Su Qingcai spoke each word with utmost seriousness, his gaze firm yet tender, as if he were recalling the girl's happy expression as he spoke.
The emperor was surprised that he was still so stubborn, and his face immediately darkened.
"I thought you had finally come to your senses these past few days, but you remain so stubbornly unenlightened. Do you even know the consequences of your actions?"
"This matter is entirely my fault. If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, I will have no complaints whatsoever." Su Qingcai was neither humble nor arrogant, seemingly determined to stick to his own ideas.
The court officials whispered among themselves, their faces showing either anger or surprise; not one of them expressed approval.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Su Qinghe almost burst out laughing. A smug smile flashed across his face, but he quickly concealed all emotion in his eyes and pointed at Su Qingcai angrily, shouting, "How dare you! Ninth Prince, don't think that just because you're a nobleman you can do whatever you want. This is the Emperor's decree. You've openly challenged the Emperor, which is disobeying the imperial decree! You deserve to die!"
"I was just stating my thoughts, how did that become challenging the Emperor? Besides, if the Emperor is displeased, then it should be the Emperor who punishes me, how can someone else overstep his bounds?"
Su Qingcai spoke casually, saying that he could lower himself before the emperor, but he would never bow down to Su Qinghe.
Su Qinghe was annoyed, his gaze towards Su Qingcai filled with a chilling coldness. "What does Ninth Prince mean by this? What you have done has put the Emperor in a difficult position. We are all the Emperor's subjects, and naturally we should put the Emperor first. Not only are you disobeying the imperial decree, but you also want to silence people?"
"No, it's just that I feel this matter should be decided by the Emperor." Su Qingcai met Su Qinghe's gaze without fear. Their eyes met, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.
The two argued back and forth, neither willing to back down, and the argument went on and on in the court.
The emperor, his head throbbing from the noise, waved his hand and said sternly, "Enough! What kind of nonsense is this, making such a racket in the court! Issue an edict: the Ninth Prince has disobeyed the imperial decree and shown contempt for the emperor's authority. He is to be fined one year's salary and confined to his residence for seven days to reflect on his actions! Also, Ninth Prince, you are to be fined one month's salary as well. No one is to cause trouble in the court!"
Unexpectedly, Su Qinghe was punished and felt indignant. Just as he was about to defend himself, he saw the emperor give him a meaningful look, as if warning him something.
Su Qinghe was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat. He had no choice but to accept the punishment along with Su Qingcai, and dared not utter any more complaints.
The matter was hastily concluded, and the emperor lost all interest in attending court, announcing the end of the court session shortly afterward.
Su Qingcai felt nothing about the punishment and was just about to leave when the emperor's chief eunuch rushed over and said in a low voice, "Ninth Prince, His Majesty requests your presence."
Why summon them secretly at this time?
Su Qingcai immediately thought of Su Xiaoning. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded and followed the eunuch to the Imperial Study.
In the imperial study, the emperor stood by the window with his hands behind his back, waiting for his arrival.
Hearing someone enter and then close the door, the emperor did not turn around. He stared at the falling leaves outside the window, and his voice, when he spoke, carried a hint of desolation.
"Xiao Jiu, I had no choice but to punish you in court to appease public anger. Please don't blame me. But I want to ask you, have you really thought things through? If you want to marry her as your principal wife, without your maternal uncle's family's help, your future will be very difficult."
He didn't have much time left and placed high hopes on Su Qingcai. The principal wife was a very important force, and it would be a real pity to give her up like this.
Su Qingcai wasn't unaware of the emperor's meaning, but compared to Su Xiaoning, power and status were secondary. He lowered his eyes and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I have already made it very clear in court. My mind is made up, and I cannot live without her."
He knelt behind the emperor and spoke each word firmly.
However, the emperor valued the bargaining chips too much, so after thinking for a while, Su Qingcai revealed some details about Su Xiaoning that he had been hiding.
Finally, he said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have already said that Su Xiaoning is the daughter of a lucky koi, born with a noble destiny. I concealed those things before only because I was afraid that she would be coveted by people with ulterior motives. Now that Your Majesty knows, her lucky koi luck is my greatest help. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."
The emperor was astonished to hear the whole story of the miracle that had happened to Su Xiaoning. He realized that there was no way to stop Su Qingcai now, and he had no choice but to believe it, regardless of whether the reason was fabricated or not.
He sighed and waved helplessly at Su Qingcai.
Su Qingcai breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the emperor's words meant approval. He kowtowed deeply to the emperor, then casually left the imperial study, feeling much more cheerful.
...
News of Su Qingcai's public defiance of the imperial decree and subsequent punishment of confinement quickly reached the Prince's residence. Upon hearing the reason for the punishment, Su Xiaoning, who was cooking, nearly cut her finger as her hand trembled.
You're saying... he did it for me?
Su Xiaoning's voice trembled slightly as she stared at Ding Yi, who had come to deliver the message, seemingly unable to believe what he was saying.
Ding Yi nodded silently, then said earnestly, "Miss Su, the Prince originally instructed us not to tell you about this, but I felt you should know, so I came to tell you the truth. The Prince is sincere towards you, and only hopes that you will not betray him."
"I..." Su Xiaoning's heart was in turmoil, her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and she didn't know how to answer.
Ding Yi didn't intend to force Su Xiaoning, leaving behind the words "Think it through yourself" before quickly departing.
Su Xiaoning stood in front of the stove, lost in thought, not even noticing that the food in the pot was burning. Ding Yi's words, "Don't let him down," kept echoing in her mind, making her feel a little suffocated.
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