The main hall of the prime minister's residence.
The eunuch who had delivered the decree had already left.
Only Su Yao and her maid remained in the main hall.
"Eldest Miss..."
"Leave."
The maid retreated to the doorway, then glanced back.
Su Yao raised her hand and set the marriage decree on the table. The teacup jolted half an inch into the air, and its lid rolled to the floor and shattered.
She stared at the marriage decree, and the sight of Gu Moran's departing back as he left the residence flashed through her mind.
The fragrance of osmanthus.
The smell of wine.
And his words: there were plenty of good days ahead.
"Then I'll marry him."
She smoothed her cuff, keeping her voice very steady.
"If he dares use the prime minister's residence as a stepping stone, I'll make him regret it for the rest of his life."
Outside the covered corridor, Su Wenyuan heard those words and raised a hand to stop Li Yuan from entering.
Li Yuan lowered his voice.
"My lord, the young lady hasn't made a scene."
"If she had, things would actually be simpler."
Su Wenyuan gazed at the yellow silk inside the hall, then turned away after a long while.
"Fetch the old marriage contract with the Ye Clan and seal it in the hidden compartment."
Li Yuan stopped in his tracks.
"My lord, are you breaking it off?"
Su Wenyuan descended the steps, his sole grinding over a shard of porcelain with a faint crunch.
"I'm waiting."
The rear hall of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Shen Ling'er was crouched before the medicine cabinet and had just counted the seventeenth porcelain bottle when a palace envoy handed in the marriage decree.
The fragrance of medicine rushed into her nostrils, the bitterness mingled with the scent of mugwort.
She accepted the marriage decree, read it, then hugged the yellow silk to her chest, her eyes curving into crescents.
"Grandfather, look. His Third Highness has delivered himself here for an examination."
Elder Shen sat in a grand armchair, the silver needle still in his hand.
"What do you want to test him on?"
"First, I'll see whether he's afraid of dying."
"Nonsense."
Shen Ling'er turned the marriage decree over to the side bearing the imperial seal and flicked it lightly with a fingernail.
"You taught me to look for the root of an illness when examining a patient, Grandfather. Looking at people is no different."
Elder Shen looked up.
"Where is the root?"
"A wastrel from the capital suddenly wants to marry six girls from different backgrounds."
Shen Ling'er placed the marriage decree on the medicine table and leaned close to sniff the ink on the palace paper.
"Either he's gone mad, or he's dodging a bigger blade."
Elder Shen fell silent for a moment.
"You want to examine him yourself?"
"Mm."
She turned to look at the little black bottle on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet.
"With the bitterest ingredients."
The Northern Frontier Envoy Delegation's quarters.
Murong Xue accepted the marriage decree. She recognized only the three characters of Gu Moran's name before drawing her curved saber half an inch.
The scabbard gave a brief clack, and the palace envoy's face instantly turned white.
"Your Highness, this is His Majesty's gracious decree."
"Gracious?"
Murong Xue looked up. The smell of wine on the sheepskin felt reached her nose, and her brows drew together.
"In the Northern Territory, anyone who wants to marry me gets on a horse first."
Batuer hurriedly stepped in front of the palace envoy.
"Princess, you mustn't lay a hand on the emperor's people."
Murong Xue pushed her saber back into its sheath.
"I haven't."
The palace envoy held his sleeve and backed away.
Batuer escorted him out, her face still dark when she returned.
"Princess, the emperor of the Central Plains is humiliating the Northern Territory."
"Whether it's humiliation depends on the outcome."
Murong Xue tossed the marriage decree onto the table, picked up her wine bowl, and took a sip.
"If Gu Moran falls off his horse, he'll be the one losing face."
Batuer frowned.
"What if he doesn't fall?"
Murong Xue looked at the yellow silk on the table.
"Then there'll be something to discuss."
The second floor of the Flower-Between Pavilion.
Madam Chun knocked three times, wringing the handkerchief in her hands until it creased.
The smells of wine and face powder wafted up from downstairs, and laughter carried through the wooden floor into the room.
"Ruyan, the imperial decree has arrived."
The door opened half a palm's width.
Liu Ruyan stood behind it, still holding half a scroll of poetry.
"Did you accept it, Madam?"
Madam Chun leaned forward with a smile.
"This is the good fortune of entering a prince's household. With the third prince giving you a proper status, who would dare look down on you again?"
Liu Ruyan looked at her without answering for a long time.
Madam Chun's smile slowly faltered.
"Ruyan, don't be stubborn."
"Madam."
Liu Ruyan closed the poetry scroll.
"Please tell His Third Highness that I beg him to keep his word."
The grand commandant's residence.
Lin Qingdai accepted the marriage decree with both hands and read every word in front of the palace envoy.
Her hand paused on the words "side consort," her fingertip pressing a shallow crease into the yellow silk.
The steward stood beside her, even his breathing hushed.
Lin Zhenshan emerged from the main hall, wearing neither armor nor a saber.
He first cupped his hands to the palace envoy.
"This subject accepts the decree and thanks His Majesty for his grace."
The palace envoy's back had been rigid; only upon hearing this did he let out half a breath of relief.
Lin Qingdai turned to look at him.
"Father?"
"Shut up."
Lin Zhenshan took the marriage decree, personally placed it in a rosewood box, then had the steward set the box on the incense table in the main hall.
Only after finishing all this did he look at the palace envoy.
"Sorry for the trouble, but please report to His Majesty that the grand commandant's household would not dare defy his decree."
The palace envoy hastily nodded.
Lin Zhenshan continued.
"It's just that my daughter has practiced martial arts since childhood and has a blunt disposition."
The palace envoy's palms grew sweaty. He accepted his reward of silver and hurried away.
Lin Zhenshan glanced at the marriage decree on the incense table.
"I want to see whether this wastrel has the guts to protect you."
Holding back her anger, Lin Qingdai was just about to speak.
Lin Zhenshan picked up his teacup but did not drink.
"The imperial decree is on the incense table. Do you want the entire grand commandant's household to join you in overturning the table?"
Lin Qingdai froze.
"Then what about those three moves?"
"If he can't withstand them, the marriage will naturally be delayed."
Lin Zhenshan set the teacup back on the table.
"If he can, it'll at least prove he isn't a good-for-nothing who only knows how to hide behind His Majesty."
Lin Qingdai said nothing more.
Looking at his daughter's back, Lin Zhenshan added one more sentence.
"Qingdai, a military commander can be tough, but never stupid."
The rear courtyard of the Imperial Academy.
Xie Wanqing was watering the roses when she received the marriage decree.
Water soaked through the soil, and the scent of plants mingled with the fragrance of ink, drifting over from beneath the study window.
She accepted the decree with both hands and bowed to the palace envoy.
"Thank you for your trouble, my lord. Please report to His Majesty that Wanqing accepts the decree and thanks him for his grace."
After the palace envoy left, her maid asked softly.
"Miss, are you all right?"
Xie Wanqing hugged the marriage decree to her chest. Her fingertips touched the imprint of the imperial seal, and heat welled up around her eyes.
"Close the door."
The maid hesitated, then withdrew as instructed.
After the door closed, a very faint sob came from inside.
Three breaths later, the door opened again.
Xie Wanqing emerged, her face clean and her robes neat.
"Move this pot of roses beneath the study window."
The maid hurriedly answered.
"Yes."
"The flowering season is almost over. Let them get more sun."
That same day, the capital was turned upside down.
The teahouse storyteller composed a new tale about the prince welcoming six brides, telling it from the morning session through the evening session.
Red paper was posted outside the gambling houses.
The odds on whether the third prince would survive his wedding night were one to one point five.
For which bride would strike first, Murong Xue ranked first and Lin Qingdai second.
When the news reached Prince Yi's Residence, Gu Moran was sitting in his study, looking at the system panel.
[Su Yao: favorability -67. Reason: forced marriage decree.] [Shen Ling'er: favorability -12. Reason: curiosity outweighs aversion.] [Murong Xue: favorability -55. Reason: bound by the marriage decree; conflict with Northern Territory customs.] [Liu Ruyan: favorability -30. No change.] [Lin Qingdai: favorability -78. Reason: pressure from the imperial decree; the grand commandant's household will not defy it for now.] [Xie Wanqing: favorability -5. Reason: passive acceptance; suppressed emotions.]
Gu Moran stared at Lin Qingdai's entry and tapped the tabletop twice.
"That far into the negatives?"
He flipped to the Lin Clan's conditions.
[The grand commandant's household has proposed a premarital exchange of moves. Lin Zhenshan requires the host to withstand three moves head-on.] [System assessment: this action by Lin Zhenshan does not constitute defiance of the imperial decree.] [True objective one: the grand commandant's household accepts the decree but will not let others manipulate it.] [True objective two: give Lin Qingdai an accounting; this marriage is not the sale of a daughter.] [True objective three: use the host's performance to assess the value of future cooperation.]
By the time Gu Moran finished reading, an image of the training grounds had already surfaced in his mind.
The broadsword.
The blue bricks.
And the sorry state he had been in when he was carried back to the prince's residence.
He raised a hand and rubbed his knee.
"This father-in-law knows how to treat people. He just doesn't care much whether I live or die."
The system displayed another line.
[Beginner compensation issued.] [Pain-Numbing Pill: reduces pain by ninety percent for two days after consumption without affecting movement or judgment.]
Gu Moran looked at the last line, his smile frozen on his face.
"At least this beginner compensation of yours shows some consideration."
On the system panel, Ye Qingyun's countdown ticked over to a new number.
[Countdown until Son of Destiny Ye Qingyun arrives in the capital: 23 days.]
Twenty-three days.
His gaze turned cold and hard again.
Within twenty-three days, he had to get at least one of their affection scores into the positive.
The system displayed a new notification at just the right moment.
[Wedding preparation quest generated. The host is advised to incorporate personalized details into the wedding to create an impression of contrast, establishing an initial foundation of affection for subsequent conquest.] [View suggested plan?]
Gu Moran clicked "Yes."
The instant the plan unfolded, his brows first knitted, then slowly relaxed.
"Interesting."