Chapter 22 The Princess's Matchmaking
"I'm sorry, I'm just a rough man and I don't know how to control the weight. I will compensate the princess with this crystal cup."

"Alright, it's just a cup no matter how good it is. If I really ask you to return one to me, who knows what people outside will say about our relationship. As for your identity, you'd better keep it clean, so that you can be worthy of your future wife."

Although she didn't specify who it was after she said "deserved it", Jiang Shiyuan saw the deliberate look Princess Qinghuan gave her, and she was a little stunned.

Why did the princess' eyes seem to be trying to bring the two of them together?
But she had just heard about the marriage proposal from her cousin Pei yesterday. Even if Princess Qinghuan was extremely powerful, she shouldn't have received the news so quickly. So she immediately calmed herself down and turned around with a much calmer look, as if she was not involved in the situation.

Princess Qinghuan couldn't help but chuckle, otherwise why would she say that Jiang Shiyuan was someone she valued!
The Pei family is the absolute backbone of Da Sui in Hanzhou. If Madam Pei comes from Xijing City, it will be an extra layer of protection for their royal family. Therefore, after she heard some news from her father that Pei Zisu might be granted in marriage, she began to think about choosing a person from the noble ladies in the capital who could be worthy of this young hero. Today, it seems that Anian in front of her is very suitable, so she decided to match the two of them.

"General Pei, how long will you stay this time?"

"Princess, after my aunt's birthday celebration next month, I will return to Hanzhou."

"Are you so anxious?"

"It is not easy for a soldier to get a two-month vacation. I dare not delay it any further."

"In that case, if you bring your wife with you when you return, I wonder what Commander Pei and Madam Pei will think?"

Princess Qinghuan is also a straightforward person. Instead of being suspicious, it is better to be frank and ask directly. Perhaps Pei Zisu, who was born a military general, can reveal some true feelings.

There was a sharp flash in his eyes, and Pei Zisu's originally calm face became much more serious. Even his family members could not make the decision on his marriage without his permission, not to mention the royal family wanted to suppress him with power, so he stood up and said with a fist.

"Thank you for your kindness, Princess. However, I have someone I love, and I have no other intentions to marry until I get your nod. Please forgive me, Princess."

"You have someone you love? A girl from a noble family in Hanzhou?"

Princess Qinghuan asked tentatively.

"No."

"Where is that from?"

Pei Zisu glanced at Jiang Shiyuan who was sitting opposite him and said calmly.

"Xuzhou."

Hearing this, Jiang Shiyuan almost lost her grip on the wine cup. Some dissatisfaction rose on her face. She obviously disagreed with Pei Zisu's approach of putting her in a high position without her consent. It was nothing for him to say those words in Wenyuan Marquis' Mansion. After all, they were all family members and would not spread them casually.

But this is the princess's palace.

If the news leaked out accidentally, her reputation would be in jeopardy again. Although she didn't care about what outsiders said, she didn't want to turn white into black. Therefore, there was a layer of frost in her eyes, and when she looked at Pei Zisu, she was not as polite and kind as before.

"Aristocratic family in Xuzhou? This princess remembers that there are only the Cui and Xie families, but it seems that there are no women of the right age in their family. Could it be that the one General Pei is eyeing is from their side branch?"

Faced with Princess Qinghuan's questioning and Jiang Shiyuan's somewhat angry look, Pei Zisu chose to remain silent. He didn't want to leave any bad impression in front of his cousin Anian, so he opened his mouth and spoke.

"Please don't guess, Princess. If I can make this a good match, I will explain it to your Majesty and you in person. But there is no definite result yet. If I rashly reveal the name, I am afraid it will damage the girl's reputation, which is not what a gentleman does."

Princess Qinghuan found his words very pleasant to the ear. If all men in the world were as straightforward but not reckless as him, the chats in teahouses in Xijing City would probably be 50% to 60% less lively. "Okay, then I will wait for General Pei's good news, but I still want to advise you that it is better to cherish the person in front of you than to think about the mountains and rivers far away."

When she said the three words "the person in front of her", she looked at Jiang Shiyuan specifically.

Pei Zisu was so perceptive that he understood her meaning immediately. He was surprised to realize that he had misunderstood her just now, so he smiled slightly and continued speaking.

"Princess, you are right. I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Popular expectations?

Why is it so popular?

Jiang Shiyuan really didn't agree with her cousin Pei's confidence, but because Princess Qinghuan was there, she couldn't say it out loud, so she could only drink the wine cup in front of her as tea. Unknowingly, the crystal wine pot was empty.

By the time Princess Qinghuan reacted, Jiang Shiyuan's cheeks had flushed red, her eyes were full of water, and she looked at everyone with affection.

"I forgot to mention that this wine is very strong. Last time I drank alone, I was drunk for two or three days. If Ah Nian drinks this bottle, I'm afraid it will take several hours for him to wake up. Madam Shen, go and clean up the side room so that Ah Nian can rest for a while."

"Yes, princess."

"As for General Pei, don't you have something important to discuss today? How about going to the study?"

"As the princess commands."

Jiang Shiyuan was helped away in a daze by her maids Liuhua and Luluo. Watching her leaving, Pei Zisu's eyes showed a little worry, but what he wanted to say today was a major matter concerning the country's destiny and could not be delayed, so he could only follow Princess Qinghuan and leave first.

In the wing room.

Nanny Shen had someone bring sobering soup and a hot towel, and told two maids to wait for orders before leaving. Luoluo said with some distress.

"How are we going to get back to the mansion when the girl is so drunk?"

"The boat will work itself out when the time comes. If it really doesn't work out, we can only stay overnight at the Princess's residence. It's not unprecedented. We can just send someone to send a message back to the old lady."

Luoluo nodded helplessly, there was indeed no other way.

He wrung the handkerchief in his hand half dry and then wiped his girl's forehead. Seeing that she was a little hot and drowsy due to being drunk, he sighed and repeated the action without any complaints.

It was a sunny day outside, but Princess Qinghuan in the study looked gloomy after hearing Pei Zisu's words.

"Luzhou is one of the princess' fiefdoms. I heard that the princess sympathizes with the people and exempts the people from taxes. I think you are also a kind-hearted person. So I thought that the princess must not know about the iron ingot case, so I came to report it. If I hadn't accidentally discovered it, I'm afraid that the batch of iron ingots would have been turned into something and stuffed into the Huaijiang River embankment for repair. But in this way, the people downstream would have no chance of survival. So please think of a way to get rid of the iron ingots as soon as possible."

Princess Qinghuan was allowed to participate in politics, which was approved by the old emperor himself.

Therefore, the land of Edom, including Luzhou, was under her jurisdiction. There had never been any natural disasters or man-made calamities over the years. On the contrary, the annual tax revenue accounted for 20% to 30% of the national treasury. Therefore, although outsiders spread rumors that Princess Qinghuan had an affair, no one had ever questioned her ability to govern.

Now that the Luzhou iron ingots that Huaijiang is going to use have had such a flaw, how could she not conduct a thorough investigation!
But she was not stupid. She did not care whether Pei Zisu's so-called "accidental discovery" was true or not. But she looked at Pei Zisu with some hostility in her eyes.