White Fence Dream

Chapter 231 Thoughts

Princess Jin Yu had a cold face and walked slowly into the hall with several tall guards holding sharp weapons behind her.

Li Chengyuan was sitting in the hall in casual clothes drinking tea. When he saw Princess Jin Yu come in, he didn't care at all that she looked like she was going to beat him to death.

"They say the princess is extravagant." He pointed at the tea in front of him and said, "How come the tea she drinks is not as good as the one I drink at home?"

Princess Jin Yu sneered, "We, the Li family, had to rely on you guys to take back our kingdom. It's no wonder that we don't eat or drink as well as you do."

Li Chengyuan smiled and said, "When we wanted to start a rebellion, we sent a message to the princess, asking for your help. The princess said, 'The Li family's kingdom has nothing to do with me.' Now you keep saying 'you're the one'."

Princess Jin Yu was so ashamed that she slammed the table and shouted, "Li Chengyuan, even if you have done a great job in helping His Majesty, you cannot come and humiliate me at will!"

The servant behind him pointed a long sword at Li Chengyuan, staring at him with a fierce look.

Li Chengyuan let out a long sigh: "How dare an old man humiliate the princess? My grandson died a tragic death on your ship, and I dare not even step into the princess's mansion, let alone question him." After saying that, he raised his sleeves to cover his face and sobbed.

Princess Jin Yu said coldly: "General, that is not my ship, it belongs to His Royal Highness the King of Chu. If you want to cry, go to the King of Chu's palace and cry."

"Without you, Princess, there would be no King of Chu." Li Chengyuan said, putting down his sleeves and looking at Princess Jin Yu. "Princess, are you planning for the King of Chu again, so you are plotting against the Zhu family?"

Princess Jin Yu raised her eyebrows and said, "Li Chengyuan, stop slandering me." Then she sneered, "The Zhu family didn't say that, nor did they come to ask for punishment. General Li, you really work hard for the Zhu family. It turns out that all the civil and military officials in the court are Prime Minister Zhu's followers."

Li Chengyuan smiled: "The princess now speaks with vicious words, killing people without form. This momentum is somewhat like Queen Jiang. It is not in vain that she served Queen Jiang. She has learned some skills."

How much of Empress Jiang's aura does she have? Princess Jin Yu was delighted, but then she became angry. She was born a noble and naturally aura-filled person. Why would she need to learn from a woman of lowly origin?

"Li Chengyuan, if you dare to talk nonsense again, don't blame me for being rude." she shouted.

Li Chengyuan didn't care about her viciousness. He took a sip of the tea in his hand and said, "I am praising you. Besides, I am not here for the Zhu family. I want to ask the princess, what do you think of my Li family?"

Princess Jin Yu was stunned for a moment and frowned: "What do you mean, how is your family?"

Li Chengyuan's eyebrows were like arrows: "Since the princess is willing to support the King of Chu, why don't you plot against my family? Am I not as good as Zhu Xingjian?"

Princess Jin Yu was stunned and couldn't react for a moment to what this contrast was.

"If it wasn't for me, how could Zhu Xingjian support His Majesty to ascend the throne?" Li Chengyuan sneered, "He couldn't even enter the palace gate!"

Princess Jin Yu said "oh". Although she was still a little dazed, she was happy to see them step on each other.

"Although that is true, the court values ​​civil officials over military officials. General, your prestige is indeed not as high as that of Prime Minister Zhu," she added hastily.

Li Chengyuan continued, "Without me, without me leading the army to besiege the capital, what happened back then would not have been possible." He then looked at Princess Jin Yu and said, "So, Princess, if I can do it once, I can do it a second time. Since you want to support the King of Chu, why don't you choose me, but Zhu Xingjian?"

Princess Jinyu understood this time and her expression stiffened.

She knew that these people were cunning and could see through her hidden intentions.

But don't even think about trying to scare her with that kind of talk.

The one in power now is not Empress Chiang.

The emperor is her brother, she has nothing to be afraid of.

"The general is really confused and talking nonsense." She said coldly, "You are old. If you feel unwell, go to the Imperial Hospital."

Li Chengyuan smiled: "Yes, I am old now and don't like to beat around the bush, so I will just speak directly." He sat up straight and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, "This is the birth date of my youngest granddaughter, Yunniang."

Princess Jin Yu looked at the post in Li Chengyuan's hand and didn't react for a moment: "What does it mean?"

"It means that I am willing to marry my granddaughter to the King of Chu, and to establish a good relationship between Qin and Jin." Li Chengyuan said, looking at Princess Jin Yu with a half-smile on his face, "I wonder if the princess would like to take a look at our Li family?"

Princess Jin Yu finally understood and said in disbelief: "General Li, are you kidding?"

"I've said it before, I'm old and don't have time to joke around." Li Chengyuan said slowly, "And just as the princess said, the court values ​​civil officials over military officials. My children and grandchildren won't have as smooth a career as the Zhu family. I also have to consider my children and grandchildren, marry them into a good family, and take advantage of the good wind to pave a bright future for my Li family."

Princess Jin Yu's expression flickered, and she finally understood Li Chengyuan's intention.

That’s right, compared to Zhu Xingjian, Li Chengyuan’s power was weakening. In addition to emphasizing culture over military, the most important thing was that the descendants of the Li family were far inferior to the Zhu family. They had no achievements and each generation was worse than the previous one.

If Li Chengyuan were gone, the future of the Li family would be unimaginable.

What the emperor can ask for for the descendants of the Li family is already enough. Asking for more would be excessive.

No matter what, the emperor's ascension to the throne was not the result of Li Chengyuan's efforts alone.

Therefore, for the sake of his children and grandchildren, and for the long-term development of the Li family, Li Chengyuan had to look for a new opportunity, and this opportunity was...

Princess Jin Yu leaned back in her chair lazily.

"The general has impressed me." She said, with a half-smile, "But marriages between children still depend on fate..." Li Chengyuan interrupted her, "There is fate. My grandson died on the King of Chu's ship, so the King of Chu can be my grandson-in-law. This will make up for my regret of sending off a young man."

After saying this, he stood up without waiting for Princess Jin Yu to speak.

"My granddaughter is not inferior to the young lady from the Zhu family in terms of appearance, talent and temperament. I asked for this marriage for the princess' sake. If it weren't for the princess, the King of Chu would not be in my eyes."

"If the princess likes my Yunniang, please accept the invitation. If not, I will take my leave now."

"General, why are you so impatient?" Princess Jin Yu said hurriedly, sitting up straight. "We have only just said a few words."

Li Chengyuan said calmly: "I am old now and don't want to waste time."

Princess Jin Yu smiled and said, "General Li, what you said is true. You are still strong and healthy. The stability of the court cannot be separated from you."

Li Chengyuan looked at her without saying anything.

Princess Jin Yu smiled and held out her hand: "I have heard of the beauty of the young lady from the Li family for a long time, but I didn't expect that I would have such a fate. Bring it here for me to see."

The servant behind him put away his sword, walked up to Li Chengyuan and extended his hand respectfully.

Li Chengyuan looked at Princess Jin Yu, a smile slowly appeared on his face, and he put the note in the servant's hand.

"Thank you for your insight, Princess."

……

……

"Congratulations, princess. Congratulations, princess."

In the hall, Li Chengyuan had already left. Princess Jin Yu's advisers gathered inside. After listening to Princess Jin Yu's story, they all congratulated her.

"Although the Li family is indeed inferior to the Zhu family, it is inevitable to make enemies if you marry into the Zhu family. It is better for the Li family to be willing to do so, which will be more helpful to the princess."

"That's right. For now, the princess needs the help of military commanders. They are more reliable than civil officials."

Listening to the praise from everyone, Princess Jin Yu said, "I was indeed too ambitious before. I went straight to the Zhu family. The matter was settled. Even if the Zhu family didn't want to help me, it wouldn't be that easy. I didn't expect that old woman to escape."

Thinking of what happened that day, Princess Jin Yu was a little angry. Then, looking at the engagement letter of the young lady from the Li family placed in front of her, a smile appeared on her face again.

"Now it seems that although it didn't work out, after this incident, some people still understand my intentions and will take the initiative to form an alliance. This is called losing something in the east but gaining something in the west."

A counselor laughed and said, "No, this is called God's will."

Another counselor said hurriedly: "It can be seen that the princess is blessed by heaven. She will always find a way out of a desperate situation and her wishes will come true!"

Therefore, she was the one destined to succeed. Princess Jin Yu could no longer hold back her laughter.

The laughter flew out from the door and windows. Shangguan Xue, who was standing in a bamboo grove in the wing outside the hall, turned around and walked away with a gloomy face.

……

……

In the study of the Prince of Chu's Mansion, Cai Songnian paced back and forth with a frown on his face.

"The consort said that the princess accepted the engagement letter handed over by Li Chengyuan. It is obvious that Li Chengyuan persuaded Princess Jin Yu."

“Although not as good as the Zhu family, the Li family is also extremely beneficial to Princess Jinyu, but it is more disadvantageous to Your Highness.”

"Zhu Xingjian is a reasonable person. Even if he is forced to marry His Highness, I believe that with His Highness's character and eloquence, Zhu Xingjian will eventually become His Highness's helper."

"But the Li family is not like that. Li Chengyuan took the initiative to recommend himself. This is not because he likes His Highness, but because he wants to control His Highness and profit from Him."

Having said that, Cai Songnian let out a long sigh.

What to do?
Princess Jin Yu has made her decision, and Your Highness cannot disobey.

He looked at Li Yu and saw that Li Yu was sitting at the desk, supporting his chin with one hand and holding a pen in the other, but he was not writing or drawing, and his eyes were dull.

He clearly had a youthful face, and now he had finally regained his identity, but when he was alone, there was no smile on his face.

Now that things have come to this, let's say something to comfort the young master. Cai Songnian said softly: "Your Highness, when you ascend to the throne in the future, these people will always be your subjects. Li Chengyuan must also understand that he should not be disrespectful to Your Highness. The example of Empress Yang is right in front of us."

Li Yu suddenly smiled: "It seems that I am not as good as the emperor's uncle. At least when he married Empress Yang, it was what he wanted and what he loved. He got what he wanted."

And what about him? What he wanted in his heart and what he loved in his heart was not the young lady of the Li family.