Xiao Man was taken aback, then realized that Xiao Zhen was referring to Wen Mohan: "Father, civil officials and military generals have always been clearly distinct. Have you ever seen the heir of a civil official marry the daughter of a military general as his main wife? Let alone the precious son of the Prime Minister."
"Does this mean you actually like Wen Mohan?"
"Mohan's character is gentle and refined, with the demeanor of a gentleman. He is indeed an excellent candidate for a husband. But Prime Minister Wen is cunning and old. He has always wanted to use his children to seize opportunities and rise to prominence. How could he let his son marry me?"
"That young man is as cunning as his father, no, even more cunning than his father! You mustn't like him, or he'll scheme you to death!" Xiao Zhen said quickly.
Xiao Man quickly nodded: "Don't worry, don't worry, I won't like him."
Xiao Zhen looked unconvinced. If you don't like him, why do you call him by his name so affectionately? Xiao Zhen was annoyed. He disliked the pretentious scent of civil officials, their constant scheming, and their deceitful hearts. But thinking of Wen Mohan, he had a certain scholarly integrity, indeed different from that old fox Wen Chang.
However, as the only son of the old fox Wen, Wen Mohan would surely be married to a noble lady from a prominent family. A general's daughter would never be among his choices.
Thinking of this, Xiao Zhen felt relieved. But as soon as his heart settled, it rose again. Both the Prince of Qin and Wen Mohan were the cream of the crop among the young gentlemen of the imperial capital. His own daughter didn't like either of them. Then who did she like?
"Man'er, do you have anyone you like?"
"Father and brother."
"Besides Father and brother."
Xiao Man thought carefully: "Uncle Lu."
"Besides your family and friends."
Xiao Man frowned and thought hard: "Father, who do you want me to like?"
Xiao Zhen couldn't manage to squeeze out a word for a long time: "Don't you have anyone you like yourself?"
"Who should I like? The Prince of Qin is unpredictable, the Prince of Qi is romantic and passionate, the Prince of Chu is as frail as a delicate flower, the Prince of Han is despicable and shameless, the Crown Prince has a harem full of wives and concubines, and Mohan is as cunning as a fox. Father, tell me, who should I like?"
Xiao Zhen's expression changed: "Royalty is out of the question. Look, there are many young gentlemen in the imperial capital, and many young and promising lads in the army. General Xue's son, Xue Meng, is cheerful and good at martial arts, with a clean family background. I'll let you meet him someday."
"Xue Meng already has a girl he likes. When we were playing together as children, he liked Sister Bai. How can I steal his beloved?"
Xiao Zhen scratched his head: "Then General Li's nephew is also not bad."
"General Li's nephew fears me like a tiger. He's determined to marry a gentle and obedient young lady from a prominent family. Daughter doesn't fit the bill."
"Then... then Master Chu's son, Chu Jingyu, is also quite good."
A figure flashed in Xiao Man's mind. Chu Jingyu was Chu Qingge's brother, and his temperament was completely different from Chu Qingge's. Chu Jingyu was a typical civil official, having entered the Hanlin Academy. "He is physically weak and looks frail. Father and Uncle Chu are good friends. How can you bear to let his precious son be tormented by my daughter?"
Xiao Zhen's head began to ache. He brought out all the unmarried young men from his adjutants' families for review, only to find that Xiao Man could find fault with every single one of them. He was suddenly filled with a headache.
"Is there no one you like?"
Xiao Man shook her head. She didn't like them. She didn't know them well; some she hadn't even met. How could she like them?
"I think Master Chu's son is good."
"No, not only can he not fight, but he doesn't even know how to play polo. If I go out to play polo, he can only watch from the sidelines. How boring."
"A true man doesn't necessarily need to know martial arts. Polo is simple; he can learn if he doesn't know how. Or, I can ask the Empress to host a polo match sometime, and then you can see if there's any man you like, how about that?"
"Play polo, alright!" Xiao Man agreed without hesitation. She hadn't played polo in a long time and was eager to get on the field for some fun.
"Then it's settled!" Xiao Zhen was overjoyed and resolved to invite all the unmarried sons from his soldiers' families to let Xiao Man choose. After she chose, they would get engaged first, not rush into marriage, and only marry in a couple of years.
Xiao Zhen happily thought about choosing a satisfactory son-in-law, while Xiao Man was solely focused on playing polo. The father and daughter were not on the same page at all, yet they bizarrely reached a consensus.
As the banquet reached its halfway point and the wine flowed freely, Prince Chu's face had turned ashen.
Xiao Man shook her head and flicked a sobriety pill towards him. Nangong Yan immediately caught it and looked at Xiao Man. A brilliant smile spread across his pale face, yet he swayed precariously.
Xiao Man mouthed the words "sobering pill."
Nangong Yan smiled, nodded his thanks, put the pill into his mouth, and swallowed.
Just then, someone else stepped forward to offer a toast. Nangong Yu snorted coldly: "If the esteemed officials want to drink, drink with this prince. Knowing that my third brother is weak, you still keep pouring cup after cup into him. What are your intentions?"
The person who stepped forward to offer the toast stopped, looked at the Prince of Qin with an embarrassed expression, and quickly raised his cup in a toast towards Prince Chu from a distance before hurrying back to his seat.
"Send a bowl of sobering soup to Prince Chu," the old emperor immediately commanded.
The Empress immediately ordered someone to send sobering soup to Prince Chu and to replace Prince Chu's wine with tea. The old emperor was very pleased with the Empress's thoughtfulness and his gaze fell upon Xiao Man.
He had also seen Xiao Man flicking a pill to Prince Chu. A smile of unknown meaning flashed in his eyes, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
After the banquet dispersed, Xiao Man followed Xiao Zhen out of the palace. Zhu Yun pushed Nangong Yan to catch up: "Great General, Miss Xiao."
Xiao Zhen glanced at Nangong Yan, who seemed to have something to say, and immediately understood that Nangong Yan wanted to speak to Xiao Man alone: "I'll wait for you ahead."
"Alright, Father." Xiao Man watched Xiao Zhen walk away before asking, "Does Your Highness have something to say?"
"Thank you for your sobering pill. If it weren't for your sobering pill, I fear I would have made a fool of myself on the spot." Nangong Yan's tone was still gentle, and the smile on his face remained placid.
"Your Highness is unwell, so please drink less. This humble subject will take my leave."
Nangong Yan watched Xiao Man leave, his smile unchanged: "Let's go too."
Zhu Yun responded and pushed Nangong Yan, preparing to leave, when he saw a person standing under a tree not far away. It was Nangong Yu, who was entirely hidden in the shadows, making his expression impossible to discern.
"Fourth Brother."
Nangong Yu nodded, turned, and walked away, as if his presence there was a mere coincidence.
Zhu Yun was utterly bewildered: "What is Prince Qin doing?"
Nangong Yan stroked the armrest of his chair, his smile deepening slightly: "He's afraid I'll take his things."
Zhu Yun was even more confused: "Your Highness would never take anything from Prince Qin. He has a petty mind."
"That may not be true," Nangong Yan said with a smile. "Perhaps, I really will."
Zhu Yun did not understand: "What does Prince Qin have that is worth Your Highness taking?"
"Who knows." Nangong Yan urged with a smile, "Let's go back to the manor. I drank a lot of wine and feel uncomfortable too."
"Yes, Your Highness."