Chapter 152: Fortune Favors the Ruthless (Part 1)

"His Majesty has issued an imperial decree summoning the Prince of Zhou, Li Xian, the Prince of Yin, Li Xulun, and Princess Taiping to an audience at the Qianyuan Hall."

Shortly after Li Xian and his party arrived in front of the Luoyang Palace and presented their tallies, Gao Hesheng, the senior eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies, hurried out of the palace gates accompanied by two junior eunuchs, proclaiming the Emperor Gaozong's oral edict in a prolonged and affected tone.

"Your subjects humbly receive the decree and express our gratitude for your grace."

Although it was merely an oral edict, Li Xian and Li Xulun still meticulously followed the strict protocols for receiving an imperial decree to express their gratitude. Princess Taiping, however, cared for no such formalities. Without even waiting for Li Xian to stand straight, she clung to his arm like a fledgling bird, pouting her lips impatiently as she whored, "Seventh Brother, hurry, let us go into the palace to see Father and Mother."

This girl had truly been spoiled rotten! Li Xian glanced at Princess Taiping, who was hanging onto his arm like a gourd, and let out a helpless, bitter laugh. Yet, there was nothing he could do about this willful and pampered little girl. He simply could not fathom why this young girl was so clingy toward him. Deciding to ignore her antics, he let her sway and tug at his arm as she pleased, while turning to Gao Hesheng with an apologetic smile and nodding slightly, "You have been troubled, Eunuch Gao."

"I dare not, Your Highness, please."

Gao Hesheng clearly did not understand why the usually mischievous little Princess Taiping was suddenly showing such fondness for Li Xian. Seeing her hanging onto Li Xian like a playful monkey, he found it immensely amusing. However, in the presence of these royal masters, how could Gao Hesheng dare to act presumptuously? He could only force back his smile, gesture with a hand, and say, "This way, please."

"How long-winded you are, hurry up, let's go."

Princess Taiping gave Gao Hesheng a disgruntled look and curled her lips disdainfully. Regardless of whether Li Xian was annoyed or not, she grabbed his arm and dragged him through the palace gates, chattering nonstop all the way like a little magpie. Her endless chirping nearly made Li Xian's head split open, yet he had no recourse and could only respond with a bitter, perfunctory smile. Fortunately, they entered through the Xuanwu Gate, which was directly adjacent to the inner forbidden precincts and not far from the Qianyuan Hall. He figured he could endure it for just a little while longer.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Imperial Majesty and Her Imperial Majesty."

As soon as they stepped into the Qianyuan Hall, Li Xian saw the Emperor and Empress side by side on the elevated dais. Not daring to be remiss, Li Xian gently shook his arm to break free from Princess Taiping's grip, hurried forward, and bowed deeply with the utmost reverence.

"Xian'er has arrived. Good, good, excellent! Come, rise quickly, rise."

Seeing that Li Xian had arrived, a wave of flush instantly surged across Emperor Gaozong's pale face. Excited beyond measure, he stood up from his couch, waving his hand and repeatedly bidding him to rise.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace."

Feeling the Emperor's deep agitation, even though Li Xian possessed a naturally calm disposition, his eyes could not help but well up with tears. With a choked voice, he expressed his gratitude, slowly stood up, and looked at the Emperor with a stirred expression.

"Xian'er has grown up. Look, Meiniang, it has only been a few years since we last saw this child, and he has already become a strapping and magnificent man. Excellent, excellent."

Emperor Gaozong had always doted on his sons immensely. Seeing that Li Xian was tall, robust, and radiating a powerful aura of masculinity, he was exceedingly pleased. After chuckling and looking Li Xian up and down for a long while, he turned his head slightly and said with a smile to the expressionless Empress Wu.

"Indeed, to have such a fine son is truly a blessing." No sooner had the Emperor turned his head than a look of gratified satisfaction bloomed on Empress Wu's face. After echoing his sentiment, her tone abruptly shifted. "Your Majesty, since Xian'er is now of age, it is indeed time for him to marry. As the saying goes, 'there is no time like the present'; taking advantage of the joyous occasion of Xian'er's arrival, why not make it a double celebration?"

"Good, good! Meiniang's words accord precisely with my own thoughts. Let it be so!" Emperor Gaozong had always been intimidated by his wife and rarely dared to contradict her words. Furthermore, in his view, arranging a marriage for Li Xian was a joyous event, so he naturally had no objections and happily settled the matter.

"Your Majesty, there are currently three suitable candidates, any of whom would make a fine match for Xian'er. I await Your Majesty's final decision." Seeing that the Emperor had agreed to her request, the smile on Empress Wu's face instantly grew even more radiant as she spoke with utmost gentleness.

"Ah, as for this matter, it is best for the Empress to make the decision. I approve of whatever you choose." The Emperor was in high spirits, but considering himself unskilled in selecting a daughter-in-law, he simply and cleanly shifted the responsibility back to Empress Wu.

"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's trust, but this matter is of great importance. If the choice should prove flawed, it would ruin Xian'er's entire life. I truly dare not make such a decision alone." Empress Wu did not agree immediately; instead, playing hard to get, she demurred.

"It is no matter. I trust Meiniang's judgment. Let it be settled thus." Emperor Gaozong laughed heartily, waved his hand, and finalized the matter with a grand and heroic flourish.

"Very well. Since Your Majesty has entrusted this to me, I shall do my utmost." This time, Empress Wu did not decline further; she smiled, nodded in agreement, and then paused for a moment in a pensive posture before continuing. "Your Majesty, all three candidates were meticulously selected by the Directorate of Palace Attendants, and neither their family backgrounds nor their appearances are wanting. However, in my view, Wang Ping'er, the second daughter of Palace Surveillance Official Wang Chengjia, is poised and graceful, possesses a look of distinguished nobility, and has a robust physique with the auspicious sign of bearing many sons. Why not fix upon this young woman?"

"Very well. If Meiniang thinks well of her, then it is well. I have no objections." The Emperor was fundamentally a man without strong opinions of his own. Since the Empress had spoken thus, he naturally had no reason to withhold approval and agreed quite readily. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a lingering sense of unease, so he turned his head to look at Li Xian and asked, "Does Xian'er have any opinions on this?"

Opinions? His objections were monumental! Right at this moment, Li Xian felt a strong urge to commit murder. As soon as he received word about the potential candidates, Li Xian had already ordered his trusted subordinates in Luoyang to launch a thorough investigation. He had long since uncovered the foundations of all three families down to the character and appearance of the three maidens. Naturally, he knew precisely what kind of person Wang Ping'er was. When Empress Wu described her as having a "robust physique," that was merely a polite euphemism; to put it bluntly, she was a fat pig. As for her temperament, she was tyrannical to the extreme—she was absolute trash in every sense of the word. If he were to marry such a creature and bring her home, to say nothing of anything else, just looking at her would be enough to make him half-sick to his stomach!

Admittedly, the marriages of political figures were generally instruments rather than ends in themselves, especially those of princes and princesses. Li Xian had naturally prepared himself mentally for this reality long ago. Yet, no matter what, he could not possibly bring home an utterly hideous bride. To make matters worse, she looked like a monster yet possessed none of the extraordinary talents of the historical Wang Wuyan, let alone the fact that Wang Chengjia himself was nothing more than a lapdog raised by Empress Wu. Intermarrying with such people meant not only failing to leverage any useful factional influence, but also having to constantly guard against the in-laws plotting behind his back. There were countless ways to court trouble, but this was the most absurd by far.

Object? Would it do any good? Obviously not. In matters of such magnitude, Li Xian had virtually no voice, let alone the fact that since Empress Wu dared to propose such a sickening suggestion at this juncture, she had naturally dug a trap and was simply waiting for Li Xian to jump in himself. Barring any accidents, as long as Li Xian dared to voice an objection on the spot, her subsequent moves would be enough to strip him of several layers of skin. How could Li Xian possibly walk into such an obvious snare?

"Replying to Your Majesty's words, the ancients say that taking a wife is chiefly for the purpose of serving one's parents. That this subject is able to have Her Majesty help choose a wife for him is truly a supreme honor. How could I have any other thoughts?" Li Xian possessed a deep and unfathomable reservoir of cunning. Even though a raging fire of fury burned within his heart, his face remained the picture of being overwhelmed by favor, and he expressed his gratitude with trembling excitement.

"Oh, oh, oh! Seventh Brother is going to take a wife!"

No sooner had Li Xian finished speaking than Princess Taiping, who had already run up to the dais by herself, began to jump for joy. She clapped her little hands loudly, her face blossoming into a radiant smile.

"Oh? Hahahaha..." Seeing Princess Taiping so excited, Emperor Gaozong could not help laughing heartily. He reached out, affectionately stroked Princess Taiping's hair, and teased her with high-spirited amusement, "Yueyue, how about I find you a husband's family as well?"

"No, no! I don't want one at all! Father is bad! Mother, look, Father is bullying me again." Princess Taiping did not actually understand what a husband's family entailed, but seeing Emperor Gaozong's mischievous smile, she knew it was nothing good. She immediately pouted, twisted her little body, burrowed into Empress Wu's arms, and began to act like a spoiled and pitiful child. That aggrieved little expression instantly caused everyone in the hall to burst into loud laughter.

"Your Majesty, Xian'er must be exhausted from his long journey. Since the matter is settled, let us end here for today, shall we?"

Empress Wu clearly had not expected Li Xian to be so compliant. Seeing that the trap she had prepared had completely lost its intended use, she naturally wanted to prevent Li Xian from lingering too long with the Emperor, and thus spoke in a graceful and measured tone.

"Ah, had Meiniang not spoken, I would have forgotten. Xian'er, rest well these next few days. In a few days, I will issue a decree to formalize this marriage." Hearing the Empress's words, Emperor Gaozong also deemed it reasonable, so he smiled, waved his hand, and signaled for Li Xian to withdraw.

"Many thanks for the gracious love of Your Majesty and Her Majesty. Your subject takes his leave."

Li Xian had matters on his mind and naturally did not wish to linger any longer. He accordingly asked to be excused, spun around, strode out of the great hall, and headed straight for the palace gates.

"Seventh Brother, walk slowly, wait for your younger brother!"

Just as Li Xian stepped out of the palace gates, the voice of Li Xulun shouting from behind reached his ears.

"Eighth Brother, is something the matter?"

Li Xian was currently anxious to return to his estate to lay out his plans and naturally wished to avoid any further complications. However, it would not do to ignore Li Xulun's call. With a slight frown, he came to a halt, turned around, and put on a radiant, spring-like smile, asking affably, "Eighth Brother, do you need something?"

"Seventh Brother, that Wang girl, um, that woman is truly... well, Eighth Brother thinks you should go see her in person. If you are unsatisfied, I can speak to Father on your behalf, and I... I am also willing to put in a good word for Seventh Brother." Li Xulun ran up panting, his face flushed, mustering all his courage as he stammered through his explanation.

"I appreciate Eighth Brother's kind intentions, but I trust the Empress's judgment. Hehe, in a few days when my happy event arrives, I hope Eighth Brother will come to my estate to drink a few cups of wine, yes?" Li Xian did not dare to entirely trust Li Xulun's goodwill, so he smiled warmly and replied with an air of absolute nonchalance.

"Seventh Brother, you..." Seeing that Li Xian had completely brushed off his words, Li Xulun's expression paled. He wanted to say more, but for a moment he did not know what else to say, leaving him frozen in place.

"Eighth Brother, stay here. Your brother will take his leave first."

Li Xian truly had no intention of growing close to Li Xulun during such a sensitive period. Nodding with a smile, and giving Li Xulun no chance to speak again, he turned around and walked with long strides toward the carriage waiting on the other side of the small plaza. Bending over, he silently climbed into the carriage compartment. The moment the carriage curtain dropped, Li Xian's countenance turned utterly gloomy, a fierce murderous intent instantly surging into the air...