After lunch, the carriage was prepared, and Qin Duan accompanied Xie Zhengming to the garden at the post-house specifically designated to house the exotic beasts brought by the Sulai mission.
Upon arriving at the garden, Zhuzi stopped the carriage, jumped down, and rolled up the curtains for Xie Zhengming and Qin Duan. He said:
“Your Highness, Young Master, we have arrived.”
Xie Zhengming, wearing an ink-blue silk outer robe, stepped down first, then reached out to offer his arm for Qin Duan to lean on as he descended.
“Duan’er, come, let us go inside and take a look.”
A carriage was already parked at the garden entrance, with two guards who looked like foreigners standing watch beside it. Xie Zhengming took note of them before pulling Qin Duan into the garden.
As soon as they entered, they saw two green peacocks. One was raising its rear toward the other, fanning its tail feathers, with its backside facing Xie Zhengming and the others. Zhou Ji couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, so that’s what a peacock fanning its tail looks like from behind; it’s really putting in the effort, hahahaha!”
Everyone was amused by his comment. Just then, a young maiden adorned in gems of all colors arrived, looking furious. She swiped a willow branch at the green peacock a few times and scolded:
“Ada, how many times have I told you? Aqi is a male! A male! If you want to fan your feathers, go find a peahen!”
They watched as the peacock named Ada retracted its fan-like tail, stretched its neck, and trotted over to the peacock named Aqi, only to stubbornly begin fanning its feathers again.
The young maiden was on the verge of tears. Qin Duan found the scene amusing, walked over, and said:
“Miss, is this peacock named Ada?”
Only then did the maiden notice the group at the entrance, as well as Xie Zhengming behind Qin Duan.
“Ah, Prince Ding, please excuse my rudeness.”
Xie Zhengming nodded.
“Princess, greetings. Were you just getting angry at these birds? Hehe, how amusing.”
Princess Isha felt embarrassed. Her aggressive behavior had been witnessed by the Prince of the Great Empire, and since she still hoped to find a husband in Daxing, her image was now completely ruined.
“Er, I, in fact, both these peacocks lost their mothers at birth; I hatched them myself. I brought them specially this time to offer as a gift to His Majesty. I was worried they would be scared by the change in environment without me, so I came to check on them.”
As Princess Isha spoke, she tossed the willow branch away behind her.
Qin Duan smiled.
“For the Princess to be so devoted and affectionate toward the birds is truly rare.”
Isha, however, seemed to have been struck by a spell, staring at Qin Duan without blinking, not feeling the slightest bit shy.
Most people from Sulai were dark-skinned and petite, but Princess Isha possessed peerless, captivating beauty; naturally, her standards for a husband were exceptionally high. Upon her first arrival in Daxing, seeing that many of the men were heroic and tall, she had resolved to find a desirable husband here.
However, she felt differently than her brother, King Ye Zun of Sulai. She did not want to marry the monarch of Daxing and be one of those women in the harem, unless it were to be the Empress. But since Emperor Jian’an already had an Empress and she was a foreign princess, that was impossible. Therefore, she had long since abandoned that thought.
Today, the moment she saw Qin Duan, his cultured manner of speech, his graceful and refined appearance, his fair skin, and delicate features, he was essentially her dream lover. Isha felt her heart flutter immediately, her large eyes fixed on Qin Duan without blinking, leaving him feeling incredibly awkward.
Xie Zhengming, standing beside him, could bear it no longer. He stepped forward, blocking Princess Isha’s burning gaze. Before he could speak, however, Princess Isha asked first:
“This young gentleman, are you married?”
Such a direct, purposeful question left everyone present stunned. Xie Zhengming was the first to react, his anger instantly flaring up.
“In half a month, he will be my Prince Consort. Princess, please conduct yourself with dignity.”
These words were spoken without the slightest bit of politeness. Yet, Princess Isha did not feel embarrassed or angry in the least, nor did she feel apologetic. Instead, she said:
“Oh, so you are not yet married. How wonderful. I would like to choose you as my husband.”
Once she said this, Xie Zhengming’s long, narrow peach-blossom eyes instantly rounded into tiger eyes. Had Isha not been a woman, he would have struck her by now.
Qin Duan, seeing the veins bulging on Xie Zhengming’s forehead, hurriedly grabbed his arm as a gesture of comfort.
Xie Zhengming calmed himself, laughing in his extreme rage:
“How desperate is Princess Isha to be married, that you would not even let go of a man who is already betrothed?”
Isha maintained an indifferent air, saying:
“I have heard that marriage in Daxing requires some sort of ‘three letters and six etiquettes,’ the command of parents, and the words of a matchmaker. And you two are both men, so surely you have none of that? Since you don’t, your betrothal is nothing more than a verbal agreement; whether it is valid or not depends entirely on a single word from this young gentleman, right?”
Seeing Princess Isha becoming more and more ridiculous, Qin Duan spoke directly:
“My thanks for the Princess’s favor, but the Prince and I truly have already set a wedding date.”
Princess Isha pouted, looking deeply disappointed.
“Very well. I truly hope your wedding does not succeed.”
With these words, even Zhou Ji and Zhuzi, who had followed them, were deeply angered. If it hadn’t been for Isha’s maid pulling her away and leading her out of the garden, the incident would likely have reached the Emperor’s ears.
After this commotion by Princess Isha, Xie Zhengming had no heart left to enjoy the exotic beasts. In his view, this Princess Isha was the most bizarre exotic beast of all!
King Ye Zun of Sulai and Princess Isha lingered in Daxing for several days. Negotiations regarding the diplomatic ties between the two countries were nearly concluded; only the matter of the marriage alliance remained unresolved.
The Emperor had originally intended to find a nobleman to bestow a marriage upon Isha. However, he discovered that although Zi Ying appeared indifferent on the surface, at night, after the Emperor fell asleep, Zi Ying would secretly draw close into his embrace. One had to know that ever since the Emperor had angrily ordered the castration of Zi Ying, the latter had never shown such genuine emotion. He had once believed that Zi Ying truly had no love left for him, yet now, he saw hope once again.
He was now the Son of Heaven and could no longer act willfully; he had taken an Empress and collected concubines. Although he spent every night other than the first and fifteenth of the month with Zi Ying, he ultimately could not be with Zi Ying in a life of true devotion, the two of them alone. He worried daily, terrified that one day Zi Ying would lose heart and depart forever.
Li Chong knew that Zi Ying had long ago become a part of him, connected to his blood and vitals. Without Zi Ying, he truly did not know if he could continue to sit on this dragon throne as steadily as a mountain.
During morning court that day, the Emperor finally brought up the matter of choosing a husband for Princess Isha and left it to his ministers to discuss. Zi Ying stood to one side; although his expression was devoid of emotion, the flash of relief that crossed his brows did not escape the Emperor’s eyes.
Li Chong was in a great mood. Looking at Xie Zhengming standing below, he said on a whim:
“If one were to speak of the finest man in all of Daxing, none other than Prince Ding would be the one. Although the Prince’s happy day is near, I have an idea: why does Prince Ding not also take Princess Isha as his legal wife, following the example of Ehuang and Nüying, would that not be wonderful?”
As soon as Xie Zhengming heard this, his face turned pale. He hurriedly clasped his hands and begged the Emperor to abandon the idea.
The Emperor did not press him, only saying:
“The devotion Prince Ding holds for his sworn brother truly shines like the sun and moon. Very well, I shall not make things difficult for you. In any case, my Daxing does not lack noble daughters; if you wish to extend your family line in the future, I will certainly choose the best of the best for you.”
When Xie Zhengming heard this, he was startled, instantly recalling his past life when the Emperor had bestowed a marriage between him and Princess Yan Ning, he hadn’t even been greeted, and the imperial decree had been issued directly.
After court, Xie Zhengming returned to the Prince’s estate, feeling dejected and heavy-hearted. In this lifetime, while some things had changed, could he really avoid repeating the tragic path of his past life?