His cold gaze was like a blade, coldly sticking to her skin, causing her to be shocked. But soon, she furrowed her brows angrily, her eyes filled with determination as she stared back at him, not giving in at all.
Meeting her hostile gaze, Yi Ling was slightly taken aback. His deep eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his mouth slightly pursed, and he was actually smiling.
That faint smile was like the first breeze of winter, coolly brushing across the cheeks. Kun Mountain reflected the snow, making one dazed.
Gu Yan was momentarily stunned, not knowing what to do. She could only stare blankly at him.
That smile quickly disappeared, leaving behind only coldness.
Gu Yan regained her senses. Her back was already covered in cold sweat, and her palms were also sweaty. It was undeniable that she had been afraid of him ever since she had seen him from afar on the city gate tower.
Yi Ling looked at her and said, "I have heard of Princess Pingyang's beautiful name, and thought that she was unparalleled. Today, I see that she is just so-so."
The Anqing Emperor laughed dryly. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Gu Yan. She smiled, using the same gaze he used to look at Yi Ling from head to toe, and used the same tone as him without any fear to say, "I have heard of General Yi Ling's great name, and thought that he had three heads and six arms. Today, I see …"
She deliberately swallowed the rest of her words. She didn't say anything disrespectful, but she also let everyone present understand the contempt in her words.
The officials had been suppressing their anger towards Yi Ling. Now that she had ridiculed him like this, they felt that they had vented their anger, and all laughed out loud.
Yi Ling did not seem to care at all. He only looked at her deeply, a bit playfully.
Gu Yan also looked straight back, not avoiding his gaze at all.
Gu Yuanxian hurriedly went forward to apologize to the Anqing Emperor, "My daughter is naughty, please forgive her, Your Majesty."
The Anqing Emperor waved his hand carelessly, allowing Gu Yuanxian to rise.
Yi Ling turned to look at the Anqing Emperor, who was sitting at the head of the table. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, on behalf of my Emperor, I would like to propose a marriage to Princess Pingyang for my eldest son."
The Anqing Emperor did not reply. Instead, he looked at Gu Yuanxian and asked, "Prime Minister Gu, what do you think?"
Gu Yuanxiao was stunned. He glanced at the Anqing Emperor, then lowered his hands and said, "It is my daughter's honor to marry the eldest son of the Hokuin Emperor."
The Anqing Emperor nodded. "Alright, then …"
"I don't …" Gu Yan suddenly interrupted, but her words were cut off by a clear voice behind her. "Pingyang, don't be presumptuous."
Gu Yan's mother, the Princess Royal of the Ning Kingdom, stood up from her seat. She slowly walked forward and bowed to the Anqing Emperor.
Gu Yan turned to the Anqing Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Pingyang has just become of marriageable age. She is still young. She only wishes to serve her parents and fulfill her filial piety."
"Your Highness, I heard that you have three older brothers in your family. You can rest assured that you will fulfill your filial piety. Empress Min has already married my Emperor when she became of marriageable age. Since you have already become of marriageable age, you can get married." He turned to the Anqing Emperor and asked with a light smile, "Is that not so?"
The Anqing Emperor glanced at Gu Yuanxian and the Princess Royal. He lowered his eyes for a moment. Although he did not expect this result, to him, it was better for Gu Yan to marry far away than to stay in Jiang Du and marry into another aristocratic family.
Nan Hua's power was firmly controlled by the Gu family. How could the Anqing Emperor not know Emperor Yin's intentions? Letting Gu Yan go north for a political marriage was better for him to control Nan Hua's political power than letting the Princess go for a political marriage.
He nodded and said, "That's right. Pingyang can marry the eldest son of your country's Emperor. It is a match made in heaven. My court is willing to give fifteen cities in the north as Pingyang's dowry for the sake of the friendship between our two countries. "
Fifteen cities! The political marriage was just a formality. The real peace treaty was to cede land. Fifteen cities in exchange for Nan Hua to tide over the crisis seemed to be worth it.
Everyone thought to themselves. Only Gu Yan wanted to argue, "Your Majesty …"
"Your Highness, thank you for your kindness." Gu Yuanxian suddenly spoke up and bowed to express his gratitude.
These words were like thunder in her ears. She turned her head in a daze and looked at her father, only to see him frowning and looking at her with a determined gaze. He did not allow her to refuse. "Pingyang, give your thanks."
As for her mother, her eyes were filled with tears. Her brows were filled with reluctance and heartache, but she did not say anything. She only looked at her quietly. She turned her head and was about to speak to the Anqing Emperor when her mother covered her mouth. Her eyes were filled with pain. She shook her head and whispered, "No."
"Pingyang, quickly give your thanks to the Emperor for his kindness." Behind the jade table, her aunt looked at her lovingly, as if she was bestowing the most honorable honor in the world upon her.
"Pingyang, quickly give your thanks to the Emperor for his kindness." Her father urged her again.
She did not dare to believe that her closest family member would force her like this. They knew that the future was uncertain, but they were still forcing her.
'Father, don't you love Ting' er the most? Didn't you say that only the most outstanding man in the world is worthy of me? Aunt, didn't you say that you love me more than the Fifth Princess? How could this be? Why would it be like this? '
She complained in her heart. Her eyes widened as she shook her head. She could not believe what was happening in front of her.
The dangling ornament on her head swayed back and forth with her movements. The pearls and jades collided with each other, creating a crisp sound.
Muran!
That calm man was like a ray of light that illuminated her world of despair. She quickly turned her head to look for that familiar gaze, but his head was lowered and he did not look at her.
Muran, Muran.
She silently called out his name in her heart, hoping that he would raise his head and take her away from the abyss of despair.
As if he heard her call in her heart, he finally slowly raised his head to look at her. His face was calm, but there was a heavy pain hidden in his eyes.
He stood up from his seat and walked forward step by step.
Gu Yan looked at him. The uneasiness in her heart gradually subsided and her eyes gradually lit up. Her lips curved into a smile as she looked at him with relief.
He must have a way. He was a Muran, her hero.
He stopped at the bottom of the jade steps and bowed. He touched the ground with his forehead and said in a clear voice: "Congratulations, Princess Pingyang."
Her smile froze at the corner of her mouth. No matter what, she did not believe that Mu Ran had said those words. She fixed her gaze on him and lost all words and actions. She only fixed her gaze on him. Her heart felt as if it was being ruthlessly pinched by an invisible hand. The pain almost made her faint.
"Congratulations, Princess Pingyang." The officials also reacted. They understood that they could not go against the Emperor's orders. They all stood up and bowed.
The sound of congratulations was like a tidal wave, drowning her.
She saw her father, aunt, mother, and Mu Ran in the midst of the flood. Their expressions were indifferent.
She forgot to breathe. She quietly looked at everyone's faces until the suffocating feeling in her chest brought her back to reality.
Gu Rong lowered her eyes and calmly concealed all her emotions. She raised her hand and revealed her snow-white wrist. She pressed down on the loose bun on her head and gently caressed her cheeks to wipe away the tears that had just fallen.
Then she slowly raised her head with a smile on her face. Her eyes moved and there was no trace of the panic and helplessness from before.
She straightened her back like a tall pine tree. She bent her knees and bowed properly. She gritted her teeth and said: "Pingyang, thank you for your kindness!"
Just like that, her family, her lover, personally pushed her out.
"Princess, don't be sad. No matter where you go, A Nuo will follow you. "A Nuo's voice pulled her back to reality. She squatted by Gu Yan's feet and held her hand.
Gu Yan's eyes were red and there were still tears on her face. "A Nuo, I only have you."
Although A Nuo did not know what happened in the palace that day, she could imagine how sad Gu Yan was. Now that she saw her crying day and night in her room, her heart ached. Her eyes were red and she said firmly: "Princess, don't worry. A Nuo will always be with you."
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