Chapter 339: Chapter 340: Have You Thought It Through?
Pei Jingyi seized the opportunity to say, “Prince, rest assured, even if Zhaohe is but a concubine, I will treasure her as a priceless gem, never allowing her to suffer the slightest grievance.”
Prince Jing knew he dared to say this only because the Empress Dowager had instructed him, and he dare not refuse outright, so he could only smile and reply, “Although it is true that, in matters of marriage, we always adhere to ‘the command of the parents, the word of the matchmaker.’ But we still need to ask Zhaohe herself.”
Pei Jingyi heard the evasion in his words but was not irritated, his lips curling into a faint smile, “Very well, then this prince will take his leave first.”
Prince Jing escorted him to the manor’s entrance and was about to turn away when Pei Jingyi suddenly asked, “I wonder how the Princely Heir has been faring these days.”
“What does the Fourth Prince mean by this?” Prince Jing’s brows furrowed; his son had not been in the manor recently, although he was due to return to the capital soon to report on his duties.
“It’s nothing, just a reminder to Prince Jing about the consequences of angering the Empress Dowager,” Pei Jingyi said with a smile before turning away.
Prince Jing stood there, his eyes full of rage, but he understood Pei Jingyi must have his reasons for speaking such words.
The threat was clear–if they refused to agree to the marriage, who knew what kind of accusations they might face.
“What? No, that’s impossible,” Xia Zhaohe denied the maid’s words, shaking her head repeatedly.
“Miss, I saw it with my own eyes, seeing the Fourth Prince carrying chest after chest of betrothal gifts, and those gifts are still placed in the courtyard,” the maid said.
The maid knew the news was a blow to her mistress, and she also knew that the mistress had always been in love with the Fifth Prince, yet now she was being told to marry his brother–a notion difficult for anyone to accept in an instant.
“It can’t be, my father would never agree.”
Xia Zhaohe believed in her father–who cherished her–would never agree to this marriage.
After all, the Fourth Prince was nothing but a powerless royal, someone she had never taken seriously before, let alone consider marrying him–it would be an intolerable humiliation.
Just as she ran out to find her father, she collided with someone coming from outside. Prince Jing, seeing his daughter in such a panic, extended his hand to steady her and asked, “What’s the matter, why such a flurry?”
“Father, did Pei Jingyi really come to propose?” Xia Zhaohe’s tone carried a hint of hope, wishing it was all fake, hoping everything was just a misunderstanding.
Only when she saw her father’s expression did she understand the truth of the matter. She closed her eyes in pain and then, opening them, grabbed hold of Prince Jing’s sleeve and pleaded, “Father, you haven’t agreed to this marriage, have you? Please tell me you haven’t.”
“This is a marriage decreed by the Empress Dowager; we simply have no room to refuse and must grit our teeth and accept this union,” he said.
Prince Jing also didn’t want his daughter to marry such a useless prince, and he could see that Pei Jingyi was ambitious, yet without any real authority. This was undoubtedly a fool’s errand, which could even endanger the Xia family in the end.
But they had no choice now. Who dares to refuse a marriage bestowed by the Empress Dowager? If not for the arson incident before, he might have been able to discuss the matter with the Emperor, but now the Emperor would undoubtedly be unwilling to hear another word about it.
“Pei Jingyi is a bastard. To think I once thought he was kindly helping me, only to realize he has been scheming against me all along. I would rather shave my head and become a nun than marry such a despicable man!”
Xia Zhaohe, as if driven mad, swept all the items from the table onto the floor.
The very person she had despised the most was now to become her husband; how could she agree to this?
Seeing his daughter in such a state, Prince Jing felt an ache in his heart and went over to comfort her, “At least he’s a prince. And even if it’s just the position of a concubine, it’s not so bad.”
“Concubine?” Xia Zhaohe pushed away Prince Jing’s hand, looking at him with wounded eyes.
Her eyes reddened and tears streamed down her face as she shouted at her father, “How could you agree to such a marriage, and to be a concubine no less!”
“This is the will of the Empress Dowager, what could your father do even if he disagrees.” Prince Jing didn’t want to refuse this marriage either, but he had no way to do so; he could only delay, a tactic that was not a long-term solution.
“I won’t marry. I won’t marry! If you are determined to force me into this marriage, then I will shave my head and be a nun!”
No matter how Prince Jing tried to persuade her, it was useless. Xia Zhaohe even dared to utter traitorous words against the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Prince Jing’s face turned pale, and he immediately gestured for the maids to keep watch at the door, wary of walls with ears.
Seeing her so beside herself, Prince Jing lost all patience, and seeing that she was willing to endanger the entire family, he gave her no more favorable treatment and immediately barked, “Fine, if you wish to become a nun so badly, then I’ll fulfill your wish right now!”
“Someone, bring the scissors.”
The person who had just been frenzied became quiet instantly, her eyes showing a look of shock. She hadn’t expected her ever-indulgent father to agree to shave off her hair and send her to the nunnery.
The maid quickly brought the scissors. Prince Jing took the scissors, grabbed Xia Zhaohe’s arm, and pressed her to sit down. He lifted a strand of her hair as if to cut it.
Xia Zhaohe snapped back to reality, leaping from the chair, “No, I don’t want to shave my head.”
“If you don’t want to shave your head and become a nun, then you must marry the Fifth Prince. Have you thought it through?”
“I, I… have thought it through.” Xia Zhaohe bit her lower lip tightly, seeing that her father was serious, she became somewhat afraid.
In the end, she had no choice but to agree, but she wasn’t truly willing to marry, it was out of desperation.