Chapter 381 Loss of Integrity
The previous night.
In the inn where the Yue envoy was temporarily staying, a small oil lamp was still lit in the study, and Nangong Nian and a man sat facing each other.
The candlelight flickered, casting their faces in and out of view, making it impossible to discern their expressions clearly.
The young man seemed to have just calmed down from his excitement, and his attitude was very firm: "The imperial edict was made by Xuanyuan Shun on his own initiative. You don't need to take it to heart. We will naturally not let you stay in Qi."
"As for this matter, you don't need to get involved; leave it to me... As for visiting Qi Jun tomorrow, you don't need to go either; I'll go myself."
Nangong Nian stretched out her long finger and rubbed her throbbing temples:
"Second brother, I'm not a child anymore. I can tell what's important and what's not. Besides, I have something important that I can use to blackmail Qi Jun and Qi Yuxuan tomorrow, and you're not up to the task!"
The man called Second Brother's tone became even angrier: "It was already absurd enough that you drugged me and went to see them alone today, but you plan to go to the Qi Kingdom's court assembly in my place tomorrow?!"
"I've said it before, you're just a girl, the most important thing is to stay at home and wait to get married. So what if Xuanyuan Shun doesn't like you? As long as you become the empress, half of Yue Kingdom will be surnamed Nangong. You can do whatever you want then, right? Why did you have to come with me and make yourself look like this neither man nor woman!"
With a "whoosh," Nangong Nian stood up from her chair, looking down at her second brother, her voice growing increasingly cold:
"Second Brother, I call you Second Brother, do you really think you have the right to yell at me like that?"
Upon hearing this, the man's expression froze, and his hands on the chair gripped the armrest tightly.
“The son of a lowly dancer, do you really think your father would hand over the vast Nangong family to you? My eldest brother is only injured and unconscious, not really dead. You'd better keep a low profile. This time in Qi, whatever I say goes. If you dare to contradict me again, I won't hesitate to have my mother help my third and fourth brothers get back on their feet.”
After she finished speaking, she put on her coat and walked towards the study door. Before leaving, she glanced back at the man still sitting in the same spot.
"Tomorrow, I will visit Qi Jun with my second brother. I hope that you will be careful with your words and actions and put me first in everything you do, understand?"
After a long while, Nangong Nian, who had long since given up on the man's answer and had already returned to her room, finally managed to squeeze out a "I know" through gritted teeth.
The court assembly proceeded in an orderly manner, with rituals to Heaven and Earth, songs of praise, and so on, all completed on the first day of Qi Jun's ascension to the throne, which was the first day of the first month.
In addition, it was the end of the year, and generally no one would dare to bring bad luck with their memorials during this period. Unless it was something as serious as the fall of the country and the destruction of the family, they would wait a few days before submitting their memorials to the capital.
After receiving the congratulatory envoys from Yue and several border regions, the rain intensified, and the court session quickly came to an end.
The minor officials outside the main hall were temporarily invited into a side hall.
At this moment, the palace servants from the imperial kitchen also brought over a large amount of red date and ginger soup.
Qi Jun went directly to another side hall and met with Nangong Nian alone.
Accompanying her was a young man from the Yue Kingdom, who looked not much older than her and also surnamed Nangong; it seemed they were siblings.
At this moment, the man was standing respectfully with his head bowed outside the side hall, as if waiting for Nangong Nian to finish his audience and come out.
Qi Jun bypassed him and strode into the side hall.
Nangong Nian gave a casual bow and, without beating around the bush, took something from his attendant and handed it to Sun Miao, who had come closely behind Qi Jun.
"Your Majesty, I took the liberty of paying my respects yesterday, only to learn that my family and His Majesty of Yue have privately discussed the matter of keeping me in Qi."
"However, I am unwilling to waste my prime years in the men's quarters, therefore I beg Your Majesty the Emperor for your assistance!"
"This item is my sincere gift."
Sun Miao took it and, as usual, carefully examined it before respectfully handing it to Qi Jun.
What Nangong Nian handed over was a booklet, or more precisely, a historical record of the Yue Kingdom, which contained details of the daily life of Xuanyuan Ze, the carefree king of Yue.
Qi Jun held it in his hand, flipped through a few pages, and wondered, was this the sincerity that Nangong Nian had mentioned?
He frowned and decided to get straight to the point: "What is this?"
Nangong Nian quickly looked up at his expression, confirming that he was truly unaware, before clearing her throat and saying:
"The Miss Ye recorded on it is Princess Chang Le. She had previously lost her chastity to the Prince of Xiaoyao in the Yue Kingdom."
"...This is my sincerity. If Emperor Qi helps me reclaim the Nangong family, I am willing to offer the heads of everyone who knows about this matter to Emperor Qi! From then on, no fourth person in the world will know about this matter! In this way, Emperor Qi and Princess Chang Le, who will become Empress Qi in the future, will not be criticized by the world in the slightest..."
"Insolence!" A loud shout rang out, and the booklet was thrown down from a height, hitting Nangong Nian squarely on the forehead.
The corner of the book was sharp, and the other person's force was great, almost instantly cutting her skin. A stream of bright red blood slowly flowed down, but she remained expressionless, her eyes fixed on Qi Jun, as if waiting for his reply.
Qi Jun's anger surged, his five fingers digging deeply into the sandalwood dragon-carved armrest, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his forehead throbbing with rage, and his eyes instantly turning a ferocious crimson.
After a moment, he said, word by word, "Say it again?!"
Nangong Nian saw his surging anger, but was not afraid at all: "This is the result of my careful consideration. No matter how many times His Majesty the Qi Emperor asks me to say it, it is the same words."
The young emperor narrowed his long, narrow eyes slightly: "Are you trying to blackmail me?"
Nangong Nian: "I dare not. I only wish to remind Emperor Qi that you may kill me to vent your anger, but you may not care about the opinions of the world. It is hard to say whether Princess Chang Le, the Empress Dowager, and the Grand Princess should be involved. Whether or not to let Princess Chang Le be caught in the controversy of the world depends entirely on your magnanimity, Emperor Qi."
The hall was deathly silent. Sun Miao and the other palace servants bowed their heads countless times, almost burying their faces in their chests to minimize their presence and avoid attracting His Majesty's attention.
Who would have thought that this envoy from Yue would reveal such earth-shattering news?! Princess Chang Le is actually in Yue...
No wonder that when the Prince of Xiaoyao was still in power, he specifically ordered Daoxing to send Princess Changle to marry him. It turns out that the princess and the Prince of Xiaoyao had already consummated their marriage before.
Now, the princess is going to marry His Majesty, wouldn't that be...
Just as everyone held their breath, suddenly, the young emperor revealed a chilling smile: "Very well, I will help you."
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