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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nLiu She listened quietly, and his expression was bland. He seemed prepared.

n“So far you’re not wrong. Anything else?”

n“You chose to deliberately mystify things. Like letting Master Liaochen have a look at my fortune and saying things like ‘I can’t marry within these few years or I’ll be in mortal danger.’ Or that ‘I’m a wife-killer’ or some other excuse. That way, the Weis have an excuse to withdraw the betrothal, and both families get to keep their reputations.”

nUsing all the knowledge she had so far, Jiang Pengji thought this was the most logical conclusion.

nIn the olden days, men could marry late. But according to Dongqing’s laws, if a girl was 18 and still unmarried, the girl’s family would need to pay double the amount of taxes! The Weis could not afford to do so, but they would be humiliated if they had to admit that.

nLiu Lanting could afford to wait, but Wei Jingxian could not.

nMaster Liaochen’s ability was real. All the nobles in Hejian knew about him, and they knew that a monk didn’t lie. His devout followers would believe everything he said because people in ancient times were very superstitious.

nLiu She’s expression turned helpless. “I’m your father, so I will protect you. But if other people knew about your abilities, they would scheme against you.”

nHis daughter was smarter than he had thought. She was also more confident and conceited, too. But a conceited person would always end up in disastrous situations.

nJiang Pengji’s eyes sparkled as though the fire of life burned behind them.

n“An overwhelming suppression is so boring. If there are clashes here and there, then it’ll fire one up…”

nLiu She was speechless. He had not expected Jiang Pengji to give him such a response. Yet it made sense.

n“What if you’re at a disadvantage one day?”

n“That’ll be something to look forward to. I will reflect on it forever.” Jiang Pengji smiled.

nLiu She gave a bitter smile. “I had always wondered why Master Liaochen concluded that you would become an emperor one day. Girls are delicate and weak, and their temperaments are soft and gentle. But when I think about you, it’s not impossible…”

nHis daughter was more manly than any men he knew. She was very unlike the rest of the Liu family.

n“I think it’s better to spread the word about Master Liaochen’s predictions soon. I’m worried that people will try to hurt Wei Jingxian.”

nLiu She lifted his confused gaze.

nBased on Jiang Pengji’s words, he would have thought the girl in front of him was a son.

n“You’re quite protective of girls.”

n“Protecting girls is a virtue. Wei Jingxian deserves to be treated well.”

nJiang Pengji’s tolerance for beautiful and outstanding women was very high… as long as there were no confrontations.

nLiu She: “…”

nIt was a pity that she was not a son.

n“If that’s how you think, you’ll be disappointed,” Liu She replied coldly. “The Weis have their own plans. The most important thing when marrying a daughter off is the husband’s looks and his scholarship. As long as the husband is not of a lower social standing, no one will care about what happens after the wedding.”

nMany of these noble couples did not care about each other after the marriage. The women were practically left to rot in the rear wings. It was because of this that he and his late wife had decided to raise his daughter as a son.

nLiu She could not forget the scene all those years ago that had been seared into the back of his eyes. His wife had collapsed in the courtyard by the pond as she held their dead son. It looked as though she had lost her soul, but her eyes were filled with hatred.

nWho would not be filled with hatred?

n“Which family are the Weis considering?” Jiang Pengji frowned.

nLiu She replied with a question: “Based on today’s assembly, who do you think it is?”

nShe had to guess?

nHer conjectures were always based on clues. If she were to make a guess without any information, the chances of her getting it wrong were high. But since Liu She had narrowed it down to the assembly… Within a split moment, all the Langjuns flashed through her memories.

n“Wuma Jun?” A second later, Jiang Pengji frowned and said, “But he’s not a suitable candidate.”

nCompared to Wuma Jun, Feng Jin was the better choice. At least he was a real genius and a gentleman. Even if he were not affectionate toward his wife, he would still understand and respect her. He would not turn a blind eye to the schemes of other women who wanted the formal wife’s position.

nWuma Jun, on the other hand, was different. Leaving Wei Jingxian with such a frivolous man would be absurd. Haha!

nLiu She’s hands jerked. “Wuma Jun is the emperor’s fourth son. Even if he is not one of his father’s favorites, he is still a prince.”

nJiang Pengji lazily lifted her eyes. She scornfully asked, “Didn’t they live in the stables and care for the generals’ horses just two or three generations ago?”

nJiang Pengji was neither a gossip nor was she prejudiced. She had flipped through Liu Lanting’s memories and knew that this era valued bloodlines and traditions. The Wuma family might be royalty now, but the rest of the noble families secretly scorned them.

nThe crown prince had been born from the empress, who did not have an extraordinary background. She was only the second daughter from a small noble family. When the emperor had taken her as his empress, he was still a respectful and submissive monarch of Hejian. Most people thought the emperor and empress were well-matched.

nThe second prince’s mother was from a merchant family. To curry favor the emperor, the family gave their daughter to him as a concubine. She had been determined and won over the emperor’s heart with her soft and gentle nature. She did her best to get pregnant with his child before he got tired of her, and she had a son.

nMadam Hongde was the third wife. Her son, the third prince, was not a crown prince. But of all the princes, he had the highest standing in the family because his mother was from the large and influential Feng family.

nThe Fengs were Dongqing’s elites. The family’s history dated back to almost a 1,000 years and had yet to suffer in any way since then. The family also had many talented people. The interesting thing about the third prince’s mother was that she was from the Feng family, but she was not from the main branch; she had been born from a concubine from the collateral branch family.

nThe emperor had spent much effort in order to marry Madam Hongde. He wanted her to be the empress. However, the people would not respect him if he made her the empress, so she became his third wife.

nNo matter how angry the Wuma royals were, they still had to placate the Fengs. Large families with long histories like the Fengs had deep-rooted influences everywhere. No one knew what would happen if they angered them.

nThe fourth prince’s background was peculiar. There was not much information about him or his mother other than the fact that they were from the Wangs in Langya.

nNo one believed the rumors and treated it as a joke.

nThe second prince’s origin was the lowest; therefore, he was the perfect candidate for the peace treaty. He could be abandoned after he married the princess from northern Xinjiang.

nThe fourth prince’s situation was special. He was a prince that the emperor disliked… and he wanted to marry the Weis daughter?

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