an emperor.

It was one thing for a dignified emperor to send an Imperial Princess into a marriage alliance; women held low status.

In the imperial family, they had always been tools for political marriages, and no one said much about it.

But if he had a prince step forward to do something similar, people would only think the ruler incompetent, unable even to keep his ministers in check.

One or two such thoughts would be manageable, but if more people thought the same way—

The Martial Arts Forces above might well overturn his seat and replace him with another descendant of the Zhao Clan, safeguarding their own interests.

Taking everything into account, he could only turn to her, the Empress, and have her do it in the name of caring for the prince, draping a layer of fig leaf over it.

Thinking it through carefully, the Fifth Prince Zhao Hongming was already thirteen. Once the New Year passed and his birthday arrived, he would be fourteen.

Fourteen was somewhat young, but he was already considered a young adult and could begin looking for girls of suitable age.

According to Great Wei imperial regulations, princes generally married between the ages of eighteen and twenty, while Imperial Daughters married around eighteen.

Those were the ages for marriage.

Before marriage came betrothal.

There was no fixed rule for that.

Among the Great Wei nobility, some were betrothed from the moment they were born, while even the latest generally completed their engagements by fifteen or sixteen.

Thus, choosing a Daughter of a wealthy and noble family for the Fifth Prince Zhao Hongming now was in fact most appropriate.

Having grasped the key to the matter, Tu Lihua immediately sent someone to the East Fifth Residence—where the Fifth Prince Zhao Hongming lived—to arrange it.

East Fifth Residence (Clear Breeze Pavilion).

Inside the bedroom, Zhao Hongming sat upon a yellow meditation cushion, cultivating in quiet focus.

It was the depths of winter, and frigid outside.

Yet waves of warmth filled his room.

Beneath the Great Wei palace lay fire channels, one of which had an opening in his bedroom.

A fire burned outside, and its heat traveled through the fire channel into the room, warming the entire chamber.

Such openings were also called Earth Dragons.

Just as he was immersed in cultivation, a series of footsteps sounded outside, stopping at his door.

His personal Eunuch, Wang Bao, said from outside, "Your Highness, the Empress has sent someone over. They wish to see Your Highness."

Zhao Hongming stopped cultivating, his brows knitting slightly.

There had rarely been any communication or contact between him and the Empress. Why was she suddenly looking for him?

The day before yesterday, when he had gone to eavesdrop outside the Empress's Kunning Palace, he had not heard anything concerning him either.

Zhao Hongming was somewhat puzzled.

He rose to his feet. "Understood. This Prince will come at once."

Before long, Zhao Hongming draped a cloak over himself and opened the door. The guard Chang Wubing and Wang Bao both stood outside.

Wang Bao lowered his head and bowed. "Her Majesty's man is currently in the reception hall."

"Let us go."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Zhao Hongming took the lead, walking at the very front, while Wang Bao and Chang Wubing followed behind him on either side.

Before long, Zhao Hongming arrived at the reception hall.

The person sent by the Empress was a Eunuch.

Zhao Hongming knew this Eunuch. His name was Jiang Guanfu, the Empress's chief Eunuch.

He was the one Zhao Hongming saw every time he paid his respects.

"Eunuch Jiang."

Zhao Hongming greeted him first.

Jiang Guanfu hurriedly bent at the waist and said respectfully, "This servant pays respects to the Fifth Prince."

Zhao Hongming got straight to the point. "May I ask what instructions the Empress has for This Prince, that Eunuch Jiang has come here?"

Jiang Guanfu smiled. "It is good news. The Empress sees that the Fifth Prince is no longer so young, and has begun looking for a suitable Daughter of a wealthy and noble family for Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongming suddenly had a bad premonition.

The Empress ordinarily did not even wish to see him during greetings, yet now she was looking for a match for him. When something was out of the ordinary, there had to be something fishy.

In his previous life, what he feared most was a friend's sudden concern.

Zhao Hongming said, "I hope Eunuch Jiang can tell This Prince in detail."

Jiang Guanfu raised an orchid finger and covered his mouth with a smile. "The Huo Family has an eldest daughter, fifteen years old and yet unmarried. She recently came to Daliang, and Her Majesty intends to build a bridge between her and Your Highness. Your Highness should make preparations early."

Sure enough.

Zhao Hongming knew too little at present to make too many judgments, so he went along with it. "I hope Eunuch Jiang can explain in greater detail. What preparations should This Prince make?"