The news of Princess Fuyi's marriage quietly spread throughout the palace. The Emperor did not take this matter to heart, and since Wei Zhan was not in the imperial city, the Emperor did not even notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs to make arrangements. The Empress Dowager's involvement in this matter was all for the sake of Chu Shaoling. She herself did not expect it, and no one spoke about it in front of others. However, after the news of Princess Fuyi marrying Wei Zhan spread from the Ci'an Palace, it became known to all.

Princess Fuyi and Consort Ning were in a panic after learning the news. The mother and daughter had always been careful and filial in front of the Empress Dowager, hoping that Princess Fuyi could have a good marriage in the future. They never thought it would be so hastily arranged with a Cavalry Battalion Commander.

Princess Fuyi knew her own status. Her mother was just a palace maid in front of the Emperor, with no family background or support. Naturally, she did not dare to compare her marriage with the previous princesses. However, she did not expect it to be arranged so hastily.

Consort Ning was a person without strategy. After learning the news, she cried anxiously, unable to come up with a plan. She had already sent someone to inquire about it.

The Wei family had already declined several generations ago. The highest official position in the Wei family was this Wei Zhan, and there were no reports of any capable fathers, uncles, or brothers. Although their family status was not very low, their family wealth was limited. Princess Fuyi was, after all, the Emperor's princess. Marrying into the Wei family was really too much of a grievance for her.

Princess Fuyi was not born to the Empress, and Consort Ning was not a highly favored concubine with a high rank. According to the old rules of the Great Chu, only the legitimate princesses born to the Empress would be granted a princess Manor when they married. Although there were exceptions, it was either because the princess's mother had a noble background and a high rank, or the princess was deeply loved by the Emperor, and the Emperor could not bear to let his daughter suffer. As for Princess Fuyi, she did not fit any of these criteria.

It was not a big deal that she could not have her own Manor. Consort Ning and Princess Fuyi had never had such extravagant expectations. It was just that the Wei family was not very wealthy. Wouldn't Princess Fuyi suffer if she married into their family?

The more Consort Ning thought about it, the more unsuitable it seemed. Princess Fuyi's nanny also cried and said, "The Emperor is so cruel. How could he arrange the Princess's marriage so casually? What should we do? Your Highness, why don't you take the Princess to plead with the Empress Dowager before the matter is settled? After all, she is the Empress Dowager's granddaughter. How were the previous princesses married? How come when it comes to our Princess, it has become like this?"

Consort Ning hesitated, and Princess Fuyi's face turned pale. She shook her head and said, "It's useless. Going now will only make the Empress Dowager dislike us. It's better to go and ask Big Brother for advice."

Consort Ning was so anxious that she had become muddled. Only then did she remember Chu Shaoling. She quickly nodded and said, "Yes, how could I forget about the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince has always doted on the Princess. He will definitely have a solution. I will go right now..."

Before Consort Ning could go and find him, Chu Shaoling came himself.

In Princess Fuyi's palace, Consort Ning looked dazed. Princess Fuyi quickly let Consort Ning hide in the inner room, while she herself wiped away her tears, tidied her clothes, and stood up to respectfully wait for Chu Shaoling.

As soon as Chu Shaoling entered the room and saw Princess Fuyi's expression, he knew that she had already found out. Chu Shaoling chuckled, "Why is Fourth Sister crying?"

After all, Princess Fuyi was still a little girl. There were many things she could not say. Princess Fuyi's nanny on the side could not bear it and could not help but interject, "Now that the Crown Prince is here, our Princess has a backbone. Does the Crown Prince know? The Emperor and the Empress Dowager have already arranged a husband for the Princess."

Chu Shaoling chuckled, "I thought it was something serious. I already know about this matter. I came today to tell Fourth Sister that this was my idea. You don't need to worry. Just wait for the wedding in peace."

Princess Fuyi was stunned for a moment and said in a daze, "Big Brother..."

Chu Shaoling looked around at the people in the room. The palace maids lowered their heads and retreated. Even though Princess Fuyi's nanny was anxious, she did not dare to overstep her bounds in front of Chu Shaoling and also retreated.

Chu Shaoling looked at Princess Fuyi and said lightly, "Betrothing you to Wei Zhan was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. This matter was already decided last year. Admittedly, there is some personal motive on my part, but as things stand, this is the best husband's family I can arrange for you."

Princess Fuyi's heart stirred. She naturally believed Chu Shaoling's words.

If it weren't for Empress Ling's protection back then and Chu Shaoling's care afterwards, she would not have been able to grow up safely and soundly until now, and Consort Ning would not have been able to live safely and peacefully until now as a palace maid. Chu Shaoling was a cold person with a cold heart, and he was not very affectionate towards Princess Fuyi. At first, he was only continuing his mother's kindness. But even just this was not easy in this cold and dangerous palace.

Chu Shaoling said softly, "I know that the Wei family is not very prominent in the imperial city right now, and their family background and status are a bit low, not quite a match for you. But don't worry, this is definitely only temporary. I cannot possibly not promote the Wei family. Wei Zhan is a young and promising man, valiant and handsome, with a top-notch character. Wei Zhan is someone I want to make great use of. Rest assured, he will definitely not disgrace you."

Princess Fuyi lowered her head and twisted her handkerchief without saying a word. Chu Shaoling's words were very blunt, and Princess Fuyi felt a little embarrassed.

Chu Shaoling saw that Princess Fuyi had loosened up a bit and chuckled, "Who doesn't know that among the princesses, the one I value the most is Fourth Sister? Would I harm you?"

Princess Fuyi's eyes turned red. This, of course, she knew. Apart from Consort Ning, the person she was closest to in this palace was Chu Shaoling.

Seeing his little sister who was about to get married, Chu Shaoling's heart softened for once. He lowered his body and placed his hand on Princess Fuyi's hand, saying softly, "You don't need to worry about the wedding. In addition to the dowry set by the Empress Dowager, I will prepare an additional 200,000 taels of silver to add to your dowry. On the day of your wedding, I will personally escort your sedan chair and will definitely give you a grand wedding. I will also give the Wei family a good heads-up, and they will certainly not mistreat you. Rest assured, in less than ten years, no princess will have a more noble husband's family than you."

Chu Shaoling said these words sincerely, although this promise was not purely for Princess Fuyi's sake.

Princess Fuyi was grateful in her heart. Growing up in the palace, she was not naive enough to think that Chu Shaoling did all this simply for her sake, but Chu Shaoling had chosen her instead of the other princesses, right? Among the princesses whose mothers had low ranks, there were not only her in the palace.

Chu Shaoling's kindness to Princess Fuyi over the years was not fake. Not to mention Chu Shaoling's promise to make great use of her future husband, even if it weren't for that, in order to repay Empress Ling and Chu Shaoling's kindness over the years, Princess Fuyi would have accepted Chu Shaoling's arrangement.

Without Chu Shaoling's words, where would she and her mother be at this moment? They originally depended on Empress Ling to gain a foothold in this palace. Now that Empress Ling was gone, they could only continue to rely on Chu Shaoling and follow his arrangements.

Marrying a princess was currently the shortcut for Wei Zhan's promotion, especially a low-key and unfavored princess who would not attract too much attention to Wei Zhan. It was too suitable. Of course, this was not Chu Shaoling's main goal.

Chu Shaoling watched as Fuyi's face became more and more calm, and he smiled lightly. After Fuyi married Wei Zhan, it would only take a few years to bring good news to Chu Shaoling. The prospect of a child combining Chu Shaoling's own bloodline with that of Wei Ji made Chu Shaoling extremely excited. He would treat that future child very well, let him inherit the glory of the Wei family, and become a great successor to himself and Wei Ji.

Chu Shaoling patiently comforted Fuyi some more, and Fuyi felt much better. To be honest, since her future husband had a good character, was ambitious, and was from Chu Shaoling's faction, it wasn't bad. Moreover, her husband's family status was not high, so they would likely treat her with great respect. Fuyi was not a person who coveted wealth and honor. She was born a princess, already a person of supreme nobility, but unfortunately she had never enjoyed a single day of peace.

Every day, she had to be careful in everything and cautious in all matters, afraid of making a mistake. Fuyi had had enough of such days. Previously, she wanted to marry well in order to give Consort Ning more confidence in the palace. If she married into the Wei family and had the support of Chu Shaoling, presumably no one would dare to make things difficult for her anymore.

Chu Shaoling also thought of Fuyi's considerations and chuckled, "After your matter is settled, Consort Ning's position will naturally be promoted. You can rest assured about this. By then, when she becomes the mistress of a palace, she will no longer have to live in the palace of other concubines, and will have far fewer troubles."

Fuyi was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head as tears fell drop by drop. She choked back sobs for a while, but couldn't hold back and turned her head to cry. Chu Shaoling felt a bit helpless. Why cry when things are going well? Fuyi tried hard to control herself and said through sobs, "Big brother, don't worry, I will definitely live my days well, not letting big brother's care for me and mother go to waste. If big brother has anything he needs me to do in the future, I will definitely..."

Chu Shaoling chuckled, "I don't need you to do anything. As long as you can live your days peacefully and well, that's enough. Don't worry about anything. You are a princess, born noble. Even if things are a bit unsatisfactory now, they will get better in the future."

Fuyi cried for a while longer before feeling better. Chu Shaoling comforted Fuyi until she put her worries to rest. Now they just had to wait for Wei Zhan to return.

After leaving Fuyi, Wang Muhan hurriedly came to find him, anxiously saying, "Oh my prince, what's going on? The emperor is looking for you. This servant just went to Ci'an Palace but you weren't there."

Chu Shaoling said indifferently, "It's nothing, likely just the Liaoliang matter. I'll go over now."

Sure enough, in the council hall they were discussing the war with Liaoliang. Chu Shaoling entered the chamber, first paying respects to the emperor, then standing to one side to listen. Several military generals were pro-war, believing Liaoliang had merely sent less than ten thousand men to harass the border, nothing to fear, and that they must kill them to instill dread.

Several senior officials were pro-peace, believing that Liaoliang was already fearful at heart. The prestige of the previous emperor still remained, and these barbarians would not dare to act recklessly. They were merely hungry and came to steal some things, not worth going to war over.

Chu Shaoling observed the emperor's intentions and surprisingly, he favored peace.

Chu Shaoling inwardly scoffed. Most of the ancestors liked war, but his own imperial father was truly unique, very steady and stable.

The emperor by nature disliked trouble. Otherwise, he would not have allowed the ministry of revenue's old accounts to become such a mess. This time the conflict with Liaoliang was indeed not major, but if they really wanted to fight, things would get complicated. Who to send? Which direct subordinate was suitable? Should an imperial prince personally lead the troops to boost morale? Then which prince was appropriate to go? How many troops and horses to dispatch? How much provisions to prepare? Where would this batch be transferred from?

The emperor's energy had declined even more since falling ill, and he was now extremely reluctant to stir up more trouble. After discussing for half a day, the group decided to make peace. Those who could enter this hall to participate in policy discussions were all old timers who had accompanied the emperor for many years. More or less they all knew the emperor's temperament. Except for those few pro-war generals, almost everyone else followed the emperor's intentions.

Chu Shaoling stood to the side the whole time without saying a word. The emperor looked towards Chu Shaoling and said, "What does Prince Qin think?"

Chu Shaoling bowed his head, "Imperial Father's considerations are extremely correct. This son also thinks the same." This was of course a lie. If it were up to Chu Shaoling, he would decisively and immediately dispatch troops to attack, killing Liaoliang so they wouldn't dare to invade again for decades. The country was now rich and powerful, so why not dare to start a war? If they could take this chance to occupy part of Liaoliang's territory, that would be great. Defending the land, expanding the borders, this was what every accomplished emperor wanted to do.

Since they had decided on making peace, they had to discuss the method. The emperor, on the pretext of empathizing with the common people, was unwilling to start a war. The senior officials deliberated for another half day on the choice of envoy. Going to Liaoliang as an envoy was not a good assignment. Being able to return alive would already be fortunate. No one was willing to go. This person not only had to be a good orator, but also have a status that could overawe others. Everyone discussed heatedly but couldn't come to a decision. By this time, Chu Shaoling no longer had the patience to listen to all this. Since they were making peace and didn't intend to have Fuyi marry over, the Liaoliang matter no longer held any significance to Chu Shaoling.

Chu Shaoling's thoughts had already drifted to the main hall of Chengqian Palace. Wei Ji was probably standing guard there waiting for him. This group of people were too long-winded. Although the weather wasn't hot now, standing ramrod straight under the sun at this time was still a hardship. Chu Shaoling had previously told Wei Ji to rest in the Bitao Palace, but that silly guy insisted on following him to bake in the sun outside.

"Speaking of which, has the Fourth Prince also returned to the capital?" Now that the envoy matter had been resolved, the emperor recalled the tax revenue issue from the south this year. "Is it tomorrow or the day after?"

The Minister of Rites stepped forward and said, "Replying to Your Majesty, it is precisely tomorrow. This official has already made arrangements. At that time, we will go ten miles out of the city to welcome him."

Chu Shaoling, dividing his attention, heard this and stepped forward to say, "This son is willing to go welcome the Fourth Imperial Brother back to court."

For a minor matter unrelated to the bigger picture, the emperor nodded, "Prince Qin can discuss with the Ministry of Rites then."

After saying all that needed to be said, they dispersed. Chu Shaoling exited the main hall. Behind him, the Minister of Rites caught up and said, "Prince, please slow down..."

Chu Shaoling stopped and said, "Minister, what is the matter?"

The Minister of Rites had regarded Chu Shaoling highly since the time he personally ploughed the fields. Chu Shaoling was someone with ideas. Since he had taken it upon himself to go out of the city to welcome Chu Shaoyang, the Minister of Rites naturally had to ask a few more questions to make proper arrangements. Chu Shaoling, thinking of Wei Ji, didn't say much and only said, "Going ten miles out of the city is not grand enough. Make it twenty miles." He was going to make a big move tomorrow. Going only ten miles out of the city would attract too much attention. It was better to go further.

The Minister of Rites nodded, then bowed and asked, "Does Prince have any other instructions?"

Chu Shaoling chuckled, "There's nothing else. Minister can decide on the rest."

Only after receiving Chu Shaoling's authorization did the Minister of Rites put his worries to rest. After a few more exchanges, he left.