She picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it into the lake. The stone sank with a splash and ripples spread out in circles, but soon everything returned to calm.
"No one asked me whether I liked it or not. The old lady said that it was my blessing that General Long liked me." Qin Zhou's voice was very hoarse.
"Your great-grandmother?"
"Yes," Qin Zhou raised his head, his thin eyeliner picking out deep and shallow meanings, "I have asked you more than once whether a woman must get married, and you never seem to give me a sincere answer."
Zian felt a little helpless. Actually, she had answered, but as for whether she was sincere or not, well...
"I told you to follow your heart," Zi'an said.
"Follow your heart?" Qin Zhou pondered the meaning of her words. "It's easy to say, but it's hard to do."
She suddenly raised her head and looked at Zi'an, "Is the Queen asking you if there is a private relationship between the Emperor and me?"
Zi'an was stunned for a moment, "You... The Queen is not so straightforward."
How did she guess
Qin Zhou's face was somewhat indifferent. "That's what I meant by not being so straightforward. This marriage was actually proposed by her. When General Long was conferred the title of Marquis, she approached General Long and proposed this marriage."
"What does the emperor think?" Zi'an was more concerned about this question. It didn't matter what the queen thought, what was important was what the emperor thought.
"The emperor doesn't know yet." Qin Zhou said.
Zi'an frowned, "You are a newly-minted prince. How could the emperor not know about your marriage? The Marquis proposed to you before he even knew about it?"
"I didn't propose marriage formally, I just told the old lady about it, and she liked it very much."
Zi'an asked tentatively: "What do you think of the Emperor..."
"Shut up, it's nothing." Qin Zhou interrupted her in a low voice, his eyes tinged with coldness.
"Is there no one you like in your heart?" Zi'an listened to the noisy sound coming from the front. The emperor was now chatting and laughing with his ministers, trying to win their hearts.
The seventh brother was also pulled over by Prince Qi and General Long.
Qin Zhou's eyes were blazing, "Yes!"
"Who?" Zi'an asked, but he felt that her eyes were a little strange, and his heart sank.
"Murong Jie!" Qin Zhou said.
Zi'an sighed softly, "Qin Zhou!"
Qin Zhou suddenly smiled, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Let me tell you about yourself. Do you like Murong Jie very much? Your relationship must be very passionate, right?"
Zi'an also sat down, holding his chin, thinking carefully for a while, but he couldn't hide the charm in his eyes, "When I married him, I was forced to do it. It was a mess and full of ups and downs, but now looking back, I am really glad to have him. As for what you said about our life being grand and passionate, it really wasn't. It can even be said to be as plain as water."
"It's as plain as water, and you feel so happy?" Qin Zhou sneered, "I'm afraid it's not as plain as water, you just don't want to tell me, right?"
"There's nothing I can't tell you. A simple life can also be very happy. It depends on what you want." A smile appeared on her face, blooming like a flower.
Qin Zhou paused, unable to take his eyes away for a moment.
Qin Zhou suppressed her worries. There were some things she would never be able to say in her lifetime.
After talking about some unimportant things, the two went back.
The two returned to the Hall of Light, but found that the laughter had stopped long ago and the atmosphere was even a little strange.
The emperor, sitting on the high throne, leaned slightly, holding a cup of tea in his hand, with a look of considerable consideration.
His brand new dragon robe showed the nobility of his current status. His face under the black hair was somewhat similar to that of the emperor. Now he pursed his thin lips as he looked at General Long who was kneeling on the ground.
Queen Wang had already arrived and was sitting next to the emperor. She looked at the emperor with a faint smile on her face, but her eyes seemed to be covered in a layer of ice.
The officials did not react. When they saw Qin Zhou and Zi'an coming, they all looked over.
The emperor's eyes were quite sharp, and they fell on Qin Zhou's face like a blade through the air.
Prince Qi hastened to ease the atmosphere, "The prince has come at the right time. Look, the marquis is asking the emperor for a great event."
Qin Zhou's face darkened and he walked over quickly.
Seeing this, Zi'an also sat down next to Murong Jie. Murong Jie whispered, "Old General Long asked the emperor to grant a marriage between his grandson and Qin Zhou."
"Fun!" Zian smiled bitterly.
When the queen saw Qin Zhou coming, she smiled and said, "Speaking of the prince, the prince is here. Lord Bo, why don't you ask the prince what he thinks first?"
Her voice was slightly deep, but she deliberately created a sense of laughter. Zi'an frowned slightly. It seemed that she was another master of palace fighting.
A military general like Qin Zhou is probably no match for the women in the palace.
Everyone was looking at Qin Zhou, but Qin Zhou only felt the emperor's cold gaze.
Sighing softly, General Long was probably instigated by someone. His family had been killed before, and he always felt that the best way to protect his descendants was to turn the biggest threat into his own relatives.
Qin Zhou sat down, looking relaxed and like a great general.
She raised her eyebrows slightly, and her eyes fell on the queen's face, "Ask me what I mean? What do you want to ask me what I mean?"
The Queen smiled and said, "Lord Bo just proposed that the Emperor grant a marriage between the Prince of the County and the eldest grandson of the Lord Bo. What does the Prince of the County think?"
"What does the Queen think?" Qin Zhou was not humble at all, on the contrary he seemed very arrogant.
The queen was startled for a moment, then looked at the emperor. Seeing that the emperor's eyes were still on Qin Zhou's face, she bit her lip and said abruptly, "I naturally think it's great. You two are the emperor's right-hand men. If you can form an in-law relationship, you will be one family. I'm sure the emperor will be happy to see it, Your Majesty, right?"
Murong Jie leaned over to Zi'an's ear and whispered, "I'm afraid Queen Wang won't be on the throne for long."
Zi'an deeply agreed with this.
She had just become the empress, but she was already suspicious of the important officials around the emperor. She even took the initiative to do such a thing in front of all the officials. How stupid.
General Long and Qin Zhou both hold military power. The emperor doesn't even have time to separate them, so why would he grant them a marriage
I don’t know what the old lady of the Qin family is thinking. Logically speaking, such a wise and intelligent old lady would never agree to this marriage.
However, the emperor's attitude was puzzling. He seemed very angry, but he shouldn't act so angry. At least, today's dinner was his stage, and he had to use both kindness and power on all officials. Even if he was unwilling to promote this marriage, he shouldn't keep staring at Qin Zhou.
Zi'an looked over and suddenly discovered that the eunuch standing next to the emperor was pouring wine for the emperor, then turned and left. His back and movements seemed somewhat familiar.
As Zi'an was pondering, he heard the emperor say calmly, "Prince, what do you think?"
Qin Zhou smiled and stepped forward to help General Long up. "General, hurry up and get up. Tonight is a farewell party for the Regent and the Princess. How can we steal the show?"
When she helped General Long up, she whispered in his ear, "Be careful not to be provoked."
General Long was startled, looked at the emperor's expression, and was suddenly shocked.
He, like Qin Zhou, has the mind of a military general, and he is even simpler than Qin Zhou, otherwise he would not have been plotted against back then.
What he worries about most in his life is his grandchildren. Qin Zhou now has military power and is valued by the emperor. If he can win her over as his granddaughter-in-law, his grandchildren can rest assured.
Therefore, he did not think too much about what was going on behind the scenes.
Now that Qin Zhou reminded him, he felt a wetness on his back. If the two families were to get married, it would be a huge crisis.
(End of this chapter)