I Fancy Prince Xiao

The night was quickly coming to an end yet the atmosphere was still lively. There was laughter and smiles on many faces except for two people who had been feeling nervous all night…Consort Yao and Jie You. Consort Yao was sitting too far away from the emperor and she could not find a time to talk to him about Jie You. For the first time tonight, she looked Da Ying's way and Da Ying looked back at her and smiled. She hated that stupid smile on Da Ying's face, if she could rip that woman to pieces, she would. Sadly, there was no time to think about that, the pressure was all on her. The emperor himself was trying to find a chance to bring up the topic of marriage to Prince Xiao all night.

Time was ticking; the emperor finally just spoke his thoughts bluntly. "Has Prince Xiao enjoyed his time this evening so far?"

"It has been a very fun time, thanks to your majesty,"

"I see that you have met my daughter Princess Da Ying earlier this evening."

"We coincidently ran into each other,"

"How do you feel about my daughter?"

"Princess Da Ying is virtuous and beautiful, worthy of her name," he looked towards Da Ying and smiled. Da Ying upon hearing his compliment, smiled back at him.

"Hahaha…Good! I will say it bluntly then, I am very happy that Northern Liang and Southern Han are finally uniting through this marriage. As the emperor, I have thought hard about this marriage. My daughter, Da Ying is still young but is virtuous and has a heart for the people. Princess Da Ying would be the most suitable bride for Prince Xiao. What does Prince Xiao think?" he asked. Xiao Yuan stayed silent for a moment as he looked across the room, staring at the smiling Da Ying.

Consort Yao on the other hand was sweating. She had been gripping tightly onto her handkerchief this whole time. "Your majesty…" Consort Yao sweetly called out to him. "What is it, Consort Yao?"

"I would like to speak on behalf of my daughter Princess Jie You. Prince Xiao is a multi-talented man with hundreds of merits worthy of his name. He is someone that Jie You has fancied for a long time. If Prince Xiao does not mind, even though my daughter is young and naïve, she will mature into a fine woman in the future. Why don't we hear Prince Xiao's opinion? Surely there is someone here you fancy," Consort Yao smiled at Prince Xiao.

"I am flattered by Consort Yao's words," Xiao Yuan smiled at her. Both Xiao Yuan and the Emperor were surprised by the sudden words. He then turned toward his daughter in the crowd, "Is this true, Jie You?" Jie You who had not dared to look up him bit her lips and summoned all her courage to stand up. She felt as if her stomach was twisting itself, as if she could throw up any moment now. "Father, I…I…." Jie You looked at her mother, who gave her a stern glare. "I have long heard of Prince Xiao's merits and bravery on the battlefield. I have long fancied Prince Xiao," she felt her soul leave her body.

"Hahaha…if you had liked Prince Xiao since long, you shouldn't have kept it in your heart," the emperor let out a jolly laugh. Everyone else in the room also let out a cheerful laugh when they realized what had happened, this marriage was fated. The emperor turned to Prince Xiao, "It seems that my daughter has had hidden feelings for Prince Xiao for a long time now. I won't get in both your way…but what about my daughter Da Ying," The emperor would have been happy with this turnout if he hadn't suggested Da Ying to begin with. If Prince Xiao really chose Jie You, then how was Da Ying supposed to face the public after this? "Replying to your majesty, both Da Ying and Jie You are virtuous, upright and elegant, I dare not offend anyone of them," Xiao Yuan was also not sure how to respond to this sudden outburst from Jie You.

When Da Ying suddenly got up, no one knew what to expect. They didn't know if she would be unwilling to let him go and also declare her feelings to him or the opposite. "Father, it is well known that Prince Xiao is in love with my sister Jie You. And now that she has confessed her fancy for him, I dare not break the two apart,"

"Hahaha, Ying'er, you have always been able to see the bigger picture. Good, good, then it's settled," the emperor joyfully spoke, thankful that his oldest daughter was sensible enough to see the bigger picture. "To end the night, everyone go enjoy the fireworks inside the imperial garden," the emperor said, dismissing everyone.