Chapter 646 He really was granted the title of County Princess
"This is the first task that Father Emperor assigned to me. But I messed it up."
"What if Father Emperor is disappointed in me because of this, and he won't let me do any more errands?"
"Every time I see my father working so hard for the country, I want to do something for him..."
By the end, Li Sanqi's eyes had reddened.
Emperor Xiaozhao's expression softened slightly, and he gently comforted the emperor, saying, "It is rare to find someone so filial; I am deeply gratified."
Li Sanqi wiped her eyes, put on a smile again, and gave Emperor Xiaozhao a sweet smile.
Seeing that Emperor Xiaozhao's mood had indeed improved, she then briefly recounted what had happened at the flower banquet that day.
Although Emperor Xiaozhao had already heard the report from his subordinates, he still patiently listened to Li Sanqi finish speaking.
Finally, he asked, "What do you think of the marriage between the Prince of Chu and the fourth young lady of the Yongning Marquis's mansion?"
Li Sanqi feigned difficulty and said, "The marriage was arranged by Father Emperor himself, and I dare not speak presumptuously. However..."
"Before entering the palace, I promised to plead with Father Emperor on behalf of my fifth brother."
"Hmph, he doesn't dare to come himself, yet he has the nerve to ask you to come?" Mentioning the King of Chu, Emperor Xiaozhao was furious again.
Seeing this, Li Sanqi hurriedly and cautiously said, "Fifth Brother doesn't like Miss Yu, saying she's too domineering. If he marries her, I'm afraid none of the women in the Chu Prince's mansion will survive. He also said, he also said..."
"What else is there to say?" Emperor Xiaozhao asked coldly.
Li Sanqi gritted his teeth and said quickly, "Fifth Brother also said that he and Cousin Wenxi are in love and understand each other, and he wants to break off the engagement with Miss Yu and marry Cousin Wenxi as his principal wife."
"Fifth Brother asked me to plead with Father Emperor, asking him to allow him to break off his engagement with Miss Yu and to allow him to be with Cousin Wenxi."
Emperor Xiaozhao swept the memorials off his desk to the ground again, yelling, "Insolent fools!"
What does it mean for two people to be mutually in love and have a mutual understanding?
That's clearly a clandestine transaction! A secret affair!
Li Sanqi was so frightened that his knees buckled and he knelt down again. He looked up at Emperor Xiaozhao pitifully and said, "Father, please calm down! It's all my fault. I shouldn't have said such unpleasant things and made you angry."
Emperor Xiaozhao sighed and gestured to Liu Xin, who was standing nearby, to help the man up.
"I'm not angry with you. And this is hardly your fault."
"The one who's clearly wrong is that bastard Fifth Brother!"
"Women, women, women, is there nothing else in his head besides women?"
He ruined his reputation because of a woman, which made many families unwilling to marry their daughters to him.
Now look what's happened, even the broken engagement is because of the women in the inner quarters!
Speaking of which, what kind of women were in the inner quarters of the Chu Prince's mansion?
As Emperor Xiaozhao was pondering, Li Sanqi spoke up at the opportune moment, saying, "Father, don't be angry. Everyone has a love for beauty. It's understandable that Fifth Brother wants to have more beauties by his side."
"Now that the engagement has been called off, we need to think about how to appease the Marquis of Yongning's family."
"And what about my cousin Wenxi..."
"I think Fifth Brother and Wenxi have already..." had physical intimacy. He might even be pregnant.
Although the words were not finished, the meaning behind them was clear.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Emperor Xiaozhao's veins were about to bulge again.
Seeing this, Li Sanqi didn't dare to provoke Emperor Xiaozhao too much, and quickly said, "Father, please grant Fifth Brother's wish."
“I can personally visit the Yongning Marquis’s residence to apologize on behalf of Fifth Brother.”
"As for my cousin Wenxi, I'm afraid we should hurry up and bring her into the mansion to avoid any unforeseen complications."
Emperor Xiaozhao forcibly suppressed his anger and issued an imperial decree to dissolve the marriage between Yu Zhenhuan, the fourth daughter of the Yongning Marquis's family, and the Prince of Chu. He also bestowed upon Yu Zhenhuan the title of County Princess and the honorary title of Gaoping.
"I'm leaving this matter to you."
This last sentence was said to Li Sanqi.
Li Sanqi was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly curtsied, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor on behalf of my fifth brother!"
"Go then," Emperor Xiaozhao waved his hand.
Just as Li Sanqi turned around, he couldn't help but turn back and ask, "Father, what about Fifth Brother and Cousin Wenxi?"
Emperor Xiaozhao sighed helplessly, "I will leave this matter to your mother. You don't need to worry about it."
"Yes." Li Sanqi replied happily, "Father, please take care of yourself. Your son will take his leave."
After saying that, he turned and left the Imperial Study.
Once inside the palace, Li Sanqi never only visited Emperor Xiaozhao; even if it was late, he would make a detour to see the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Li Sanqi's smile never faded from his face as he walked from the Imperial Study to the inner palace.
This attracted frequent glances from palace servants and concubines encountered on the road.
Didn't they say that the Princess of Huaiyang ruined the flower banquet for the selection of a concubine for Crown Prince Da'er?
Didn't the Emperor punish her? How can she still be smiling so happily?
Judging from the direction she came from, she must have come from the Emperor's study, right?
Tsk tsk, His Majesty really spoils Princess Huaiyang to the core!
***
The events at the flower banquet spread like wildfire that very day, and there was just too much to complain about.
Some people focused on the King of Chu publicly breaking off the engagement, some on Wen Jue publicly proposing marriage, some on Miss Yu's public assault, and a small number were discussing where Miss Qiao had been during the time she was missing.
There were all sorts of opinions, but no one seemed to be fixated on any particular incident or person.
For a time, the atmosphere in the capital seemed incredibly harmonious.
The next day, the main gate of the Yongning Marquis's residence was opened wide, and he knelt to receive the imperial edict.
The Emperor personally issued an edict to annul the engagement between Miss Yu, the fourth daughter of the Yongning Marquis's family, and the Prince of Chu. To compensate the Yongning Marquis's family, the Emperor also bestowed upon Miss Yu the title of Princess of Gaoping County.
Princess Huaiyang personally led the delegation to deliver the imperial decree. After delivering the decree, she was invited to the Yongning Marquis's residence and did not leave until noon.
This incident fueled even more buzz about what happened at the flower banquet.
Some say that the King of Chu was ungrateful, as the Yongning Marquis's mansion was at its zenith and he was providing excellent support, yet he personally cut it off.
Not only that, but they even publicly broke off the engagement and humiliated Miss Yu, which was clearly a move to make an enemy of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion!
The King of Chu's reputation for being absurd spread as a result.
Of course, some people say that Miss Yu is pitiful. She already had a bad reputation, and now that the Prince of Chu has broken off the engagement, how will she ever get married?
Some people say that the most pitiful one is Princess Huaiyang. She was busy preparing for the flower banquet, but in the end, she didn't get any credit and had to clean up the mess for the King of Chu.
Some say that Princess Huaiyang left the Yongning Marquis's residence without a smile on her face. It's likely she took much of the Yongning Marquis's anger upon herself on behalf of the King of Chu.
Her story was so detailed and convincing that many people felt sorry for Princess Huaiyang after hearing it.
Well, the entertainment at the flower banquet was so great that everyone overlooked the true center of the banquet, the Crown Prince Dawei.
Afterwards, no one cared which young lady the Crown Prince would ultimately choose.
Qiao Qinghe was naturally always aware of the storms outside, fearing that if the winds turned against them, it would bring trouble to Qiao Ning and Qiao Yuanyao.
However, several days passed, and the most talked-about topic was still the matter of King Chu and Yu Huanzhen breaking off their engagement.
Not many people mentioned Qiao Yuanyao. Even fewer mentioned Qiao Ning.
Just as Qiao Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, an uninvited guest arrived.
Looking at Xia Linyuan sitting in front of her, Qiao Qinghe's brows were so furrowed they could trap a mosquito.
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