Lisa fled from Jungkook the moment the crown prince left.
Jungkook stared at the back of Lisa's figure for a while and reminisced about the past.
'Little brother, what are you thinking about?' Pei Zhang asked.
'Seventh brother, I'm admiring the palace gardens,' Jungkook said. 'It looks like a heavenly landscape.'
'Looks like a mortal landscape,' Pei Zhang said.
Jungkook didn't refute his seventh brother.
Pei Zhang glanced at Lisa 's back. 'Little brother, do you know about our little brother and the younger Lady Yan?'
'I recently returned from Southern Jiang,' Jungkook said. 'Seventh brother, what has been happening in the imperial city while I was away?'
'Little brother, you'll be drinking celebratory wine at their wedding early next year,' Pei Zhang said.
'Truly?' Jungkook asked. 'What good news.'
Jungkook's smiling face made Pei Zhang's eyes itched.
'Good news indeed for the crown prince,' Pei Zhang said. 'With Yan Jing's support, the crown prince can sleep higher and more carefree.'
'Prime Minister Yan is reputed to be a resourceful and diligent court official, who he supports will certainly become more influential,' Jungkook said.
Pei Zhang's eyes darkened from the sounds of Jungkook's words that didn't reveal one drop of water. Pei Zhang's desire to seize the crown prince position was well known. He had always wanted his ninth brother's support. But two years ago when he subtlety asked ninth brother to help him, ninth brother volunteered to go to Southern Jiang to subdue rebels. The moment ninth brother left, he knew that ninth brother had no intentions to join in the battle to contest the throne.
Pei Zhang watched Lisa play with young children nearby for a while. 'If Yan Shi Ting wants to marry then Lisa needs to find a husband. It's been a contentious problem for the Yan household.'
Jungkook's intuition told him that seventh brother had bad intentions toward Lisa.
'Truly?' Jungkook asked. 'I have met the older Lady Yan. I enjoy talking with her. Seventh brother, what do you think about me marrying her?'
If Jungkook's intuition was right then his cold hearted seventh brother wanted to marry Lisa. Jungkook wouldn't allow that to happen, seventh brother married many wives to gain power in the imperial court.
Pei Zhang knew ninth brother understood him well. If the crown prince marries the younger Lady Yan then Yan Jing would be an obstacle for Pei Zhang to become crown prince. He had intended to marry the older Lady Yan, but he didn't expect ninth brother would voice an intention to marry Lisa first.
Pei Zhang frowned at the sight of Jungkook's shiny eyes and Jungkook's careful words. Pei Zhang didn't know if Jungkook truly wanted to marry Lisa or if Jungkook wanted to oppose him.
'She is known for being gentle and docile, she'll be compatible with ninth brother,' Pei Zhang said.
Pei Zhang knew it wasn't worth fighting with ninth brother for a woman, it was beneficial for him to concede Lisa to ninth brother.
'But ninth brother, you'll owe me one favour,' Pei Zhang said, brushed the sleeves of his outer robe and left.
Behind Pei Zhang's back, Jungkook was smiling. Jungkook turned his head and stared at Lisa who was playing with children.
'Little lion, I've helped you avoid a catastrophe, how will you thank me?' Jungkook asked softly.
***
That afternoon Jungkook discussed his intentions to marry Lisa with the emperor.
The emperor was always indifferent toward his ninth son. He thought Jungkook's request wasn't unreasonable and gave his consent.
Early the next morning Jungkook visited the Yan Manor to ask for Yan Jing's blessing for him to marry Lisa.
Only a day ago Yan Jing returned to Yan Manor shaking his head in a worrisome way, his oldest daughter's plan to find a husband at the banquet failed.
Yan Jing was happily surprised to have ninth gentle prince visit the Yan Manor and ask to marry his oldest daughter. Yan Jing knew his oldest daughter must be married off, but he never expected she would have a husband from high in the sky.
Yan Jing's ears were sweetened by ninth gentle prince's praises and admiration confession toward his oldest daughter.
Princess Kang Hua thought ninth gentle prince had mistaken Lisa for Yan Shi Ting.
In contrast after Lisa heard mouthy boy's proposal, she spat out tea from her mouth.
Lisa widened her eyes and looked in disbelief at her father who sat opposite her in the courtyard.
'Lisa, ninth gentle prince has a weak status in the imperial court but he is still a prince,' Yan Jing said. 'I've assessed him for many years, he is a good man. Unlike his brothers, he doesn't want the throne. If you marry him then you'll live a peaceful life.'
Yan Jing sighed. He didn't want to be involved in the princes' battle for the throne. But his association with Princess Kang Hua forced him to be involved. He knew there were two consequences for supporting a prince for a throne, either staying alive if the prince he supported became emperor or killed if lost the throne. Although the crown prince was powerful, he couldn't underestimate seventh prince's power in the imperial court either.
Yan Jing was overjoyed to let his oldest daughter marry ninth gentle prince. Whether the crown prince or seventh prince became emperor, his oldest daughter would be alive and safe.
Lisa supressed her fear and composed herself. She heard her father's words and understood his intention. But she didn't say anything. She lowered her head and assessed the situation in her heart. She heard rumors of seventh prince and the crown prince battling for the throne. The emperor had fifteen sons and three daughters. But only four of his sons and one of his daughters were alive, the others were dead.
The four princes included seventh prince, Pei Zhang. Pei Zhang's birth mother was Consort Mu. Ninth prince, Jungkook and his birth mother was a palace maid. Tenth prince, Pei Lam was the crown prince. Pei Lam's birth mother was the empress. Thirteenth prince, Pei Khan was three years old and his mother was an unfavored consort.
It was known that Jungkook had no intention to become emperor and he wanted to be a carefree prince. While Pei Zhang had a black heart. Pei Zhang's relatives on his mother's side were as powerful as the empress' family and his desire to be emperor was infamous.
In the last few years, Pei Zhang and Pei Lam's support from court officials were split.
Of course Princess Kang Hua supported the empress' son and wanted Yan Shi Ting to marry Pei Lam.
'Six years ago, ninth gentle prince had a betrothal with a court official's daughter,' Yan Jing said. 'But the court official's daughter died before the wedding. He was heartbroken and he remained loyal to her even after her death.'
Yan Jing's regret of betraying Dung Thi was reflected on his face.
Lisa's mouth tightened. What heartbroken? What loyalty? Six years ago mouthy boy visited her in Xuan Qing. In front of everyone else, mouthy boy acted heartbroken. Behind their backs, he loved to bully and threaten her! Thoughts about the past pained her heart.
'Ninth gentle prince is handsome too,' Yan Jing said. 'I'm certain you will not suffer if you marry him... Lisa, what do you think?'
Lisa's heart protested. What no suffering? Mouthy boy would bully her until death. She raised her head and glanced at her father. Her heart laughed coldly. Her father talked for half a day yet he pointlessly asked for her opinion when his decision was made immediately after mouthy boy's proposal.
Lisa nodded and spoke in the gentlest tone. 'Father, you can make the arrangements.'
Even though she disliked mouthy boy, she understood his higher status didn't allow her to refuse his proposal.
Lisa didn't want to admit that she couldn't find a more carefree life than marrying Jungkook. She would have status, didn't have to worry about him fighting to be emperor and most importantly she would fulfil her mother's final request, 'I want you to be fed, clothed and live a peaceful life.'
Lisa accepting Jungkook's proposal was her best choice. She predicted that in the future she would be married to the most cunning, thick face and expert liar. It was a prediction scarier than death.
Yan Jing gave his blessing for Jungkook to marry Lisa.
In the palace the emperor presented to Jungkook two auspicious days for Jungkook's wedding. The first day was at the start of the eighth month and the second day was in three months.
'The start of the eighth month is a good day,' Jungkook said. 'If the wedding is in three months it'll be too close to the New Year and will detract from little brother's wedding. Also, the rebels in the south are unpredictable. It's better for imperial father to prepare a simple wedding for me.'
The emperor was pleased to hear Jungkook understood the situation well and immediately consented to prepare Jungkook's wedding for the start of the eighth month. The emperor didn't have a deep bond with Jungkook, but he thought Jungkook was a reasonable person.
The moment Jungkook was not within sight of his father, he smiled sadistically. Jungkook chose the earliest auspicious wedding day, because he couldn't wait to tease and torment the little lion.
After the wedding gifts were prepared, wedding garments were sewed and invitations were delivered, it was the fifth day of the eighth month which was the day before Jungkook and Lisa 's wedding day.
That hot night Lisa couldn't cope with the humidity. She laid on her bed wearing a loose inner robe. She thought it was surreal that she was marrying mouthy boy the following day. But she didn't doubt mouthy boy was anticipating their wedding day.
Mouthy boy's scoundrel face appeared in her head. She didn't know why there were many women mouthy boy could marry, but he purposely wanted to provoke her. Since their first meeting when she was six years old, each time they met was never a good experience.
Lisa felt within the last twelve years that she was a pitiful mouse caught by the cunning cat Jungkook. Jungkook didn't swallow her whole. He preferred to claw her slowly, tease her and frustrate her to death.
Luckily she wasn't her naive self from twelve years ago.
Suddenly she felt there was something suspicious. She knew Jungkook's real personality too well. It was unlike him to let her live peacefully. Their wedding day was set but it was suspicious he didn't come to see her privately to cause her grief within the last month. Apart from the day he made an appearance at the Yan Manor to give wedding gifts, he didn't even deliver one message to provoke her.
She didn't know what mouthy boy was scheming. Suddenly she heard a faint noise from the window. She turned her head toward the window and saw someone climbed through the window.
***