Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I went to visit Cao Mingyu on behalf of my Mother Empress.

She had injured her leg and was lying in bed. Though she was ill, her expression was strikingly radiant, looking very much like a woman who had fallen in love.

I suppressed the sense of absurdity in my heart and asked her a few questions about what happened at the paddock.

Cao Mingyu’s choice of words was perfectly respectful. Every sentence claimed she simply hadn’t looked after Li Chun well enough, yet the disappointment in her voice was impossible to hide.

I pieced together the truth: Li Chun’s horsemanship was poor, yet he was eager to show off. Ignoring Cao Mingyu’s warnings, he had recklessly charged into a restricted military zone, resulting in his horse’s hooves getting stuck in a training pit…

To prevent Li Chun from getting hurt, Cao Mingyu had decisively pulled him onto her own horse.

Instead, she lost her balance and fell. One of her feet became entangled in the stirrup, and just as she was about to be trampled by the panicked horse, General Cheng came galloping in. With a single stroke of his sword, he cut the stirrup and rescued her from beneath the hooves.

At the end of her recount, she smiled from the bottom of her heart. “It was all thanks to General Cheng.”

This time, the admiration and joy in her voice were completely undisguised.

Thinking of Cheng Su holding her while on horseback, I felt a strange, inexplicable discomfort.

However, national affairs were the priority; romantic entanglements could be set aside for now.

I said approvingly, “Indeed, it is thanks to General Cheng, and thanks to you for saving the First Prince. If you have any requests, feel free to speak them. This Princess will certainly see them fulfilled for you.”

I had made up my mind: if Cao Mingyu dared to say she wanted to marry Li Chun, I would stake my life on making it happen for her.

As it happened, Cao Mingyu was interested in the wealth and status of the imperial family, and Li Chun didn’t seem entirely stupid; he knew to use Cao Shun’s influence to consolidate his own position.

Doing this, I figured, wouldn’t bring down divine retribution upon me.

Cao Mingyu clearly understood my meaning.

A look of contemplation crossed her face, but she soon looked up, her bright eyes shimmering.

“Your Highness, may I ask if General Cheng is betrothed? Mingyu has lost her heart to General Cheng. I wonder if Your Highness could help act as a matchmaker?”

“It is true that I once favored the First Prince, but as you said, one must choose what is suitable for oneself.”

“The incident at the paddock made me realize that while the First Prince is wonderful, he is not a suitable match for me.”

“I come from the frontier and only love riding horses and wielding blades. What the First Prince needs is a dignified and decorous Empress. I know I cannot be that, and I do not wish to hinder him.”

“But General Cheng is a young hero and a fellow military officer. I believe he is a perfect match. I beg Your Highness to grant my wish and help me.”

I looked at her, feeling as if a fishbone were stuck in my throat.

What did they say about bringing trouble upon oneself?

I had told her to choose suitable clothes, and she had extended that to needing to choose a suitable man.

Her logic wasn’t wrong. Li Chun was a useless, gold-plated embroidered pillow. If she liked gold-plated embroidered pillows, that would have been fine.

But she didn’t like them. Instead, she had used her keen eyes to pick out Cheng Su.

But Cheng Su…

It was one thing for me not to marry Cheng Su, but to ask me to arrange a marriage for him? That was absolutely out of the question.

I said calmly, “Is this your wish, or your father’s?”

The color slowly drained from Cao Mingyu’s face, which had been flushed with excitement. She opened her mouth, looking somewhat embarrassed and dejected.

I nodded. “It seems you are acting on your own.”

“I can decide for myself,” Cao Mingyu said, a hint of determination in her voice.

I looked at her with a new level of respect, though I didn’t know what to say to her.

Was Cheng Su really that good?

Good enough that she would defy her father’s will and even go against her family’s interests?

Or could it be that Cao Shun truly allowed Cao Mingyu to do whatever she pleased?

If it was the latter, I could even less afford to let Cao Mingyu slip through my fingers.

I said indifferently, “I understand your feelings. However, there are two things I must tell you.”

“Having just arrived in Shangjing, you must have heard that my Father Emperor and Mother Empress once intended to choose Cheng Su as my Prince Consort, but I refused.”

“This Princess once had Cheng Su’s fortune told, and it was predicted that he is destined for an early death.”

“Therefore, I will not marry him, nor will I allow any of my sisters to marry him. That is the first point.”

“Secondly, you think that because you and Cheng Su both love riding and both come from military Aristocratic Families, you will be able to talk about everything under the sun.”

“But matters of fate cannot be forced. Do you know what kind of woman Cheng Su likes? Though he is a general, he grew up in the capital. How do you know for certain that he likes women like you?”

Cao Mingyu was stunned, a flicker of hesitation appearing amidst her disbelief.

“He is destined for an early death? How is that possible?”

I shook my head and said no more. If I said too much, she would think I was intentionally sabotaging her.

I said coolly, “You should rest. As for marriage, I hope you consider it carefully. Choosing a husband is not like choosing clothes. If the clothes are wrong, you can change them. If the husband is wrong, there is no way to change him.”

These words were meant for Cao Mingyu, but they were also meant for myself.

Cheng Su was fine and well, but only if he lived could he truly be considered good.