The Emperor had not expected that Old Fox Lai Taihong would make such a direct request in front of all the civil and military officials. The marriage date for the Crown Prince and Leng Yu Yan was set, which had already been a tremendous honor for the Prince Zhenbei Mansion. That Old Fox didn’t even bother to ask whether he was willing to grant Ye Jiu to Li Yuyue; straight away, he spoke of setting a wedding date. Lai Taihong spoke again, "Emperor, my eldest grandson is already twenty-three years old, not young anymore. This old subject truly wishes to embrace a great-grandchild soon. But this grandson of mine doesn’t take a fancy to any of the girls around him. There are quite a few in Beilan City who like him, but the moment we talk about looking for a match, he gets a headache." This remark was quite amusing, causing the assembly of ministers to laugh out loud. Seeing the reaction, the severity on the Emperor’s face softened, and he too chuckled. But as he chuckled, his smile grew stiff. Wasn’t this Old Fox insinuating that Ye Jiu was getting old? He knew that even if a man was unmarried at thirty, as long as his family background was superior, why worry about not having a wife? The hand he had resting under the imperial case began to count on his fingers; how old was Ye Jiu? He remembered that Ye Jiu was born the same year as Ah Shi. Their birthdays were close. Ah Shi had been married off for four years now, having gone to Beiliang in her fifteenth year. By such calculation, these two daughters of his were both nineteen already. Indeed, Ye Jiu was quite the old maid. Even so, she was his daughter. A daughter of the Emperor, with no worry about finding a marriage match! Seeing that the old man seemed reluctant for Ye Jiu to marry Li Yuyue, who happened to be at the military camp in the suburbs today, Li Yuyue did not attend the morning court unless there was something urgent. Therefore, Ye Yiheng took the initiative to say, "Father Emperor, Ye Jiu has always admired Heir Lai, and Heir Lai had previously asked Father Emperor for Ye Jiu’s hand in marriage. Why not grant them this favor?" With this statement, the matter of Li Yuyue’s public proposal was clearly pointed out. Although the Emperor had not agreed directly at that time, to others, it seemed no different than having agreed. And the Beiliang Envoy had been present at the time. The Emperor lowered his eyes in contemplation, and then decided to agree. However, with this arrangement, a double alliance through marriage between Prince Zhenbei Mansion and the Tian Family would definitely give Prince Zhenbei Mansion enormous prestige. To a certain extent, he truly couldn’t easily eradicate Prince Zhenbei Mansion anymore. It was just a daughter after all. He had many more unmarried daughters, enough for future political marriages and to draw in powerful officials. It wouldn’t matter without Ye Jiu. Even if Ye Jiu had once saved his life, that was her duty as a daughter. With that thought, the Emperor declared, "Ye Jiu and the Heir of Prince Zhenbei have deep affections for each other. I hereby grant them marriage and will take this opportunity to set the wedding date as well." "Thank you, Emperor!" Lai Taihong bowed, "This old subject has a request. Li Yuyue is my eldest grandson, and I wish for him to marry soon. May I ask if it is possible?" The Emperor thought to himself, he had agreed already; as for the wedding date, whatever. Dragging out Ye Jiu’s wedding served no purpose. Unlike for the Crown Prince, where some effect could be sought, Ye Jiu was just a Princess in the end. It would fulfill her wish to marry Li Yuyue. The Emperor waved his hand toward the Qintian Bureau, "Choose a date for the Ninth Princess and Heir Lai." The Minister of the Qintian Bureau nodded, checked Ye Jiu and Li Yuyue’s birth dates, and then said, "The fifteenth of this month is a very good day! A wedding on this day, combined with their birth charts, shows that the Ninth Princess and Heir Lai will have a long line of descendants and much happiness." "Good!" The Emperor laughed heartily. Lai Taihong and Lai Ran father and son expressed their gratitude. The ministers shouted in unison, "Congratulations Emperor, congratulations Crown Prince, congratulations Old Prince Zhenbei, congratulations Prince Zhenbei!" After court was adjourned, the ministers departed from Xiande Hall in groups of three or two. Ye Yiheng was helped out by Song Guo. His hearing was exceptional, allowing him to effortlessly pick up on some of the ministers’ discussions about him— "Did you notice that when the Qintian Bureau chose two dates, the one for the Crown Prince and Princess Beilan was only said to be the most suitable? Yet, for the Ninth Princess and Heir Lai, the official said there would be a long line of descendants and much happiness." "Different statements have been made, and besides, the condition of the Crown Prince’s body... is a matter of fact!" "The Emperor’s smile just now was rather meaningful!" "Isn’t it? The Emperor’s attitude towards the Empress..." The speaker paused, "and the past relationship between King Yong and the Empress..." At once, someone lowered their voice to urge, "Be cautious with your words, be cautious!" Hearing these remarks, Ye Yiheng’s lips curled with sarcasm. Father Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and King Yong... The intricate relations among them could well be the main reason Father Emperor is so keen to have him killed. As soon as he left the palace gates, Lai Ran instructed his trusted aide by his side, "Go to the military camp and ask the Princely Heir to return home." The trusted aide acknowledged the order and left immediately. Afterwards, Ye Yiheng followed Lai Taihong and Lai Ran back to the Prince Zhenbei Mansion. Leng Yu Yan was strolling in the mansion with Ye Jiu, the two of them unknowingly moved from the back garden to the front courtyard. Passing by the main hall, Leng Yu Yan spotted someone talking with her grandfather and Father King, so she stepped into the main hall. She pursed her lips as she glanced at Ye Yiheng, seeing his stern face, then shifted her gaze to her grandfather and Father King. Yet, observing the solemn expressions on both her Father King and grandfather’s faces, Leng Yu Yan couldn’t help but wonder if the Emperor had not set a wedding date? Or perhaps, was the Emperor considering retracting his decree of marriage? Taking a deep breath, she still, somewhat circuitously, posed the question, "Has something happened?" Lai Ran laughed, "The wedding date has been set!" Ye Jiu asked excitedly, "On which day?" Lai Ran looked at Lai Taihong, "Father, please tell us!" Lai Taihong said with a smile, "The wedding date for the Crown Prince and Yan’er is on the second day of the fifth lunar month, and for the Ninth Princess and Ye’er, it is on the fifteenth of this month." "Ah?" Ye Jiu covered her mouth in surprise, "My wedding date with the Princely Heir is also set?" She truly couldn’t believe her ears. The Father Emperor had not yet decreed her marriage, and yet, with Grandfather Leng’s involvement today, her wedding date with the Princely Heir had been decided! Lai Taihong nodded, "All auspicious days!" Lai Ran spoke up, "According to the Emperor’s wishes, it’s time for the Ninth Princess to return to the palace to make the necessary preparations." "Of course!" Ye Jiu said happily. Getting married, it was indeed time to return to the palace to properly prepare. There were plenty of treasures in Xingning Palace, and she was going to move them all out of the palace. Ye Shi was still in the palace, and by the time she’d show her up during her own wedding! Suddenly, Ye Jiu laughed, "Ah Yan, remember what we talked about earlier? Whoever gets married first will be the sister-in-law." Leng Yu Yan covered her mouth and laughed in response, "Yes, my dear sister-in-law!" At that moment, Li Yuyue came rushing back to the mansion. Seeing him return, Ye Jiu ran excitedly towards him and jumped into his arms, hugging his neck, "Princely Heir, our wedding date is set!" Li Yuyue’s handsome face blushed at her overly enthusiastic gesture, and he patted Ye Jiu’s back embarrassingly, "Get down and let’s talk properly." Ye Jiu giggled and said to Lai Taihong and Lai Ran, "Grandfather and Father King won’t mind, right?" Ninth Princess quickly changed how she addressed them; Lai Taihong and Lai Ran were momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter, "We don’t mind at all!" Lai Taihong laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening, "But the gift for changing your address to us will only be given on the wedding day." Ye Jiu continued to laugh, "When the gift for changing address is given, I don’t mind." In contrast to the laughter and joy shared between grandfather, Father King, elder brother, and Ah Ju, Ye Yiheng remained distant and impassive. Leng Yu Yan walked over to him and asked quietly, "Your Highness, is there something that displeases you?"