Fang Chuning also knew that he had spent years on the battlefield and had been stationed in Zhongzhou in recent years, with little ti to reunite with his family. His father had long been living in Jiangnan, while his mother and Junjun relied on each other in the Capital City. He truly felt unfilial. His mother had always supported his campaigns without demanding much from him. Now that his father was in the Capital City and his mother had suffered so gossip, it was reasonable for her to want to take him and his siblings to Jiangnan to visit their maternal grandmother. He really shouldn’t refuse her.
"Mother, if you miss Grandmother, take Junjun and Xiaoqi to Jiangnan for a while. Once I return from my diplomatic mission, I’ll co find you all, and we can return to the Capital City together."
When Mrs. Fang ntioned going to Jiangnan, Xiaoqi was quite surprised and couldn’t help but ask, "Mother, you’ve been busy these days with Big Brother’s and Sister’s marriage arrangents. How do you have the ti to take a short trip to Jiangnan? A round trip will take at least four months, maybe half a year! Sister’s marriage plans will be delayed."
Mrs. Fang had always wanted to finalize Fang Lingjun’s marriage before spring ended. She would definitely not take Fang Lingjun to Jiangnan at this ti—unless she was planning for Fang Lingjun to find a husband from Jiangnan.
She couldn’t bear to have her daughter marry far away from the Capital City.
Fang Chuning ca to his senses as well. He was a man; delaying his marriage a bit wouldn’t matter. After all, even Lin Helin’s marriage had been postponed until now. But his sister was an unmarried young lady, and her marriage couldn’t be delayed.
Fang Lingjun, however, remained indifferent and didn’t mind her marriage prospects. Mrs. Fang was rely looking for an excuse to keep Fang Chuning in the Capital City and didn’t genuinely want to take him to Jiangnan. She sighed and said helplessly, "Your mother just thinks Sannan is fraught with dangers... She’s worried about your brother."
Fang Chuning recalled the incident from the previous night, assuming that Mrs. Fang was concerned about his safety in Sannan. He said gently, "Mother, don’t worry. There will be plenty of guards accompanying . I’ll be fine."
Mrs. Fang absentmindedly murmured in acknowledgnt. She still had to visit the academy later and left after breakfast. Once she departed, the dining hall beca lively again, leaving only the three siblings. Fang Lingjun was already eager to gossip, "Brother, I heard that last night Prince Yan barged into Father’s study. What happened?"
"Your sources are quick. Father has kept his lips sealed. How did you know about it?"
Xiaoqi said, "We weren’t fast asleep! Sothing that big happened—how could there not be a single sound? Brother, could it really be bad news from Sannan? Prince Yan doesn’t have to go on the diplomatic mission himself. Why not send soone else instead?"
"Why don’t you follow along and gain so experience, then?" Fang Lingjun suggested. After all, Xiaoqi was still young, and gaining so experience in Sannan wouldn’t hurt.
"Father wants to gain experience in the military. I’ll leave with him after the New Year." Xiaoqi spread his hands. Fang Chuning already knew about this. In fact, Father was very hesitant about this decision, fearing it might provoke Xie Xun’s suspicion. He had discussed it with Xie Xun before making the decision. Given Xiaoqi’s loyalty and admiration for Fengyu, it was unlikely he’d covet the Xie family’s power. Besides, very few people knew that Xiaoqi had the bloodline of the previous dynasty’s Crown Prince. Between Fang Chuning and Xiaoqi, one of them had to oversee Jiangnan. The sooner Xiaoqi gained experience, the sooner he could assist his elder brother in the future.
"Father wanted to take Mother to Jiangnan as well, but Mother refused," Fang Lingjun remarked regretfully. In fact, she thought her parents were apart too often. Since the Emperor had agreed for Mother to accompany Father to Jiangnan and Grandmother was also there, Mother should have agreed. She couldn’t understand why she refused.
Fang Chuning’s expression darkened slightly. "Enough. Stop discussing matters concerning our elders. Go do whatever you’re supposed to do!"
"Brother, you still haven’t told us why Prince Yan ca last night!"
"That’s state affairs—I can’t disclose them." Fang Chuning tapped her on the forehead. "Focus on choosing a husband."
Xiaoqi couldn’t help delivering a jab, "She said she wants to find a husband like you. With such high standards, in the entire Capital City, only the Emperor qualifies. That leaves Dugu Jing—why not marry Dugu Jing?"
Fang Lingjun: "..."
Fang Chuning: "..."
Fang Lingjun was furious. "What makes Dugu Jing comparable to Brother?"
Xiaoqi began ticking points off on his fingers, "Young General, widely recognized for his rank and power, tall and heroic. It’s said that aside from his hot temper, he’s quite a good match. Plenty of noblewon have their eyes on him—he’s a real catch."
Dugu Jing was now Duke Wu’an, and for so reason, Xie Xun seed to enjoy summoning him to the palace. Outsiders observed that he appeared to be favored even more than Prince Jingbei. Although Beiman noblewon weren’t well-received in the Capital City—largely because noble clan wives preferred well-bred ladies for family politics and disliked won raised in Beiman’s customs—the Beiman Royal Family maintained a prestigious status. Fengyu especially favored a few Commandery Princesses from the Jingbei clan and treated them exceptionally. When conflicts arose between noblewon from the two sides, Xie Xun even issued a decree reprimanding the various clan leaders.
Most of the Beiman Royal Family mbers below Dugu Jing had been granted titles. Although these were mostly symbolic, they enjoyed lives of comfort and leisure. Beining opened up Beiman’s red sand mines and gemstone resources, and it was inevitable that Beiman nobles benefited from these lucrative enterprises. Even a small fraction of these resources could sustain the Beiman royalty as wealthy idlers.
As such, even though the Beimans had only recently submitted, the marriages of their n were highly sought after. Many noble families were willing to marry their daughters into the group—especially to soone like Dugu Jing.
This Duke Wu’an, Xie Xun had already hinted, would be entrusted with important responsibilities. He was destined to beco a Great General responsible for stabilizing the country. His marriage prospects naturally attracted attention.
"Is Dugu Jing really that popular?" Fang Chuning recalled how, when disguised as Lan Ningzhen, Dugu Jing had even pursued her. His feelings were extrely complicated. Of course, that didn’t really count as pursuing. Dugu Jing clearly didn’t grasp romantic emotions at all. It was more a youthful display of stubborn competitiveness.
"He’s very popular. The Second Miss of the Lin Family was reprimanded and has been confined at ho recently. I’ve heard rumors at the Imperial College about how the Lin Family wants to marry her off to Dugu Jing. I’ve interacted with Dugu Jing too. The Emperor clearly wants to stabilize relations with the Beiman Royal Family, and arranged marriages are inevitable. Dugu Jing is also an excellent match—keeping opportunities within the family rather than letting the Lin Family benefit."
Fang Lingjun stuffed a bun into Xiaoqi’s mouth. "Shut your mouth. I’m not marrying him!"
"You said you wanted a husband like Brother. Not many et the criteria!" Xiaoqi felt he was helping her narrow down the choices. "You already look down on those pompous scholars at the Imperial College."
"What about Zhang Boxin?" Fang Chuning asked.
"Brother, he’s like a brother to . How could we be husband and wife?"
"What about Lin Xiao?"
"Absolutely not. I don’t like his personality. Plus, there’s that infuriating Lin Yu Yan!" Fang Lingjun puffed her cheeks in frustration. "Stop matchmaking randomly."
"Then there really aren’t many options left." Fang Chuning was deeply concerned about Lingjun’s marriage. He had even consulted Zhang Boju recently to see if there were any suitable young n in his family who were both upright and capable, but finding soone who could balance Fang Lingjun’s strong personality while having a good character and family background was indeed difficult.
Fang Lingjun was equally troubled. She wanted to find her ideal soulmate—why was it so hard?
"Our siblings really are unlucky in love. Each of us has our own share of woes." Fang Lingjun lanted, her spirits low.
Xiaoqi’s eyes lit up. "Brother, is there soone you want to marry but can’t? Who? Do I know them?"
Fang Lingjun: "..."
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