It was clear that the Eighth Princess wanted to torture Liu Zhenqing.

“I am unjustly accused, ah, Your Highness!” At once, Liu Zhenqing wailed melodiously, his voice of unjustness crying out like falling snow in summer. Those who didn’t know would think that someone was weeping blood and crying out against injustice in front of the magistrate’s office, which gave people goosebumps.

The Eighth Princess was offended by this sound, and shouted angrily, “What injustice?”

“Your Highness, you have really misunderstood. What this lowly one said was for you!”

Liu Zhenqing’s statement immediately confused everyone. The Eighth Princess was also confused. “What did you say? For me?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded with conviction. “Your Highness, after this lowly one lost his memory, he was quite confused about the fact that he liked General Huo. After hearing a lot of stories about General Huo’s heroic deeds and admiring him, this lowly one felt it strange. How could such a perfect man as General Huo not be married yet?”

These words immediately drew everyone’s attention, and even the Eighth Princess couldn’t help but ask herself, why is that?

“Later, I thought, how many outstanding people in the Great Zhou Dynasty could be worthy of him?”

The Eighth Princess’s eyes suddenly sharpened.

“After thinking about it carefully, I felt that General Huo must be the only one suitable for Your Highness, ah! This lowly one asked around for a while, and heard many romantic rumors about the general and Your Highness. They’ve known each other since childhood, ah, they’ve exchanged gifts, ah, they’re a matched hero and beauty. Doesn’t this mean that they are connected by the red string of fate? How could it be anyone else?”

Hearing this, the Eighth Princess immediately raised her head with pride.

“My original intention was to say that if everyone in the world wants to choose the best partner, it must be General Huo, but General Huo must also choose the best. That must be Your Highness, so I was speaking for the princess. If the princess wishes to marry, she should not marry anyone else but General Huo. This is a match made in heaven between a talent and a beauty. If the two didn’t match each other perfectly, then how could there be a golden couple in this world who can spread their wings together, ah!”

This passage immediately coaxed the Eighth Princess to the point of trembling. She loved to hear people say that she and General Huo were a couple.

The others were also successfully deceived. Even the young man in white looked at Liu Zhenqing in astonishment.

Rong Shiming took in this scene and immediately became anxious: “Liu Xiaozhu, you are just deceiving the princess. Do you think this flattery will save you? Your Highness, please don’t be fooled by this wretch’s sweet words!”

Without giving the Eighth Princess time to react, Liu Zhenqing said: “Everyone knows that I dined with General Huo afterward on that day.”

The Eighth Princess grew angry at once. It was because she heard about this incident that she wanted to quickly eliminate this love rival. After all, she had never heard of Huo Fenglie getting close to any of his admirers.

Others could no longer wrap their minds around this. After all, Liu Zhenqing mentioning this matter had reversed his good situation, which was simply an incomprehensible move, and they feared that this might make the princess’s punishment more severe.

Liu Zhenqing continued with a smile: “And I finally discovered why the general hasn’t married yet.”

This sudden clap of thunder shocked everyone present, and they immediately pricked up their ears.

The Eighth Princess quickly asked: “You know?!”

Liu Zhenqing said: “Although nothing was said about it at the dinner table, the conversation caused this lowly one to have a guess. I think that General Huo should like the princess.”

“What!” The Eighth Princess stood and asked excitedly.

The others listening to this gossip were already holding their breath. Dare they say that these words were too fantastical? The young man in white was also stunned. Was this man talking about his good brother?

But at this time, Liu Zhenqing seemed to be a veteran gossiper, and said in a very certain tone: “I believe this is the case. Princess, please listen to my analysis.”

“Speak, speak quickly!”

“General Huo is now twenty-six years old. If he had a person he likes, he would have married long ago, unless the person he likes is not someone whom he can marry easily!”

The Eighth Princess couldn’t wait for him to say that she could very easily take General Huo home! “This…..who in this world is he unable to marry?”

“Of course, he is a person who is extremely noble at heart. General Huo is reticent and reserved, but he also has the important duty of defending the country. The border was not stable before, and General Huo feared that rushing to the battlefield from time to time would delay Your Highness. What’s more, Your Highness is still young, so how dare he promise a lifetime! Your Highness, think about it, you are the only princess of this generation in the whole Great Zhou Dynasty, ah! Other than you, who could make him think twice, cherishing and hesitating?”

The Eighth Princess was dazed. It was…..like this? That was why he treated her coldly? But didn’t something seem to be wrong?

The others were even more confused. They seemed to have heard that only the princess was interested in the general, not that the general was interested in her……could it be that they couldn’t see beyond the surface?

“And if Your Highness thinks about it again, there are still the elders in the Huo family. Can they allow him to remain single like this? Why has there never been any news about them finding the general a wife? Is it that they know the general has someone he wishes to marry? If it was an ordinary woman, even if the general wanted to marry her later, why would the elders not find concubines for the general early on to let them spread leaves and branches as soon as possible? As far as I know, there is no one, male or female, in the general’s harem.”

Everyone: How the hell do you know?!

The young master in white: He actually knows!!

“Isn’t this because they also know that the general will marry the princess? As your consort, no one else can taint the general before he marries you, so even the elders do not dare to find someone else for the general! This is irrefutable proof!”

After Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he let out a long sigh and appeared slightly sad. “Other than the general wanting to marry the princess, this lowly one really can’t think of any reason why the general has remained single until the advanced age of twenty-six without ever getting engaged. Thus, after that meal, I told the general that I was willing to give up. I originally planned to leave the capital yesterday, but ended up staying due to the First Princess’s invitation.”

There were exclamation marks over everyone’s heads. Could this be the truth?! Some couldn’t help but look to the young man in white for answers. Even the First Princess and Rong Shiming had to admit that this young man’s analysis made sense! Looking at the Eighth Princess again, her eyes were moist.

“No wonder it was no use for talented and beautiful women to express their interest in General Huo!”

“Right, ah, there are ministers who wanted to propose marriages to him, but he never responded.”

“I’ve never heard of the general liking anyone.”

“With a sister-in-law who is a medical fairy taking care of the house, there will be no problem of hidden diseases.”

“This seems to be the most likely possibility.”

“Right, ah, he’s already twenty-six!”

Everyone was chattering about it. The Eighth Princess was stunned for a while, and said with a stuffy nose: “But the outside world has been stabilized now, and he can’t delay his life-long events because of this. Why……”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head regretfully and said: “Your Highness, you have forgotten that General Huo has just returned from hunting down foreign spies, and then there was the assassination at the spring plowing festival. He was too busy. When I looked at the general’s face that day…..I guessed that it would not be long until the general proposed marriage.”

Everyone: You can read faces! This boast is a bit exaggerated.

But the Eighth Princess just ate it up, and blushed after being told this by Liu Zhenqing.

“Is everything you’ve said true?” The Eighth Princess was no longer as arrogant and domineering as before, but was only a young girl in love.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “If he can even disregard Your Highness, who else can he look upon? Me? Impossible, ba. Therefore, General Huo must secretly like…..”

“Like who?”

Suddenly, a cold voice filled the air like invisible frost falling on everyone’s shoulders, stealing their breath for a moment.

Liu Zhenqing’s back stiffened, and the mood he had just brewed immediately dropped to the freezing point. He turned his head stiffly and looked at the person walking slowly from the entrance, his throat going dry.

Didn’t they say that he wouldn’t come?

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Chapter Seventeen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nineteen