Chapter 42: Heh! Men!

One can roughly judge a person's character through their temper.

If a princess had a terrible temper toward her servants, her nature could not possibly be all that noble.

Having gone to the trouble of time-traveling back to ancient times, he certainly did not want to marry some ancestral matriarch just to wait on her hand and foot.

At the very least, he deserved to experience what it was like in a feudal society to be served by a virtuous and gentle woman!

When Zhu Yingrao heard Qin Feng asking about her temper, she almost had her composure shattered entirely.

To start by asking about a person's looks and temper—where was his basic courtesy?

Just how worried was he that this princess would fail to match the image of the ideal wife in his heart?

She suddenly recalled when the Fourth Prince, Zhu Di, heard that his parents had arranged a marriage for him. Desperate to avoid marrying the scholar-daughter, he had fled the imperial palace in the dead of night and escaped to the military camp under Uncle Xu Da.

In the end, hadn't the fourth prince still obediently been forced to accept this match?

Now, once he had seen the appearance and character of Xu Da's eldest daughter, he never uttered another word about breaking off the engagement.

Heh!

Men!

Zhu Yingrao let out a huff and said, "Who asks about our Grand Princess like that? Our Grand Princess is a maiden waiting in the inner chambers; one cannot simply inquire about her at will."

Qin Feng was stunned.

Such absurd rules still existed?

He didn't even have the right to ask about his future wife?

Qin Feng could not express how depressed he felt, and he waved his hand. "If you're unwilling to answer, then be on your way. I won't make things difficult for you."

"I really am leaving then! Are you truly not going to report me?"

"Hurry up and leave! If the Grand Princess takes offense in a moment, you're going to suffer."

"My lord is truly a good person. So I'm really leaving now?"

"Go on! If you don't leave right now, I might change my mind."

Hearing Qin Feng's words, Zhu Yingrao stuck out her tongue and then trotted away from the imperial garden.

Before leaving, she did not forget to steal a few glances at this future husband of hers.

She saw that Qin Feng was crouching there, carefully picking up all the food she had secretly eaten from the ground.

Such a detail made Zhu Yingrao look at him in a completely new light.

To be able to show such patience even toward a palace maid meant that he would certainly be thoroughly considerate toward her, his future bride, in the future.

She secretly muttered in her heart, "He barely passes for a gentleman."

***

However, after Zhu Yingrao skipped away, Qin Feng looked at her retreating figure with a sense of profound regret.

It was so hard to encounter a palace maid with such high aesthetic appeal, yet he couldn't take her out of the palace.

If by any chance she ended up being bedded by old Zhu one day, wouldn't that be a complete waste?

Qin Feng felt somewhat gloomy in his heart, but upon second thought, since the other party was a personal maid serving the princess, wouldn't marrying the princess later mean bringing the palace maid back to his estate along with her?

Thinking of this, Qin Feng rubbed his chin and pondered the matter carefully.

Looked at this way, marrying the princess didn't seem like a loss at all!

On the other side, when Zhu Yingrao stealthily returned to the Changle Palace, she was intercepted and lectured by Empress Ma.

"Yingrao! Where have you run off to again? How many times have I told you? You are a maiden awaiting marriage; you cannot casually show your face in the palace. Why won't you ever listen?"

Zhu Yingrao stuck out her tongue and hastily hid in Empress Ma's embrace, acting spoiled. "Mother, I don't want to get married yet! I just want to stay in the palace and keep Father and Mother company forever."

Empress Ma's heart almost melted from Zhu Yingrao's spoiled antics.

Zhu Yingrao was her most cherished daughter. Ever since she was little, she had been held in the palm of her hand for fear she might drop, and kept in her mouth for fear she might melt. She had never been as strict with her as she was with her other daughters, treating her with immense indulgence instead.

She gently took Zhu Yingrao's hand and said earnestly, "Silly child! Where is there a daughter who doesn't get married when she reaches the proper age? People would make a laughingstock of you."

"Originally, Mother had some worries about the match your father found for you. But at today's family banquet, Mother helped you vet this prospective son-in-law. Guess what?"

"He is an all-around talent, and his looks are far superior to those crooked melons and cracked dates who came to propose to you before. In short, Mother was very satisfied after seeing him; he is definitely a perfect match for you."

Zhu Yingrao smiled and said, "I know. 'Though the body be shattered to pieces, fear it not, so long as innocence remains in the world!'"

Empress Ma was slightly startled, asking in surprise, "You've seen that prospective son-in-law?"

Zhu Yingrao gave a cheeky laugh and said, "Mother, during the family banquet, I just found a spot and stole a peek."

"You naughty girl! You almost broke the rules!"

"Mother, I was just curious. If his looks didn't match my wishes, could it be that you and Father really had the heart to marry me off?"

Empress Ma asked, "Then what do you think of Qin Feng's appearance? Are you satisfied with him?"

Zhu Yingrao replied, "At least he's much better than those suitors from before."

"Mother thinks so too. Why don't you listen to your father and agree to this marriage?"

"However, this Qin Feng has no background to speak of. That is the part that worries Mother a little."

"But your father and your eldest brother both said that he is exceptionally capable. With his skills, his future prospects will undoubtedly be boundless."

Zhu Yingrao shyly leaned against Empress Ma's shoulder and said coquettishly, "This daughter's marriage is entirely up to Father and Mother to decide."

Having obtained Zhu Yingrao's affirmative reply, Empress Ma knew in her heart that her impression of the prospective son-in-law was not bad.

Then this marriage was most likely going to happen!

***

Empress Ma said, "However, your father and eldest brother said the wedding should be postponed for a year, claiming that the prospective son-in-law has several tasks to complete first."

"A man's ambitions lie in all directions! That just shows this prospective husband of mine is a very driven person."

"Ohoho, you wicked girl, you aren't even married yet, and you're already speaking up for others?"

"Oh, Mother, I'm not talking to you anymore."

With that, Zhu Yingrao shyly ran back to her room and slammed the door shut.

Empress Ma shook her head with a chuckle.

A grown daughter could not be kept at home!

In the blink of an eye, her daughter was already about to become someone else's wife.

...

The next day, the Altar of Heaven.

Old Zhu, leading the civil and military officials, was preparing for the grand sacrificial ceremony to heaven, meant to comfort the souls of the millions of victims who had perished in the floods.

Minister of Rites Zhang Chou had arranged everything properly long ago, specially selecting an auspicious day to place cooked livestock offerings all over the sacrificial altar.

Today's grand sacrificial ceremony to heaven was of extraordinary significance, with a massive number of attendees.

The civil and military officials all stood in solemn, neat rows, creating an immensely magnificent scene.

When the sacrificial ceremony officially commenced, the ritual officer first read the mourning text dedicated to the millions of heroic souls.

Then Old Zhu, clad in a dragon robe, devoutly offered sacrifices to heaven and earth.

"Kneel!"

"Bow!"

While Old Zhu performed his devotions on the altar, the civil and military ministers knelt and bowed along with him.

This ritual of sacrificing to heaven was incomparably solemn; no one dared to show the slightest negligence, and all of them acted with utmost piety.

Just as Old Zhu was majestically worshiping heaven and earth upon the altar, Qin Feng walked at a leisurely and unhurried pace, slowly making his way into the ranks of the officials.

When Hu Weiyong saw Qin Feng treating the grand sacrificial ceremony with such casual disregard, it grated on his nerves with anger.

Could His Majesty really indulge Qin Feng in acting so lawlessly and recklessly?

Just as Hu Weiyong was boiling with anger, someone suddenly burst into the solemn sacrificial ceremony, completely out of breath, bringing a shocking piece of news!

"A courier report traveling eight hundred li a day! Your Majesty, disaster has struck! A plague has broken out in Huaixi!"