Chapter 165 This Son Only Wants Liu Qingci

Chapter 165: I Only Want Liu Qingci, Father

When Xiao Yan said he wanted to ask for a reward, the Emperor had already braced himself.

As usual, his son never came to the palace without a purpose. It was rare for him to voluntarily come pay respects, or to sweetly drink tea and chat like today—nine times out of ten, he had his eye on something from the Emperor's private treasury.

After many such incidents, the Emperor had grown accustomed to it, even taking pleasure in it. If his son would ask him for things, it meant he didn't see him as an outsider.

He had even mentally gone over what rare tributes had recently entered the palace that this boy might have taken a fancy to.

But then...

"What did you say?!" The Emperor thought he must have misheard.

Could "getting married" be the name of some rare treasure he didn't know about?

"Your son wishes to marry, and has come to ask Your Majesty to grant a marriage decree."

Under the Emperor's stunned gaze, that always frivolous son repeated himself with a serious expression and a firm voice.

There was no mistake! He really wanted to get married!

"Marriage? Marriage is great! It's high time you got married... good, good..."

The Emperor was so overjoyed he was babbling in excitement.

God knows how long he had waited for this day!

This son of his, who caused him the most headaches yet also received the most favor, had been dissolute and unruly in the past, with no regard for gender, his life an utter mess.

Not only had he never married, but he had never even properly taken a concubine or appointed a secondary consort.

After all, whenever he fancied someone, he simply snatched them and stuffed them into his private courtyard, filling it with a jumble of men and women.

This matter made the Emperor, as his father, truly ashamed. Though he was the sovereign of a nation, he often wondered if he had failed to educate his son properly, causing him to turn into such a reckless figure.

He had thought he'd wait many more years, maybe even never live to hear his son voluntarily say the words "get married"!

He never would have guessed! Never! That today would bring such a surprise!

Could it be that after facing death, seeing through the ways of the world, he had finally decided to settle down?

Whatever the reason, this was a tremendous blessing! The return of the prodigal son! The Xiao ancestors are blessing us!

"Good! Good! Good!" The Emperor said "good" three times in a row, so excited he almost stood up and took a few steps. He grabbed Xiao Yan's hand and squeezed it firmly, "My little seventh has finally come to his senses! This is great news! The greatest news! Who do you want to marry? Which noble lady? Tell your father quickly! As long as she comes from a respectable family and is virtuous and dignified, I will immediately grant the marriage! No, no, I will personally arrange it for you—it must be held in grand style!"

He spoke rapidly, his face flushed with excitement, already envisioning the splendor of the wedding and already picking out a daughter-in-law.

He was even coming up with names for his grandchildren.

Xiao Yan stared blankly at his father, who seemed to have grown several years younger from sheer joy, and kindly urged, "Father, please don't get too excited..."

"I'm happy! This is worth getting excited about!" The Emperor wouldn't listen. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this day! Your mother's soul in heaven will be happy for me, happy for you!"

"Father, don't be too happy just yet..." Xiao Yan silently took a sip of tea.

"Speak quickly!" The Emperor was too happy to take in anything else. "Do you already have someone in mind?"

"Yes." Xiao Yan obediently poured another cup of tea for his ecstatic old father, acting very sweetly. "Whoever it is, Father will agree, won't you?"

"You little rascal, still beating around the bush!" The Emperor laughed and scolded, his mood unbelievably good. "What, afraid I won't agree? Go on, tell me!"

Xiao Yan set down his teacup, the porcelain making a crisp sound as it touched the sandalwood side table.

Then he stood up, faced the Emperor seated on his throne, and made a solemn and formal bow.

"Your son's heart is set on Liu Qingci, the Grand Scholar of the Hanlin Academy. I wish to marry him. I beg Your Majesty's permission."

The Emperor's laughter stopped abruptly.

He still held the freshly filled cup, the lid not even taken off, frozen in place like a mud statue suddenly frozen.

Liu Qingci.

Those words swirled in his mind again and again, making him dizzy.

Of course, he knew who Liu Qingci was.

The child of the Liu family, son of Liu Wenyuan, the young man who had stormed the Golden Throne Hall with troops a few days ago.

But his impression of that Liu child went back even further.

A year ago, during the palace examination, that young man knelt before the Golden Throne Hall with eyes brimming with undisguised youthful vigor. Even then, the Emperor had thought him exceptional—brilliant, composed, neither humble nor arrogant.

But then the Liu family suffered injustice. That child, a *tanhua* (third-place scholar) with a bright future, lost everything overnight.

The Emperor had always felt he owed Liu Wenyuan for the Liu family's injustice, and had always wanted to make amends.

And now his son... was openly declaring he wanted to marry Liu Wenyuan's son?!

The Emperor set down his teacup, more forcefully than usual, with a dull thud on the table.

"Absolutely not!"

"You can marry anyone you want, even if it's a man, I'd accept it. But Liu Qingci is out of the question!"

He rarely used such a stern tone with Xiao Yan, but after saying that, he sighed and added:

"Little Seven, don't put your father in a difficult position over this."

Liu Wenyuan had served him faithfully for over twenty years. The injustice and exile Liu Wenyuan had suffered were already a debt the Emperor owed the Liu family.

Now, he couldn't, under any circumstances, push the man's only son into disaster!

Indeed, though the Emperor had a blind spot for his own son, believing Xiao Yan worthy of anyone, once he calmed down, he was well aware that his son was a huge fire pit.

Xiao Yan had expected the Emperor to refuse. In fact, the reaction was better than he'd hoped.

"Even if it's a man, I'd accept it"? Those words had actually been said. Such doting! Such open-mindedness!

"Pick someone else. Pick several others. I'll make them all your secondary consorts," the Emperor said. "Anyone except Liu Qingci."

"No. Your son wants no one else, nor any secondary consorts."

Xiao Yan refused decisively, nearly infuriated the emperor to death.

He said, "Your son only wants Liu Qingci and no one else."

The emperor glanced at Xiao Yan and suddenly felt a wave of emotion.

This son of his, though outrageous, had good taste; he knew how to pick people.

But on this matter, he would not back down no matter what; this was the assurance he had given the Liu family.

"Xiao Qi, Liu Qingci has finally turned the corner after all his hardships, and now he has an official position at court. Just let him go, alright?"

"That child of the Liu family is the finest young man I have ever seen. I do not want him to suffer any injustice."

Upon hearing these words, Xiao Yan was not angered; instead, he laughed.

The emperor was utterly puzzled: "What are you laughing at?"

Xiao Yan said, "I just want to thank Your Majesty for being so considerate of Qingci."

The emperor: "..."

Why do these words sound so strange?

"Father, I know that you admire Qingci and cannot bear to see him wronged, but please don't rush to refuse me. How about... you first ask Qingci what he thinks?"

Xiao Yan was calm and patient, offering advice to the emperor: "What if he also agrees? Would Your Majesty still oppose it?"

The emperor squinted, lost in thought, and then suddenly understood.

He slapped his son, whom he had never struck before, and roared in anger, "You unfilial son! Did you force him?! Huh?!"