His Highness Prince Yan actually proposed to Princess Mu Ci!
This news had the entire capital in shock.
Prince Yan and Princess Mu Ci? They were as different as chalk and cheese.
Furthermore, everyone knew that Prince Yan detested the tearful, delicate noble ladies of the capital!
He fought battles on the front lines and found such weepy noblewomen utterly repulsive.
How could he propose to Princess Mu Ci? There had to be a conspiracy!
...
In the capital, the parents and elder brother of the Mu family all had the same reaction upon hearing this news. They were instantly enraged, their fury reaching its peak!
"How could this be? Who does that Prince Yan think he is, just a mixed-blood mongrel—Does he think he's worthy of being with Xiao Ci?"
Mu family's elder brother was practically beside himself with rage.
"I'm going to kill him!"
"He's just wishful thinking, him?"
"He's dreaming!"
"I'm bringing my sister back right now!"
"That scoundrel has ulterior motives; he must have seen my sister's true beauty and covets her looks!"
As he grumbled incessantly, Duke Mu hesitated for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"When I last entered the palace, I heard a piece of news: His Majesty intends to betroth your sister to the Crown Prince."
Mu family's elder brother's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What? How could His Majesty have such an idea? This is pushing my sister into a fiery pit!"
"The Crown Prince is rumored to keep many beautiful women in his太子府 (Crown Prince's residence). While outsiders see him as pure and honorable, we know very well that he is lustful, violent, and cruel. He would be a terrible match!"
Hearing her eldest son speak like this, Duke Mu on the opposite side also sighed.
"His Majesty is testing the waters."
"I cannot quite fathom His Majesty's intentions regarding the Crown Prince—but you know your sister's personality. She's been pampered by us all these years, innocent and a bit simple-minded. How can she contend with the Crown Prince?"
However, the young man opposite remained extremely anxious.
"Even if the Crown Prince is unsuitable, Prince Yan is by no means a good match! Everyone knows Prince Yan is a ruthless killer with a cold disposition. If my sister were to become Princess Yan, wouldn't she suffer immensely!"
He clenched his fists.
"No, no matter what, I must bring my sister back immediately!"
He wished he could go find Princess Mu Ci right away, but suddenly, a commotion arose outside!
"Bad news, Master, Young Master! Someone from the palace has arrived, saying they want to betroth the young lady... betroth her to, betroth her to Prince Yan!"
...
When Mu Ci received this news, she wasn't exactly afraid.
Who would be afraid of a man with fluffy ears and a fluffy tail? She merely found it strange how the news in the capital was that she was to marry Prince Yan.
How could there be such good news?
Lin Mu Ci inquired of the little system in her mind.
"Was this your doing?"
She suspected it was mostly the little system's doing. Then Lin Mu Ci heard the system's unusually cheerful voice.
"No."
"This is actually a hidden plot from this little story!"
"Firstly, His Majesty's feelings for Prince Yan in this little story are quite complex. Prince Yan is his son, but also the son of a fox demon—That fox demon disappeared after giving birth to Prince Yan, and he concealed Prince Yan's half-demon identity. Do you know why?"
Lin Mu Ci thought for a moment and tentatively offered an answer.
"Worried his own son would be burned to death?"
The little system responded.
"Not entirely... Even if his half-demon identity were discovered, at most he would be confined."
"The reason he hid Prince Yan's identity is that he actually had feelings for that fox demon."
Another hidden, angsty romance plot.
But what did this have to do with her being betrothed to Prince Yan?
"He worries the Crown Prince will usurp the throne prematurely, and he also worries that the Mu family will side with the Crown Prince. It is known to all that you are the darling of the Mu family. By betrothing you to Prince Yan, His Majesty is essentially giving Prince Yan a death-exempt token. Even if the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, out of consideration for the Mu family, it would be difficult for him to harm Prince Yan."
"You are a bargaining chip."
Lin Mu Ci still couldn't quite understand.
"But how would His Majesty know that the Mu family would support Prince Yan? Even if I marry Prince Yan, I might not fall in love with him—let alone use myself to threaten my father and brother to stand by him."
The little system also provided a reply.
"This was just a... test, after all."
"If you fall in love with him, then he can use you without any scruples. Even if you don't fall in love with him, should the Crown Prince target Prince Yan, he can ruthlessly use you as a hostage to threaten the Mu family into helping him oppose the Crown Prince!"
"In any case... you are destined to be a sacrificial lamb!"
Lin Mu Ci felt her head spinning just listening to it. But to be honest, being betrothed to Prince Yan was indeed a good thing for her. She had come for Prince Yan in the first place.
She said without hesitation.
"Then I'll marry Prince Yan."
...
The Crown Prince was urgently recalled to the capital, thus missing the grand wedding ceremony of Prince Yan and Princess Mu Ci.
The rough men of the army were incredibly excited, their fists clenched, each more thrilled than if they were marrying themselves!
"I heard that the young princess is delicate and fair-skinned, a high-born noble lady pampered in the capital. Now that our Prince Yan has taken her, it is truly... a perfect match. I wonder what kind of beautiful bride she is. I heard the noble ladies of the capital are all extremely beautiful, their skin as soft as fine silk to the touch, I wonder if it's like that."
These rough men imagined it and felt their hearts melt.
Prince Yan, on the other hand, rode a tall horse to fetch his bride. All the ladies of the city were watching, their eyes fixed on him.
They had never imagined that this fierce, notorious prince for his killing would be so handsome—simply—simply captivating. He sat astride his horse, his back straight, a hint of a smile in his eyes, a smile that was not quite a smile. His face was truly beautiful, like a masterpiece of God.
They had never expected him to possess such a handsome visage.
Furthermore, when not on the battlefield, he exuded a captivating handsomeness and gentleness.
After all, today was his wedding day!
And when Princess Mu Ci emerged from the separate courtyard, the crowd erupted in excitement, all eager to get a clear look at Princess Mu Ci's face, to see just how beautiful she was.
But to everyone's disappointment, her face was obscured by the bridal veil. However, as she took a few steps forward, she couldn't help but elicit gasps of admiration.
"As expected of a lady from the capital; look at her bearing..."
"Even walking a few steps, you can tell she's a peerless beauty!"
Prince Yan's pupils flickered over her red veil, and he smiled. Then, he reached out and pulled her onto his horse!
The veil was swept away in an instant, and the surrounding crowd cried out in astonishment.
"So beautiful!"
"Truly a breathtaking beauty!"
Princess Mu Ci's face was instantly revealed to the crowd, astonishing them.
For her face was utterly, incredibly stunning—and below, a matron cried out repeatedly.
"Your Highness, this is not in accordance with propriety—Your Highness, please be cautious, Your Highness!"
But Prince Yan paid no mind to such formalities. He directly scooped up the young lady and rode directly into Prince Yan's residence—then closed the door. He looked at the young lady dressed in red before him and raised an eyebrow.
"Marrying me, are you satisfied?"
The young lady, with her large, round eyes, hesitated for a moment before cautiously reminding him.
"Your ears... and your tail seem to be showing."
And, the tail was wagging...
This is.
This means, he's happy?
Even if his expression seemed impassive, the furiously wagging tail completely revealed his thoughts. He was about to, about to burst with joy, wasn't he?