Chapter 103 My Imperial Heir
Father Yun was sweating profusely.
He had never imagined that his eldest daughter, who lost her husband shortly after marrying into the Lu family and gave birth to a posthumous child, and had no contact with her natal family for many years, would have such good fortune. She would rise to prominence and enter the palace as a concubine, even as a widow.
He never expected that in response to the censor's admonition, His Majesty would fabricate facts out of thin air!
But when he looked up at Emperor Jingxuan's indifferent and calm expression, which seemed to say, "My dear minister, please think carefully before you speak," it was more like a threat than a threat. Father Yun took a deep breath and lowered his straight head.
"Your Majesty, ...it is true."
"Five years ago, after my son-in-law Feng Lan passed away, my eldest daughter lost all ties with the Lu family. I wanted to bring her back home, but my daughter got pregnant, so she had to stay with the Lu family to rest and recuperate."
"After the tenth month of pregnancy, my daughter was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to leave the child alone, so she took the initiative to stay in the Lu family to raise the child. She claimed to be faithful to her husband, but in fact, the marriage was already severed."
He talked about it in detail, and in summary, it was actually the same idea as what Emperor Jingxuan said, but he added some details to make it more convincing.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked disappointed.
Censor Wang steeled himself and asked another man, "Duke Lu, is what Minister Yun said true?"
Everyone looked at Lu Yuanduo.
In the eyes of everyone, he is still the solemn and steady man who took the position of Duke Lu at a young age and led the entire Lu family as the head of the family. But in fact, he is very uneasy at the moment.
The news that Yun Wan was canonized as a concubine was like a bolt from the blue to Lu Yuanduo. He didn't understand why he had ordered people to clean Cuiwei Garden carefully inside and out these days in order to welcome her back home, but in the blink of an eye she became a concubine and stayed behind those red walls forever?
At this moment, the court officials attacked and belittled her identity, and every word and sentence revealed the meaning that "a widow is not worthy of being a concubine."
And Your Majesty, for this purpose, fabricated a lie which they knew very well.
Is he going to admit it?
Lu Yuanduo was unwilling.
Is it deniable?
This is not only against the emperor, but also puts Yun Wan in an unfavorable situation.
She was still a wife of the Lu family, yet she became an empress, so high-profile and favored. One can imagine what those sour Confucian scholars who claimed to be the people of the world would say about her behind her back?
Rumors can kill.
Lu Yuanduo closed his eyes and made a decision.
He stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Censor Wang, what Minister Yun said is true. Concubine Yun and I have indeed long since dissolved our marriage."
After a simple admission, he spoke righteously and frankly, "I believe that Your Majesty's taking a concubine should be a private matter, a good thing for the expansion of the Great Qi royal family. However, I didn't expect that someone would stop it for no reason. What ulterior motives!"
"As for Concubine Yun, she was only willing to stay in her husband's family because she couldn't bear to see her young child die. But she didn't expect to be exploited by someone with ulterior motives. This has become a reason for indiscriminate attacks on Concubine Yun. It's truly chilling!"
He glanced at some of these 'some people' and snorted coldly, "If you don't believe me, why not come to Duke Lu's mansion after the court session? I'll personally show you the marriage cancellation agreement between the two."
The official he was staring at chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Mr. Lu, you are too kind. Of course we believe it!"
"Yes, of course we believed it!"
"We know what kind of person Duke Lu is."
“........”
At this point, Censor Wang lowered his head in shame, and no matter how others looked at him, he refused to say another word.
He could still tell the difference between a reputation for being upright and his life.
He is old and has not lived enough.
Seeing that the conversation was almost over, Emperor Jingxuan, who was at the top of the table, said calmly, "My two beloved ministers have explained your doubts. Do you have any other questions?"
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Someone whispered, "Your Majesty, Concubine Yun was canonized as a concubine right after entering the palace. Isn't this status... a little unreasonable?"
She has just entered the palace and has already become a concubine. What will happen in the future?
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingxuan raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked in surprise, "Isn't it unreasonable?"
The man was about to nod when he heard him say, "I think it makes sense."
"Besides, my imperial decree has already been issued. Do you, my dear minister, want me to retract it and break my promise to Concubine Yun and the imperial harem?"
Emperor Jingxuan raised his chin slightly, his eyes fell on the man, his expression grim.
The man covered his face with his sleeves: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty dare not!"
Emperor Jingxuan chuckled, half mockingly, and said, "I think you're quite daring. It was my intention to confer the title of Consort on Yun. If word of your actions today were to spread, how heartbroken would my beloved Consort be?"
"Perhaps Concubine Yun is already pregnant with my heir. You are not only trying to kill my beloved concubine, but also my heir!"
He looked disappointed and looked at the court officials with eyes full of pain, as if they had done something unforgivable and brought shame to the Great Qi.
When this hat was put on, all the ministers broke out in cold sweat.
In fact, it is not that serious. They are just afraid that His Majesty will favor Concubine Yun too much and cause adverse consequences.
Facing the disappointed look of Emperor Jingxuan, the ministers blushed and said, "Your Majesty, we have no such intention!"
Emperor Jingxuan ignored them, stood up angrily and left.
All the ministers trembled, especially Censor Wang, who was old and regretted it deeply.
.........
Yun Wan left the palace in a grand manner and had a smooth journey. When she passed through the busy Zhuque Street, the Yulin Army had already cleared the way in advance, so she was not delayed for a moment.
In front of Duke Lu’s mansion, a whole family was waiting at the door, each with a different expression.
It's funny to say that she is obviously the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, but she became the imperial concubine after entering the palace, and when she came back she still had to wait on them.
The sisters-in-law, led by Aunt Zhong, felt more and more embarrassed the more they thought about it, but they dared not not come.
Ding-ling-ling——
The hanging golden bells rang, and an exquisite and gorgeous carriage came into view in the sunlight. The body of the carriage was made of black nanmu wood, carved with intricate patterns, and covered with precious silk. The windows were covered with blue satin and jeweled bead curtains hung down.
Every detail exuded luxury, and everyone was shocked. Here it comes.
The carriage stopped on the flat bluestone ground, and Yun Wan slowly got off with the help of Fuling.
In a trance, everyone's breathing stopped, thinking that they had seen the goddess and fairy from heaven.
"Third Aunt!"
When Lu Changning saw Yun Wan, he blurted out a shout.
Yun Wan smiled at her but said nothing.
The Lu family stepped forward and knelt down, "This humble woman pays homage to Her Majesty Yun Fei. May Her Majesty be blessed with good health."
Looking at these familiar faces, Yun Wan raised her hand and said calmly, "No need to be so polite, everyone, get up."
Everyone stood up one after another. She tilted her head and asked, "Eunuch Jiang, would you like to go in and have a cup of hot tea?"
Jiang Fusheng: "Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness. Your Majesty has important matters to attend to. I will take you here and then return to the palace."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. This fat and amiable-looking eunuch was actually the Imperial Eunuch Jiang!
The emperor actually sent him to escort Yun Wan out of the palace personally. It turned out that she was as favored as the rumors said.
Yun Wan: "Well, I won't delay you any longer. Please thank His Majesty for me."
Jiang Fusheng nodded with a smile.
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