Husband, please lend me your virtues

"Mother, since the founding of our dynasty, there has never been a princess married to a foreign country. Even the daughters of the royal family or commoners have never been canonized as princesses or princesses and married to a foreign country."

"Why do you think that father would send his son to marry a foreign princess? Would father be willing to become the first emperor of this dynasty to send a princess to marry a foreign princess, leaving a bad name for future generations?"

Zhuang Zijin paused. She really couldn't understand why her mother felt that her father was willing to let her daughter marry far away to the Northern Di after the Northern Di proposed marriage.

Even the palace maids and concubines in the harem thought that she had no choice but to find another good husband.

"Besides, Dalin is more than a hundred times stronger than Beidi. Why should Dalin be afraid of a mere Beidi?"

The queen was stunned for a long while, and murmured to herself: "Yes, Your Majesty and I have been married for many years. How could I be so foolish as not to believe Your Majesty?"

"Changning, you should go back first. You must attend the Spring Festival Banquet in three days. If you look down on these people, your mother will not force you."

"The world is so big, there will always be someone who can catch your eye."

As for Wen Shao, forget it. When he was alive, he was indeed a great son-in-law in the eyes of the queen. But Wen Shao is no longer with us. No matter how powerful he was when he was alive, she doesn't want her daughter to be a widow and alone.

"Mother, I don't want to. What's wrong with being Wen Shao's widow? With his reputation, I can walk around freely in the capital. Even if I do something outrageous in the eyes of the world, no one will dare to blame me."

"As for offspring, I don't want to have one since I am afraid of the pain."

"You! You are so confused. How can you be a widow?"

Zhuang Zijin calmed down the queen, "It's not easy to be a widow of an ordinary family, but I am a princess. How can anyone in the world dare to ask me to be a strict widow?"

"I am just adding another title."

The queen touched Zhuang Zijin's head and said, "You are still young and don't understand the difficulties of being a widow. How about a princess? It's hard to be alone in the cold all day long."

"Think about it carefully!"

"Okay, you don't have to rush to answer mother. Just remember the day of the Spring Festival Banquet. Just treat it as an ordinary Spring Festival Banquet."

Zhuang Zijin bowed to the Queen in distress and took her leave. On the way back to her own bedroom, she thought of an idea. She asked Danqin to whisper to her and told her to go to Duke Cheng'en's mansion outside the palace and ask the prince to find some romantic histories of the young men from aristocratic families on the roster, especially Qian Xiuyuan's.

On the day of the Spring Appreciation Banquet, Zhuang Zijin attended in his best attire. The Queen thought that Zhuang Zijin had listened to her advice and was planning to choose a husband of her dreams, so she kindly invited these young men from aristocratic families to take their seats.

Zhuang Zijin sat on the left side of the Queen. Whenever the Queen asked Zhuang Zijin about his reaction to someone, Zhuang Zijin would always be able to tell the Queen about the rumors she had heard about them recently.

When the Queen heard that Zhuang Zijin had revealed all the long-hidden secrets of the noble families present, and after hearing Zhuang Zijin's words, the Queen felt that no one here seemed worthy of her daughter.

Qian Xiuyuan had already been excluded by the Queen. No matter how grateful the Queen was for Zhang Jiji's kindness, she was unwilling to let her daughter suffer in order to repay the favor.

The remaining sons of noble families all had some minor flaws, and the queen felt that they were not as good as Zhuang Zijin's previous fiancé.

"Forget it. If you insist on not choosing, then forget about choosing a prince consort today. As long as you can convince your father in the future, you can marry whoever you want."

The Queen did not want to waste any more words with Zhuang Zijin. For every word she said, Zhuang Zijin would have ten more words to answer her. She did not believe that the Emperor, who loved his daughter so much, would approve Zhuang Zijin's ridiculous request.

"Thank you, mother! I'll take my leave now." Zhuang Zijin solved the issue of the marriage granted at the Spring Festival Banquet in the play, and he felt much relieved.

She would never fall in love with Qian Xiuyuan at first sight at this spring banquet as in the opera!

Zhuang Zijin was thinking this in her heart, but she didn't expect that when she turned a corner, she would suddenly meet a man fanning himself with a folding fan, blocking her way.

"Princess Changning, my name is Qian Xiuyuan. My mother is a close friend of the Empress. I heard that the Princess' fiancé passed away and she is looking for a new consort. I wonder if I can be qualified for the position of consort?"

Qian Xiuyuan posed in the poses he had practiced a thousand times in the bronze mirror, believing himself to be a suave and elegant man, the kind of gentleman that women love the most. "Princess, if you marry me, I will never take a concubine and will only be with you for the rest of my life."

Women? Don't they all like to be treated uniquely by men? No matter how noble a princess is, she is just a girl.

Qian Xiuyuan believed that he could win the heart of the princess, invite her to come, use the princess's power to rescue his brother, and help his Qian family move to a higher level.

"How dare you! How can I allow a scoundrel like you to act so rashly in front of me!" Zhuang Zijin frowned. Danqin and Danqiao also stepped forward to block Qian Xiuyuan's sight.

"How dare you, a lunatic, speak nonsense in the palace!" Danqin protected Zhuang Zijin and looked down on Qian Xiuyuan, "How can you dream of having the princess's valuable body?"

"Young lady, please don't go too far. Every word I say is from the heart. How dare you trample on my feelings?" Qian Xiuyuan was extremely dissatisfied. A little maid in front of him dared to use the princess's power to scold him.

Princess Shang is indeed a tough job. If he had to save his brother, he would not have come to endure such humiliation!

When the princess enters his mansion next day, he will make her sell this lowly maid as a prostitute to avert his humiliation today.

"Princess, my heart for you is clear to all heaven!"

Qian Xiuyuan's face was blocked by two palace maids and he couldn't see Zhuang Zijin's expression, so he thought he had a sure win and plucked up his courage.

"Princess Changning, my mother, Madam Weiguo, once saved the life of the Empress. At that time, the Empress promised my mother a wish. My mother has never asked the Empress for anything in all these years."

"If the princess is willing, why not let my mother go to the palace and ask the queen to help us?"

Zhuang Zijin was disgusted by Qian Xiuyuan's shamelessness. "What nonsense are you talking about? I already have a fiancé who is engaged to me. He is General Wen Shao, who has fought for Dalin for many years and has made many outstanding achievements."

"Why do you think I will give up the young general and choose a useless person like you who is unknown and useless?"

"Someone, come here! Qian Xiuyuan has offended this princess and committed treason. Throw him out of the palace."

"No, Princess, he is no longer here! How can he be your fiancée?"

Qian Xiuyuan yelled, his face full of admiration for Zhuang Zijin, but in his heart he was disgusted. What if Princess Changning was a princess? A woman who was about to get married was still thinking about her deceased fiancé.

It was such an injustice for him to marry her!