Chapter 984: Marriage Alliance

Emperor Shaowu couldn’t help but pat his sister’s head.

It is often said that the royal family lacks affection, but he was never a ruthless ruler; he cherished family ties deeply.

However, after ascending the throne, he naturally distanced himself from his loved ones.

This change was something even Emperor Shaowu could not alter.

Now, within the grand palace, the only true family he had left was this sister who shared the same mother.

As for the Empress Dowager, who spent her days in the ancestral hall practicing devotion yet still meddled in the harem, Emperor Shaowu held only reverence for her, with no feelings of closeness.

Because of this, he cherished Princess Qingyun all the more, almost indulging her: “What is it?”

Princess Qingyun secretly glanced at Emperor Shaowu and then lowered her head, saying, “I just met the cavalryman Wang Qiandu.”

“Cavalryman Wang Qiandu?”

Emperor Shaowu was momentarily taken aback: “You mean Wang Chen?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Princess Qingyun nodded, suppressing her excitement as she said, “Brother, do you know? Wang Qiandu helped me unblock my meridians. He is truly remarkable!”

Emperor Shaowu was shocked: “He helped you unblock your meridians?”

The Great Liang Emperor never expected that his little sister would be so bold!

To be precise, both Qingyun and Wang Chen were incredibly daring.

One dared to think, the other dared to act, without considering their identities or fearing the potential consequences!

“Brother, please don’t blame Wang Qiandu.”

Princess Qingyun observed his expression and quickly added, “I asked him to do it. Now I feel great, and I even learned the technique of guiding energy. I will be able to study methods in the future.”

Emperor Shaowu took a deep breath to calm his emotions.

He was a broad-minded person, and since the matter was settled and his sister was safe, he did not explode with anger: “Just remember to be cautious in the future. If something goes wrong…”

Emperor Shaowu shook his head: “This time, I won’t punish Wang Qiandu, but I won’t reward him either.”

Princess Qingyun weakly said, “Brother, I want to take Wang Qiandu as my master and have him teach me the methods.”

“No way!”

Emperor Shaowu decisively rejected her without a moment’s hesitation, his tone even a bit harsh: “Don’t even think about it!”

Princess Qingyun was startled, her eyes turning red immediately as she pouted, feeling very wronged.

Seeing his sister in such a state, Emperor Shaowu’s heart softened again.

This Great Liang Emperor took her small hand, just like in their childhood, and led her to sit down on the soft couch beside them.

“Qingyun, you are already fourteen years old, and there are some things I should tell you.”

Emperor Shaowu sighed: “It’s about your marriage.”

Princess Qingyun’s expression changed instantly: “Brother Emperor, I don’t want to get married; I don’t want to leave you!”

At her naive and carefree age, the sudden mention of her marriage evoked a strong instinctive resistance.

Emperor Shaowu sighed, "I don’t want this either."

Princess Qingyun’s marriage had actually been arranged ten years ago, and it was the current Empress Dowager who made the decision.

At that time, Emperor Shaowu had already ascended the throne, but his throne was not stable, and he needed the Empress Dowager’s support and assistance in many matters, so he had no chance to oppose it.

Most importantly, Princess Qingyun was betrothed to the Third Prince of Dayan, making it a marriage alliance between the two nations.

Dayan was a neighboring country to Daliang, with a national strength nearly similar to Daliang.

However, thirty years ago, Daliang suffered a defeat in battle against the strong enemy, Da Qi, resulting in a loss of territory and a significant drop in strength, which it had yet to fully recover, making it now inferior to Dayan.

Fortunately, over the years, Da Qi’s power had been growing, posing a great threat to both Daliang and the imperial capital, which led the two countries to form an alliance to jointly curb Da Qi’s ambitions.

The marriage between Princess Qingyun and the Third Prince of Dayan was born out of this context.

Currently, Daliang faced both internal troubles and external threats; besides the sworn enemy, Da Qi, the rebellious Nanman from the south frequently disturbed the border counties, straining military and financial resources.

Therefore, no matter how much Emperor Shaowu cherished his sister, he could not call off the engagement.

If he angered Dayan, they could easily join forces with Da Qi, making the destruction and takeover of Daliang a simple matter.

Of course, Dayan understood the principle of "without lips, the teeth feel cold," but the negative impact of calling off the engagement would be too severe, and the consequences were not something he could bear.

"Dayan currently does not have a crown prince…"

Emperor Shaowu said in a deep voice, "As far as I know, the Third Prince Yinzhen has a strong chance and has garnered a lot of support from ministers and generals. If he really becomes the ruler of Dayan in the future, you will be the empress!"

"At that time, Daliang and Dayan can join forces to attack Da Qi, reclaim our homeland, and completely resolve this strong enemy…"

He grew more excited as he spoke, but he did not notice Princess Qingyun’s gaze.

"Qingyun, don’t blame your brother."

Emperor Shaowu patted Princess Qingyun’s head again, saying, "Though we are of royalty, we are not in control of our own lives."

"Mm."

Princess Qingyun softly replied, lowering her head and dimming the light in her eyes.

Emperor Shaowu felt guilty: "If nothing unexpected occurs, you will go to Dayan to marry after the New Year’s."

Princess Qingyun was taken aback: "So soon?"

"I have no choice."

Emperor Shaowu explained, "The King of Yan sent a state letter, and I have already replied in agreement."

Princess Qingyun bowed her head again.

Emperor Shaowu sighed: "Qingyun…"

"Brother!"

Princess Qingyun suddenly interrupted him: "I am willing to go to Dayan for the marriage alliance, but before that, I want to practice methods with Wang Qiandu. This way, after marrying the Third Prince of Dayan, I won’t be bullied anymore."

Emperor Shaowu was stunned.

He wanted to say that no one would bully her, but the words got stuck in his throat.

After all, this sister was naturally frail and did not understand palace intrigue. If she went to a foreign land, she really could be bullied!

Recalling their childhood, the heart of the Great Liang Emperor softened again.

"Fine, I agree, but you must promise me not to act recklessly before the marriage alliance."

Princess Qingyun nodded vigorously: "Mm."

"Brother Emperor, please write a decree for Wang Qiandu. He said he would not teach me without your permission."

Wang Chen was somewhat sensible.

Emperor Shaowu thought to himself, got up, and went to the desk, taking paper and brush to write a decree.

"I will summon Wang Chen to the palace tomorrow to fulfill your wish."

"Brother!"

Princess Qingyun bit her lip and said, "I don’t want others to know about this, especially Mother. I want to learn methods with Wang Qiandu outside."

"Ah?"

Emperor Shaowu was very troubled—how could this be allowed!

Princess Qingyun tugged at his dragon robe and pleaded, "Brother, I beg you!"

Emperor Shaowu hesitated repeatedly, and finally let out a long sigh.

"Fine, go ahead."

Even if Princess Qingyun was indulgent, this would be her last act of defiance!