0p0 Chapter 444 The wedding was postponed for three years
Chapter 444 The wedding was postponed for three years
That evening, her father returned home. After much hesitation, Li Yanran decided to go and talk to her father. She went to his study and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," Li Si's voice came from inside the room.
Li Yanran pushed open the door and entered the study, where she saw her father sitting at his desk, reviewing official documents.
“Father,” Li Yanran called softly.
Li Si looked up and saw it was his daughter. A gentle smile appeared on his face: "Yanran, why are you still up so late?"
Li Yanran mustered her courage and said, "Father, I want to talk to you about my marriage to Young Master Fusu, and also about the Great Qin Women's Academy."
Li Si put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at his daughter: "What do you want to say?"
"Father, you promised me before that I could study at the Great Qin Women's Academy. Now you're suddenly making me get married, and I'm really unwilling. I want to go to the academy to learn knowledge, make friends, and contribute to Great Qin in the future," Li Yanran said eagerly.
Li Si frowned, his tone becoming serious: "Yanran, you are a smart child and should understand the current situation. The King of Qin's bestowal of marriage is a great honor and an opportunity for our Li family. Prince Fusu is very likely to inherit the throne in the future, and if you marry him, you will become the Crown Princess, the future Empress. This is of great significance to our Li family and to the Great Qin. As for the academy, once you are married and have the status of Crown Princess, will you still have to worry about not having the opportunity to study?"
“But Father, the academy and the palace are different. At the academy, I can study freely and discuss knowledge with like-minded people. But after I marry into the palace, I will be trapped in the inner palace, dealing with those tedious affairs. How will I have the mind to study?” Li Yanran couldn’t help but retort.
"Outrageous!" Li Si slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "How can you be so insensible? Do you know how much effort I've put into this marriage? This isn't just about your marriage; it's about the future of the Li family and the future of Qin. If you act willfully over such a trivial matter and disregard the interests of the family, you'll regret it later."
Li Yanran was terrified by her father's anger, and tears welled up in her eyes. She had never seen her father so angry, and her heart was filled with grievance and helplessness.
"Go back and think it over carefully, and don't mention the academy again." After saying that, Li Si sat back down in his chair, picked up his book again, and ignored Li Yanran.
Li Yanran silently left the study and returned to her boudoir. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep all night. She knew that her dream of studying at the Great Qin Women's Academy was likely about to be shattered. What awaited her was an unknown marriage and a seemingly glorious yet restrictive life in the deep palace.
But Li Yanran never expected things to take a turn for the better. That day, Li Yanran sat in her boudoir, and her mother, accompanied by a group of servants, displayed various exquisite jewels in front of her. These were the generous dowry prepared for her.
"Yanran, come and look at these jade bracelets. They were passed down to me by your grandmother. Now that you're getting married, your mother is passing them on to you." Her mother's voice interrupted Li Yanran's wandering thoughts. Li Yanran forced a smile, looking at the pair of warm jade bracelets in her mother's hands, but her heart remained unmoved.
Just as she was lost in the oppressive atmosphere, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard. "Miss, Miss, the imperial decree has arrived!" Her personal maid, Lanxiang, rushed into the room excitedly, her face flushed. Li Yanran's heart tightened, wondering what had happened. She quickly straightened her clothes and hurried to the front hall with Xiaocui.
"The King of Qin's imperial edict has arrived..." The eunuch's shrill voice startled the birds nesting under the eaves. The astrological terms of the Imperial Observatory's assertion that the White Tiger Star clashed with the Purple Star rang in my ears until the words "the wedding date is postponed to the eighth day of the fifth month of the year of Yi Mao" exploded like thunder.
“Three years…” she murmured to herself.
After receiving the imperial decree, Li Yanran returned to her boudoir, sat before the bronze mirror, and gazed at her slightly pale yet gradually joyful face reflected in it, unable to come to her senses for a long time. She had originally thought that she was now cut off from the Great Qin Women's Academy, but unexpectedly, three more years had been given her.
She paced back and forth in the room, her mind racing, trying to figure out how to persuade her father. She knew that her father was single-mindedly focused on the family's future, with a long-term vision but also a very realistic approach; changing his mind would be no easy task. But this time, Li Yanran didn't want to give up easily; she was determined to fight for her dream.
The next morning, Li Yanran carefully dressed herself, choosing an elegant silk dress and applying light makeup to make herself look dignified yet gentle. She took a deep breath and walked towards her father's study.
Inside the study, Li Si sat at his desk, reviewing a mountain of official documents. Seeing his daughter enter, he frowned slightly and put down his brush: "Yanran, what is it? Your father is busy."
Li Yanran did not back down. She bowed gracefully and said softly, "Father, I have something important to discuss with you. I hope you can spare a moment."
Looking into his daughter's determined eyes, Li Si felt a slight stirring in his heart and nodded: "Alright, go ahead."
Li Yanran slowly got up, walked to the desk, and mustered up her courage to say, "Father, the King of Qin has set the date for my marriage to Prince Fusu to be three years from now. During these three years, I want to study at the Great Qin Women's Academy."
Li Si frowned, pondering inwardly about the King of Qin's decree to grant them the marriage. Originally, everything was progressing smoothly as he had hoped; his family was about to become royalty, which was undoubtedly a joyous occasion.
However, the King of Qin suddenly ordered the wedding to be postponed for three years, a change that left Li Si puzzled. He couldn't help but ponder the King of Qin's true intentions; what secrets were hidden within this event?
That day, Li Si pondered deeply, trying to understand the King of Qin's intentions. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was not a good thing; after all, "delay brings trouble," and postponing the wedding could trigger many unforeseen events. So, why was the King of Qin acting this way?
What troubled Li Si even more was that he hadn't seen Fusu for over a year. Everyone had witnessed Fusu leaving the city; the King of Qin told them he was only tasked with handling some matters, but didn't specify what those matters were. As for where Fusu had gone, no one knew; it was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.
Li Si had also secretly sent people to inquire about Fusu's whereabouts, but ultimately to no avail. This made him feel that the matter was increasingly mysterious and unpredictable.
This caused a vague unease to rise in Li Si's heart. He thought to himself, "Could something have happened to Fusu?" However, he quickly shook his head and thought, "It shouldn't be. The King of Qin has always valued Fusu highly. How could he let something happen to him?"
But where exactly is Fusu? Is it that Fusu himself doesn't want to return, or that the King of Qin doesn't want him to return? The more Li Si thought about it, the more puzzled he became, and the more uneasy he felt.