The Emperor looked at Xiao Jin Yu and asked with the same seriousness as when discussing state affairs in the court, "Does Seventh Imperial Uncle have any objections?"
Xiao Jin Yu couldn't even be bothered to open his eyes. Since the reward had already been granted, what did it matter whether it was delivered today or tomorrow...
Xiao Jin Yu's lack of opposition was taken as tacit consent. The Emperor smiled and nodded at Chu Chu, "I will have someone draft the decree upon returning to the palace. Does Miss Chu have any special requests?"
The Emperor had a strong premonition that she definitely would!
Sure enough, Chu Chu nodded, "There's just one more thing... I want Wang Ye to come to my home to propose marriage."
Xiao Jin Yu nearly choked on his breath, "I am occupied with official duties and cannot leave the capital casually..."
The Emperor quickly interjected, "Seventh Imperial Uncle has long toiled for the state. Now that the New Year approaches and your health has been poor, you should rest properly. From today, I grant you two months of leave to retreat to Jiangnan to avoid the cold. Return to the capital after the first month, and do not worry about official matters."
"Chu Chu thanks Your Majesty!"
The Emperor glanced at Xiao Jin Yu, who was glaring fiercely at him, and tactfully stood up, "It's getting late, I shall return to the palace now. Seventh Imperial Uncle, take care of your health..." The Emperor went over and patted Chu Chu's shoulder, "Miss Chu, I entrust Seventh Imperial Uncle to you. You must take good care of him."
"Chu Chu obeys the decree!"
After the Emperor had swiftly departed, Chu Chu suddenly slapped her forehead, "Ah! I forgot to bid proper farewell to His Majesty!"
"It doesn't matter... Just tell me what you really want."
Chu Chu turned around to meet Xiao Jin Yu's cold gaze. He was looking at her just as he had looked at Xu Ru Gui when solving cases in As Returning Pavilion.
Regarding marriage matters, one couldn't blame Xiao Jin Yu for being overly cautious. The blame lay with all those women who had eagerly sought to marry him - not one had been sincere. Some came to take his life, others to steal case files, some to act as spies, and even those who started with genuine intentions would eventually reveal hidden daggers behind their smiles. All together, there had been at least fifteen, if not twenty.
He had neither the leisure nor the extra lives to play mind games with these women, so he simply kept his distance to avoid harming both parties. For the past two years, under his strict vigilance, he had finally achieved some peace. Now suddenly another one appeared, who had swiftly obtained a marriage decree from his mischief-loving imperial nephew, the Emperor. Even if every constable in the empire told him this girl was completely innocent, he couldn't believe it.
Xiao Jin Yu's gaze made Chu Chu nervous, "I... I just want to follow you."
Xiao Jin Yu's voice grew colder, "Follow me for what?"
Chu Chu looked at him cautiously, "To investigate cases."
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback. Why did he feel they weren't talking about the same thing? "You want to marry me to investigate cases with me?"
Chu Chu nodded.
"Then why not directly ask the Emperor for an official coroner position?"
Chu Chu waved her hands repeatedly, "I can't ask for that! I failed the exam myself, which means I'm not qualified yet. If I obtained it this way from the Emperor, wouldn't that make me no different from those who buy official positions!"
She actually had a point...
"If you want to work at Prince An Manor, you could have told me directly. Why must you marry me?"Chu Chu bit her lip and whispered with a hint of grievance, "I was afraid you wouldn’t agree, and even if you did, you might send me away after a few days... I’ve heard that a marriage granted by the Emperor cannot be dissolved by divorce..."
Xiao Jin Yu felt his mind was in chaos—an unprecedented, utter mess—so much so that he couldn’t tell whether this young girl was speaking the truth too bluntly or deliberately testing the limits of his patience.
Her logic was simply illogical!
Seeing Xiao Jin Yu furrow his brows and remain silent for a long while, Chu Chu pouted her small mouth. "Are you... thinking I bring bad luck?"
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback. "Bad luck?"
"People in our town say my family deals with the dead, that we’re unlucky. Since I was little, no one wanted to play with me, let alone marry me... Back at the As Returning Pavilion, you mentioned that you had performed a Corpse Examination yourself. I thought you understood this work and wouldn’t mind..."
Chu Chu’s voice grew softer and more pitiful as she spoke, her eyes reddening by the end, tears welling up and threatening to fall. The sight tugged painfully at Xiao Jin Yu’s heart.
Xiao Jin Yu sighed silently. This must be retribution for striking her name from the candidate list...
If this was fate’s design, what else could he say?
"I didn’t mean it that way... Let’s just follow the Emperor’s arrangements."
Chu Chu lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes meeting Xiao Jin Yu’s gaze, which no longer held any coldness. "Really?"
"Defying an Imperial Decree is a capital offense. As long as you won’t regret it."
Chu Chu’s tears turned to laughter, and she shook her head repeatedly. "I won’t regret it!" Then, she beamed at Xiao Jin Yu with a smile as full and bright as a sunflower, declaring with solemn earnestness a statement that nearly made Xiao Jin Yu cough up a lung:
"Don’t worry, from now on, I will treat you well!"
Who was treating whom here...
Xiao Jin Yu had a vague premonition that his future days would be unprecedentedly turbulent.
Xiao Jin Yu took two sips of tea to suppress his cough and steady his scattered senses before speaking softly, "Once the Imperial Decree arrives, I’ll have Steward Zhao arrange for you to move into this estate."
Chu Chu paused for a moment, pursed her lips as if considering, then nodded. "Alright... So when will you come to my home to propose?"
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly. This was something he hadn’t understood from the start—since the Emperor had already consented, was she still worried her family would object? If it was just about the betrothal gifts, he could simply send a matchmaker. Why would he need to go in person? "Since the Emperor has agreed to grant the marriage, why must I still propose in person?"
"My grandparents are afraid I’ll marry poorly and be mistreated. I promised them long ago that no matter who I marry, I must let them meet him first..." Seeing Xiao Jin Yu sigh quietly, Chu Chu hurriedly added, "Don’t worry, they’re good people. You clearly don’t look like someone who would bully others—they won’t make things difficult for you!"
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