When the imperial decree bestowing the marriage arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, Yun Zhihong and his son were filled with astonishment, while Han and her daughter were practically grinding their teeth to powder.
That vile woman was actually bestowed upon the Prince of Yin by the Emperor to be his principal wife. How dare she, a mere concubine's daughter born to a foot-washing maid, be worthy of him?
After the imperial edict was read aloud, the chief eunuch beside the emperor smiled and said, "I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Yun first."
Yun Zhihong received the imperial edict while in a wheelchair, his arm in a splint, his face red and purple.
"The Emperor is very concerned about Prime Minister Yun's injury and has requested leave. He specifically instructed me to bring him the best medicine for his injury. Please take good care of yourself and be careful when you walk in the future."
Yun Zhihong's reason for taking leave was that he tripped and fell while walking, fracturing his arm and pelvis.
Upon hearing this, he quickly accepted the imperial edict with one hand, his face full of gratitude, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am humbled."
Then, lowering her voice, she asked, "But I hope you can tell me, why did His Majesty suddenly decide to bestow this marriage? Is there any reason for it?"
The eunuch's old face beamed with joy: "Oh dear, you don't know, Prince Yin rushed to the palace early this morning to beg the Emperor to grant him a marriage with Miss Yunyan. That's how we found out that the Prime Minister actually has another daughter."
Yun Zhihong looked somewhat embarrassed: "She has been in poor health since childhood and has always been raised in the mansion. She has hardly ever gone out, so no one knows about her."
The eunuch nodded, smiled meaningfully, and understood that this was just a polite remark.
In the homes of the powerful and wealthy, it's not unusual for a child to suddenly appear; once the veil of secrecy is lifted, none of them are clean.
The eunuch glanced at Yunyan and felt that the woman seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist, giving her an indescribable sense of mystery.
He suppressed his doubts and continued exchanging pleasantries with Yun Zhihong.
"Actually, the Emperor originally had other candidates for the Princess Consort, but seeing the Prince's sincere feelings for Miss Yunyan and his words that he would marry no one but her, he finally agreed. He even said that it is rare for the royal family to have such a loving couple, and that the Prime Minister has truly raised a good daughter."
Yun Zhihong wore a fake smile and repeatedly expressed humility, but in reality, he felt as disgusted as if he had eaten shit.
Okay, that's fucking good.
I really want to show those four heads to this eunuch, or show him the bald heads under their wigs.
Upon hearing that Yuan Bai would marry no one but her, Boss Qi was unusually bewildered.
She was completely baffled.
No, does that scoundrel have some serious illness?
Or are all men this despicable?
Fu Gui said speechlessly, "He's so cheap. Is this what they mean by 'men don't love women who aren't bad'?"
Qi An's lips twitched: "It's my fault!"
She either underestimated men's masochistic tendencies, or she hit them too lightly.
Qi An reflected that if he had been cut off in the groin or had an arm or leg removed yesterday, he definitely wouldn't have loved him at all.
The tasker was feeling a bit down and couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.
"Why is that? You almost beat him to death yesterday and didn't give him a single kind word from beginning to end. How come he went to ask the Emperor to grant him a marriage, and even asked for the position of principal wife? I don't understand."
In her previous life, Yuan Bai was completely infatuated with her "charming system," and with her deliberate, gentle, and subtle seduction, the man seemed to love her to death, but he never mentioned making her his official wife.
How come when it was Qi An, with his murderous aura, who was almost beaten to death by her, he became even more infatuated with her afterwards?
Could it be that Qi An has a system even more advanced than the "Most Popular Person" system?
Qi An seemed to know what she was thinking and chuckled, "What's there to not understand?"
"Men are like that; the more you trample them underfoot, the more obsessed they become; the more you chase after them, the more they despise you. What you can't have is always the best."
“That’s right, that’s right.” Fu Gui succinctly summarized: “It all boils down to one word: cheap.”
The person on the task seemed thoughtful. Is that so?
Did she make mistakes before?
The eunuch covered his mouth and laughed, "It's funny, the prince came to request the imperial decree with injuries, which startled the emperor. When asked, he found out that the prince had fallen just like the prime minister."
Yun Zhihong chuckled and said, "Hehe, really? That's quite unfortunate. It seems I really have to be careful when I walk."
After a few more words of arguing, the eunuch said he needed to return to the palace to report, and Yun Zhihong and Madam Han politely escorted him to the door.
Qi An watched them leave, then cast a playful glance at Yun Jinxiu and Yun Jincheng.
The two of them simultaneously shrank their necks, wanting to run away, but barely managed to hold back. They then quickly raised their heads and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace at Qi An.
The brother and sister said in unison, "Congratulations, Sister Yunyan!"
Anyone who saw this scene would think they were genuinely happy for their sister.
Qi An's smile was much more genuine than his; when it comes to acting, she's a world-class director.
"Congratulations! We're all family, no need to be so formal. Remember to send the gift to Butterfly Courtyard later."
The two: "..."
"Don't worry, sister, the gift will be delivered to Baohua...Butterfly Courtyard later."
"Hmm, that's more like it. It doesn't need to be too valuable, just something worth ten or eight thousand taels of gold will do."
After Qi An finished speaking, she raised her hand. Instantly, the two of them, along with the servants behind them, retreated a large distance in panic, looking at her warily.
With a "smack," Qi An swatted away the mosquito on his arm, then swept his long hair aside and fanned his head vigorously with a round fan.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out they weren't going to fight.
Qi An looked completely innocent: "The weather is getting hotter and hotter. I really envy those bald monks. Just thinking about it makes me feel cool."
Unlike us, we're constantly sweating because of this long, thick hair. Don't you think so?
The brother and sister's faces instantly turned ashen, and Yun Jinxiu's eyes welled up with tears.
"Pfft," Fugui, who was eating in his sea of consciousness, burst out laughing.
"Haha, Sister An'an, you're so mean! I love you so much."
The tasker wiped the crumbs of pastry that had been sprayed all over his face, grimaced, and moved away from Fugui while covering his backside.
Oh, right, her butt was kicked by Fugui after she questioned Qi An's charm.
She thought to herself, "You two are equally bad, both utterly immoral."
After laughing, Fugui asked, "Sister An'an, what about this arranged marriage? You're not really planning to marry that scoundrel, are you? We don't need to make such a big sacrifice, do we?"
Most importantly, that scoundrel doesn't deserve it.
Qi An said indifferently, "No need to pay attention. In any case, in less than three days, he will kneel down and break off the proposal just as he did."
"That's good."
Wealth and status are not determined by their origins; one must trust Qi An's words completely.
Just then, Yun Zhihong returned, followed by a haggard-looking Han Shi.
"Yan'er, now that you have such a good marriage, your father can finally rest easy."
Qi An mentally gave him a thumbs up.
No wonder he rose to the position of the country's second-in-command. His ability to be patient and manage his expressions is something Yun Jincheng could learn for three lifetimes.
Qi An didn't respond, but he wasn't embarrassed. He continued, "It was all my fault before. I wronged you. I will definitely make it up to you in the future."
As he spoke, his eyes even welled up with tears, portraying a deeply remorseful old father with genuine emotion.
"Yes, child, we are all family. We share the same fate, and we share the same fate. Let bygones be bygones."
From now on, you will be just like Jinxiu, a precious and beloved young lady of our Prime Minister's mansion. Your stepmother will also make it up to you.
Han's acting was clearly a level below, and his words were delivered with a ferocious expression. He even rubbed his dry eyes with a handkerchief.
Qi An asked innocently, "Really?"
"Of course it's true." The two nodded quickly.
“Alright then,” she said casually, “then let’s give you one million taels of gold first.”
"What did you say?" Han's voice cracked.
Qi An said innocently, "Didn't you say you would compensate me? You're not planning to compensate me with words, are you?"
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