Sure enough, Xingxing sat on the dragon throne and slowly dictated his words, while the chief eunuch drafted the decree with a wolf-hair brush.
The plan was to bestow marriages upon Tie Qingfeng, Song Jiao, and Song Xiyan simultaneously, allowing all three to marry at the same time. Song Jiao and Song Xiyan would be equal wives, with no distinction in rank.
“This doesn’t seem like a good idea. This imperial edict will probably offend people even more. Of course, they won’t dare to object. They’ll be angry but dare not speak out, after all, you are the emperor,” Zhu Lin said, rubbing his forehead.
"Don't rush, let's leave this imperial edict as it is. I'll issue another edict to bestow marriage upon Tie Qingfeng and Song Jiao first, and then we'll see how Minister Tie reacts." Xingxing smiled confidently.
The next day, the imperial decree of marriage arrived at the residence of the Minister of Revenue. Tie Yusheng led his family to kneel and receive the decree. After receiving the decree, Tie Yusheng stood up and slipped some gifts into the hands of the eunuch who delivered the decree, hoping to inquire about some information.
"Your Majesty, what does the Emperor mean by this?"
Having received the bribe, the young eunuch added a few words: "Song Jiao went to the palace to meet the Emperor and asked him to grant her a marriage. The Emperor, being benevolent, granted her request out of consideration for their past acquaintance in the common people."
After speaking, the palace servants left the Minister's residence. Tie Yusheng's face was solemn. Things were not going to end well. The Tie family had just exchanged betrothal letters with the Li family, and Qingfeng and Song Xiyan had already arranged their marriage. Now, the emperor had suddenly bestowed a marriage upon them. What would become of Song Xiyan?
The Song family is the most prestigious family in Jiangnan, and Song Xiyan is the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan. They are not so easy to deal with. Although the reason for the arranged marriage cannot be blamed on the Tie family, the blame lies with the emperor for interfering.
However, the Tie family could not remain completely uninvolved and had to give Minister Li an explanation. This Minister Li was Li Chenglin, the Minister of War, who was Song Xiyan's maternal grandfather.
"My lord, what should we do? The Emperor is putting us in a difficult position!" Madam Tie felt sorry for her son, who clearly had someone he liked, but was being forced to marry a woman he didn't want to marry.
"Watch your words! How His Majesty handles matters is none of your business. Are you out of your mind?" Tie Yusheng said in a deep voice, stopping Madam Tie from continuing her reckless speech.
Madam Tie was wiping her eyes when she heard this and her crying stopped abruptly. Her face turned pale instantly. She had been so flustered that she had spoken without thinking and almost caused a disaster.
Tie Qingfeng's expression was inscrutable. He lowered his head and looked cold, seemingly lost in thought. His hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched into fists, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
"Qingfeng, come to the study with me. I have something to ask you." Tie Yusheng turned and walked towards the study.
"Yes, son understands." Tie Qingfeng's voice was slightly hoarse as he followed behind, pursing his lips.
After the father and son entered the study, Tie Yusheng asked him to close the door. He had already sat down in the chair in front of the desk. Seeing Tie Qingfeng come over after closing the door, he said in a deep voice, "Qingfeng, I want to hear what you're thinking?"
Tie Qingfeng stood straight in front of the desk, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth, saying, "What can a son think? When the emperor commands a subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. Besides, it's just asking me to marry a woman I don't want to marry."
This was just something he said in anger, and he only dared to say it because he knew it was just the two of them, father and son, in the study.
“The imperial decree has been issued and there is no possibility of it being taken back. The new emperor may seem easy to talk to, but in reality, she is not as easy to deal with as she appears. Based on the few times my father has had contact with her, she is a person of strong will, and no one can change her mind.”
Tie Yusheng had another unspoken thought: the new emperor was a woman, and women have always been more difficult to talk to than men. In fact, it wasn't just Tie Yusheng who had reservations about the eldest princess being the emperor; many ministers in the court also felt this was a thorn in their side, but the situation was already set and they were powerless to change it.
Tie Qingfeng's face was gloomy as he recalled the various events that happened when he was recuperating in Yegou Village. He always felt that the new emperor was taking revenge on him. Back then, he was arrogant and looked down on the villagers of Yegou Village and the Zhou family's children because of his noble status.
There were minor disagreements during that time. Although they weren't anything serious, women tend to be petty and hold grudges. Just look at Song Jiao; she's stubborn and vindictive, and the new emperor is probably no different.
Especially since the new emperor is currently pregnant, and pregnant women are said to be prone to having strange temperaments, it seems that the new emperor is deliberately making things difficult for him. Song Jiao's relationship with the new emperor is even worse than his, so how could the new emperor possibly come to deal with him for Song Jiao's sake?
He clearly wanted to make things difficult for both him and Song Jiao, but Song Jiao was so eager to marry him that she didn't care about anything else.
After a lengthy and thought-provoking analysis, Tie Qingfeng finally said to Minister Tie, "Father, I'm going out for a while. I'll come back to discuss the matter of bestowing a marriage upon you."
After leaving the mansion, Tie Qingfeng immediately headed to the Song residence. This Song residence in the capital was the home of Song Jiao's uncle. Song Jiao had been living at the Song family's house since she came to the capital. This Song family member was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and was actually a subordinate of Song Xiyan's maternal grandfather.
As Tie Qingfeng sat in the carriage, he pondered the matter. Perhaps he should first consult with Minister Li of the Ministry of War and have him put pressure on Lord Song, so that several officials could go to the palace together to request the Emperor to rescind his decree.
"Corrupt official, traitor..."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside, with people shouting and cursing. Tie Qingfeng lifted the curtain and looked out, only to see a large crowd gathered ahead, and a group of soldiers escorting several prison carts slowly moving forward in the middle of the road.
"What happened? What kind of criminal is being held in the prison cart?" Tie Qingfeng was still somewhat dazed.
The attendant outside had already found out and came to report, "Young master, the prison cart ahead is carrying the Zheng family. The Zheng family conspired with the Ming King to rebel. According to the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty, they should be punished along with nine generations of their family. However, the current emperor is benevolent and has only arrested three generations of the Zheng family for execution in the autumn. The remaining six branches of the family have only been sentenced to exile to the border."
Today, the Zheng family and Prince Ming were specially paraded through the streets. The main reason was that Prince Ming was cursing and swearing in prison, and every word he said was cursing the new emperor. He said that women should not be emperors, and that the late emperor must have been delirious from illness to be bewitched into issuing an edict that allowed a princess to inherit the throne. That edict was completely invalid.
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