The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 251 - 250: Guarding the Border

Lieutenant General Wei requested an arranged marriage, bringing the previously shelved topic back to the surface.

Xie Yunzhen’s expression was cold and somber, "I have a lifesaving debt with Lieutenant General Wei, yet you disregard a young lady’s wishes and forcibly request an imperial decree for marriage. Is this how you repay me?"

Lieutenant General Wei bowed slightly, "It’s separate matters. You have a lifesaving grace towards me, and I will treat your sister kindly in the future."

Xie Yunzhen chuckled angrily, "Who cares for your kindness, get out!"

Lieutenant General Wei’s face flushed red, unable to retort against Xie Yunzhen.

After all, the lifesaving grace was indeed a fact.

He couldn’t bear to see his sister lose face, so he turned his head and ignored Xie Yunzhen.

Instead, he addressed Xie Yunling and Mrs. Guan, "Princely Heir Xie has a lifesaving grace towards me. Once I marry Miss Xie, I promise not to take concubines or elevate any companion maids in gratitude for his grace!"

Mrs. Guan and Xie Yunling tactfully averted their eyes, deciding to leave the matter to Xie Yunzhen.

The Wei Family was unreasonable, and they didn’t need to worry about saving face for them.

No one responded, causing the atmosphere to suddenly chill.

Xie Yunzhen’s rescue of Lieutenant General Wei was unknown to many.

People thought there was a conflict of interest between the Wei and Xie families, leading Empress Wei to make things difficult for Xie Yunling as a way to test Xie Yunzhen.

Detecting the change in expressions, Empress Wei secretly regretted.

If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have competed with Ji Mingzhu.

She was already married to Xie Yunzhen; could she divorce and enter the palace to warm the Emperor’s bed?

Impulsively carried away by emotions, resulting in such a difficult outcome, it was truly a loss!

Seeing no way out, she could only seek help from the man beside her.

The Emperor was still reminiscing about Ji Mingzhu’s glance at him.

Since he entered the banquet hall, she had kept her head down, deliberately ignoring his presence.

If it weren’t for Yun Ling encountering trouble, Mingzhu might not even glance at him.

Although Ji Mingzhu quickly averted her gaze, the Emperor clearly saw the emotions in her eyes.

Besides calm restraint, there was deep wariness.

During the days at the other estate, Mingzhu also guarded against him, but the feeling conveyed by the two different glances was totally different.

Thus, the Emperor realized that Mingzhu had restored her memory.

At that instant, he felt an overwhelming sense of shame and loss.

In Mingzhu’s mind, he likely had become a hypocrite.

Someone tugged gently at his sleeve.

The Emperor withdrew from his thoughts.

He reprimanded Lieutenant General Wei, "If you truly cared for Yun Ling, you should have asked for her consent privately before requesting an imperial decree. Not swapping military achievements for the person in public view. If I agreed with you, how would that differ from what Princely Heir Xie said? That would indeed coerce the good into degradation!"

"Since you regard military merits casually, let them counterbalance each other!"

It was obvious the Emperor was genuinely angered, leaving Lieutenant General Wei sweating coldly.

He wasn’t afraid of punishment, just fearful of implicating his sister and the Crown Prince.

Before, he wanted to take advantage of Xie Yunzhen for his personal gain, partly for the Wei family, and partly for his sister in the palace.

Now things had backfired, not only failing to restore his sister’s standing but also losing his military merits.

Lieutenant General Wei pressed his lips tightly, "I shall obey!"

He bowed in salute, glancing at Xie Yunling as he returned to his seat.

Even without an arranged marriage, he had to marry her into his family. Otherwise, the ridicule from today would never be erased.

Xie Yunling felt a chill from his gaze.

She instinctively leaned towards Mrs. Guan, "Mother."

Mrs. Guan reassured her by patting her gently and said softly for only the two of them to hear, "Don’t be afraid, your elder brother is here."

Xie Yunling’s nose suddenly tingled.

She used to be afraid of her elder brother and often badmouthed him behind his back.

She even encouraged Sister Mingzhu to stay away from him.

She pressed her eye corners, "I won’t badmouth him anymore."

Mrs. Guan felt amused and relieved, easing much of the tension in her heart.

She cast a comforting look at Ji Mingzhu, signaling her not to worry about Yun Ling.

The Emperor originally genuinely intended to bestow the marriage to Lieutenant General Wei, but at this moment Yun Ling was unwilling to marry into the Wei family; replacing her with another noble lady would feel like forcing something Yun Ling didn’t want onto others.

He could only dismiss the thought.

The Wei family’s influence was vast. Without checks, once the Crown Prince matured, there could be a chance of foreign relatives interfering with the government.

Possibly endangering him as the Emperor.

This marriage alliance required careful consideration.

He twirled the Jade Ring on his hand, giving a signal to the eunuch delivering the decree.

The eunuch began to read the imperial decrees, but withheld one of them.

The arranged marriage matter was brushed aside.

Everyone pricked their ears to listen to the decrees.

Xie Yunzhen was recognized for his merits in quelling the rebellion, inheriting his title along with being entrusted by the Emperor with significant responsibilities.

He was ordered to govern the reclaimed territories and guard the borders.

Set to depart after the new year. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

General Wei and other sons of the Wei family were retained in the capital.

It was only at this critical juncture that people realized the former Emperor’s imperial concubine and ninth Prince disappeared after being assassinated en route southwards.

Now, the southern region was guarded by the Emperor’s men.

The chaos in the south was intentionally orchestrated to lure the snakes out of their holes.

Everyone knew deep down, the imperial concubine and ninth Prince were likely no longer alive...

Many areas now lacked governance, including Yangzhou.

The Emperor urgently needed talent to serve the country and its people, relieve their troubles.

Reclaiming the lost land was a vital task. By entrusting this to Xie Yunzhen, the Emperor demonstrated his trust.

The court was universally envious of Xie Yunzhen.

Compared to stirring the waves in the capital, guarding the borders wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

With land to guard, people to command, wielding significant military power, and staying away from the capital.

Upon reconsideration, some started to worry again.

Xie Yunzhen was firm with a strong sense of strategy and courage. How would it be if he became a second Xiao traitor while guarding the borders?

The Emperor had considered this problem too.

Yet currently, Xie Yunzhen was the person he trusted most.

Apart from him, no matter who receives control over military power, the Emperor would remain uneasy.

Employing without doubt, doubting refusing to employ.

This was the best choice at the moment!

At the banquet, everyone congratulated Xie Yunzhen for the Emperor’s favor and entrusted responsibility.

Princess An He couldn’t find joy.

The borderlands were so far, lacking the prosperity of the capital; when would Ah Zhen return?

She pursed her lips, her gaze landed on Ji Mingzhu, eyes filled with conflict.

If she proposed to follow them to the border, would Ji Mingzhu agree?

This thought brought intense sadness to Princess An He.

Which household’s mother-in-law acts according to her daughter-in-law’s face?

Having lived for most of her life, she never imagined needing to lower herself to such humility.

But how could she not humble herself; Ah Zhen was her only son.

If Ah Zhen was controlled by Ji Mingzhu, she would be equally in the palm of Ji Mingzhu’s hand.

Left to her mercy to shape and mold.

Princess An He’s longing gaze was impossible for Ji Mingzhu to ignore.

Privately, she wished to keep a distance from Princess An He to avoid sudden whims causing more trouble.

But this was Xie Yunzhen’s mother; leaving her in the capital meant enduring the agony of separation, and Princess An He would potentially become a hostage.

With any turmoil blowing in the capital, Princess An He could be used to manipulate Xie Yunzhen.

Ji Mingzhu stared at the wine in her glass.

Another question emerged in her mind, even if they were willing to take Princess An He to the border, would the Emperor approve?