That eunuch is really dim-witted; he just stood there holding the imperial edict, acting like a complete idiot.
"Ninth Prince, to receive the imperial decree, one must bathe and burn incense, and set up an incense table. When the time comes, the imperial decree must be properly enshrined, and also..." the eunuch began cautiously.
"Either bring me the imperial edict, or take it and get out of here." Qi Jiu interrupted him, his face dark. "In the middle of the night, you want me to bathe, burn incense, and even find an altar? Are you out of your mind?"
In the past, he would have bathed and burned incense with great devotion, and he would never have missed these rituals, no matter how late it was. But now?
No way! It would be a miracle if he even accepted the imperial decree.
The eunuch blushed at his words and unfolded the imperial edict with trembling hands.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Ninth Prince, Qi Yanchang, is my legitimate son. He has received the Mandate of Heaven and complied with the will of the people. I hereby inform Heaven, the ancestral temples, and the state that he is hereby established as Crown Prince, to occupy the Eastern Palace, so as to uphold the dynasty for ten thousand years and to soothe the hearts of the people. I am old and frail, and I know that the affairs of state cannot be neglected for long. Therefore, I hereby command the Crown Prince to ascend the Hall of Supreme Harmony with the Imperial Seal, to manage the affairs of state, to command the army and oversee the country. All matters of the realm shall be decided by the Crown Prince. This decree is hereby proclaimed throughout the land so that all may hear it."
Qi Jiu was stunned after hearing this!
What does the old man mean by this?
They made him crown prince and put him in charge of governing the country.
Are you crazy?!
"Your Highness, His Majesty says you may prepare for three days, after which you may move into the Eastern Palace to handle state affairs." After the eunuch finished speaking, he knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness live a thousand years."
"Long live the Crown Prince!" The palace servants and guards following behind the eunuch also hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.
Ye Miaoyun and the others had originally knelt down to receive the imperial edict along with Qi Jiu, but now they were at a loss for what to do.
"No, no, no, there must be a mistake. I don't want to be the crown prince, and I don't want to oversee the country." Qi Jiu stuffed the imperial edict into the eunuch's arms and said fiercely, "Take it back to the old man and tell him that there must be a mistake. Tell him to send the edict to the fifth prince."
The old man won't let those who want to be emperor, but he insists on forcing those who don't want to be emperor. Is he crazy?
"Your Highness, the imperial decree has been issued and cannot be changed. Please rest early. We servants will wait outside. If you need anything, please call us." After saying this, the eunuch handed the imperial decree back to Qi Jiu and hurriedly got up and ran outside, afraid that Qi Jiu would chase after him.
The other servants and guards also followed him out.
"This..." Qi Jiu looked at the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, feeling like it was a hot potato. If he threw it away, it would seem disrespectful; if he didn't, he felt aggrieved.
"Yanchang, you...you are the Crown Prince now, this..." Ye Jinghuai looked at Qi Jiu, feeling extremely flustered.
Who could have predicted that the son-in-law, who was originally a commoner, would become the crown prince in the blink of an eye, and would be responsible for overseeing the country and governing the country, and would definitely inherit the throne in the future.
This...this is terrifying.
Ye Jinghuai wasn't happy; instead, he was frightened.
The Ye family were just ordinary people. Although their daughter married Qi Jiu, she could never become the empress. Qi Jiu would definitely choose a noblewoman from a prestigious family to be the empress in the future.
The Ye family's future situation will definitely be very awkward.
"I won't become the crown prince. I'll go to the palace tomorrow and explain this to the old man. He can let whoever he wants be the crown prince. I'm not going to do it." Qi Jiu said with a smile, "Don't worry, father-in-law. I just want to live a peaceful life with Miaoyun and take good care of my parents-in-law. I don't want anything else."
Ye Jinghuai, however, felt that the matter was not as simple as Qi Jiu thought.
"Xianya." Ye Jinghuai subconsciously turned his head to look at Ye Xianya standing behind the crowd.
When the imperial decree was delivered earlier, Ye Xianya just stood there, and no one dared to say anything.
"Father, do you remember what I told you before? You are destined to have such an opportunity to sit on the throne and rule the world," Ye Xianya said softly.
"But Xianya, Father is scared. I don't have much ability, and I don't want to be trapped in the palace, dealing with government affairs every day, which is exhausting." Qi Jiu said with a troubled expression.
"That's easy. Don't you have two brothers? There are many royal family members and important officials in the court. If your father doesn't want to manage it, he can let others manage it. Just be good at recognizing and appointing people. There's no need to do everything personally," Ye Xianya said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Qi Jiu couldn't help but sigh.
He wasn't as ignorant as he appeared on the surface. If he really wanted to be a good emperor, he could have done it. The key is, he didn't want to.
Moreover, whenever he saw the old man, he would be reminded of his mother and elder brother who had died unjustly, and his hatred for him intensified, so he didn't want to see him at all.
"If Yanchang becomes the crown prince, what will happen to Miaoyun?" Ye Xianwen asked with a worried expression.
"What do you mean, what should we do?" Qi Jiu was a little confused.
"Is Miaoyun going to be changed from wife to concubine?" Ye Xianwen asked.
Their Ye family is just an ordinary family. If Qi Jiu really becomes the crown prince, his sister definitely won't be able to become the crown princess.
"Then let's get a divorce. Let's just say we got divorced a few days ago, so you, the Crown Prince, won't lose face," Ye Miaoyun said quickly before Qi Jiu could even speak.
She would never become a concubine, not even for the crown prince.
She was self-aware enough to know that she had been divorced and was not young anymore, so she was not worthy of the position of Crown Princess. She suggested that Qi Jiu should marry someone else, as it would be better for both of them.
"I won't divorce you, I won't separate from you. When I was desperate, it was your Ye family that took me in. When I had nothing, you didn't despise me and lived peacefully with me. Now that I'm going to be the Crown Prince, how can I abandon you? If I become the Crown Prince, you will naturally be the Crown Princess. If the old man doesn't agree, I won't become the Crown Prince. Anyway, I don't want this position." Qi Jiu grabbed Ye Miaoyun's hand and said urgently.
Ye Miaoyun was about to say something when Qi Jiu said, "Besides, I owe my current situation to Xianya. Without her, my mother and elder brother's grievances would probably not have been cleared up for many years. I, Qi Jiu, am not an ungrateful person."
"Fairy Sprout." Ye Miaoyun's mind was in turmoil, and she subconsciously turned her head to look at her daughter.
"With me here, Mother has nothing to fear," Ye Xianya said softly.
Looking at her daughter's calm smile, Ye Miaoyun immediately felt reassured: "Then I'll listen to you."
"Tomorrow, I'll go to the palace. If the old man issues an edict to make you the Crown Princess, I'll become the Crown Prince. If he doesn't agree, then we'll part ways, and I'll go back to Taoyuanju and continue being the manager," Qi Jiu said with a smile.
He owes his success to the Ye family and Ye Xianya, and he cannot live without Ye Miaoyun. No one can separate them.
"It's getting late, everyone should go back and rest. With me here, there's nothing to worry about," Ye Xianya said softly.
Her words seemed to have a magical power; after hearing them, everyone felt at ease and quickly went back to sleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com