Are you implying that Prince Zhao is both dull and stupid?
No, he was aware that he had been framed, but with no evidence, and the fact that he had indeed had relations with her, he could tell there were traces of that. Moreover, the miscarriage of the child was a fact. He didn’t believe that Imperial Censor Zuo would gamble with his own child, so he was currently unable to guess which link in the chain had caused the problem.
Such incidents were nothing new to him, but because it involved the Imperial Censor’s wife, he’d been impeached and had suffered a severe loss of face before the Emperor. And with his own household causing an uproar, he was extremely agitated.
At this time, his subordinates asked him again about the Tasty and Pretty Fisherman restaurant—this was like a donkey kicking a steel board, resulting in a harsh scolding, naturally leaving him no mood to contend with Yan Qing.
But just because he had stopped fighting didn’t mean Yan Qing was willing to let him go. Xiao Yu’s words that day were also a reminder; he decided to take this opportunity to dig deep into Prince Zhao, to see how many secrets he had hidden.
As for the two daughters of Prince Zhao, they were also a nuisance, so he went to the Emperor day after day, begging for the Crown Prince to grant a marriage.
The Crown Prince was in a difficult position, "It’s not appropriate to grant a marriage for no reason, right? Even if a marriage is to be granted, it must be Prince Zhao himself who asks for it. That way, no one will suspect you of underhanded schemes behind the scenes, don’t you think?"
Asking Prince Zhao to personally request marriage for his two daughters? Heh, that’s a bit too demanding, isn’t it? That damn old man had targeted the two brothers early on, marrying the Crown Prince meant entering the harem, and marrying him, at least, meant being from a legitimate line. That old man was shrewd—would he go seeking sons-in-law himself? Dream on!
However, when Xiao Yu learned of this, she said to Yan Qing, "Isn’t that simple? Just investigate and see if there’s anyone among the aristocratic families in Beijing who likes the two Commandery Princesses from Prince Zhao Mansion. If there really is, how about we play matchmaker?" Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel✶fire.net
Yan Qing slightly narrowed his eyes, "Do you have a way to make those two ladies fall for each other? Though they’re a bit arrogant, compared to a deep and calculating old fox, they are way behind. We shouldn’t drag them into this."
"What do you take me for? Am I that hateful? Rest assured, I’m trying to bridge a match here. As long as you can guarantee that the news you bring back is true, I have a way to make them like each other."
Yan Qing pondered upon hearing this and stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Alright, I’ll have someone look into it immediately. What if there’s no one?"
"Then we’ll just set them up!"
In fact, the standards by which ancient men judged women were mainly their figure, appearance, and family background—personality came last because, in their view, with the ability to marry multiple wives and concubines, appearance and family background always came first.
Whereas for the women from wealthy and powerful families, their criteria for men could be quite fanciful: first, the man had to be attractive, then he had to be good to her—genuinely good—finally considering the family background, personal background and character.
Actually, ancient women were quite pitiable, especially those living within high gates—they were even more pitiful because they existed as pawns for family alliances. Unless they truly encountered parents who deeply cared for them, it was no different than a transaction. What mattered was which family held power and influence and could bring benefits to the family. Whether or not you liked it was completely irrelevant, okay?