Long Xiang was feeling delighted by how he finally found a way to defuse the situation. This should be able to appease your Ling Family, right? I have just given you my beloved daughter, how much of an honor is this! Long Xiang was extremely confident in his heart, and thus, his tone was filled with confidence when he asked Old Madam Ling.
Such good fortune was something that the many government officials would not even dare to dream about! Why would the Ling Family reject it? Furthermore, wasn't it a great honor for the Emperor to personally appoint a marriage? Even on account of the Emperor's face, all of them should definitely thank him joyfully.
As Long Xiang said that, everyone in the room was startled with Yang Xue's face changing completely. The reason why she dared to take the risk was that she was certain that the Emperor would definitely consider the bigger picture and not deal with her at this moment. As time passed, she would definitely be able to reduce this problem to nothing with the help of her Yang Family! At the very most, she would just have to give some compensation to the Ling Family. But at that time, she would have already stabilized her position in the palace! She was completely unbothered by how Ling Tian and Old Madam Ling were so overbearing. She was certain that the Emperor would definitely help her to clean up the mess. The only thing that she never expected was that the Emperor would actually rope in the Ling Family to clean up this mess! If Princess JiaoYue were to be married to Ling Tian, Ling Ran's position would definitely be elevated. As long as Ling Ran was able to give birth to a prince, and if he were to be made the crown prince, the Ling Family would definitely remain loyal and fully support the imperial family. At that time, she and the Yang Family will be…
As for Princess JiaoYue, who was secretly looking at Ling Tian, she felt a bomb go off in her head as she almost instinctively wanted to reject her father. However, for some odd reason, she began to feel a sense of joy as she looked at Ling Tian's back. Her eyes looked confused as her heart was a complete mess, not knowing what she was thinking about. She also did not know if she was happy or worried, as she thought about the wide chest, firm arms and dense charisma…
Ling Tian's face changed as well. While he did have a good impression towards Princess JiaoYue, that was only limited to that of a brotherly love. Furthermore, Ling Tian came from the 21st century and he was extremely repulsed by the idea of marrying his cousin. He never imagined that Long Xiang would actually come up with such a lousy idea to appease the rage of the Ling Family.
As Old Madam Ling and Chu Ting'er looked at each other, they could see the look of difficulty in each other's eyes. While Ling Tian's marriage to Princess JiaoYue could be considered a wonderful thing, their Ling Family was in a tight situation currently. But now that Long Xiang mentioned this personally, just what should they do?
The atmosphere in the bedroom became quiet as Princess JiaoYue detected the odd atmosphere. She then could not help but feel her heart turn cold as she felt a sense of self-pity in her heart, Just what was I thinking about? How embarrassing! Don't tell me I have already…
Long Xiang also felt that something was wrong and the smile on his face disappeared slowly. Then, he asked calmly, "Old Madam?"
Old Madam Ling let out a dry cough as she said unnaturally, "Your Majesty doesn't know, before Ling Tian was even born, he already had a marriage agreement with the little Miss of the Xiao Family. While the marriage was already canceled, the Xiao Family actually sent the Miss Xiao to Sky Bearing personally. Both our families also have the intention to restore the marriage. This…"
Long Xiang then interrupted her and laughed, "What a joke, how can the marriage of our children be treated as a game? I have heard that both the Ling and Xiao Family had already canceled the marriage. Even if both the families want to restore the marriage, we have proposed this first. Besides, it is normal for a man to have a few wives. Let that lass from the Xiao Family be Tian'er's wife of equal status as well. That would also be an acceptable solution. I believe that the Xiao Family won't be too unreasonable! I originally thought that Tian'er's marriage was a difficult matter, why does it seem that he is suddenly so lovable?!"
Long Xiang also cannot be blamed for having his suspicions. After all, Ling Tian's reputation was just far too terrible. Every year, Chu Ting'er would lose a great deal of face because of Ling Tian's marriage situation and this was nothing new!
Chu Ting'er then took a step forward and smiled, "Ever since she was young, I have always loved Princess JiaoYue. Even if Your Majesty never mentioned the possibility of marriage, I have thought about this before. While it is a wonderful matter for the both of them to get married, there could be other difficulties that may cause grievances to Princess JiaoYue."
Long Xiang then asked, "What difficulty? Is it the problem of being wives of equal status? JiaoYue is definitely not someone petty and she will definitely not be displeased about having another sister of the same status!"
Noticing Long Xiang's misunderstanding, Chu Ting'er said helplessly, "Originally, I have always been worried about my son's marriage and the matters with regards to the Xiao Family had already frustrated me greatly. But recently, for some odd reason, the little Miss of the Yu Family also seems to be in love with Tian'er. Now, she is staying in the Ling residence. Furthermore, even the daughter of Minister Wei also seems to be interested in Tian'er and stays at the Ling residence rather often. This…"
Long Xiang's face changed as a wary look could be seen on his face. It seems that the power of the Ling Family was extraordinary indeed! Not only do they have the 'God of War' and the 'Goddess of Fortune', apart from being close to the Wang Family, they are also close to the Wei Family! Their external support is even more fantastic, with the aid of the number one financial magnate, the Xiao Family, and the publicly acknowledged number one martial family, the Yu Family! Just when did the Ling Family develop to such a frightening extent? As the number one silkpants in Sky Bearing, just how did Ling Tian attract the hearts of so many ladies?!
However, the might of the Yang Family can no longer be compared to before. It seems that even if I were to verify the crimes of the Empress, I cannot deal with her! Without the Empress as backing, the Yang Family will definitely be affected as well. If that's the case, there won't be any force capable of dealing with the Ling Family! Wouldn't my imperial family be in grave danger?
It seems that this marriage is absolutely necessary! As long as Princess JiaoYue can become Ling Tian's wife, the Xiao and Yu Family will definitely fall out with the Ling Family! After all, both of those ladies are the elites of a Great Family. Without the status of a princess, their status will definitely be lesser than JiaoYue if they were to be married to Ling Tian! What family would want to let their daughter lower their heads as such? If that's the case, the strength of the Ling Family can definitely be reduced greatly! This is akin to killing many birds with a single stone!
Thinking about this, Long Xiang's face turned serious as he said with annoyance, "What is this? Our daughter can't be compared to the daughter of a Great Family or merchant family? Old Madam Ling, we have made a decision. The matter shall be settled as such! Men!"
A eunuch then walked in and Long Xiang raised his hand to stop Old Madam Ling from saying anything. He then commanded, "Pass on our decree. Princess JiaoYue is of age, and she is a virtuous and warm individual. She will be betrothed to Ling Tian, son of General Ling Zhan! Draft up an imperial decree for us immediately! Besides that, the title of third rank Earl will be conferred upon Ling Tian. Announce this to the world!
What a big wedding gift! While the Ling Family was a special existence in Sky Bearing, only Ling Zhan was a Duke. As for Ling Xiao, he was only a general and didn't have any title of nobility. Only until he made great contributions to the empire from the great victory over Western Han did he have the title of a second rank 'Loyal Marquis'. While Ling Tian did have a nobility title of 'Cloud Raising Knight', this 'Cloud Raising Knight' title was just an insignificant title which didn't make it into the Five Ranks of Nobility. By being conferred the title of a third rank Earl, he jumped past the ranks of Viscount and Baron completely. Furthermore, an Earl is already considered to be a high official. Even though the title did not give him any authority, it gave him great glory. Without doing anything, Ling Tian obtained the title of 'Honest Earl'. This wedding gift was extraordinarily huge!
"Yes, Your Majesty." Seeing the eunuch leave with his orders, the three from the Ling Family were dumbfounded.
Now that things had developed to such an extent, rejecting the Emperor would be akin to going against an imperial decree! Helpless, Old Madam Ling could only thank the Emperor for his kindness.
Laughing out in good mood, Long Xiang said, "Rest assured, the affairs of the marriage aside, we will definitely catch the culprit! The moment we catch the two sadistic criminals, we will definitely interrogate them. After finding the person behind this whole plot, we will definitely give the Ling Family an answer!" Long Xiang already made the decision in his heart. He must definitely give a secret order to kill the both of them and not leave them alive! He must definitely ensure that the Ling Family would not think about seeking revenge on the Yang Family!
"This old lady thanks Your Majesty on behalf of the Ling Family!" Old Madam Ling lifted her head up with a look of helplessness, "Your Majesty, this old lady doesn't want to be long-winded. However, I have to say this again. There is definitely someone behind this matter. While we are unable to get to the bottom of it now, we won't know if something like this will happen again. Who knows if there will be another Little Chrysanthemum by Consort Ling Ran's side? Consort Ling Ran is this old lady's only daughter and she is currently pregnant. Thus, this old lady just couldn't be at ease if Consort Ling Ran continues to stay in the palace. After this incident, Consort Ling Ran's body is extremely weak and can't afford anything to go wrong! As such, I hope to bring Consort Ling Ran back to the Ling Family to recuperate so that we can take good care of her! What does Your Majesty think about that?"