Chapter IBMLS Ch.7 Grat.i.tude (2)

Xie Xuanji, who had not spoken once since she entered, closed his folding fan and added, “Father-in-law is right. Ever since my emperor-father ascended the throne, he has been working hard and sleeping in fear of betraying the late emperor’s expectations. In recent years, he has successfully established a harmony between the court and the people, who are now able to live and work in contentment. The spirit of our empire that was damaged by the long years of war has gradually recovered. However, there is still one thing my emperor-father is worried about, and that is my cousin, the Prince of Qiyang. He is the only blood of my uncle remaining in this world. He has reached the age of marriage, yet he still has yet to take a princess or any concubines. Father-in-law then suggested to let you, the second young miss of the Jiang family, become the Princess of Qiyang. My emperor-father was relieved to hear this and agreed. After your marriage, you must take good care of my cousin. It would be considered a great merit if you are able to give him a heir.”

Mu Mingtang had not looked at Xie Xuanji since she walked in. This was not only to avoid suspicion but also to draw a clear line between them. She understood very well that despite the pretense he was putting up, Jiang Honghao only regarded Jiang Mingwei as his daughter. And Xie Xuanji too; just look at him, he was already calling the man his “father-in-law.”

If she were to expect her former fiance to step forward and entangle with the Prince of Qiyang for her sake, she would undoubtedly become a thorn in the eyes of the Jiang couple and meet a miserable end.

Thus, she’d decided to ignore him. However, upon hearing his words, she couldn’t help but look over.

It was ironic. She was his fiance only three or four days ago, yet now, in front of her adopted father, he was telling her to take good care of his cousin and give birth to a heir as soon as possible.

Mu Mingtang had thought that even though Xie Xuanji held no feelings for her, she had at least played the roles of Jiang Mingwei and his fiancee for three months. Was it too much to ask for him to give her some face? How could he just watch on as she married a dying man and would probably drag her to be buried with him in the grave?

She grit her teeth. The most valuable skill she had learned from the hard years she spent as a refugee was to be shameless. Dignity was something only those who lived with luxury could afford. Mu Mingtang didn’t want luxury, she just wanted to live a long and stable life.

She quickly lifted her dress skirt and knelt down to kowtow to Jiang Honghao. “Father, everything I possess today was granted to me by your kindness and courtesy. You saved me once, so I ask you to save me again. If it was someone else, I would marry him without saying a single word, but the Prince of Qiyang is not an ordinary man. It is known that he delights in blood and slaughter, that in his madness, he would harm even himself. No servants remain beside him—only the trained soldiers of the military. If even those carefully selected men cannot control him, how could I, a feeble girl, protect myself? I’m afraid I would be killed before I am even able to step near him. Father, I do not wish to die! I wish to live a long life serving you and mother! Please, father, have mercy on me!”

After saying that, Mu Mingtang lowered her head until it was touching the floor in a sign of deep respect. The sight touched Jiang Honghao, but as soon as he thought of the benefits this marriage could bring to his family, the brief emotion was frozen into indestructible ice.

With his face turned away from her, Jiang Honghao sighed and said, “I know you are afraid, Mingtang, but rumors are not to be trusted. They are all lies spread by idle people. the Prince of Qiyang is a hero. Although he is delirious now and often attacks others, his treatment has begun to show effect recently. If you take good care of him after you become his princess, he will surely recover. Don’t fret about it too much.”

Seeing Mu Mingtang raise her head and open her mouth to respond, he continued, “The emperor’s words must be obeyed. Today, during the imperial court session, His Majesty specifically praised and expressed his merriment upon hearing that the second young miss of our Jiang family is willing to become the Princess of Qiyang. Now that the imperial edict has spread throughout the empire, you cannot disobey it. Doing so would not only cost you your life but also implicate mine. Do you intend to bite the hand that fed you?”

Bite the hand that fed her?

At this, Mu Mingtang’s heart turned cold. Was she wrong for wanting to live?

She finally realized Jiang Honghao’s determination to sell her. No matter how much she pleaded and how humble she acted, he would not change his mind.

The Prince of Qiyang was the legitimate son of the late emperor and the nephew of the current emperor. The fact that the late emperor pa.s.sed the throne to his younger brother rather than his own son was already suspicious in itself. To this day, the Prince of Qiyang’s life was still hanging by a thread. No matter how she looked at it, the current emperor was very suspicious.