This is ridiculous.
I shoved him, but couldn't break free from his embrace. "What is my status? I'm just a merchant's daughter, it's not my turn to be married off for a political alliance, is it?"
Even if they were reluctant to part with a princess, there were still many princesses and county princesses. At the very least, they would have to find a daughter of an official. Otherwise, it would be too disrespectful to the Northern Frontier Prince.
Situ Yao retorted, "A Chun, it's better to be safe than sorry. If we settle our status early, I can rest assured."
I pursed my lips and turned to look at him.
The light in the night sky was dim, but in Situ Yao's eyes, which were focused on me, it seemed as if the entire Milky Way was reflected. The refusal got stuck in my throat, and I finally nodded gently.
Situ Yao acted faster than I had imagined. Three days later, a long line of betrothal gifts was carried out from the palace, paraded around the capital, and then delivered to my home. Along with the betrothal gifts came an imperial edict. My father prepared an incense table, and with the entire family, we knelt respectfully to receive the decree.
"By the mandate of heaven, carrying the grace of the heavens, the Emperor decrees: It has come to our attention that the Wang family has a daughter, Wang Shichun, who is virtuous, gentle, quiet, and of outstanding character and appearance. We, the Emperor and Empress, are greatly pleased to hear of it. Now that the Crown Prince has reached the age of adulthood and is ready for marriage, a virtuous maiden should be chosen to be his consort. We hereby bestow upon the Wang family's daughter the title of Crown Prince's Consort, all ceremonies to be handled by the Ministry of Rites, and the wedding to take place on an auspicious day. By imperial order."
Li Wang personally handed the imperial edict to my father. "Shopkeeper Wang, congratulations!"
My father said happily, "Same to you, same to you."
My mother's smile froze for a moment. She quickly pulled away my unreliable father and, at the same time, handed him a rather substantial money pouch.
The one hundred and twenty-eight betrothal gifts were the highest standard for a royal wedding.
After seeing off Duke Li, our family gathered around the betrothal gifts and opened the boxes. None of them were perfunctory. The first gift was a treasure from the royal treasury, something that could not be bought with money.
My mother tutted. "It's over, Father. Even if we sell our house, we won't be able to afford a dowry of the same caliber."
Despite her words, she was still beaming. "No, Father, you must come with me to the storeroom to see what else we can add for our girl."
I quickly stopped her. "Mother, with our family's fortune, even if we went bankrupt, we couldn't afford a dowry that matches these betrothal gifts. Please don't trouble yourself. The original dowry will suffice."
"How can that be? Mother cannot let you suffer any grievances. Even if we can't match them, we can't be too far behind, can we? Don't worry about it." kuAiδugg
"Mother, please don't do anything rash. My brother has already finished his exams, and he's at the age where he should be getting married. If all the money is spent on me, what will we use to get him a wife? I'm not a locust, I don't have to empty the family coffers to get married."
My mother was relieved. "Fortunately, we don't have the rule here that the elder brother must marry before the younger sister, otherwise, where would I find a wife for him in such a short time?"
"Mother, I'm talking business with you, don't change the subject."
My brother smiled. "Why are you, a bride-to-be, worrying about these things? Hurry back to your residence and embroider the ceremonial veil. You don't need to worry about the dowry."
My father said, "That's right. Do you think we'd really sell the house to prepare your dowry?"
The three of them were of one mind and quickly sent me away. The embroidery room then sent over several pieces of high-quality red silk for me to embroider mandarin ducks on. I didn't have the skill, so I decided that the embroidery room would do the work, and I would add a few strokes when it was almost finished, just for the sake of it.
Everyone, except for those in the know within the royal family and our own family, was stunned by this imperial edict.
I never imagined that such an important position as the Crown Prince's Consort would actually fall to me. Although I had speculated about it before, ultimately, the capital was the place that valued status the most. Few truly believed I could become the Crown Prince's Consort.
After all, my status was simply too insignificant. If nothing unexpected happened, the Crown Prince's Consort would one day rule the realm.
And I wasn't devastatingly beautiful.
This left the daughters of noble families, whose looks and family backgrounds were far superior to mine, feeling depressed for a long time.
But since the imperial edict had been issued, this marriage was a done deal. Once the various families reacted, they all prepared gifts to come to my home to offer congratulations. For a time, my home was thronged with visitors, and people came to curry favor with my parents every day, endlessly. My old friends also visited one after another, and even those I was not very familiar with sent calling cards.
Fortunately, I had the excuse of preparing for my wedding. Apart from those I knew well, I declined as many invitations as I could.