"I now restore your princess status and your original name: Zhongli Mingyue. My beloved daughter is chaste, virtuous, talented, gentle, upright, and kind. I hereby appoint her as Princess Xiyue and grant her a princess's mansion, a thousand taels of gold, and a fief of three thousand households..."

"The Zhou family has been instrumental in raising the princess, and we must also reward them. Come forward!"

Zhou Yidao and the others' moods fluctuated like the tide that night. When they heard the emperor calling them, they immediately rushed out and knelt on the ground.

"Zhou Yidao and his wife are loyal, faithful, and easygoing, loyal, strong, and honest. I specially commend them with the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Joy, a non-hereditary title. My wife, Zhou Liu, has shown a sincere heart towards Princess Xiyue and has carefully raised her for many years. I specially grant her the title of Lady."

"I will reward you with one hundred taels of gold, one thousand taels of silver, a mansion in the southern alley of the city, a pair of jade ruyi, fifty pieces of flowing brocade... and a piece of ink talisman!"

When the ministers heard that the title could not be inherited, they felt relieved instantly.

No matter how generous the reward is, it only ends here.

Maybe this is the only highlight moment in these people's lives.

Unexpectedly, the emperor gave me an ink talisman!

Although the title of Marquis Zhongle was just a title and had no real seal or power, it was completely different with this ink talisman.

No matter when or where, as long as he has this thing, even if the palace gate is locked, he can take it into the palace to meet the emperor. What a great favor!

The moods of the group of people also fluctuated with the emperor's words, and their expressions were extremely complicated.

But the Zhou family had no idea what these things were. They only heard about gold, silver, and the title of marquis. Zhou Yidao excitedly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I respectfully thank you for your kindness!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

All the descendants of the Zhou family knelt on the ground with excitement in their eyes.

I immediately felt my hands and feet stop shaking and I felt much more energetic.

Isn't it just being scolded, looked down upon, and frightened?

If it's like tonight, they can! They can handle it!

Emperor Mingde glanced at Ji Fengshou and asked reluctantly, "Where is Ji Fengshou?"

Ji Fengshou cheered up. It’s coming. The verdict that I’ve been waiting for all night is finally coming out!

Ji Fengshou looked at his daughter standing in front of him, swallowed his saliva, and walked forward with his head held high and his chest puffed out, kneeling on the ground: "I'm here!"

When Zhou saw him kneeling, she hesitated and squatted beside Ji Fengshou.

The corners of Emperor Mingde's mouth twitched slightly, and veins on his forehead bulged.

Who taught the princess to behave in such an unseemly way?

He will definitely hold you accountable later!

"Although I did not personally select Princess Xiyue's husband, the couple has had a harmonious relationship for many years. I specially grant Ji Fengshou the title of Prince Consort Duwei and the rank of Third Rank Official of the Ministry of Rites. He will take office on a date to be chosen!"

If it weren't for the princess's face, Emperor Mingde would not have been willing to give her such an idle position.

When he looked at Ji Changying, his expression became noticeably kinder:

"Princess Xiyue's eldest daughter, Ji Changying, is a gentle and kind-hearted woman, always obedient. She has inherited her mother's teachings, becoming increasingly gentle and wise, and her virtue and obedience are evident. She should be given a beautiful title to honor her... She is specially named Princess Hehua!"

"Official messenger, draft a detailed imperial edict for me and announce it to the world!"

"I obey your orders!"

As for Ji Changchuan, a male, he naturally had to follow his father's status. Emperor Mingde took many considerations into consideration and did not give him any reward.

"I thank the Emperor for the reward!"

"He Hua thanks His Majesty for the reward!"

Ji Fengshou and Ji Changying expressed their gratitude together.

It was unusual for Emperor Mingde to reward so many people at once.

Especially this group of people I have never heard of before and don’t know their background.

Many people secretly planned to investigate the origins of these people after returning.

Zhou finally took a breath, sat back in her seat and was about to enjoy her meal, but it was just as she expected.

The dishes had already gone cold, and their texture and taste were not as good as before.

Although she was disappointed, she still forced herself to eat it, believing that nothing should be wasted.

At this time, Xie Siheng walked in with Chuan Qiong and Ying Er, followed by three eunuchs and a corpse.

As soon as the three eunuchs entered the hall, they all knelt on the ground trembling, not daring to look up.

"Your Majesty, everyone who came into contact with the bowl of water today has been brought here. However, the most crucial eunuch has committed suicide by taking poison."

Ji Changying took a look at the corpse and his eyes fixed.

The dead eunuch was clearly the one who almost bumped into her today!

Chu Lu stood next to Jiang Qianruo and saw the eunuch with her eyes widened.

"I have thoroughly investigated. From the Huaqing Pool to the Imperial Kitchen, the bowl of water passed through the hands of several individuals. Because today's banquet was important, these individuals confined themselves to their respective areas of responsibility. They did not stop along the way, nor did they use anyone else's hands."

"This eunuch was already dead when I found him. That's the obvious problem."

"According to the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Kitchen, this eunuch is an orphan. He has been in the palace for five years and has always been honest, dutiful, and taciturn. He was originally just a handyman, but because of the busy schedule today, he was temporarily transferred. My subordinates searched this eunuch's residence, but found nothing."

The time was too short to find out more, so Xie Siheng reported what he had found out in this short period of time.

"Your Majesty, this man is usually honest, timid and taciturn. I really didn't know he was actually harboring evil intentions. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to use his courage even if I had ten times the courage!"

When the eunuch in charge heard Xie Siheng mention him, he immediately knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, bursting into tears.

He really wanted to whip the dead eunuch's corpse, but he didn't want to implicate him even if he died!

"My lady, I have met this person today."

"Oh?" Jiang Qianruo turned and looked at her.

"On the way here today, this man was walking in a panic and almost bumped into Princess Hehua. I was worried that punishing him would scare the princess and the others, so I let him go. But... I didn't expect that he would be gone now."

Jiang Qianruo sneered: "Every action will leave traces. Do you think that if you die, everything will be alright? Ha!"

She narrowed her eyes and glanced at Concubine Cui and Concubine Lan who suddenly spoke, with a hint of ridicule in her eyes.

Emperor Mingde looked at them angrily and said: "Drag them all away and give them fifty lashes. If they die, throw them into a mass grave. If they live, banish them to the palace."

"Your Majesty! This servant is innocent! Your Majesty!!"

"Your Majesty, please have mercy on me! Your Majesty, please have mercy on me!"

From the imperial kitchen to the palace room to clean up the dirty things, the eunuch in charge cried as if his parents had died. With such a huge gap, he would rather die than live.

Hu's face turned pale. This is the imperial palace, where lives can be lost at any time.

"We need to continue investigating this matter. No one who came into contact with this person during his lifetime should be spared."

"Within two days, I will give His Majesty a result."

Xie Siheng already had a guess in his mind, it just took time.