Chapter 194: Fulfilling a Wish

Princess Lingque stood beside Prince Yuliu, her eyes slightly reddened, looking like an innocent little deer that had been startled.

Emperor Taian’s gaze was heavy as he looked at Prince Yuliu. "I recall telling you that Yang Zhe is already engaged to Princess Yi'an, and the grand wedding will take place in a few days."

Prince Yuliu wore an expression of awkward helplessness. "This little prince knows. I spoke to my sister as soon as I returned. Today, this little prince and Lord Ouyang have been searching everywhere for her, thinking she had gone missing. I never expected she would run to the Shuntian Prefecture to lodge a complaint."

At this, he gave a deep bow. "My sister has lost her memory; it is as if colorful paintings have faded into a blank sheet of paper, and her temperament is vastly different from before. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

Emperor Taian glanced at the pitiable Princess Lingque, and his expression softened considerably. "It is his honor that the Princess has taken an interest in Yang Zhe, but he is already engaged and cannot wed the Princess. There are many outstanding men in Great Zhou; I believe the Princess will surely find a fine husband..."

Hearing Emperor Taian's words, Princess Lingque's tears fell like rain. "I only have eyes for him. He even agreed in front of everyone."

Emperor Taian frowned. "That was merely a couplet; the Princess has misunderstood."

"I have not misunderstood." Princess Lingque took a step forward, her tear-washed eyes bright and piercing. "May I ask Your Majesty, is Yang Zhe's scholarship and talent truly preeminent among the young talents of your country?"

Despite knowing there was a trap in those words, Emperor Taian still nodded.

A *Zhuangyuan* (top scholar) appears once every three years, but a *Zhuangyuan* who succeeds in all three imperial examinations is not guaranteed to appear even once in several decades. To lie and say Yang Zhe was merely an ordinary young talent would only invite ridicule if word got out.

"The upper line I provided at the time was not obscure. With Yang Zhe's talent, it would be impossible for him not to realize what I was asking. If he had no intention, he could have simply said he could not match it, and I would never have pestered him. But since he provided the lower line, he gave me a promise. To turn around and deny it now—where does that leave me?"

The temples of Emperor Taian's head throbbed, and he couldn't help but shoot a glare at Yang Zhe.

Yang Zhe lowered his head and cupped his hands. "At the time, the talents of Yuliu were taking turns providing upper lines. When Princess Lingque spoke her line, this official did not think beyond that; I merely took it as a contest between the two parties."

"Princess, you see, this is merely a misunderstanding," Emperor Taian said, maintaining his patience.

Princess Lingque's expression became agitated. "Does he think a single word of 'misunderstanding' can erase the insult to me? Brother, why are you not speaking? Do you not understand what it means for a young man and woman in Yuliu to pledge their love through a couplet in public?"

Prince Yuliu gave a sheepish smile and explained to Emperor Taian, "In our Yuliu, the custom of couplets is widespread. There is an unwritten rule: if a young man and woman present an upper line containing feelings of admiration and the other provides the lower line, it signifies a mutual pledge of lifelong devotion. To deny it later is equivalent to abandoning one after seduction."

Emperor Taian listened silently, his brow furrowing.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices took the hint and spoke up. "Our Great Zhou does not have such a custom. Scholar Yang was even more unaware of such a custom in your country. Perhaps the Prince should focus on properly guiding the Princess."

There were things the Emperor could not easily say, but as the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices responsible for dealing with foreign guests, he could.

"This little prince has tried to persuade her long ago. If she could be reasoned with, she would not have troubled Your Majesty today." Prince Yuliu looked utterly helpless. "My sister has lost her memory; in truth, to her, this little prince is no different from a stranger..."

It wasn't that he hadn't tried; how could one easily listen to the words of a stranger?

"Ahem." The Governor of Shuntian Prefecture, who had been listening silently, coughed and asked the crucial question. "Since the Princess has lost her memory, why does she remember these customs?"

Prince Yuliu replied without changing his expression, "My sister only forgets people; she still remembers common knowledge known to all. Otherwise, would she not even know how to speak?"

The Governor of Shuntian Prefecture stroked his beard, having nothing left to say.

"Brother, stop talking." Princess Lingque suddenly spoke, staring fixedly at Yang Zhe. "Scholar Yang, I will ask you one more time: do you acknowledge the promise made that day?"

Yang Zhe's tone was indifferent. "My apologies, but I, Yang, had no such intention."

"Fine, I understand." Princess Lingque pursed her lips, a look of determination flashing in her eyes. Suddenly, she charged toward a vermilion pillar.

Prince Yuliu was quick-witted. Just as Princess Lingque was about to hit the pillar, he grabbed her tightly. "Sister! Sister, you cannot do something so foolish!"

Collapsing in Prince Yuliu's arms, Princess Lingque closed her eyes tightly, her forehead bruised and purple.

Emperor Taian rose abruptly. "Quickly, summon the Imperial Physician!"

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the others were stunned.

This Princess Lingque was truly a ruthless person!

After a period of chaos, the Imperial Physician examined Princess Lingque, who had been moved to a side hall, and came to report: "The impact the Princess received was not great; there should be no major issue."

Hearing this, Emperor Taian breathed a sigh of relief.

Prince Yuliu gave a deep bow to Emperor Taian, his tone heavy. "Your Majesty, this little prince shamelessly asks you to fulfill my sister's wish. Since losing her memory, my sister's emotions have been very unstable; she cannot be treated with ordinary logic. If she can hit a pillar once, she can do it a second time. If something truly happens to her in a foreign land, this little prince will be unable to account for it upon returning home!"

Emperor Taian listened quietly, his eyes as deep as a dark pool.

Prince Yuliu's frequent mentions of Princess Lingque's memory loss were nothing more than reminders that the current situation was Great Zhou's fault. So, this was where Yuliu's demand for compensation through Princess Lingque's injury lay.

Emperor Taian was a rational monarch; he would not allow emotions to affect his judgment regarding the weighing of interests. He knew very well that whether Princess Lingque was being sincere or acting, if something truly happened, Great Zhou would fall into significant trouble. Therefore, when Princess Lingque expressed a determination not to stop until her goal was met, a decision was made.

After a long silence, Emperor Taian's low, steady voice rang out. "I have never seen a woman as devoted as Princess Lingque... Very well, true lovers are rare. I shall take the lead and fulfill this marriage."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yuliu was overjoyed. "This little prince thanks Your Majesty on behalf of my sister."

Emperor Taian looked toward the tall, elegant young man in the hall. "Compiler Yang, what do you think?"

Hearing this, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the others secretly twitched the corners of their mouths.

*Since Your Majesty has already said so, what more is there to ask of Compiler Yang?*

Yang Zhe appeared relatively calm on the surface. He lowered his eyes and said, "This official will follow the Emperor's arrangements."

Emperor Taian laughed loudly. Once Prince Yuliu had departed, he sighed. "I have wronged Compiler Yang. It is just that Princess Lingque is making such a scene; it would be bad to ruin the relations between our two countries because of her."

"To be able to share Your Majesty's worries is this official's honor."

"You may also withdraw."

The hall fell silent. Emperor Taian slowly rubbed his brow and said to Liu Chuan, who was standing by his side, "Yang Zhe is indeed quite good; it is rare for him not to possess the obstinacy of youth. Let us go; accompany me to the Empress Dowager."

For Emperor Taian, the next hurdle to deal with was the Empress Dowager.

In the Palace of Benevolence, for some unknown reason regarding what Princess Yi'an had said, the laughter of the Empress Dowager rang out.

"What happy news does Mother have? Tell your son." Emperor Taian walked in.

"I am listening to Yi'an tell jokes. Why has the Emperor come at this time?"