The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 206 Sister Chuntao is in action!
Just as I was dozing off, someone handed me a pillow.

The invitation to General Wan Jinzhenyuan's 60th birthday celebration was delivered to the princess's residence.

Jiang Jinshuang looked at the invitation and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

She had been thinking that Jiang Biechen had been staying in the East Palace these past few days and she couldn't think of a way to see him.

This way, it saves her some trouble.

As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, Jiang Biechen will certainly attend the birthday banquet of General Qingbeishan, the Grand General of Zhenyuan.

At the birthday banquet, Jiang Jinshuang will have a good talk with Jiang Biechen.

Chuntao also saw the invitation.

Observing Jiang Jinshuang's expression, Chuntao cautiously asked, "Your Highness, are you... are you planning to attend a banquet at the General's mansion?"

Jiang Jinshuang blinked, looking at Chuntao with a puzzled expression: "Of course I'm going, what's wrong with that?"

“That’s true…” Chun Tao scratched her head and muttered unhappily, “I just can’t stand that Qing Shan. She used to act so arrogantly next to Xia Yu Rong. Now that Xia Yu Rong is gone, I wonder what her attitude will be.”

I almost forgot about Jiang Jinshuang if you didn't mention her.

She raised an eyebrow slightly: "Qingshan is the only daughter of General Zhenyuan, right?"

Chun Tao nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, it's that Qing Shan who used to follow Xia Yu Rong around and sing along with her!"

Jiang Jinshuang thought for a moment, then smiled indifferently: "Now that Xia Yurong is dead, as the daughter of the Zhenyuan General, she shouldn't be the kind of person who can't distinguish right from wrong."

Chun Tao snorted: "I still feel angry when I think about how she and Xia Yurong acted in front of His Highness!"

Jiang Jinshuang dusted off the invitation: "Don't worry, I'm not going to the birthday banquet tomorrow for this Qingshan girl. Let her be."

Chun Tao was still worried: "Your Highness, why don't you ask Mr. Si Ning to go with you? If this Miss Qing Shan tries anything funny, Mr. Si Ning can be on guard."

Jiang Jinshuang smiled helplessly: "My dear Chuntao, this birthday banquet of General Zhenyuan is originally intended for officials and dignitaries in the capital. If Si Ning goes along, the officials will gossip about it."

Chun Tao wasn't very familiar with the intricacies of officialdom, but when she heard Jiang Jinshuang say this, her eyes lit up, and she said, "Then, Your Highness, please take Young Master Yanjue with you! With Young Master Yanjue protecting you from afar, this servant will feel more at ease!"

Jiang Jinshuang smiled and patted Chuntao's head: "Alright, everything will be fine, don't worry."

Jiang Jinshuang didn't want to trouble Yan Jue.

Calling it "troublesome" isn't quite right; Jiang Jinshuang simply didn't want Yan Jue to be exposed to too many officials in the capital.

Yan Jue's identity is sensitive. Although Jiang Jinshuang did not intend to let him hide forever, the more people who know his identity, the more dangerous it is for him. Jiang Jinshuang is not willing to take this risk.

Jiang Jinshuang left with the invitation, preparing the birthday gift to be given at tomorrow's birthday banquet.

Chun Tao stood there, watching Jiang Jinshuang leave, still frowning with some unease.

After a long while, she thought about it, then firmly clenched her little fist and nodded seriously.

She then lifted her skirt and ran towards Yan Jue's residence.

……

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

"He has a rat-like face and a broken bridge of his nose; he is born rebellious and will bring misfortune to his wife and amass wealth."

"A bluish mark on the forehead and a crease between the eyebrows indicate a wicked and treacherous heart, a sign of harm to the master."

"Her cheeks are like those of a knife, her lips are as thin as paper, she has the Hurting Officer seeing the Official, and the Seven Killings facing the Dipper."

"..."

In the Imperial Study, Eunuch Kang lowered his head, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Beside Eunuch Kang, Pei Du held a stack of portraits of adult men in his hand. He glanced at the men in the album casually, made a comment, and then threw the portraits on the ground, his expression cold and clear. Eunuch Kang, holding a whisk, collected all the portraits that had just been criticized and piled them aside.

After glancing at it casually, Eunuch Kang swallowed hard.

He felt that the men in the portraits weren't as repulsive as Lord Pei described.

If everyone were to be judged by the Prime Minister's face, let alone this stack of portraits, there probably wouldn't be many in the entire Wan Jin that would meet the Prime Minister's standards.
The emperor has not yet arrived.

Only Eunuch Kang and Pei Du were in the Imperial Study.

Pei Du looked at it very quickly, almost just glancing at it before casually tossing the portrait aside.

Not even looking.

Eunuch Kang wiped the sweat from his brow, chuckled dryly, and finally took two steps forward, cautiously speaking, "Grand Chancellor, you...you must be tired too? Why don't you rest for a while and discuss this with His Majesty when he arrives?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Du's gaze remained unmoved.

The hand holding the picture book tightened slightly, and the knuckles turned white.

He took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and his cold gaze finally calmed down.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Kang."

Pei Du spoke in a hoarse voice, placed the stack of picture albums beside him, and sat down in the grand master's chair bestowed upon him by the emperor.

Kang Gonggong then smiled with relief and finally served the freshly prepared hot tea to Pei Du.

Pei Du didn't drink either.

He set the tea aside and looked down at the picture book beside him.

Eunuch Kang glanced at it, smiled, and cautiously said, "The Grand Secretary has a discerning eye and is of noble character. His Majesty told this old servant yesterday that whoever the Grand Secretary chooses will definitely be the best candidate to become the Imperial Son-in-Law."

Such a compliment did not improve Pei Du's expression; instead, it made him even colder and more somber.

Seeing this, Eunuch Kang coughed lightly and spoke again.

This time, his tone was more earnest and earnest.

"The Grand Secretary should also know that Princess Zhaoming has reached the age, and her marriage has always been a major matter in His Majesty's eyes. Therefore, His Majesty has instructed the Imperial Household Department to prepare a suitable young man of marriageable age in Wan Jin, intending to bestow a marriage upon the princess."

Pei Du did not respond. Instead, he picked up the booklet beside him and quickly flipped through it.

“All eligible men?” he said, his tone slightly cold.

“Yes,” Eunuch Kang smiled, “His Majesty has taken into account not only those who are a few years older than His Highness, but also those who are one or two years younger than His Highness, and had the Imperial Household Department compile a list of them.”

Pei Du browsed through it very quickly.

No sooner had Eunuch Kang finished speaking than he had finished looking through the documents.

Narrowing his eyes, Pei Du chuckled softly: "Looking at this booklet, I feel that there aren't as many eligible men as I imagined."

There aren't many, of course.

Being a "men of marriageable age" is not the only criterion.

In fact, it's not the most important condition.

Most importantly, they must hold a low-ranking official position, have no important post in the court, or even be an illegitimate son in an official's family, someone who will be unable to inherit the family business in the future.

The Emperor would naturally not allow Jiang Jinshuang to marry a powerful and influential prince consort, as that would not be a good thing for him.

Although it is called "selection," in reality, the number of candidates for the imperial son-in-law is only a limited number.