Chapter 339: She Has the Right to Decide

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Similar to the last banquet, there were only a few unfamiliar faces this time.

The bearded borderland people, islanders with brown eyes, and people whose appearance and skin color were similar to those of the Ming Dynasty.

They were dressed in the attire of their country, sitting there looking around, pointing, and selecting potential marriage candidates.

Good. She didn’t see any foreigners with big noses and blue eyes or pirates with single eyelids and short stature.

This made her somewhat relieved, but she noticed several people staring at Ling’er with lecherous eyes, which made her angry.

Damn it! Look at all you want. Appreciating a graceful and virtuous lady is normal, but such disgusting looks? Who do they think they are?

Qiao Mai silently unleashed her mental power, rushing towards the eyes of one of the men. There were no screams, but the eyes staring at Ling’er inexplicably became increasingly blurry.

No matter how they rubbed their eyes, they couldn’t see clearly, as if they were severely nearsighted.

At this moment, the emperor arrived with his consorts. Noble Consort Rui, sitting high above, nodded and smiled at Qiao Mai.

Qiao Mai also smiled at her. The officials and envoys present all stood up to pay their respects.

Today was a banquet to select the spouses for young men and women from both sides. Since they had already had formal discussions, there wasn’t much to say today.

As the emperor arrived, it was time to serve the food. The singing and dancing began.

On such an occasion, performances were inevitable. The four princesses of the envoy performed dances and played musical instruments while the four princes showcased their skills in swordsmanship, staff techniques, knife skills, and hidden weapons.

The emperor watched silently from above, occasionally whispering to Consort

Rui.

A representative from the envoy stood up, bowing to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, why haven’t Princess Jiamei, Minister Yuan Haichuan, and his sister Princess Tianshui displayed their talents?” “They are not within the marriage consideration.”

‘Why?”

The emperor was somewhat displeased. What kind of question was that? Couldn’t they use their ears to listen? Were they pretending to be ignorant?

“Jiamei is Haichuan’s fiancée.”

“I see. What about Princess Tianshui?”

“I promised that Princess Tianshui’s marriage would be decided by herself.”

“Your Majesty, our Second Prince has fallen in love at first sight with Princess

Tianshui. Could you fulfill his wish?”

The emperor looked at Ling’er. “Princess Tianshui, what do you say?” Ling’er stood up, her posture straight. “Your Majesty, Tianshui is unwilling.” “Why?”

“These envoys are impolite and lack manners. They come to our victorious country and behave arrogantly. I assume that in their country, they treat their people as slaves. I am a princess of the Ming Dynasty and naturally despise the behavior of these lowly dogs. Whoever wants to marry them can do so. In any case, I won’t.”

After her words, the girls who intended to marry foreign princes lowered their heads.

The envoy smiled. “Princess, I think you’ve misunderstood. The previous incident was a joke due to the language barrier. It hasn’t happened again.”

“Hmph, I am not interested. How can two countries be friendly through marriage? Do you not harbor any intentions to spy on my country? I must like the man I marry. He must treat me as well as my father treats my mother. You meet none of these criteria.’

The envoy looked at the emperor. “Your Majesty?”

“I can’t help it. I am the ruler. Once I’ve made a promise, I won’t change it.”

Yuan Jiaqi stood up. “Your Majesty, as a wise ruler, you will never engage in banditry. Even if there is a marriage, it should be willingly. Please give them the freedom to choose. Whether it succeeds or not depends on fate. What do you think?”

“Haha, of course. Fate is emphasized in Buddhism. Those without fate will eventually part even if they walk together.”

“Your Majesty!” The envoys from the four countries stood up simultaneously.

“A monarch is a monarch, and a subject is a subject. If the monarch orders the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. Your Majesty, can’t you even decide on the marriage of your subjects?”

“Ah, I can’t. I seldom arrange marriages. I believe in Buddhism, heaven, and forced melons won’t be sweet. Though I am the king, I am not the ruler of the world. I also need to accumulate virtues. Refusing to do unethical things doesn’t mean I’m not fit to be the king, right?”

The emperor’s way of speaking was quite something, but the officials seemed to love it.

The envoys were silenced. The Duke of Zhenguo stood up, “A defeated country has no business coming to us to pick spouses. These princesses should be presented to our country instead.”

“Exactly! A defeated country doesn’t even deserve to contribute. Why should they come to our country to pick brides? It’s unfair!”

The banquet turned into a condemnation, with the emperor sitting above, smiling indulgently as his officials stirred up trouble.

The envoy team found themselves in a dilemma, mouths agape, faces filled with embarrassment, unsure of what to say.

Seeing that it was about enough, the emperor finally spoke.

“Alright, both countries have not killed each other’s envoys. That’s enough. The princesses who came to our country, which one do you fancy?”

The princesses’ expressions were quite unpleasant, and they whispered to each other.

“Your Majesty, the princess of the Great Qin Dynasty is willing to marry the second son of Prince Chu. Please grant your approval!”

The emperor’s eyes flickered as he looked at Prince Chu. “Has your second son gotten engaged?” “Not yet.”

“Fine, let it be then.”

Prince Chu’s expression changed slightly. He looked at his second son and whispered.

“Son, you might be wronged.”

“I don’t mind, Father. I’ll follow your arrangements.”

They all knew the fate of marrying a princess from an enemy country—being isolated. However, as members of the royal family, they couldn’t escape such political marriages.

The other three princesses chose members of the imperial family, intending to infiltrate the Ming Dynasty’s royal circle.

The emperor cursed inwardly, thinking they were deluding themselves. He couldn’t let them have their way now. He planned to wait a few years to demote these princesses to concubines, preventing them from causing trouble.

He was wary of these people. If the four countries joined forces, his chances of winning were almost zero.

With the princesses chosen, it was time for the princes. Many officials’ daughters were willing to marry as the primary wife, but they all backed down after hearing Ling’er’s words.

No girl dared to step forward, turning the marriage alliance into a one-sided affair.

The four envoys had no choice but to propose marriage to the emperor. However, all of them were rejected, as none of the officials wanted to send their daughters to marry in a defeated country.

Wouldn’t that result in inviting humiliation? They can’t allow that. How could they lift their heads if they sent them there?

At this moment, the Second Prince of the Great Qin Dynasty stood up. “Your Majesty, if Princess Tianshui agrees to marry me, our country is willing to cede five border cities. What do you think?”

The emperor was immediately tempted, but the Duke of Zhenguo stood up. “Exchanging cities for women? How will the men live in the future? The cities are defended by us, the warriors. We don’t need Princess Tianshui.”

“That’s right. We don’t need to trade women for cities. If we want a city, we’ll conquer it ourselves.”

“Humph, but that will cost many lives.”

“If we use women to trade for cities, how can we, the men of the Ming Dynasty, hold our heads high? Cities we’ve won with our blood and lives should give us peace of mind.”

“Yeah, stop with this act. We won’t buy it.”

The emperor, who was initially interested, immediately gave up the idea. He secretly glanced at Qiao Mai, only to see her calmly sipping her wine, showing no signs of anger.

Feeling relieved, the emperor couldn’t help but be intrigued by her.

He still couldn’t figure out her background; she was too mysterious. Was she performing magic, or could she really manipulate things remotely?

Before figuring out her abilities, he thought it best not to offend her.

The Second Prince gritted his teeth. There is no woman under the sky that he couldn’t get.

“How about ten cities?”

The emperor’s hands were trembling a bit. “Let’s forget about it. Compared to cities, my promise is more important.”

The girl, whom the Great Qin Dynasty couldn’t obtain with ten cities, instantly became the center of attention. Envious glares from other girls were directed towards Ling’er..