The envoy from the Southern Kingdom who brought Princess Tiya was called "Lord Sha."
He seemed to be an impatient man. Not long after the banquet began, he stood up and, under the guise of toasting the Emperor and Empress, stated the purpose of his visit.
After finishing his toast, Lord Sha drained his cup and then formally declared, "The Southern Kingdom has sent our most esteemed Princess Tiya, also wishing to build a marital alliance with Da Yue, and hopes that the two nations will forever be in amity!"
"Good, very good!"
The Emperor laughed heartily, his presence commanding. "The Southern Kingdom and the Da Yue Dynasty will surely be in eternal amity! This is the desire of all of us. Thank you, Southern Kingdom, for sending your noble princess to us. Please convey to the King of the Southern Kingdom upon your return that our Da Yue Dynasty will treat Princess Tiya with the utmost care."
Lord Sha also smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty! May I ask... who is the one who will marry our Princess Tiya? Might we have the honor of meeting him at tonight's banquet?"
As he spoke, he glanced in the direction of Mu Changxi.
Song Chaoyu lowered her head, feeling an inexplicable pang of discomfort.
The Emperor nodded. "Very well, please rest assured, Lord Sha! The one Princess Tiya will marry is naturally the most noble person in our Da Yue Dynasty!"
He gestured towards Mu Changxi. "He is the most noble prince of our Da Yue Dynasty!"
Tiya looked in Mu Changxi's direction, her smile seeming to overflow.
However, in the next moment, everyone saw the person beside Mu Changxi stand up—
"Huh?"
Song Chaoyu had not intended to look in that direction, not wanting to see the smiles on Mu Changxi and Princess Tiya's faces, so she had kept her head down.
But the First Madam in front suddenly let out a sound of surprise, causing Song Chaoyu to also look up.
The person who stood up... was not Prince Chang, Mu Changxi!
It was the Sixth Prince, Prince Wen, who was sitting beside Mu Changxi!
He was not old, even younger than Princess Tiya.
But he was also a prince greatly favored by the Emperor. If it were a proper alliance, marrying him to Princess Tiya would not be mistreating her.
It was not Prince Chang, Mu Changxi. Not only Princess Tiya and Lord Sha, but even the people of Da Yue were taken aback.
Song Chaoyu even noticed a hint of surprise on Prince Ning's face.
The Emperor, however, looked calm and said to Lord Sha and Princess Tiya with a smile, "This is my sixth prince, Prince Wen. He is my most beloved son, raised and personally tutored by me since childhood, and his character is exceptionally noble. Therefore, please rest assured, esteemed kingdom and princess, he will treat Princess Tiya well, and the two will surely live in harmony and grow old together."
Lord Sha frowned and clearly expressed his dissatisfaction to the Emperor. "Yes, I believe Prince Wen is indeed of noble character and worthy of trust. However... our Princess and Prince Chang have been childhood sweethearts since they were young. While we should not be picky about this alliance, we only thought that if they, having known each other for so long, could form a marriage, wouldn't that be even better?"
As he spoke, Princess Tiya's expression also showed a hint of urgency.
Song Chaoyu heard the First Madam murmur, "How can this woman choose her own husband? Truly, women from the Southern Kingdom are not as reserved as our Da Yue women!"
Song Chaoyu paid no mind to what the First Madam said, only feeling her heart skip a beat.
Yes, she also wanted to know, everyone said it was Prince Chang, so why wasn't it him in the end?
Mu Changxi... what was he thinking?
Did he truly not want to marry Princess Tiya, or did he have other intentions?
Song Chaoyu did not understand.
Princess Tiya also looked at Mu Changxi in utter astonishment, disregarding the presence of the officials from both nations, and asked in confusion, "Why?"
"Cough, cough!"
The Emperor, seated above, cleared his throat and then said to Princess Tiya, "Princess, do not be anxious. I have also asked Prince Chang about this matter. He said that while he and the princess did grow up together and share a sibling-like affection from childhood, he is currently disabled and frail, and fears he would delay the princess's life, which is why he is unwilling to marry the princess."
"And besides—"
The Emperor cast a meaningful glance at his son, whom he had neglected for many years, and slowly continued, "He said he already has someone he favors. Princess, you should know our Da Yue Dynasty's rules: once an engagement is made, it is not easily changed. Therefore, Prince Chang's marriage is settled, and next is Prince Wen. Please rest assured, Prince Wen will surely treat the princess well and will not fail the princess's goodwill in coming to Da Yue."
Prince Chang is engaged?
Let alone Song Chaoyu, no one else in the hall knew about this. Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.
"Impossible!"
Princess Tiya exclaimed even louder, "Before we came, we inquired. Prince Chang is not married, so why is it now said that he is engaged?"
She even disregarded the gazes of others and looked directly at Mu Changxi, "Brother Prince Chang, you must tell me who this person is! Are you trying to deceive me, just to avoid marrying me?"
Lord Sha also cast a cold glance at Mu Changxi, implying something. "Your Highness, you must not present someone we have never heard of to deceive us!"
He seemed... to dislike Mu Changxi greatly.
Mu Changxi also smiled, signaling the eunuch behind him to push him forward slightly. "Naturally not. I am a prince of the Da Yue Dynasty, and my father would not casually assign a woman to me. The one who will marry me is naturally a noble lady from the Da Yue Dynasty."
Who could it be?
Song Chaoyu's heart could not help but become curious. Who could make Mu Changxi give up such a beautiful princess and publicly refuse a princess of a nation?
However, what Song Chaoyu did not expect was that Mu Changxi, with all eyes in the hall focused on him, actually looked directly in Song Chaoyu's direction. "It is her—"
Song Chaoyu blinked, her first reaction being to look around her. To her left sat the daughter of the Duke of Fu Guo, but she was already engaged. To her right was the daughter of the Great General of Wei Yuan, who did not seem to be engaged yet. Hu Xiaoye was also sitting not far behind her. Could it be her?
As Song Chaoyu pondered in confusion, Mu Changxi's voice became increasingly clear in the hall. "It is the fourth daughter of the Song family from the Ministry of Personnel, Song Chaoyu."
"..."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Song Chaoyu's heart also fell silent for a moment.
Had she misheard? What was Mu Changxi saying?!
This was the Golden Palace, not some other place. Did he know what he was saying?!
Or... was she ill, and her ears had a problem?!