Refusal

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I am deeply honored to have Your Majesty choose me and betroth the princess to me. However, there is something I dare not conceal: when I was ten years old, my mother went to a temple to have my fortune told. A high monk from Zhusheng Temple said that I could not marry before the age of twenty-two, otherwise my life would be in danger and my wife would die."

Xiao Ruoyu was already unhappy with the marriage, and upon hearing this, she immediately tugged hard at Consort Jin's sleeve from behind the curtain.

Consort Jin forcefully pulled her sleeve from her daughter's hand, stared at the person outside the curtain, and said nothing more.

A profound silence fell over the hall.

The eunuchs and palace maids held their breath, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible, fearing they might be blamed and lose their lives.

Duan Chen refused, but at this point, he was naturally nervous, his forehead covered in sweat. However, he didn't dare to wipe it away, letting the sweat run down his cheeks.

Seeing this, Consort Jin narrowed her eyes and said calmly, "In that case, pretend I said nothing. Xiao Lizi, see him out."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch who led Duan Chen in replied and gestured for Duan Chen to leave.

After Duan Chen left, Consort Jin ordered someone to investigate the matter, and then instructed another eunuch, "Bring Lu Shanchu."

Xiao Ruoyu immediately panicked and called out to Consort Jin, "Mother!"

After the eunuch left, Consort Jin turned to Xiao Ruoyu and said, "This matter is non-negotiable. If you don't marry the newly appointed scholar, who else do you want to marry? Or I'll find you a farmer so you can go and farm?"

Xiao Ruoyu's face turned pale, and she bit her lip, remaining silent.

Consort Jin was already fed up with her daughter, who had a bad temper and wasn't very bright.

The Emperor has once again turned his heart away from her, and it will be twice as difficult to win him back. Because of this, her son has many complaints against her, feeling that she has failed to manage Xiao Ruoyu properly. His current situation is already far worse than before, and if he disappoints the Emperor again, it will be extremely difficult for him to ascend to the throne.

If their son doesn't ascend the throne, and the emperor passes away, life will be difficult for them, mother and children.

With this in mind, Consort Jin made up her mind.

She said, "As long as the people coming to Lu Shanchu aren't bad-looking, you'll marry them. You're not allowed to be picky anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruoyu became anxious and exclaimed, "That guy surnamed Duan was obviously making up lies. Choosing someone surnamed Lu is not as good as choosing someone surnamed Duan; at least he was the second-place scholar."

Not only was he the runner-up, but Duan Chen was also quite good-looking and articulate. Just because he had taken a liking to Zhao Ruxi and wanted to reject her, she had to marry him to make both of them feel uncomfortable.

"Whether it's a lie or not, he's made it clear he doesn't want to. Do you want your father to know we're forcing the second-ranking scholar to marry the princess? How unmarriageable are you? Are all the men in the world dead?" Consort Jin snapped at Xiao Ruoyu.

Xiao Ruoyu immediately fell silent.

Lu Shanchu never expected such a good thing to happen to him.

He was both amazed by Duan Chen's audacity and overjoyed to agree.

Consort Jin was very satisfied with Lu Shanchu's attitude.

This is true appreciation.

She said, "Since you are willing, I will ask the Emperor for permission, and the marriage will be granted soon." She then asked for Lu Shanchu's address.

Upon learning that he lived in a small courtyard, she added, "Go and rent a more decent house. There's no need to buy one; after you're married, you can move directly into the Princess's residence."

Lu Shanchu.

Houses in the capital are incredibly expensive. With his family's wealth, he could only afford a small courtyard house in the west or north of the city. If he were to marry a daughter of an official's family, he would have to pay for everything, including the house and the dowry. This would put a lot of pressure on him.

Now that he's married to the princess, not only will his future be bright, but he won't have to worry about the house anymore, and there won't be any betrothal gifts. He can just get married directly. The princess's dowry, however, is more lavish than anyone else's.

Once he's won the princess's heart, he can buy a house in the capital and bring his parents from his hometown to the capital. That would be a fulfilling life for him.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Rest assured, I will rent a fine house and will not disgrace Your Majesty or Her Highness the Princess," he said obediently.

Consort Jin was increasingly satisfied.

Behind the curtain, Xiao Ruoyu found Lu Shanchu utterly displeasing, muttering to herself, "Sycophant, country bumpkin."

Duan Chen left the palace and went directly to his uncle's house.

It was lunchtime, and his uncle Duan Boheng, happened to be home. Upon seeing him, he said regretfully, "What a pity! The Emperor favors Zhao Zhiwei; otherwise, you would have been the top scholar."

Although both were top-ranking scholars and probationary officials, the second-place scholar could never compare to the first-place scholar. Not only would people only remember the name of the first-place scholar, but the fact that the first-place scholar entered officialdom Subordinate Sixth Rank was a natural advantage, being half a rank higher than the second-place scholar. He was also more valued in the Hanlin Academy. This was a real benefit.

Duan Chen had no time for this. He pulled his uncle to the study, dismissed everyone else, and told them about how Consort Jin wanted to make him her husband, but he had refused under some pretext.

Duan Boheng was startled and said urgently, "Tell me in detail, don't leave anything out, tell me every single detail."

Duan Chen achieved first place in the provincial examination at the age of seventeen, and his memory was comparable to Zhao Ruxi's.

He then recounted his conversation with Consort Jin.

Duan Boheng stroked his beard, frowned, and pondered for a while before saying, "There shouldn't be any problem. Your excuse is quite good. Consort Jin or Prince of Ming will send someone to investigate, but you didn't say which high monk it was, so they have no way of finding out. Besides, it's so far away, they can't send anyone there in a short time."

He stood up. "I'll send men back to Jiangnan to make arrangements and patch up the loopholes." With that, he walked out.

This reaction is wrong; shouldn't you be scolding him?

Duan Chen was a little confused.

He sat there blankly, waiting for Duan Boheng to return to the study before he asked anxiously, "Uncle, you... you're not going to scold me for refusing to marry the princess?"

Duan Boheng sat down, took a sip of tea, and laughed, "I'd only scold you if you agreed to marry the princess."

Seeing that Duan Chen was nowhere to be seen, he shook his head and said, "The Prince of Ming's faction is not as powerful as it used to be. Consort Jin is no longer favored, and the Prince of Ming has been repeatedly reprimanded by the Emperor. Our base is not in the capital, so there's no need to get involved with them. We won't gain much, but we'll only cause trouble."

"Besides..." He looked at his nephew, his eyes full of satisfaction, "You are young and talented, with a high starting point and a bright future ahead. You are the most promising person in our Duan Family, so why should you marry a princess?"

"Marrying a princess may seem like a life of luxury and honor, but in front of a princess, you're inherently inferior. Besides having to live at the mercy of others, your future will also be affected. The current emperor is not like the late emperor; he's extremely wary of these things. You wonder why Consort Jin summoned you first and made you agree before requesting the imperial decree? It's because the emperor absolutely does not agree to you marrying a princess."