Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When Jia Lian learned that Princess Zhaoyang was going to be married off to a foreign land, although it didn't concern him much, he felt a pang of guilt for some reason.

To be honest, he had a pretty good impression of Princess Zhaoyang.

Cheerful and easygoing, despite being a princess, she doesn't come across as arrogant.

Unfortunately, this was not the Ming Dynasty. As princesses, if the court needed them for marriage alliances, that was their mission.

As for helping or anything, not to mention that he has virtually no say in the court now, in terms of his stance, what qualifications does he have to get involved in this matter?

You won't marry her, but you won't let her get married either?

Therefore, Jia Lian could only secretly gather information and then continue eating and drinking as usual.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Su came to find him that day.

When Jia Lian came out of the mansion, he found that not only Zhang Su, but also his younger brother Zhang Tao and Feng Ziying were there.

Upon seeing Jia Lian, Feng Ziying waved to him through the carriage window, a subtle, unspoken meaning flashing in his eyes.

Zhang Tao was in the same car as his brother, and when he saw Jia Lian approaching, he surprisingly didn't give him a disdainful look.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Su got straight to the point: "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Fourth Prince is hosting a Dragon Boat Festival banquet at his residence, inviting us to attend. Go back and pack your things, and come with us."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian asked doubtfully, "Did the Fourth Prince send my cousin to fetch me?"

"Um."

Jia Lian frowned slightly.

Although he hadn't seen the Fourth Prince since the Empress Dowager forced him into marriage, Jia Lian knew that the royal siblings had a very good relationship.

So it's obvious without asking that the Fourth Prince was somewhat dissatisfied with him.

Furthermore, unless it's urgent, inviting someone over should be done at least three days in advance; this is the most basic etiquette nowadays.

When someone came to invite him at the last minute, Jia Lian immediately sensed something unusual.

Could this be a trap?

Seeing the hesitation in Jia Lian's eyes, Zhang Su sighed, "Brother Lian, there's no need to worry. Although the Fourth Prince can be a bit willful at times, he is a reasonable person. He..."

Anyway, you didn't do anything wrong, so there's no need to worry too much. Just be careful when the time comes.

Zhang Su knew that the Fourth Prince was dissatisfied with Jia Lian. He thought that the Fourth Prince was not an unreasonable person, and if he really wanted to make things difficult for Jia Lian because of Jia Lian's refusal to marry Princess Zhaoyang, he would mediate the situation.

Faced with Zhang Su's words of comfort, Jia Lian smiled.

"Since His Highness the Fourth Prince has invited me, I have no reason not to accept."

There's not much to pack. If my cousins ​​don't mind, I'll ride in your carriage so you won't have to wait too long.

As he spoke, Jia Lian pulled off a mourning band tied around his forehead and handed it to the servant behind him.

Seeing this, Zhang Su admired Jia Lian even more.

Nowadays, men's desire for beauty is no less than women's. Some men spend a lot of time just grooming themselves before going out.

I had assumed that Jia Lian, given his status and circumstances, would also care about this. Unexpectedly, he was even more carefree than me.

Sure enough, good looks allow you to do whatever you want!

Therefore, he didn't say much and simply told Jia Lian to get in the carriage.

Although Zhang Su's carriage wasn't small, it was still a bit cramped for three grown men.

Fortunately, the three were cousins ​​and very familiar with each other, so they didn't feel awkward.

After Jia Lian sat down and Zhang Su ordered them to depart, he said to Jia Lian, "You must have heard about the marriage alliance, right?"

Jia Lian nodded. The reason he chose to ride with Zhang Su was to learn more about the situation from him.

Although he wasn't afraid of the Fourth Prince causing trouble, since the Fourth Prince still owed him a favor, he probably wouldn't really turn against him just because he didn't marry his sister.

However, it is always beneficial to learn more about the situation and avoid unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings.

"Forming an alliance with the Oirat is currently the most important matter for the court. It is said to be to thwart the Tatars' conspiracy to unite with the various tribes of the Western Sea, so it cannot be allowed to fail."

The imperial court has decided to bestow the title of Khan upon the current Oirat king and marry Princess Zhaoyang to the third prince of the Oirat. Therefore, His Highness the Fourth Prince is extremely angry about this and has lost his temper several times.

Zhang Su introduced it to Jia Lian.

"A marriage alliance is understandable, but why Princess Zhaoyang? Isn't she the most favored member of the royal family? Would His Majesty and the others really be willing to send Princess Zhaoyang away to a distant place?"

"Firstly, among Your Majesty's princesses, only Princess Zhaoyang is of age. Secondly, the Oirat prince insists on marrying her, so the court has no other choice."

Jia Lian remained silent for a moment.

It's not necessarily true that there's no other way; it's more likely that they haven't even considered other ways.

For the officials in the court, being able to achieve their political goals through a woman was a very worthwhile deal.

If a woman is needed for a political marriage, why can't it be Princess Zhaoyang?

Although Princess Zhaoyang was highly favored in the royal family, it was clear that to the officials in the court, she was just a princess.

If the emperor doesn't have a suitable reason, it might be difficult to maintain his position.

"Didn't the Empress Dowager object?"

"I don't know."

As the fourth prince's study companion, Zhang Su had a good relationship with the fourth prince and naturally sided with him.

He also wondered why the Empress Dowager hadn't spoken out on this matter.

Given the Empress Dowager's status, if she were to object, His Majesty would likely have to reconsider.

Zhang Tao was squeezed into a corner by his brother and had no interest in participating in the discussion.

He hung up the carriage curtain and wandered aimlessly down the street.

She occasionally glanced back at Jia Lian, her expression forlorn.

The thought of Princess Zhaoyang, as radiant as an immortal, being married off to a barbarian land and ravaged by those savage barbarians filled him with immense distress.

But what can be done?

If only His Highness Zhaoyang had chosen one of his suitors back then.

Even marrying the detestable Jia Lian would be better than this.

Unfortunately, he still refused!

He felt he should scold Jia Lian for being ungrateful, but he always felt he lacked the confidence to do so.

Yes, he used to be truly dissatisfied with Jia Lian, from the inside out.

He was somewhat hurt by the princess's selection of a husband.

The princess knew that Jia Lian was already married, yet she still chose him, ignoring all his suitors... Could it be that Jia Lian was really that much better than them?

My cousin, who was always proud and strong-willed, finally suffered his first setback in front of the goddess.

"What's wrong with him?"

As soon as Jia Lian got on the bus, he noticed that Zhang Tao's mental state was a bit off, so he asked Zhang Su about it.

"What's it to you? I'm looking at the scenery!" Seeing the two looking at him, Zhang Tao felt guilty, but he still stubbornly insisted.

Zhang Su was somewhat aware of his younger brother's feelings.

He was also helpless.

It seems the younger brother is heartbroken.

But Zhang Su thought that Feng Ziying and his group could still be considered as suitors of Princess Zhaoyang, and therefore had the right to say they had failed.

But little brother, you never revealed your feelings for the princess to outsiders. You only wrote a clumsy love poem in private, which you dared not publish.

It's at most a one-sided love.

I bet even His Highness Zhaoyang doesn't know that you're one of his suitors.

Why are you doing this?

……