Hearing Yun Xi's words, Qi Rong curled his lips into a smug smile. He reached out his hand and gently pinched her smooth and jade - like cheek, speaking in an extremely gentle tone,
"Good girl. This is the woman I've taken a fancy to. You've got guts."
Unable to stand Qi Rong's arrogance any longer, Yun Xi scowled. She opened her mouth and bit the finger that was pinching her. Then she struggled to get out of his embrace.
"Don't push your luck! I might go back on my word!"
She had never met such a shameless person who took pleasure in bullying others!
Zhen Bao looked stunned, and her expression was tinged with sorrow.
"Yun Xi, what shall we do then?"
Zhen Bao's pitiful look made Yun Xi's heart ache. She couldn't help but hold Zhen Bao's hand, pat her on the head, and comforted her with a smile,
"No matter whether I get married in the future or whom I marry, we're good friends, and this will never change."
"Really?"
Zhen Bao frowned, looking half - convinced.
She thought that only if Yun Xi became her sister - in - law could they maintain their friendship.
Seeing Zhen Bao's uneasiness, Yun Xi patiently guided her,
"Of course it's true. So, if we really think about it, our relationship is much more solid than those uncertain factors!"
Hearing this, Zhen Bao's eyes gradually brightened. She said with surprise on her face,
"Yun Xi, you're absolutely right!"
Zhen Bao immediately opened her arms, about to give Yun Xi a big hug. However, Qi Rong, who was regarded as an "uncertain factor", suddenly pulled Zhen Bao into his arms.
His face clearly showed his displeasure as he said,
"Alright, since we've made things clear, let the Zhen family give up this thought from now on! Let's go."
After saying that, without giving Yun Xi a chance to say goodbye to Zhen Bao, he picked her up and strode towards the palace gate.
After getting on the horse, Qi Rong immediately wrapped Yun Xi in his cloak. He said firmly,
"From today on, you'd better go to the Zhen family less often. If you're bored, come to the prince's mansion to find me."
Hearing this, Yun Xi was extremely speechless about this man's pettiness.
It seemed that this master not only got jealous of the opposite sex but also of women! Was there no end to this!
However, Qi Rong was always self - willed and completely ignored Yun Xi's protests. He believed that anyone or anything that hindered their relationship should be completely removed!
By the way, since the banquet in the palace, Yun Xi had become very famous!
It was not only because she, who used to be an unknown nobody, suddenly made a stunning appearance, outshining everyone with her talents and replacing Yu Xueming as the number one talented girl in the capital.
It was also because, in order to protect his beauty, Prince Xian actually confronted the emperor in public and revealed that they had been betrothed by the late emperor!
Although there had been many rumors about their engagement, after all, many years had passed, and neither side had ever admitted it, so the matter had been left unsettled. But after this banquet, the news that Prince Xian Qi Rong and Yun Xi, the eldest daughter of the prime minister's mansion, had a definite engagement spread like wildfire throughout the capital almost the next day.
Because of this, Yun Sheng, the prime minister, was questioned by many of his colleagues. Even the emperor sometimes looked at him with something unspoken in his eyes.
Yun Sheng roughly understood what had happened at the banquet. Facing the questions, he neither admitted nor denied it and tried his best to dodge them. However, his heart could never be calm.
Recently, the emperor had listened to the slander of the newly - promoted national teacher, Qiu Daoji, and was convinced that only with a prosperous offspring could the country be stable. He not only began to indulge in the beautiful women presented by foreign tribes but also intended to select new court ladies to fill the harem.
As Yun Sheng's precious daughter, he naturally didn't want Yun Xi to be selected into the palace. However, in his heart, Qi Rong was by no means a good match for his daughter.
Just when he was in a dilemma, Qi Rong came to him in person.
One day, Yun Sheng was hesitating about whether to let his daughter move out of the mansion. As the first lunar month was almost over, and he had promised his daughter to let her move out and live alone at the beginning. But after what had happened in the palace, he now regretted it.
Even though he had already chosen a house only two streets away from the prime minister's mansion, he still couldn't feel at ease.
"Master, Prince Xian is asking to see you outside the mansion!"
A young servant rushed in from outside in a hurry and reported loudly.
Seeing the servant out of breath and sweating all over, Yun Sheng scolded coldly,
"Why are you running so fast?"
Suddenly noticing who the servant was talking about, Yun Sheng frowned immediately, and a look of confusion flashed across his face.
Just as he was about to ask, he saw Qi Rong striding into the courtyard. There were dozens of people following behind him. They were carrying heavy boxes on their shoulders, and the boxes were covered with a layer of red cloth. In a short while, more than a dozen large boxes were lined up in the courtyard. When opened, they were all filled with gold, silver, agate, and jade.
Seeing this, Yun Sheng's face suddenly changed. He glared at Qi Rong, who looked relaxed, with a sharp look in his eyes and shouted in a deep voice,
"Prince Xian, what on earth are you doing?!"
Hearing Yun Sheng's question, Qi Rong just slightly raised his eyebrows and said with a half - smile,
"I've made it so obvious. Can't the prime minister tell that I'm here to propose marriage?"
After hearing Zhen Bao's words, an idea had occurred to him. Although he didn't want Yun Xi to get involved in his disputes too early, he even less wanted her to be coveted by others every day.
What belonged to him, he would watch over carefully himself!
"Nonsense! I don't agree! Please take your things and leave the prime minister's mansion immediately!"
Yun Sheng almost refused without thinking and even issued an order to expel the guest.
Even though he knew that Qi Rong had saved his daughter at the palace banquet, he didn't want to just give his daughter to him like this!
Moreover, for an ordinary family, a marriage should at least go through the three letters and six etiquettes. Before the engagement, the man should formally invite a matchmaker to visit the woman's family to ask for their willingness.
How could he just come with the betrothal gifts on his own?
His daughter was a precious jewel. How could she be casually betrothed so hastily? And to a person who didn't even pay attention to the engagement rules. How could he expect this person to treat his daughter well?
If it were someone else being rejected in public, they would surely slink away. However, Qi Rong folded his arms across his chest and sat down on a box.
"What if I don't leave?"
He looked provocative, with an arrogant attitude, clearly not putting this future father - in - law in his eyes at all!
Yun Sheng felt a pang in his chest and immediately flew into a rage,
"This is the prime minister's mansion, not a place where you can act wildly! If you don't leave, don't blame me for reporting this to the capital magistrate!"
Qi Rong was so rascal, but he was the noble Prince Xian, a member of the royal family. Yun Sheng couldn't beat or scold him, so he had to bring up the government to make Qi Rong back down.
But who was Qi Rong? If he were afraid, he wouldn't be standing here now.
"The capital magistrate?"
Qi Rong raised his eyebrows and sneered.
"All I know is that the capital magistrate arrests criminals. When did it start to interfere with people's marriage proposals? Has the prime minister lost his mind?"
Qi Rong slowly stood up, walked in front of Yun Sheng, stared at him with a cold look in his eyes, and said in a cold tone,
"Moreover, the marriage between me and Yun Xi was decided by the late emperor long ago. At that time, the prime minister nodded in agreement personally."
"What, now that you have a new master, do you want to go back on your word?"