PDLP Chapter 386 Princess Zhaoning
Chapter 386 Princess Zhaoning
Emperor Zhou then turned his gaze to Lu Zhijin behind him, puzzled as to why the boy was here as well.
"Xiao Jin? What are you doing here?"
"Your Majesty, I happened to run into them, so I came along."
"Really?" Zhou Di looked at Lu Zhijin with some suspicion. This guy wasn't one to join in the fun. Then he looked at Xiao Siyue and understood. Xiao Jin had grown up and had someone she liked. But she really had good taste, choosing the best one right away. The two were a good match.
Emperor Zhou looked at Lu Zhijin and felt regret once again. Why wasn't Xiao Jin his son? Otherwise, he wouldn't be so conflicted.
Seeing Emperor Zhou's attitude towards Lu Zhijin, the princes were even more jealous. Why did their father treat Lu Zhijin better than them? They were clearly their father's sons.
Xiao Siyue was also surprised by Emperor Zhou's attitude. She didn't expect Emperor Zhou to like Lu Zhijin so much. Look at the affectionate way he addresses him, he treats him even better than his own son.
After Emperor Zhou finished his rambling, he finally got to the main topic.
"Crown Prince Ouyang, today your country's third prince spoke disrespectfully to the daughter of a subject of my Great Zhou in the street. Does he not respect my Great Zhou? Or is he deliberately provoking us?" The Zhou Emperor's attitude changed from amiable to stern in an instant.
Upon hearing this, Da Yongren thought, "It's just that the Third Prince flirted with the daughter of a minor minister. How did it escalate to the national level?"
"Your Majesty, today's events were my third brother's fault. It was my failure to properly guide him. It was not a deliberate provocation, nor did I look down on Great Zhou. I hope Your Majesty will calm down." Ouyang Ye quickly replied. They still needed Great Zhou's help and could not afford to offend it. Moreover, having witnessed Great Zhou's prosperity these past few days, they could not speak recklessly without knowing its true strength.
"Is what the Crown Prince said true?" Emperor Zhou was very satisfied.
“Of course it’s true.” Ouyang Ye nodded.
"I heard that the girl from the Xiao family accidentally injured the Third Prince while trying to avoid him. I wonder how Crown Prince Ouyang intends to compensate him?" Emperor Zhou continued.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ye thought to himself, "You already said that you were injured because you were trying to avoid the Third Prince, so why should I ask for compensation?"
“Your Majesty, this is all my third brother’s fault. He shouldn’t be asked for any compensation. If anyone should be compensated, it should be my third brother who gives it to Miss Xiao.” Ouyang Ye apologized.
Even the usually arrogant Ouyang Ming dared not speak at this moment. Although he was very unwilling, he could only watch Ouyang Ye apologize.
"What does the Third Prince think?" Emperor Zhou then looked at Ouyang Ming.
“Your Majesty is right. I drank too much today and did something foolish. I should compensate Miss Xiao.”
“Well then, I have some rare jewels from various countries that I could use as an apology to Miss Xiao. Would that be alright?” Ouyang Ming was extremely distressed. These were all jewels that he had obtained through various means, and now he had to give them to the person who had hurt him. He felt incredibly aggrieved.
"Girl, what do you think?" Zhou Di asked Xiao Siyue.
After thinking it over carefully, Xiao Siyue realized that this had already cost Ouyang Ming a fortune, so she nodded.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for upholding justice for my daughter."
"Hmm." Emperor Zhou nodded and then turned to Ouyang Ye.
"Your Majesty, I will send the apology gifts to Lord Xiao's residence soon," Ouyang Ye quickly said.
"I do not know what Dayong is like, but the women of Dayong are born noble and must not suffer such injustice. I hope that Crown Prince Ouyang will restrain the Third Prince during his stay in the Great Zhou Dynasty and prevent such things from happening again."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will keep my third brother in check," Ouyang Ye quickly assured him.
Emperor Zhou nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Xiao Siyue.
"Little girl, I'm sure you've been wronged today." A young girl was happily strolling through the streets when she was harassed in public; she must have felt incredibly wronged.
Emperor Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Girl, how about I bestow upon you the title of Princess?"
Xiao Siyue looked up abruptly, surprised to find that she had unexpectedly become a princess.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Siyue's smile was undisguised.
"Haha, get up. From now on, you will be a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with the title Zhaoning." Emperor Zhou laughed heartily.
Of everyone present, only Xiao Qinian and Lu Zhijin were genuinely happy for Xiao Siyue.
Some of the princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty were indifferent, since a princess could not threaten them anyway, while others were considering how to bring the Xiao family into their camp.
The most frustrated person was Ouyang Ming. He was so angry he was practically fuming. Today was a complete loss. Not only did he fail to win over the little girl, but he also lost face, while the brat got such a great advantage.
"Alright, that concludes this matter. Everyone, please return to your quarters." Emperor Zhou waved his hand, and everyone left the Taiji Hall.
"Hmph." After leaving, Ouyang Ming glanced at the happy Xiao Siyue and her father, flicked his sleeves, snorted coldly, and left with the help of his attendants.
Ouyang Ye, as before, smiled and said, "Lord Xiao, I'll be leaving now. The apology will be sent to the Xiao residence as soon as possible."
Xiao Qinian clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Prince Ouyang, please take care."
"Dad, let's go back too. Grandpa, Grandma, and Mom must be very worried." Today's incident happened on the street, and it's probably already common knowledge. Even if the family didn't know before, they probably do now.
Sigh, Xiao Siyue was a little worried. She had always been a relatively low-key person, but this time she was probably really famous, and not for a good reason.
In that instant, the joy of being bestowed the title of princess was somewhat overshadowed, and Xiao Siyue couldn't help but sigh.
"What's wrong, Yue? Is something bothering you?" Lu Zhijin thought Xiao Siyue was dissatisfied with the outcome of today's events and wondered if he should secretly beat Ouyang Ming up that night.
"It's alright, Brother Lu."
"By the way, Brother Lu, thank you so much for today." Thank you for your concern.
"Ah Yue, I wasn't able to help much today." Lu Zhijin felt a little guilty. He had arrived a bit late and hadn't had a chance to use his skills; he had just been watching from the sidelines.
"Brother Lu, what are you saying?" With such a big event happening today, others would be afraid of getting into trouble. It's already very kind of Lu Zhijin to come.
As the two were talking, Xiao Qinian kept watching Lu Zhijin.
This kid actually called Yue'er "A-Yue," and judging from his eyes, Xiao Qinian knew everything. Moreover, Yue'er's gaze towards this brat seemed a little different.
He had no idea when his daughter had been snatched away by some scoundrel.
Xiao Qinian secretly sized up Lu Zhijin. He had always thought that this young man was a rare talent, outstanding in both literature and martial arts, ranking among the top talents.
But today, he just doesn't look right at me, especially when he's being so attentive to his daughter. It's really an eyesore.