Lou Jinhuan nodded: "Yes, he was also trying to save you at that time. Do you want to settle the score later?"
The emperor frowned and said, "Am I this kind of person in your heart?"
Lou Jinhuan said nothing.
The emperor was helpless and whispered: "He did save my life. I can give him a title and give him a lifetime of glory and wealth, but he is still not good enough for you. You are my eldest princess of Dayan and the son of the world." It’s all up to you to choose, do you want to stop thinking about it?”
"What determines whether you are worthy? Family background? Ability? Or appearance?"
Lou Jinhuan calmly stood down and blocked Bai Zi's path, "Although Xiao Qi does not have a strong family background, I am the eldest princess, do I still care about his little power? Is there any son in the world who can?" Nobler than me? Since they are not as good as me, why should they be divided into three or six classes?"
The emperor hesitated to speak, and was speechless.
The hall suddenly became quiet. After a while, he still felt unwilling to give in and said again: "I still feel that he is not worthy of you. You are my favorite daughter. I hope to find the best consort for you, Xiao Qi... no."
"You just said no, but you couldn't tell me why it couldn't be done. Father, are you being unreasonable?"
Lou Jinhuan slowly raised his head and stared at the emperor, as if he wanted to see the bottom of his heart through his eyes. The emperor felt uneasy about being seen through for no reason.
"You can't rely on my favor to become lawless." His tone was very helpless, without much blame.
Lou Jinhuan put down the chess piece in his hand, stood up and said seriously: "Father, it is precisely because I am your daughter that I dare to talk to you like this, because I recognize you. If I am a monarch and a minister, I should abide by my duty. "
The emperor was startled, "You——"
"Xiao Qi and I have a life-and-death friendship. No matter what you say, I will never change my mind. Aiwujiwu, it would be best if you can accept him. If not, I will take him away. You will naturally see his abilities later. , why rush to a conclusion?”
The emperor frowned, "Is there no room for negotiation?"
"No." Lou Jinhuan said resolutely: "My meaning has been made very clear. Father, I hope you can listen to me, put aside your prejudices and get to know Xiao Qi better. He is by no means as useless as you think. , and marriage is a lifelong matter, and it is far better to live and die together if we are well-matched. Among the people you like, how many are willing to accompany me to death? Can you definitely name one? "
The emperor was silent. The heroes he was optimistic about flashed through his mind, but none of them could make him speak.
Lou Jinhuan smiled and said without saying more, "Let's end the chess game today. Father must also need time to think about it carefully, so I won't bother you."
After saying that, she bowed and left.
The palace maids and eunuchs waiting outside were so angry that they didn't dare to breathe. They admired Lou Jinhuan from the bottom of their hearts. She was probably the only one who dared to talk to His Majesty like this and still show off his beard and tail.
…
Lou Jinhuan was not sure whether the emperor could listen. After all, the emperors, especially the elderly, tended to talk more and more, and it was difficult to listen to other people's words. But her attitude was already very clear. If he really couldn't listen, Being a princess is not her only path.
However, for a long time after that, the emperor never mentioned this matter again, and the invitations to various flower-viewing banquets also disappeared overnight. Even if Lou Jinhuan was invited to other banquets, no one would give her such a cold look. Pull the red thread.
As summer turned to winter, Lou Jinhuan finally received two letters from Xiao Qi, one for Xiao Ning and one for her.
Xiao Ning blinked at Lou Jinhuan ambiguously, "Sister-in-law, please take your time, I'm going back to my room~"
She took her letter and ran away, laughing happily. She sat down on the armchair and rubbed the envelope, but did not open it for a long time.
[Why haven’t you watched it yet? I’m so anxious! 】
[It should be a feeling that is more timid than being close to home. When you are far away, you can only miss me. I wish you could see people and receive a few words. But when you really get it, you start to worry about some things that are not there. When you are in love, Everyone is like this]
【Yeah? I didn’t read much in front of you, don’t lie to me! But the way Lou Lou looked at the envelope was so gentle. 】
Lou Jinhuan read the words on the envelope several times. Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore and gently tore it open. Inside was not only the letter paper but also a dried plum blossom. The fragrance lingered in the envelope.
She took out the red plum and looked at it in the palm of her hand. She put it aside carefully and unfolded the letter. Xiao Qi's handwriting was very delicate, which was quite in contrast to him. Every word was written neatly and clearly. The writing becomes more sloppy towards the end and seems to be in a hurry.
It can be seen that I also found time to write this letter.
"Jinhuanqinqi: It snowed in the north yesterday. I wonder how it is in the capital? It must be cold too, right? Remember to wear more clothes when you go out, be careful of catching cold. I wonder if you are okay during my absence? I am not very well. Let's separate. Every day after that was very painful, but fortunately I could vent on the battlefield, but in the dead of night, the picture of you and me getting along often appeared in my mind, and I suddenly felt lovesick, and the night was long."
"The New Year is coming soon, but I can't go back to the capital to see you. You and Xiao Ning are not lonely. I heard that many people come to propose marriage. I wonder if the princess has someone she likes? If so, there is no need. Write me a letter specifically to tell me..."
Lou Jinhuan couldn't help laughing when he saw this, and the sour taste came out from between the lines.
"Last night I couldn't sleep, and I was walking around with a candle. Suddenly I saw red plum blossoms blooming at night. I was very happy, so I picked one and gave it to the beautiful woman with a letter. I hope you see the flowers as if you were seeing a person. When the spring warms and the flowers bloom, and the grass grows and the orioles fly, I will ride on my horse. When the wind returns, don’t worry, don’t think about Xiao Qi.”
She read the few lines of words over and over several times. When she saw that she no longer recognized the words, she carefully folded the letter paper, put it back in the envelope, and put it in the box.
She picked up the dried red plum, kissed it gently, and smiled, "Seeing flowers is like seeing people."
Finally, the little red plum lay on top of the envelope and was sealed into the box.
She picked up a pen and wrote a three-page reply. She didn't express much about her longing. She mainly talked about Xiao Ning's situation, saying that she had publicly expressed her feelings and that the position of consort had always been reserved for him.
She didn't know how excited Xiao Qi was when she received the letter, but she could guess one thing or two from the increased favorability.
In this way, the two celebrated the New Year in two places, each with his own busy schedule.
In the blink of an eye, the spring of the next year came, and when the peach blossoms were blooming, Xiao Qi came back as promised.
The young general rode through the streets on horseback, not squinting his eyes all the way, and went straight to the princess's mansion.
At that time, Lou Jinhuan was not in the palace. The emperor had caught a cold some time ago, and Lou Jinhuan was left in the palace to take care of him. He has not been back for several days. Today, the emperor is almost in good health, so Lou Jinhuan can go back to the palace. .
She took a nap on the sedan chair. No one called her when the sedan chair stopped. It wasn't until the curtain was lifted that she opened her eyes blankly, "We're here -"
(End of chapter)
