Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1012 The Marriage is Settled

He Yinuo was very satisfied with the gold seeds and silver he had earned; his trip today had been very fruitful.

The thought of the gold ingot she had earned from Prince Kang made her smile.

Hmm, no wonder my mother and sister-in-law both love doing business; making money must feel so good!

The carriage first took Kang Pingzhi to the post station. After saying goodbye to everyone, Kang Pingzhi obtained He Jin'an's permission before walking to He Yanran's carriage and asking her to get out and say a few words.

"I am delighted to see you today. This is a jade pendant given to me by my grandmother. It has been with me for more than ten years. Now I am giving it to you, Princess. Please accept it."

He Yanran blushed: "Such a precious item, how could I..."

“If you don’t accept it, I will be sad.” Kang Pingzhi’s blunt words made He Yanran’s face turn even redder.

“I will naturally express my feelings, and I don’t want to leave any regrets. If the princess is also interested in me, please wait for me patiently. I will enter the palace as soon as possible to discuss our marriage and take you to see the snow in the north and the lakes in the mountains.”

He Yanran bit her lip: "We've only met twice, Your Highness... isn't this a bit too rushed?"

Kang Pingzhi smiled and said, "Some people are destined to be together forever at first sight. You may not believe it, but the moment I saw you, I had a feeling that you would be my wife."

"Orange, um..." A voice called out, and there was some movement from the carriage. The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw He Yinuo's head being quickly covered and hidden inside the carriage. An orange rolled from the side of the carriage all the way to their feet.

Kang Pingzhi picked up the orange, glanced at the carriage, and said, "Trust me, wait for me."

He Yanran was in a daze. Being confessed to so quickly felt somewhat unreal.

Inside He Jin'an's carriage, Hua Yurong was filled with excitement: "I thought I was already quite brave to get engaged in the street, but I didn't expect that Prince Kang would be just as bold. How could someone be so straightforward!"

He Jin'an patted her head: "What's the use of sweet words? Actions speak louder than words."

You must be sincere, offer sufficient dowry, and maintain a humble attitude; otherwise, how can you expect to get a wife?

On the other side, He Min stared at He Yanran with a silly grin: "Ahem... Some people are destined for love at first sight. The princess might not believe it, but the moment I saw you, I had a feeling that you would be my wife. Hahahaha..."

He Yanran quickly covered her mouth: "Stop talking, aren't you ashamed! Nuo'er is still here!"

He Yinuo cupped her hands around her heart, revealing dimples as she smiled: "If the princess is interested in me, then wait patiently for me. I will take you to see the snow in the north, and the lakes in the high mountains. Ahahahaha..."

He Yanran quickly covered her mouth again, her face already flushed and red: "Nuo'er, are you copying Min'er? Stop making fun of me!"

"Hmm... It's not impossible for my cousin to ask us to keep this a secret. Ten gold melon seeds each, as a confidentiality fee."

He Yinuo stretched out her chubby little hand, and He Min also stretched out her hand, looking just like two female bandits.

Helpless, He Yanran had no choice but to count out ten for each person as hush money.

Upon returning to the palace, He Yanran dared not linger and immediately took his leave, returning to Changchun Palace. He Min feigned an attack, then, not far from Changle Palace, detoured back and headed straight for the Empress's bedchamber. Sure enough, he saw He Yinuo already selling information, her chubby little hands clutching silver.

"Hmm? Third Sister, why... have you returned?"

He Min stepped forward and took Tao Yanyan's arm, saying coquettishly, "Mother, I'll only charge half price for my messages!"

He Yinuo: "..."

Fearing that the other would make money first, the two recounted everything they had seen and heard that day, without holding back a single word.

"Mother, Mother, in the end, Prince Kang said that Sister Yanran should trust him and wait for him. Ugh... I'm finally done talking, I'm so tired." He Yinuo patted her chest, gulped down a cup of tea, her throat was almost burning from talking so much.

Then, it stretched out its little paw and looked at Tao Yanyan expectantly. He Min also quickly stretched out her hand, with the same look of anticipation.

Tao Yan smiled and raised an eyebrow: "You didn't agree on a price before selling the information, and now that I know all the information... you still need to pay?"

He Yinuo: "..."

He Min: "..."

"Besides, I bet your sister Yanran has paid hush money. If she finds out that you two took her money and sold information, will she still embroider purses for you in the future? So you shouldn't ask your mother to pay you anymore, and your mother should pretend she didn't hear anything about it."

He Min and He Yinuo were both stunned. Could this really be done?

They didn't earn a single penny, and now they have to ask their mother to keep their secret from being leaked...

Kang Pingzhi acted quickly as well, discussing the betrothal gift list overnight. He revised it according to the highest standards of the Xia Kingdom, made a final copy, and sent it to the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.

He Linzhang summoned Prince Yong and his wife to the palace for a discussion, and the two dared not delay and immediately entered the palace.

In the imperial study, He Linzhang handed the list of betrothal gifts sent by the Xia Kingdom to Princess Yong: "I think the sincerity is quite sufficient. You are Yanran's parents, do you have any objections?"

Princess Yong had never paid much attention to He Yanran's marriage. After glancing over it quickly, she said, "I think it's quite good. The intention to marry is obvious. It's just that if Yanran marries far away to Xia Kingdom, there will be a lot of things to prepare, and it won't be done in a short time."

He Linzhang said, "Since it is a marriage alliance between two countries, I will have the Imperial Household Department make the arrangements for Yanran's marriage. The Princess Consort can just take a look."

Princess Yong was naturally happy to be a hands-off manager, so she accepted the offer.

"What about my brother? Does he have any ideas?"

Prince Yong raised his eyes: "Brother, you suddenly agreed to the marriage alliance. Has the situation on the border changed?"

He Linzhang shook his head: "You're overthinking it. The border is very stable now."

"If the marriage is not for the purpose of stabilizing the court, but purely out of appreciation for Prince Kang, then the Empress Dowager has no objection, and neither does your subject."

He Yanran's marriage was thus tentatively settled. Kang Pingzhi was very happy and soon exchanged birth charts with He Yanran, asking the Imperial Observatory to analyze their birth charts and determine their compatibility.

The news spread quickly throughout the palace. Upon hearing it, He Qian couldn't help but sneer: "She kept saying she wouldn't try to climb the social ladder by marrying the prince, but in the end, she still went through with the marriage negotiations. Humph, what was she pretending to be so high and mighty for?"

Seeing her personal maid Baochan tidying up her jewelry, He Qian rolled her eyes and said, "Take out two pieces that I don't usually like to wear and send them to Princess Yanran. Tell her that I'm congratulating her on her engagement and that she'll soon become the Crown Prince's wife."

The word "也" was pronounced very heavily.

Baochan picked out four items for He Qian to choose from. He Qian pointed and chose a jade hairpin and a gold hairpin. Both were extremely simple and elegant in style, and she had never worn them before.

When the gift was delivered to Changchun Palace, the eunuch who delivered it relayed the Fourth Princess's words verbatim. He Yanran narrowed her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, He Yanran said, "I appreciate your fourth princess's sentiments. Go back and tell her that I sincerely wish her and Prince Jing a long and happy marriage."

It would be best if they were locked together for all eternity, never to be separated, lest they bring harm to others.