Lu Yan was holding Ping'er in his arms, and as he walked out of the room, he met the prince's playful eyes. However, on such a happy day, no matter how much he disagreed with the prince, he would not express it in such an occasion.
He put Ping'er down and took him to meet the princes one by one.
Xie Qing was quite dignified in such an occasion. He put his hands up and said solemnly, "The auspicious time is approaching, and there's a banquet tonight. There's no need to waste time now. Let's go."
The eldest prince took out a jade pendant and put it into Ping'er's hand, saying with a smile, "This is my gift to you."
The third prince did not expect that the eldest prince had prepared a gift for the meeting. He felt his body and found nothing prepared, so he could only put his beloved ring into Ping'er's hand.
The fifth and sixth princes did prepare gifts for the occasion, one was a toy and the other was a box of candy.
The Fourth Prince was stunned when he saw Ping'er.
Ping'er is beautiful, her eyebrows are like Lu Yan's but her eyes are exactly the same as Bai Wanyi's.
A boy with a pair of eyes that seemed to be unable to speak. His appearance should have been somewhat feminine, but he had a pair of thin lips. At first glance, they seemed very similar to Lu Yan's lips, but...
The Fourth Prince's eyes flickered to Lu Yan, and he subconsciously touched his lips.
He didn't think much about it, but when he shifted his gaze again, he saw the shadowy face under the red veil, and some thoughts flashed quickly in his eyes.
The Fourth Prince came to his senses only when he heard the Sixth Prince happily letting Ping'er taste the candy he brought for him.
He took off the jade pendant from his waist, which symbolized his status, and put it into Ping'er's hand, saying with a smile, "I see that this child and I are destined to be together. This is for you."
Jade pendants are different from each other. The jade pendant carried by the Fourth Prince is engraved with his name, so it can represent his identity when he goes out.
Lu Yan couldn't help but be delighted. The gift given in public was different from the one given in private. He accepted it openly and it was something close to his heart. This was a kind of reassurance for Ping'er. He pushed Ping'er and said, "Thank you, Fourth Prince. Ping'er, thank the Fourth Prince quickly."
Ping'er, holding an armful of things, bowed and thanked: "Ping'er thanks the Fourth Prince."
"Be good." The Fourth Prince reached out and touched Ping'er's head.
When the ceremonial officer came to urge that the auspicious time had arrived, Lu Yan asked Ping'er to give all the things in her arms to the maid for safekeeping, and he carried Ping'er in his arms and stepped onto the white horse hung with red silk.
Bai Wanyi, holding the jade ruyi given by the queen, boarded the luxurious flower carriage with the help of her maids.
The float was pulled by a snow-white horse without a single stray hair. The six princes following the float rode black horses that were completely black without a single stray hair. The respect here was given fully.
Bai Wanyi quietly lifted a corner of the veil in the carriage and looked out. These six princes were all outstanding. Except for the fifth prince and the sixth prince who were a little younger, which one of the other four princes was not a dragon and phoenix among men?
Bai Wanyi felt very regretful. Why didn't he meet one of these princes first? With his ability, wouldn't it be easy for him to support any of them to ascend the throne?
When she raised her eyes, she met a pair of inquiring eyes. The familiar face made her heart tremble. She quickly put down the veil and even lowered the curtain on the car window in a panic. The red gauze curtain drooped, covering the bride's face and the scenery inside the sedan.
The onlookers couldn't help but feel regretful. They hadn't seen enough of the excitement, and hadn't even gotten to see the bride, and now they weren't allowed to see her anymore.
It was the first time they saw the bride's veil made of tulle, and the hazy silhouette of the bride looked particularly beautiful.
In addition, the Lu family used a flower car with glass windows, so everyone could see inside clearly. The bride lifted her veil, and looking at her pretty face, it was no wonder that Marquis Lu wanted to divorce Miss Qin and marry her. She was really beautiful.
"Why aren't you allowed to watch it?"
Everyone watched the float curtain fall and started to cheer.
But there was no more shouting, and everyone looked at Ping'er sitting in Lu Yan's arms.
"This young master is actually more beautiful than a girl."
"Yes, if it weren't for those sword-like eyebrows, everyone would have thought he was a girl."
"This young master looks so much like Marquis Lu!"
"This child is Marquis Lu's offspring, have you forgotten? Marquis Lu's offspring has been at the border for eight years, and this child is already six or seven years old."
"Then when we get to the border, won't that mean..."
They looked at each other and stopped talking. It was like a stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples. Soon everyone knew that Lord Lu was not marrying a wife today, but rather promoting his concubine to his wife.
The wedding at the Pingyang Marquis’ Mansion was a lively occasion, and the court was also bustling with activity.
Chen Daren, the Chief Censor, reported: "I accuse Pingyang Hou Lu Yan of secretly reselling the phoenix crown bestowed upon the Empress. He has disregarded the majesty of the imperial family and the Empress's benevolence, and has blasphemed the imperial family and the Empress."
Lord Sun made a memorial: "I accuse the Marquis of Pingyang of favoring his concubine over his wife. He deceived Your Majesty by making his mistress his legal wife."
Lord Zhao made a report: "I accuse the Marquis of Pingyang of extravagance. Not only was the wedding banquet extravagant, but he also relied on the prince as best man to violate the rules and disrespect the imperial authority!"
Qin Sheng stepped forward to make a report. "I have something to report. The Marquis of Pingyang was unclear about many aspects of border expenses. I sent someone to the border to find the person who handled the funds and recheck the accounts. Only then did I discover that at least 50,000 taels of silver were missing."
"Your Majesty, I impeach the Marquis of Pingyang for embezzling military funds!"
Embezzlement of military funds is a serious crime, much more serious than the previous charges.
Several generals stepped forward to speak for Pingyang Marquis Lu Yan.
"How can we keep clear accounts when fighting on the border?"
"When the Marquis of Pingyang submitted his report to the emperor to specialize in gunpowder research, you all had no objection. He spent the insufficient military pay and supplemented it with his own silver, spoils of war, and other things. This is why the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion has become increasingly destitute, relying on women's dowries to survive. Prince Qin, you don't need to slander the Marquis of Pingyang so much just to seek revenge!"
Qin Sheng sneered: "Whether it is a personal revenge or not, we will know once we send someone to the palace to ask."
The officials from the Ministry of Revenue stepped out simultaneously and sighed, "The accounts for military pay at the border have always been a mess. We've covered most of it, but this time there's a missing amount of nearly 100,000 taels. The 50,000 taels that Lord Qin mentioned are definitely missing, and the remaining 40,000 taels are unclear."
The emperor listened to his ministers quarreling below him, his eyelids drooping, not knowing what he was thinking. When the quarrel became more intense, and the generals and civil officials were so angry that their faces turned red and their necks thick, and they were about to fight, he picked up the teacup at hand and threw it down: "Enough, pass it on."
Do I need to say who it is about?
What were they arguing about just now?
The witness came up quickly and presented the account book.
The emperor had never seen such an account book before. He frowned and flipped through it again and again, "Is this an account book?"
The Ministry of Revenue said, "It is said that it was created by the Bai family, who were close to the Marquis of Pingyang. The accounts are indeed much clearer, but it is not impossible to falsify them. As long as an accountant with many years of experience is familiar with the accounting method, it is easy to do so."
The emperor nodded, suddenly remembering that the Ministry of Revenue had discussed this accounting method a few years ago. It had advantages and disadvantages, and before it was fully understood, the Ministry of Revenue had not completely switched to this accounting method.
The witness answered all the questions about the border account expenditures one by one, and finally said: "The person in charge of the accounts at the border has always been Bai, and she also has a private account book of her own."
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