Imperial Cultivation

When Chu Zhiyuan went to the Ministry of Rites to sign in, Gao Lingfeng hurried up to him, cupping his fist and saying, "My lord, the Lord Supervisor requests your presence."

Chu Zhiyuan raised a sharp eyebrow.

The Lord Supervisor of the Zongwu Division was the Prince of Jing'an.

The current emperor didn't have many brothers; the father of this Prince of Jing'an was the emperor's own brother, born of the same mother.

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Unfortunately, this Prince Cheng died unexpectedly in his youth while serving in the military, ambushed by the Great Mongol iron cavalry.

At that time, the Prince of Jing'an had just been born.

This Prince of Jing'an was low-key and, as the Lord Supervisor, seemed to be invisible, as if he was just loafing around.

The various departments of the Ministry of Rites were not located together; each had its own courtyard.

Chu Zhiyuan's courtyard was adjacent to the Lord Supervisor's courtyard. He had only seen the Prince of Jing'an once when he first took office. He hardly ever ran into him at other times, as if he never came to the office.

Chu Zhiyuan, as a Deputy Director, had to come to sign in every day. The Lord Supervisor was already the highest-ranking official in the Zongwu Division, and no one cared whether he signed in or not.

"Greetings, Lord Supervisor."

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fist and saluted.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a monkey-like appearance, small and thin, with a small, black, and shiny mustache that made his small eyes appear bright and piercing.

He was Chu Jinglu, the Prince of Jing'an.

Among the princes of the royal family, there were very few with such an appearance.

"Alright, we're not strangers, no need to be so polite." Prince of Jing'an, Chu Jinglu, waved his hand, "I've called you here because there are some things you need to know."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Is it about welcoming the mission from Great Zhen?"

He didn't relax just because the Prince of Jing'an said they weren't strangers.

The Prince of Jing'an was indeed not a stranger, being closely related by blood, just like Chu Mingxuan, also his uncle.

But since they were in the main hall of the Ministry of Rites, they should naturally act according to official rules and treat each other with the respect due to their ranks.

It wouldn't be too late to call him uncle after leaving the Ministry of Rites.

"You will go and welcome them this time."

"Yes."

"Go and join in the fun. Either way, there's no harm in taking a look at the mission from Great Zhen."

"Yes."

"Not just for the sake of Great Jing's reputation?" Chu Zhiyuan pondered and said, "Is there another reason?"

If it was only about Great Jing's reputation, Chu Jinglu wouldn't have asked this way, so there were obviously other factors involved.

"Great Jing and Great Zhen want to turn from enemies into allies to jointly resist the Great Mongols, and both sides must show sincerity."

"Is it a marriage alliance?"

"Correct."

"Who will marry whom?"

"That will depend on your contest this time. If you win, we will marry a princess from Great Zhen. If you lose, we will have to marry a princess over to them."

"... Isn't that too frivolous?"

No wonder the Emperor was so generous, granting everything asked for, because it concerned marrying a princess from Great Zhen or marrying off a princess from Great Jing.

No one wanted to marry a princess over, always appearing inferior to the other side.

But using this method was a bit too frivolous, like a joke, and truly unexpected.

Chu Jinglu said, "After all, we want to form an alliance. Being too serious would harm the harmony. This kind of playful approach is just right."

"... Yes." Chu Zhiyuan seemed to agree very reluctantly.

Turning a serious matter into a game was indeed a wonderful method, depending on the perspective.

"So don't take it lightly. Take it seriously and don't hold back your strength."

"... Yes."

This was because he was afraid that he would hide his skills, conceal his strength, and thus be restrained and defeated, losing the big picture for the sake of small gains.

These words were obviously not Chu Jinglu's own thoughts, but merely a message being conveyed.

"... But, if you really can't beat him, you still have to try your best to show your worth, otherwise..." Chu Jinglu shook his head.

"Your Highness, if we lose, which princess will be married over?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

He understood the hidden meaning in Chu Jinglu's words.

If he lost, the entire court would blame him for losing face, and both the Emperor and the princess's mother would resent him.

The best way to eliminate this resentment was to use a self-sacrificing strategy, to go all out and even end up seriously injured.

"It's hard to say which princess will be married over."

"Mm."

"It's best if both sides agree, it can't be a one-sided affair."

"It seems that we don't have any princesses of the right age in Great Jing, do we?"

The princesses of the right age in Great Jing were either married or engaged.

Great Jing's princesses were still very popular. They didn't restrict their consorts from holding office, and Great Jing's princesses were very well-educated and rarely arrogant.

Therefore, many princesses had marriage proposals as soon as they were born, and were often engaged at the age of twelve or thirteen.

They couldn't possibly break the original engagement just to marry one off to Great Zhen.

Chu Jinglu said, "A commandery princess, a county princess, or even the daughter of a duke or marquis might be acceptable. If the other side likes her, we can grant her the title of princess."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

Just thinking about it, he knew that probably no one would be willing to marry their daughter off to Great Zhen, as it would truly be a one-way trip, never to be seen again.

The Emperor wouldn't want it, and neither would the royal family, the dukes, the earls, or the marquises. Almost no one would be willing.

Therefore, his task was heavy, and he could only win, not lose.

"If Cheng Tianfeng wins this time, he will probably be the one to choose the bride," Chu Jinglu said with a grim face, "It will depend on which family's daughter he fancies."

"Cheng Tianfeng is only a heir apparent," Chu Zhiyuan frowned, "Isn't it supposed to be a marriage alliance between princes?"

Marriage alliances were usually between emperors. Since the emperors on both sides were too old and had long passed the time for taking concubines, it wouldn't be impossible for a prince to marry the other side's princess.

If it was a heir apparent, then the status difference would be too great, and the effect would be much less.

"The most outstanding heir apparent of Great Zhen, even if he cannot become emperor, is still a pivotal figure in the royal family."

Great Zhen, Great Jing, and the Great Mongols, the three great powers, had the same path to selecting an emperor: first, one had to become a Grandmaster before being qualified to inherit the throne.

One could not wield the Son of Heaven Sword without becoming a Grandmaster.

Both talent and opportunity were required to become a Grandmaster, and those who possessed both were blessed by fate, making it only natural for them to become emperor.

The emperor, who controlled the Son of Heaven Sword, possessed such supreme power that the throne would be as solid as a rock, so there was no need to avoid ceding the throne to brothers or uncles.

On the contrary, their assistance was needed.

As an assistant, the stronger the ability, the better.

Chu Zhiyuan frowned, "Your Highness, then if I win, who will marry the woman from Great Zhen?"

"It should be you," Chu Jinglu said with a smile, "I'm afraid Great Zhen wouldn't agree to anyone else."

Chu Zhiyuan's sword-like eyebrows furrowed tightly.

He never expected this answer, nor had he ever thought about it.

He had always felt that this kind of thing would never fall on his head, as it was too far away from him.

He was a heir apparent, and moreover, the heir apparent of Prince Qing. To say that the one most likely to become a Grandmaster and inherit the throne was Prince Ying.

His father, Prince Qing, didn't practice martial arts and was even confined to his manor for thirty years, so he must have been disliked by the Emperor. Hating the crow on account of the roof, he would also have difficulty gaining imperial favor.

Marry a princess or commandery princess from Great Zhen?

He had to hurry and have his mother go to the Anguo Duke's mansion to propose marriage.

Marrying a woman from Great Zhen was not as good as marrying Xiao Ruoling.

He had a marriage agreement with Xiao Ruoling, and since she was from the Duke's mansion, the Emperor couldn't forcibly break them up, right?

Even if he really married a woman from Great Zhen, there had to be a first and a last. Xiao Ruoling was first, so she would be the main wife, capable of managing the concubines.

As for Xiao Ruoling possessing martial arts skills, it wasn't so important at this time.

At least she didn't have an evil sect heritage, otherwise she wouldn't be able to hide it from the Son of Heaven Sword.

The Son of Heaven Sword dispelled evil, and an evil sect heritage couldn't be hidden from the annual palace banquets attended by the Duke and Duchess and their children.

It was best to finalize the engagement with Xiao Ruoling quickly.

This was difficult.

After all, for a noble daughter of the Anguo Duke's mansion, the procedures for engagement, betrothal, and marriage were extremely cautious and cumbersome. Even if they favored him, it would be difficult to allow such haste.

It would be best if he could hide it from the Emperor.

Unfortunately, this was almost impossible.

Therefore, his marriage to Xiao Ruoling was very uncertain.

Chu Jinglu smiled and said, "When the time comes, you can also go to Great Zhen like Cheng Tianfeng and choose whoever you like, whoever catches your eye."

"Haha..." Chu Jinglu couldn't help but laugh out loud as he looked at his bitter face.

Chu Zhiyuan sighed, "Your Highness, this is not funny at all."

Chu Jinglu laughed loudly, "Such a wonderful thing, why do you look so worried!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Wouldn't marrying a woman from Great Zhen be endlessly troublesome?"

"What does it matter whether the woman is from Great Zhen or Great Jing? Once they're in the inner quarters, they're all your women," Chu Jinglu shook his head, "You're thinking too much."

Chu Zhiyuan didn't refute or agree, considering it a silent rebuttal.

"Don't worry, the court won't be wary of you just because your woman is from Great Zhen," Chu Jinglu said, "Otherwise, those generals would have been dismissed long ago."

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, revealing an interested expression.

It seemed that many generals had married foreign women?

Thinking about it, he knew that these generals must have captured women from enemy countries during their campaigns and taken them into their tents because of their beauty.

Chu Jinglu waved his hand, "Alright, in short, it's good if you have a clear understanding in your heart."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Chu Zhiyuan solemnly cupped his fist, took his leave, and departed.

Then, he turned around and returned to Qing Prince Manor.