Seeing the Queen's suspicious gaze, Helian Zhicheng smiled calmly and said, "Our son fancies Princess Yumeng. If it were any other woman, the position of Crown Princess would be enough for them to fight over fiercely, but you want Yumeng, who has seen the world, to care about such things?"
Duan Yao finally realized that her son actually liked Yumeng. No wonder he went back this time, talking about the Princess this and that, it turned out he had sown the seeds of love for her.
However, she wasn't worried about the position of Crown Princess; she was worried if her son could actually marry that girl.
"Your Majesty, I see that the Princess and the Prince seem to care about this Princess more than their own son. What do you think, can our son successfully marry her?"
Helian Zhicheng gave her an indescribable look: "Let's not even talk about marrying her, the main thing is whether the girl fancies your son."
If she fancied him, marrying her back would be certain. If she didn't, even if you left the throne to her, she might not even look at it.
At this, Duan Yao didn't know what to say.
After thinking for a long time, she said, "What if we sincerely proposed to the Princess? What do you think!"
This hit the nail on the head, but Helian Zhicheng still shook his head and rejected her suggestion: "It's not that I want to dampen your enthusiasm, but I can't guarantee the Princess will agree."
"Look, the Princess's personality is unpredictable, especially some of her thoughts are beyond your imagination. So, if we proposed to marry the Princess, and she refused, wouldn't we lose face!"
It would be so awkward to meet again then. As the ruler of a nation, Helian Zhicheng truly couldn't afford to lose face right now.
However, they could probe indirectly.
He leaned down and whispered to Duan Yao for a long time. After they finished talking, their faces were flushed, as if they had become different people.
Duan Yao grinned and gave Helian Zhicheng a thumbs up: "You're still the clever one. This idea is brilliant. I'll go find the Princess right away."
"Alright, then I'll go probe Baili Kaien's thoughts and see what he means!"
The couple divided their labor and had clear goals, making things proceed very smoothly.
At that time, the Princess was sitting in the study, carefully reading her husband's letter.
The letter stated that only a few assassins remained before they could be completely annihilated, and they wanted to deal with them before returning.
Currently, they were all safe and unharmed, only two special forces soldiers were seriously injured and five lightly injured while capturing the assassins. They had all been sent back for recuperation and were out of danger.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi's tense heart finally eased considerably. These special forces soldiers were meticulously trained by the couple. Even the injury of one would pain them; if they died, their hard work would be lost.
Su Ya would visit the Prince's mansion from time to time after getting married, but that was only when Xiao Ce was in the inner city. Now that Xiao Ce had gone with Fan Zehao to catch assassins, Su Ya hadn't been to the mansion.
She supposed she was serving her in-laws at home. She had missed her a bit during this time.
She called out to the maid guarding the door: "Xiao Mi, come in."
Hearing her, Xiao Mi opened the study door and walked in with a smile, curtsying: "Princess!"
"Go to General Xiao's mansion yourself later and find Su Ya for me. If anyone tries to stop you, just say it's this Princess's decree. If anyone dares to defy the decree, they will be punished for treason and their nine generations of relatives will be executed!"
Xiao Mi heard this and quickly replied: "Yes, this servant will go now."
Her steps were a bit hurried as she left.
The Princess wouldn't say such words for no reason. She supposed Sister Su Ya was confined at home, being tormented by her mother-in-law. Thinking of this, her pace quickened.
Just as Xiao Mi left, Duan Yao arrived.
Zhao Jiaqi, seeing her smiling face, thought she was happy that the children were returning soon and didn't think of anything else.
But as they chatted, she realized the conversation was taking a strange turn. Being as intelligent as Zhao Jiaqi, she could understand the underlying meaning of her words.
She smiled and said, "Yumeng is a stubborn child. If it's not something she likes, even if I force her, it's useless. Moreover, the Prince dotes on her greatly. Whatever decision the child makes, we, as a couple, are very supportive. Therefore, her marriage is up to her; we don't interfere."
Zhao Jiaqi felt nothing wrong with saying this, but to Duan Yao, it sounded different.
She asked Zhao Jiaqi in surprise: "Isn't marriage always arranged by parents and by matchmakers? After all, adults see things more profoundly than children. What if the child is deceived for a moment, wouldn't their happiness be ruined!"
Zhao Jiaqi listened carefully and agreed with her words: "You are right. Therefore, we parents only act as gatekeepers, but if the child is determined not to marry anyone else, we won't interfere too much!"
Duan Yao couldn't understand this statement: "I don't understand the Princess's meaning. Please enlighten me, Princess!"
She took a deep breath and sighed lightly: "There's nothing to enlighten or not."
Zhao Jiaqi said helplessly: "It's true that parents have always arranged marriages, but can parents ensure that the husband they find for their child is a good one?"
"What if we are deceived? Won't the child's happiness be ruined then? At that time, if the child resents you, and you see your child living unhappily, will your heart feel at ease?"
Duan Yao thought carefully and realized there was no fault in her words. She shook her head: "Naturally, I wouldn't feel at ease!"
Continuing her words, Zhao Jiaqi asked, "Then do you let the child continue to live, or do you let the child get a divorce, or do you reprimand the child's husband!"
Duan Yao answered without hesitation: "Of course, I would reprimand him. We can't let them divorce! To be honest, it's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage."
She paused and added, "If they divorce, the family will lose face, and the child will lose even more dignity. Especially for a girl after divorce, her life would be ruined. This is how the world views it. I believe every mother wants the best for her child."
Zhao Jiaqi smiled: "You are right, but my view is different from yours."
This time, Duan Yao didn't interrupt her, but stared at her intently, truly hoping to hear a different answer from her mouth, so she could gain some knowledge.
Soon, Zhao Jiaqi gave her explanation: "The husband the child chooses, no matter when, she will never regret it. The path she chooses herself, she will either walk it on her knees or stand tall. No matter what the future holds, she won't blame us."
"Of course, I'm not doing this to shirk responsibility, but to prevent her from doing something she'll regret."
Duan Yao was a bit confused by this, but she could understand a part of it.
Zhao Jiaqi: "If the child is happy, I bless them. If the child is wronged, lives unhappily, and the husband's family also adds to her troubles, then I cannot stand by and watch. I will persuade the child to divorce, or to divorce her husband."
This time, Duan Yao understood. She opened her mouth wide and let out a sound: "Ah?"
Her eyes were filled with disbelief, she couldn't even believe her ears. This was completely beyond her expectations.
As parents, they could actually advise their child to divorce? Wasn't this pushing their child into a fire pit?
Duan Yao's voice trembled: "Princess, your idea is simply astonishing, completely at odds with ordinary people."
She then asked back: "The child is freed by divorcing, but what about the children they have left? If they stay with the husband's family, the man will still marry and have children in the future, won't the child then be bullied?"
"For no other reason than that, can't she endure it for the sake of the child?"
Endure?
Zhao Jiaqi retorted: "Why should she endure! Just because she is a woman, must she sacrifice her own happiness for the child?"
"Should the child watch their mother being bullied at home, yet be powerless to do anything?"
"Why should the children remain with the husband's family after a divorce? Who made that rule!"
Zhao Jiaqi's rapid-fire questions made Duan Yao's soul leave her body. She even doubted if she had heard correctly. This conversation today had completely overturned all her perceptions.