Transmigrating Female Supreme: The Peerless Husband Depends on Me

Chapter 359: Your Highness still dares to put forward conditions?

The virtuous ruler took the opportunity to pull out the pulse chart from his sleeve. "The latest diagnosis from the Imperial Hospital is that if Qian'er continues to take the medicine prescribed by Doctor Lin, he may... be able to live past the age of thirty."

He presented the document with both hands, still wearing the jade bracelet given by the empress. "The Su family has seven doctors, including a miraculous doctor, a leader of the Jianghu Pavilion, a wealthy businessman, and a general... They can protect Qian'er."

Zhou Ziqian was trembling all over.

When did my father prepare all this? He remembered every smile he showed at the Su residence; he saw through all the little thoughts he thought he had hidden so well...

"Ridiculous!" The empress glanced at the pulse case. "A sixth-rank official..."

"Your Majesty." The wise king suddenly changed his address, using the same tone he used when he suppressed the rebellion of King Rui. "Do you still remember how my elder sister died?"

The empress's face changed suddenly.

That was the most dangerous night on the battlefield before she ascended the throne. The wise king's elder sister, the commander of the imperial guards at the time, was hit by twenty-seven arrows while trying to protect her.

"I, your humble servant, have no other requests," the wise king kowtowed. "I only ask that for the rest of my life, I may live like an ordinary person... enjoy a cup of hot soup, bask in the sun..."

Suddenly, there was the sound of jingling jewelry outside the hall.

The eldest princess Zhou Minglan entered with several of her younger sisters, with just the right amount of surprise on their faces.

"Your son pays respects to the Queen Mother." She glanced at the kneeling father and son, "I have an idea for your seventh brother's marriage."

The empress narrowed her eyes and said, "Speak."

"Although Su Yue's official position is not high, he has indeed made great contributions to flood control." The eldest princess chuckled, "If my seventh brother marries into her family, it will not only maintain the dignity of the royal family, but also prevent certain aristocratic families from becoming too powerful."

The Third Princess immediately responded, "Yes, Mother, the Minister of the Imperial Household has been quite close to the General of the Northern Guard recently."

Zhou Ziqian clenched his sleeves.

He understood the calculations of these imperial sisters too well - marrying a sickly prince to a poor official with no foundation would neither strengthen any faction nor maintain their reputation of "loving their younger brother".

The empress tapped the table with her fingertips.

How could she not understand her daughters' feelings? But the wise king's words, "You won't live past twenty-three," really touched one of her soft spots...

"Su Yue currently has a seventh husband." The Fifth Princess suddenly said, "If my seventh brother marries him, wouldn't that mean..."

"Pingjun." Xianjun suddenly spoke, his voice low but resounding. "The Su family rules do not discriminate between the great and the small."

There was an uproar in the hall.

In Mingxi Country, where women are respected, this is simply unheard of!

"Interesting." The empress suddenly laughed, "I want to see how Su Yue can make my prince willingly serve as his concubine."

When the imperial edict arrived at the Su Mansion, Liang Junze was teaching Yaoyao to trace red characters.

The little girl dipped the brush in too much ink, and the whole paper was smeared with it. She was giggling and rubbing it against her father's sleeve.

"The imperial edict has arrived—"

The sharp sound of the imperial decree startled the swallows flying from the eaves.

Su Yue hurried out to greet him. As soon as her knees touched the ground, she heard the eunuch read out: "...Promote Su Yue to the rank of fifth-rank Imperial Academy lecturer, and grant her marriage to the Seventh Prince, Zhou Ziqian. The wedding will take place on a chosen date..."

Su Yue didn't hear a single word of what was said afterwards.

She kowtowed mechanically to express her gratitude, and nearly fell down when she stood up, but was supported by Liang Junze.

The eunuch announcing the decree cast a meaningful glance at the seven men lined up behind her, then added with a smile, "His Majesty has orally decreed that the Seventh Prince will be given the same rank as Lord Ping after entering the palace. I hope Lord Su will...make proper arrangements for him."

As soon as the courtyard door closed, Su Yue collapsed to the ground.

The imperial edict slipped from her fingers and spread out over the three large gold-plated characters "Seventh Prince".

"Yuer..." Liang Junze wanted to help her, but was suddenly hugged.

Su Yue cried heartbreakingly, her tears soaking his lapel: "Aze... I promised... that you are my only master..."

Gu Qingyan kicked over the stone bench, startling the sparrows on the treetops and causing them to scatter.

Lin Yuxuan looked pale as he searched for the tranquilizing pills, but the bottle kept slipping from his trembling hands.

Even the calmest Shangguan Haomu crushed the teacup with his fists, not even noticing the porcelain shards cutting his palms.

"I'm going to find His Majesty." Shen Yunyan suddenly turned around, but was stopped by Mu Feng.

"Do you want Yue Er to lose her head?"

As the sun was setting in the west, there was a hurried knock on the door of the Su Mansion.

As soon as the gatehouse opened a crack, Zhou Ziqian slipped in - he was only wearing plain white clothes and didn't even wear the prince's jade pendant.

The air pressure in the main hall was terrifyingly low.

Su Yue's eyes were swollen like peaches. Liang Junze was applying a mask to her eyes. When he saw Zhou Ziqian come in, his fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Sister..." Zhou Ziqian's voice was hoarse, and he suddenly knelt down, "I'm sorry..."

The blue bricks were cold and hard. He knelt straight and banged his forehead heavily on the ground.

Su Yue jumped up in fright, but was held down by Liang Junze.

"Seventh Prince, are you going to bury our entire palace with you?" Gu Qingyan sneered, "Royal majesty..."

"I'm not here to show off!" Zhou Ziqian looked up, tears streaming down his face. "I know my sister doesn't want to marry me, but if I don't choose you..." His Adam's apple rolled. "The Queen Mother will give me to the daughter of the Left Prime Minister—her family is about to marry the Third Princess!"

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Everyone understood what this meant - the Seventh Prince would become a sacrifice in the game of power.

Liang Junze suddenly squatted down and looked Zhou Ziqian in the eye: "Your Highness, do you know what Pingjun means?" His voice was very soft, but every word was piercing. "Yuer wants to sleep and eat with you, to have children with you, to..."

"I don't want the throne of Pingjun!" Zhou Ziqian hurriedly grabbed his sleeve, "I can be a concubine, or... I can serve the emperor! As long as there is a status..." He turned to Su Yue, tears falling to the ground and splashing fine dust, "Sister, just treat me as... as an extra money basket for medicine in the mansion..."

Mu Feng's eyes suddenly turned red.

These words were as humble as they could be for the princes - after all, they knew best how desirable their wives were.

As a man, he understood Zhou Ziqian. As a member of the Su family, his position was unwavering and he only listened to Su Yue.

The candlelight crackled and sparkled. Su Yue finally spoke, her voice tired but firm: "Seventh Prince, please stand up first. The imperial decree has been issued. We...will make long-term plans."

Zhou Ziqian shook his head stubbornly: "Unless sister agrees to my three conditions."

Gu Qingyan raised his eyebrows: "Your Highness still dares to put forward conditions?"

"First, I live in the most remote courtyard; second, you don't have to treat me preferentially; third..." Zhou Ziqian bit his lip, "Sister, you don't have to consummate the marriage with me."

Liang Junze looked up suddenly.

This is not a condition at all, it is clearly crushing one's dignity into the ground.

"Nonsense!" Su Yue suddenly slammed the table and stood up, "You are a prince! If someone finds out..."

"Then wait until I die before making it public!" Zhou Ziqian laughed bitterly, "Anyway, the imperial physician said I won't live past the age of 23..." Before he finished speaking, a fishy-sweet taste suddenly surged in his throat. He hurriedly covered it with his sleeve, but a few drops still leaked onto his clothes.

Lin Yuxuan rushed over to take her pulse, his expression becoming increasingly grim: "Qi and blood are disordered, liver depression is turning into fire... Are you trying to kill yourself?"