Five reasons

"Does my elder brother have something to say to Xi Wan?" Xia Xi Wan asked as her calm gaze swept across her brother's tired face. 

The shadow of years that he had spent in the border frontier fighting against foreign invaders could be seen on his face. Faint scars were visible once seen from near. Those scars only heightened his handsomeness ten thousand folds. 

Bravery and battle scars were the ornaments that could make a human more handsome/beautiful. 

"Xiao Wan, say once that you don't want to marry Jun Wang, your elder brother will fulfil your wish," said Xia Yanxi. He was currently having tea in her courtyard. From the condition of the courtyard, he could say that she was living the life that the first Di daughter of the Xia family was supposed to live. 

Even though he said that he would fulfil her wish of not marrying Jun Wang, he knew quite well that he didn't hold the power to go against an imperial edict. He was worried that his sister might have to suffer by marrying Jun Wang aka Zhou Jinglan as she had been informally engaged to the young master of the Li family who also happened to be his stepmother's nephew. 

He wasn't exactly sure if his younger sister loved her fiance that their stepmother had arranged for her but he was certain that the two might share some feelings for each other as they were said to be engaged for more than four years. Given how tender the heart of a woman was, he was afraid that his sister's heart might belong to Young master Li, not Jun Wang. 

"Elder Brother, do you know why the Emperor bestowed marriage between Jun Wang and I?" Xia Xi Wan asked instead. There was a calmness between her brows that she had not felt in years. Her heart was beating without feeling anxious. 

"Yes," Xia Yanxi replied as if he was the reason behind the imperial edict that bound the life of his sister with the third prince of the empire. 

"Is it because you have been titled General?" Xia Xi Wan asked even though she had an inkling about the matter. 

Xia Yanxi glanced at her for several moments and then nodded his head. He had the largest and most powerful army under his control. It was natural for the emperor to be wary of him. There had been rumours going around that the first prince was planning a rebellion in the capital to overthrow the crown prince, thus he had been stationed in the capital now to keep the situation under control if the first prince really ended up starting a coup. 

The eldest Di daughter of Li family was married to the first prince. If Xia Xi Wan got married to Young Master Li, there were chances that if the rebellion occurred, the Li family, which was also one of the most powerful families of the empire, would support the first prince. If the Li family supported the first prince, naturally he, General Xia, would support the Li family as his sister was going to marry the eldest son of the same family. 

To safeguard the position of the crown prince and keep General Xia under his thumb, the emperor went to the extent of announcing marriage between his third son and the Di eldest daughter of the Xia family even though there were talks of the marriage contract between Xia and Li family. Since the engagement was not formal and only oral, neither the Xia family nor the Li family could say a word against the emperor's decision. 

In the era of absolute monarchs, nobody dared to open their mouths to end up offending the emperor, thus earning the heavenly wrath. 

"Elder brother, remind me of five reasons why I shouldn't marry Jun Wang?" Xia Xi Wan ended up asking, catching him off guard. 

"Jun Wang is highly unambitious," Xia Yanxi told her the first reason. 

"Jun Wang had numerous Concubines in his palace," came the second reason. 

"Jun Wang is neglected by all and unfavoured by the emperor himself," Xia Yanxi said the third reason. 

"Jun Wang wouldn't even look at you if you married him," was the fourth reason. 

"Lastly, you were engaged to Li Yufan, " replied Xia Yanxi in a troubled tone. "The one you were about to marry was Li Yufan, not Zhou Jinglan." 

Suddenly, Xia Xi Wan broke into a fit of laughter. Empty and bitter laughter, startling her eldest brother. 

Unambitious was good. It was actually good. An unambitious person wouldn't require her sacrifice to achieve his objectives. Unlike Li Yufan, Zhou Jinglan wouldn't dispose of her once she had served her purpose. 

Having numerous concubines? She couldn't ask for more! Unlike Li Yufan who seemed to be playing the role of perfect fiance by having no concubine at his residence but was in truth killing every poor woman he took advantage of to maintain his image in the public. Many people might not know his truth but she knew it too well as she had seen everything with her own eyes. 

Zhou Jinglan was far better than Li Yufan as he had the courage to accept that he was a rake. 

Neglected by all and unfavoured by the emperor? 

How could her eldest brother not see a silver lining here? Being neglected and unfavoured actually meant that Zhou Jinglan wouldn't be schemed by others in the fight for the throne. She had known how bloody the fight for the throne could get. 

Wouldn't even look at her if she married him? 

The sentence caused her to burst into laughter. This was the most important and necessary point of the entire discussion.  For someone who craved to hide, this was like heaven fulfilling all her wishes. What else could she even ask for? 

And what was the last reason again? 

She was engaged to Lu Yufan? 

"Xiao Wan, let your elder brother bear the consequences, you can marry Lu Yufan," Xia Yanxi said when he noticed how his sister had stopped laughing. Her laughter had scared him endlessly. For someone who couldn't be frightened when a sword had pierced through his chest, he sure was easily scared by his younger sister's laughter. 

Xia Xi Wan glanced at her brother in apparent confusion as she said, "Lu Yufan, Who?"

And just like that Xia Yanxi had known that his sister had set her heart on becoming a Wangfei (Prince's wife).