The Ninth Prince departed reluctantly, and the Tenth Prince eagerly sat down beside Nian Jiaojiao.
Watching the other’s increasingly tilted body, Nian Jiaojiao couldn't help but lean back.
What a joke. The eunuchs were all watching. If there were any inappropriate behaviors, it might lead to her having to marry this Tenth Prince. She would have nowhere to cry.
However, the Tenth Prince and Nian Jiaojiao had different thoughts.
His mind was filled with amazement.
“The Zhuangyuan’s eyelashes are so long!”
“How can the Zhuangyuan’s skin be so good?”
“The Zhuangyuan’s lips are so red, very much like the dahlia I’m raising.”
…
“Your Highness the Tenth Prince, shouldn’t we be talking now?”
This time, Nian Jiaojiao couldn’t help but speak first.
She really couldn’t stand the other party’s “staring.”
The Tenth Prince’s fully tilted body did not retract. He used the stone table for support, looking like a “little white rabbit.”
“Zhuangyuan, feel free to ask anything you wish. Yuan Xun will definitely tell you everything without reservation.”
Nian Jiaojiao could almost feel the other party’s breath. To avoid any misunderstandings, she suddenly stood up and sat opposite the Tenth Prince again.
“This is the most comfortable angle for me to chat,” she said with a straight face.
The Tenth Prince was stunned. Although he was regretful, this was a crucial moment to leave a “good impression,” so he could only give up for now.
However, he was fully confident that the other party would choose him.
After all, their night stroll in the palace last time must have left a deep and beautiful impression on the other party!
Thus, he began, “Zhuangyuan, I heard from my Imperial Sister that she invited you to her manor before, but you were focused on preparing for the palace examination then, so you missed it. My Imperial Sister feels very regretful. Now that the palace examination is over, my Imperial Sister will host, inviting you and me to tour the West Lake together.”
The Imperial Princess mentioned here refers to Prince Ying.
Prince Ying was overbearing. Her demeanor at Prince Duan’s birthday banquet that day made Nian Jiaojiao instinctively feel they were not on the same path.
Of course, Nian Jiaojiao had no desire to be associated with Prince Duan.
Even if she didn’t know who would eventually contend for the throne, this Prince Duan was definitely not it.
Not only did Prince Duan have little hope of winning the succession himself, but he also did not restrain his temper, getting along poorly with the other Imperial Princesses, even to the point of animosity. This was a typical cannon fodder role!
Therefore, she did not answer directly, merely offering an awkward smile.
“I will certainly obey Prince Ying’s invitation, but everything must wait until I have dealt with my personal affairs. Otherwise, I won’t be able to enjoy the tour to the fullest.”
By the time she finished, her own people would likely be in Qingzhou, and Prince Ying would probably be too far away to do anything about it.
Speaking of which, Nian Jiaojiao changed the subject and said, “I saw Prince Ying at Prince Duan’s birthday party before. Your Highness is a prince, so it’s understandable that you couldn’t go out. However, I am somewhat puzzled. I didn’t see any other Imperial Princesses there either?”
The Tenth Prince did not pick up on her words, instead persistently steering the conversation back to himself.
For instance, what he usually liked to do, what items he favored, how he wished to live after marriage, and so on.
But Nian Jiaojiao severely doubted the veracity of his statements.
This was because everything the other party said was clearly intended to highlight his own truth, goodness, and beauty…
Thus, during this period of sipping tea, Nian Jiaojiao spent it listening to the Tenth Prince praising himself in various ways…
Nian Jiaojiao also responded with smiles and nods, without offering any comments.
Finally, the Eleventh Prince arrived outside the pavilion, but the Tenth Prince seemed to have no intention of stopping the conversation, continuing to incessantly praise himself and belittle the other princes.
The Eleventh Prince, waiting outside the pavilion, dared not approach directly.
His birth father was merely a talented consort, so he was usually afraid of offending the Tenth Prince. Otherwise, the grievances suffered by the Tenth Prince would surely be vented on his father in the future.
Seeing that it was already the Eleventh Prince’s turn, and the Eleventh Prince was on the verge of tears from grievance, Nian Jiaojiao saw the situation and interrupted, “Your Highness the Tenth Prince.”
“Hmm?”
The Tenth Prince looked up, waiting for the other party to utter the words “I propose marriage.”
“The time is up. It’s the Eleventh Prince’s turn.”
The Tenth Prince turned to look at the Eleventh Prince, a malice in his eyes that made the latter shudder.
Although Nian Jiaojiao could only see the back of the Tenth Prince’s head at this moment, she could tell from the Eleventh Prince’s reaction that the Tenth Prince was employing some tactics.
Nian Jiaojiao narrowed her eyes slightly, “Your Highness the Tenth Prince, our conversation today has been very pleasant. However, His Majesty decreed that each person has the time of one cup of tea. If I report to His Majesty later, it might not be easy to explain.”
As she spoke, she emphasized the word “His Majesty” and slightly raised her chin, gesturing for him to look at the old eunuch and others in the distance.
As expected, under pressure from the Empress, the Tenth Prince found it difficult to linger. Before leaving, he greedily gazed at Nian Jiaojiao’s face a few times before turning to depart.
After the Eleventh Prince sat down, he was still somewhat apprehensive. Nian Jiaojiao proactively poured him a cup of tea, and the Eleventh Prince looked at her gratefully before taking small sips of tea.
After drinking the cup of tea, the Eleventh Prince appeared much calmer.
Thus, Nian Jiaojiao employed the same strategy again and began to extract information.
Finally, the situations of all eight Imperial Princesses were gathered.
The Sixth Imperial Princess had fallen into a cold lake when she was young and lived her life accompanied by medicine and drugs.
Nian Jiaojiao’s heart grew cold upon hearing this.
It was important to note that this world was not an ordinary world. She did not believe that in such a vast royal city, the methods of cultivators could not cure this Sixth Imperial Princess.
After all, the original owner’s fifth sister, Nian Xiaomei, had already been cured by a physician.
[Physician: A cultivator of the medical path.]
For this, she had incurred a favor, waiting for that person or their family to visit with her written “voucher” to claim the favor.
It was important to remember that debts of gratitude were the hardest to repay!
Therefore, the Sixth Imperial Princess’s physical condition clearly had other hidden reasons.
However, what did the squabbles within the royal family have to do with her?
The Seventh Imperial Princess, also known as Prince Hui, was the elder sister of the Eighth Prince. It was said that she was engrossed in chess and spent all day in her manor studying chess scores, rarely venturing out.
Although the Eighth Prince, like the First Imperial Princess, was born to the Empress, he was unfortunately only a helpless infant at present.
The Empress was now in her twilight years, and it was clear that this infant could not inherit the throne, let alone participate in the succession.
Having figured all of this out, Nian Jiaojiao already had an answer in mind.
The subsequent blind dates became relatively simpler. With nothing weighing on her mind, Nian Jiaojiao easily dealt with the Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes who came later.
They chatted about trivial matters, and there was no tension of making a final choice.
After the events concluded, Nian Jiaojiao approached the Empress and announced her choice.
That evening, an imperial decree was issued.
“Yue Ran is朕’s eighth son, his father is Consort Lan. The Eighth Prince has been deeply favored by 朕 since childhood, enjoying my company for over ten years.
Now, the new Zhuangyuan, Nian Jiaojiao, is outstanding in appearance and character, and exceptionally talented.
With the woman talented and the man handsome, they are a match made in heaven. Therefore, they are specially decreed to be married.
We hope they will be of one heart and mind, grow old together, live in harmony as husband and wife, and never fail 朕’s wishes. Respect this. ”
Upon this decree, some rejoiced and some grieved.
That night, the jade and porcelain in the Tenth Prince’s palace were all destroyed without exception.
That night, Situ Mo, imprisoned in the heavenly jail, was furious.