"This time, Northern Wei has sent not only the Crown Prince but also a prince and a princess, while Western Liang only sent one prince and a general. Although both Northern Wei and Western Liang maintain friendly relations with Great Zhou, there is friction between the two nations. Originally, Northern Wei was scheduled to arrive first, but Western Liang, fearing that Northern Wei would gain an advantage by currying favor with Great Zhou, departed immediately after them."
Hu Shi was no ordinary woman confined to the inner chambers. With recent court discussions revolving around this matter, she became thoroughly informed when Qin Shu returned home and recounted the details. Qin Guan listened quietly, recalling what her father had mentioned earlier.
When her father had taken up his official post in the capital, there had been two previous diplomatic missions, yet Qin Guan remembered that neither involved visits by princes or princesses. Why, this time, did both sides include royal family members? Northern Wei even sent their Crown Prince?
"I heard the Northern Wei Crown Prince came to seek a marriage alliance."
Qin Guan looked at Hu Shi, but Qin Chaoyu spoke first, "Mother, does the Northern Wei Crown Prince wish to marry Her Highness the Princess?"
Hu Shi nodded, "Marrying the Princess would naturally be ideal, but His Majesty and the Empress have only one daughter. Whether they would be willing to part with her is uncertain. The Northern Wei Crown Prince might seek to marry a daughter of the imperial clan or perhaps a commandery princess or county princess."
This matter had no direct connection to the Marquis' household. Moreover, none of the imperial princes had daughters, making it impossible to even select a commandery princess. Thus, it was likely the Northern Wei Crown Prince had his sights set on the Princess.
As Qin Guan listened, her thoughts drifted elsewhere. Hu Shi continued, "The Northern Wei Crown Prince came to seek marriage, as did the Northern Wei prince and the Western Liang prince. If they are not crown princes, marrying a noble daughter from Great Zhou’s influential families would suffice."
Hu Shi and Qin Chaoyu exchanged a glance, then both turned their eyes to Qin Guan.
Qin Guan had been thinking about the Ninth Prince’s calligraphy and paintings and was caught off guard by their sudden attention.
"Aunt... what do you mean...?"
Hu Shi smiled, "Guan'er, your aunt believes you are among the top noble daughters in the capital. Marrying into the royal family would be a natural progression. However, our Qin clan cannot have a Crown Princess and then produce another imperial consort. Moreover, Prince Cheng has already chosen his consort, meaning you’ve missed that opportunity. But now things are different. Although Northern Wei and Western Liang are somewhat distant, they are still royal families. Do you have any thoughts on this?"
Qin Guan pressed her lips tightly together, "I have no such thoughts."
Seeing Qin Guan’s direct refusal, Hu Shi’s smile turned somewhat awkward. "None? Well, that’s fine too. I merely mentioned it in passing. After all, Northern Wei and Western Liang are far away..."
What Hu Shi said was indeed plausible. Typically, selected noble daughters would be enfeoffed as commandery princesses and sent away with the honors of a royal princess. Though married far away, likely never to return to their homeland in their lifetime, such a union would bring immense glory to their family. The Emperor would also remember the woman’s sacrifice, greatly benefiting the family’s future imperial favor. Yet, what did any of this have to do with Qin Guan?!
For one, Qin Guan was not someone who craved power. Secondly, did Hu Shi want her to marry far away to bring more glory and support to the Marquis' household? Qin Guan couldn’t help but sneer inwardly—this was certainly making good use of her.Traveling far from Great Zhou to marry into Northern Wei or Western Liang, no matter how many attendants one brought along, one would still find oneself in unfamiliar territory upon arrival. Setting aside the character of the Northern Wei Crown Prince or those princes, those who came seeking marriage alliances all had ulterior motives—how many could genuinely love their wives? Later, she would be thousands of miles from home, at odds with her husband, and forced to navigate the intricate web of covert and overt conflicts around her. If the nation remained friendly with Great Zhou, it might be tolerable, but once relations soured, what would become of her? Throughout history, Great Zhou had never willingly married off its princesses to distant lands—such actions were either born of weakness and necessity or done to strengthen alliances when sought by allies...
Now, before even meeting the envoys from Northern Wei and Western Liang, Hu Shi had uttered such words, truly chilling Qin Guan’s heart.
Qin Guan looked coldly at Hu Shi. "On what grounds does Aunt assume I would entertain such thoughts?"
Hu Shi’s smile grew increasingly strained. It wasn’t that she necessarily wanted to sacrifice Qin Guan, but Qin Guan’s exceptional character and appearance, admired by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, indeed made her qualified to marry into the royal family. With Great Zhou currently having no other options, she had thought of Northern Wei and Western Liang. Moreover, if someone from the Qin family could replace a princess in a marriage alliance, it would surely bring the Qin family immense imperial favor!
Wouldn’t that, in turn, benefit Qin Chaoyu, who was soon to become the Crown Princess?
In an instant, Qin Guan saw through Hu Shi’s intentions. There was nothing wrong with her scheming to secure advantages for Qin Chaoyu, but it was utterly inappropriate for her to so quickly set her sights on Qin Guan herself!
"No, no, no, I merely thought that among all the noble ladies in the capital, none compare to you, Guan’er. Not just anyone can marry a prince of another kingdom. Since you are clearly more outstanding than them, why shouldn’t it be you?"
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. "So Aunt holds me in such high esteem? Then I must thank you. However, such matters may appear glorious on the surface, but the suffering falls solely on the one sent for the alliance. The benefits seem to accrue only to the family."
Seeing the sharpness in Qin Guan’s words, Hu Shi struggled to maintain her smile. "Guan’er, you misunderstand—that’s not what I meant…"
Before she could finish, Qin Chaoyu interjected, "What do you mean by that, Ninth Sister? As Mother said, if the Northern Wei Crown Prince fails to secure a princess, other noble ladies will surely vie for this opportunity. Everyone sees it as a favorable prospect, which is why Mother thought of you. You can’t possibly believe she actually wants you to marry far away, can you?"
Qin Guan lowered her gaze. "Since arriving in the capital, I’ve relied on Aunt’s care. Naturally, I would never think such a thing." Her tone then firmed. "But since the subject has been raised, I wish only to state my own aspirations: power and wealth are not what I seek."
Hu Shi, realizing her earlier remark had been inappropriate, quickly changed the subject. "Alright, alright, I merely brought it up casually on a whim. Since Guan’er has no interest in this, let’s set the matter aside. Speaking of which, it’s been some time since the Empress Dowager summoned you to the palace. I wonder if Her Majesty has fully recovered."
Sensing Hu Shi’s awareness, Qin Guan did not press further. "During my last visit to check Her Majesty’s pulse, the Empress Dowager had already recovered significantly. I informed Her Majesty that regular pulse checks were no longer necessary and that she need only summon me if she felt unwell. Since there has been no summons these past few days, I presume the Empress Dowager is in good health and all is well."Hu Shi smiled and said, "Guan'er has cured the Empress Dowager—this is a great merit. Did Her Majesty mention any rewards?"
Qin Guan curved the corners of her lips slightly. "The Empress Dowager said she would allow me to decide my future marriage on my own."
Hu Shi and Qin Chaoyu exchanged a glance, and Hu Shi immediately beamed with even greater delight. "Ah, that truly is wonderful! For a young woman, having a satisfactory marriage is the greatest fortune. With Her Majesty the Empress Dowager backing you, no one will be able to force you in the future—even the Emperor must heed the Empress Dowager's wishes..."
Qin Guan nodded without responding, and Hu Shi quickly changed the subject with Qin Chaoyu. Thus, they arrived at Zhenghua Gate.
Due to the presence of envoys from two nations, the grand banquet was held in Chongming Hall. Qin Guan followed Hu Shi and Qin Chaoyu into the palace, making their way toward Chongming Hall. As they reached the entrance, they saw the hall was already filled with guests. When Hu Shi arrived at their designated seats and looked closely, she realized they were once again seated with Yu Shi and her daughter. Feng Chenbi had already taken her seat and, upon seeing them approach, smiled sweetly.
Since both Qin Chaoyu and Feng Chenbi's fates were settled, and they were destined to be rivals, they refrained from their usual sarcastic bickering. Soon, Yuan Qing's loud announcement signaled the arrival of the day's main guests.
Yan Huai supported the Empress Dowager as they led the procession, followed closely by the Empress and the Crown Prince. Behind them were several men in resplendent attire, two of whom wore robes adorned with purple sparrow patterns—clearly from Northern Wei, where purple symbolized nobility and the sparrow was the royal emblem. Qin Guan glanced over them: the one in front was naturally the Northern Wei Crown Prince, while the one behind was undoubtedly the Northern Wei prince. Just then, a strikingly vivid red suddenly caught Qin Guan's eye.
In the next moment, a woman in red robes entered—her beauty reminiscent of a hibiscus, delicate and lively.
Feng Chenbi remarked with a smile, "Oh, Chaoyu, your dress today happens to be the same color as the Northern Wei princess's. Both in red, but the Northern Wei princess wears it far more stunningly..."
No sooner had she spoken than the Northern Wei princess, likely noticing someone wearing the same color, cast a direct glance toward Qin Chaoyu.
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