Chapter 449 Public Display of Affection

Before long, two identical ornate bridal sedans were carried out and stopped at the palace gate.

The wedding attendant came out with a smile and said, "For the two grooms to take the princesses back, you must first pass our challenges."

"Three questions have been prepared here for the grooms to answer. Whoever answers first gets first pick of the princesses."

"First question: What was your impression of the princess when you first met?"

Xie Liuzheng immediately dismounted from his horse and said, "I'll take the first crack at it."

"The first time I met Princess Jiu was at a palace banquet. The moment we opened our mouths, we were at each other's throats. She called me a worthless scoundrel, and I called her a sharp-tongued shrew. We couldn't stand each other's ways."

"But fate had other plans, and destiny bound us two sworn enemies together. Even now, it still feels like a dream—unbelievable that two bickering rivals could actually fall for each other."

With that, he turned to the young woman in purple among the crowd and flashed her a grin.

"And here, I want to thank one person—Princess Ye, my sister."

"The reason Princess Jiu and I are together today is all thanks to Sister Yuntang. Princess Jiu and I would argue the moment we met, but thanks to Sister Yuntang's endless patience in mediating between us, we got the chance to really understand each other."

"The road from meeting to knowing each other to falling in love wasn't easy, but our journey from hating each other to loving each other is exactly what the books call 'bickering sweethearts.'"

"Before I met Princess Jiu, I didn't believe love was real, but after meeting her, I know she's my soulmate."

"And here, I ask everyone to bear witness—of all the waters in the world, I'll only take one scoop. She's the only scoop I'll ever want in this life. I'm willing to change for her and promise her a lifetime of just the two of us. If I ever break this vow, I'll give up my life."

As his words landed, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

Without a doubt, in this day and age, very few men would say something like that.

When Xie Liuzheng vowed to give Luo Qingge a lifetime of devotion, he drew a ton of admiring and envious looks.

The women all thought that Heir Xie was now full of charm, with no trace of his old reckless playboy ways.

He was a real man with responsibility and honor.

Luo Qingge smiled softly inside the sedan and whispered, "You fool!"

Luo Qianxue, on the other hand, was about to blow a gasket. She never expected that the proud Xie Liuzheng would make such a long, public confession of love to Luo Qingge in front of everyone.

Whether he meant it or not, saying all that was enough to brand him a good man.

These were things Luo Qianxue could never get even if she begged.

As the cheers died down, everyone turned to Xue Cheng. The wedding attendant asked, "Young Master Xue, what about your impression of Princess Ten?"

Xue Cheng felt cold sweat running down his back. What impression could he even have of Luo Qianxue?

Emperor Jingyang had just issued a decree marrying Luo Qianxue off to him, and he just felt like a pie had dropped from the sky—how could such luck land on him?

But the more time he spent with Luo Qianxue, the more he found her fussy and controlling.

Just going for a walk, she'd either be hungry, cold, or too tired to keep going. Everything had to go her way, or she'd say he didn't love her.

Before she even stepped foot into his house, she was already sticking her nose into the Xue family business, demanding that he hand over the family accounts for her to manage.

Xue Cheng had no choice but to agree to her face.

But Luo Qianxue was clearly never satisfied, and her need for control was off the charts.

She not only forbade him from coming home late or drinking, but also banned him from gambling houses and brothels.

He had to report his every move to her every single day. If he missed even one day of reporting, she'd come out of the palace herself to interrogate him.

Xue Cheng was annoyed out of his mind, but Luo Qianxue claimed it was because she loved him so much that she needed to know where he was at all times—a sign of trust.

With her being so assertive and her status so high, he could only grit his teeth and endure.

Xue Cheng figured that once Luo Qianxue married him, he'd slowly straighten her out.

He couldn't let himself live under her thumb forever just because she was a princess—that would be pure misery!

He wasn't about to give up the whole forest for just one Luo Qianxue.

Still, with so many eyes on him, he had to say the right things.

After a moment's thought, he spoke: "Princess Ten is beautiful, sexy, and has a killer figure. Marrying her is a blessing I must have earned in a past life. I will treat her well and never let her suffer or feel wronged."

The crowd was speechless: "..."

Xue Cheng's words were so brief they barely caught them, only hearing "beautiful, sexy, and killer figure."

Compared to Xie Liuzheng, the difference was immediately apparent.

Luo Qianxue was also furious—who talks like that?

Was Xue Cheng's first impression of her only about looks and body?

He was far too shallow!

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the wedding attendant smiled and stepped in to smooth things over: "Both grooms have good impressions of the princesses. Now let's move to the second question."

"Name three of the princess's preferences."

Xie Liuzheng answered almost without hesitation: "Loves to eat, loves to sleep, loves to look pretty."

Hearing this, the crowd's expressions toward Xie Liuzheng were hard to describe.

Were these really virtues rather than flaws?

Xie Liuzheng didn't seem to mind. He curled his lips slightly and added another line.

"It's not just women skilled in chess, calligraphy, painting, and music who have virtues. In my view, when you love someone, every form she takes and every preference she has are virtues in my eyes."

"Qingge, from now on, I'll eat with you, sleep with you, and look pretty with you."

The crowd: "!!!!!"

That was too romantic, wasn't it?

They felt like Heir Xie had just fed them another mouthful of dog food.

With a husband like that, what more could a woman ask for?

Ji Yuntang smiled from the side. She hadn't expected that a playboy like Xie Liuzheng could speak such sweet words.

She could tell that his tone and expression were sincere—that couldn't be faked.

Xie Liuzheng had truly fallen for Luo Qingge!

It had been a while since Xie Liuzheng finished answering, but Xue Cheng was still mulling over Luo Qianxue's preferences.

After thinking for a long time, he finally came up with three.

"She loves admiring flowers, going shopping, and sticking her nose into other people's business."

"The Tenth Princess loves shopping and buying things the most, and she'd often drag me along to go flower-viewing. Whenever she saw parents selling their children on the street, she'd step forward and say, 'What you're doing is wrong,' and then march the whole family down to the authorities, neat and tidy."

"If you ask me, the Tenth Princess is innocent but warm-hearted."

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