Her hair was cloud-like and beautiful! She opened her eyes and found herself back in the third year

Chapter 265 The Prince of Xiliang Proposes Marriage

In the afternoon, with the arrival of the hostage and envoy from Xiliang, the first snow of the year fell.

When Qin Yizhen returned home, there were already quite a few snowflakes falling in the yard, and perhaps by evening, a layer would have accumulated.

It's been particularly cold these past two days, and the underfloor heating in the house has been turned on long ago. Seeing that it's snowing outside, Granny Gui even had someone heat up the kang (heated brick bed) in the side hall study.

After Qin Yizhen returned, she sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) covered with a mattress, feeling a wave of warmth wash over her, and her icy feet gradually warmed up.

Granny Gui brought her a bowl of ginger tea and said to her, "Princess, you really are something. In this cold weather, you went out for so long without even taking care of your health."

"Granny, I'm much better." She had been recuperating for half a year and was in better health than in previous years. In previous years, when the weather turned cold in September, she would feel cold feet when she slept, and when winter came, she would stay indoors every day and not even go out.

But even though it's snowing today, she only feels a little cold and doesn't feel particularly uncomfortable.

"Even though you're feeling much better, you still need to be careful. It's the easiest time to catch a cold in this weather, and it's uncomfortable if you do. You have to be careful."

Qin Yizhen wasn't annoyed by her rambling and just nodded in agreement.

After drinking ginger tea and sitting in a warm place, Qin Yizhen felt sleepy after a while, so she asked Lüqiao to bring her a pillow and blanket so she could sleep on the kang for a while.

When she woke up from her nap, it was already evening. Lü Qiao brought her a cup of hot tea and told her that Princess Huizhen had arrived.

"What is she doing here?" Why would she come to the Marquis of Pingxi's residence on such a cold day?

"Invite her in."

Since they were sisters and had become somewhat familiar with each other, Qin Yizhen didn't stand on ceremony. She had Granny Gui comb her hair and then asked Lü Qiao to invite Princess Huizhen over.

As the heavy curtains of the room were lifted, a figure dressed in a bright red winter outfit and draped in a red fox fur cloak walked in. She walked quickly, as if in a hurry.

"Did you know that the hostage prince and envoy from Xiliang entered the palace today?"

"I know, I even went to the Vermilion Bird Tower to watch them enter the city."

Princess Huizhen bit her lip: "Do you know about the prince and princess from Xiliang? The princess wants to marry my uncle!"

Qin Yizhen nodded: "She's just thinking about it. The Empress Dowager and His Majesty won't agree, and neither will the civil and military officials."

Cheng Yan already commands nearly half of the Eastern Qin army. What's the point of letting him marry a foreign princess? Is it just giving him more confidence to rebel?

The court is currently relatively stable. Not only does the Qin royal family not want to be overthrown, but the civil and military officials also do not want to change the emperor.

"Even if the Princess of Xiliang were to marry, she could only enter His Majesty's harem."

Princess Huizhen blinked: "Aren't you worried at all?"

"What do I have to worry about? Do you think I don't know what kind of person your uncle is? Don't you trust your uncle?"

Even if Empress Dowager Cheng and Emperor Jing'an forced him to marry this princess of Xiliang, he would not be willing. He doesn't actually have that much ambition, and his heart is only for the family he cares about. If pushed too far, he might just quit.

"You don't need to worry about me and your uncle. You're the one who should be worried, aren't you?"

Princess Huizhen was taken aback: "How did you know?"

Qin Yizhen simply replied, "I guessed."

Princess Huizhen's face flushed with anger and anxiety: "What kind of thing is that prince of Xiliang? A prince born to a palace maid, how dare he presume to marry me?"

"Your Majesty, be careful what you say." Qin Yizhen's expression turned slightly somber. "The one thing you should never talk about in the palace is your birth. Some people may rise to great heights, but they will eventually decline. Others may be born in shallow waters, but one day they may become dragons and soar to the sky."

Therefore, never look down on others.

So what if he was born to a palace maid? Who knows if he won't become the ultimate victor someday?

The way to survive in the palace is to never look down on others with your words. It does no good and only sows the seeds of future trouble.

Moreover, Princess Huizhen forgot that when Empress Dowager Cheng first entered the palace, she was only a talented woman. Later, she became pregnant with Princess Huizhen and was promoted to a concubine. After giving birth to the princess, she was promoted to a high-ranking concubine.

Later, after giving birth to Emperor Jing'an, she became a virtuous consort.

Emperor Taizong was in poor health and wanted to make Emperor Jing'an the crown prince and let her participate in politics, so he made her empress.

Princess Huizhen keeps looking down on other people's mothers' backgrounds, without considering how Empress Dowager Cheng would feel if she heard these words.

Empress Dowager Cheng also rose from a low position.

Qin Yizhen's birth mother was once just a beauty presented by a local official. She gained favor because of her beauty and gentleness, but she was not bold and acted cautiously, so Emperor Taizong did not favor her much.

She was only granted the title of Consort after giving birth to a daughter. She died saving Emperor Jing'an, and was only posthumously granted the title of Consort. After Emperor Jing'an ascended the throne, she was called Consort Ping.

Their mothers were not from high-class families, and if they looked down on others, did they also look down on their own mothers?

Princess Huizhen muttered, "You're such a busybody. You can't do this or that, you have to be careful what you say. What's the point of your life?"

“What’s the point? I eat well and dress well. In the summer, I have ice to cool off, and in the winter, I have a heated floor. I have nothing to complain about and I find it very interesting.”

Princess Huizhen was annoyed: "Alright, alright, I'm not going to argue with you about this. I'm talking about the matter of the Prince of Xiliang. What's that Liang thing again... he actually asked for the princess's hand in marriage in the Taiji Hall. The key point is... the key point is that Mother didn't refuse at the time."

"Do you think he doesn't want to marry me?"

Did he say which princess it was?

"No, not at all." Princess Huizhen bit her lip, feeling extremely anxious and somewhat regretful. "Do you think Mother Empress would agree?"

"I heard that several people in the court strongly agree with this."

Marrying a princess to a hostage will allow the birth of a member of the Western Liang royal family. One day, the Eastern Qin can take this Western Liang heir and send troops westward.

There have always been plenty of clever people in the imperial court.

"And what about you?" Qin Yizhen asked Princess Huizhen.

"Me?" Princess Huizhen was somewhat bewildered by her question. "What about me?"

Do you agree or disagree?

“Of course I disagree,” Princess Huizhen said, somewhat annoyed. “Even if there is to be a war, that is a man’s business. Why sacrifice women?”

Qin Yizhen paused, then asked her, "What if it wasn't you who got married, but Shuzhen or Xunzhen? Or even some other woman? Would you agree to it?"

Princess Huizhen paused, speechless for a moment.

After a long while, she impatiently took off her cloak and threw it on the kang (a heated brick bed): "What do you mean?"

"Do you really think that if the Empress Dowager or the court wants me to marry that prince of Xiliang, I will actually have to?"

Qin Yizhen said, "Wasn't I asking about my elder sister's feelings?"

"If you, my elder sister, feel that the matter falls on Shuzhen and Xunzhen, and that they should marry, then there's no need to say anything more."