Chapter 269 Follow-up
No matter how much his emotions fluctuated after learning that Yang Zhe was the former crown prince Qi Ming, for Emperor Tai'an, the benefits outweighed the disadvantages.
If Qi Ming were allowed to continue his career in officialdom as a top-ranked scholar, he might one day strike a fatal blow to the imperial court. But now, imprisoned, Qi Ming could no longer stir up trouble, giving him an extra bargaining chip when he confronted his brother.
Although the fact that Yang Zhe was the former crown prince should not be publicized among the people, it must be discussed with important officials. Otherwise, if the acquitted top scholar is suddenly arrested again, it will cause panic among the people in the court.
Soon, ministers from various departments gathered together to discuss how to strengthen the management of mobile personnel in the capital and how to deal with possible changes in Northern Qi and Yu Liu. The meeting lasted for two days before it came to an end.
Emperor Tai'an, unable to hide his fatigue, rubbed his brows and finally took the time to reward those who had found out that Yang Zhe was the former crown prince.
Cheng Maoming was credited with a great contribution and was promoted to the Prince's Guardian. Other officials who participated in the investigation of the prince's murder were also praised, but the prince had just passed away, so these had to be postponed.
As for Prince Jing, he was a member of the royal family who was to inherit the throne, so it was naturally impossible for him to be promoted. However, it was acceptable to call Prince Jing into the palace to praise him for raising a good son.
Prince Jing listened to the emperor praising his son and secretly pinched his thigh until it turned blue in order to maintain a serious expression.
Anyone would be happy to hear someone praising their own child, but the prince hadn't been buried yet. If he showed his happiness, he would be a fool.
Back at Prince Jing's mansion, Prince Jing finally stopped pinching his thighs to maintain his expression. He sighed to Princess Jing and said, "Hearing my brother's praise for Shuo'er, I suddenly feel sorry for him."
He, the emperor's brother, was courageous and ambitious, but he was ultimately a pitiful man because he had to bury his young son before him.
Princess Jing said, "I was worried that Miss Lin Er was kidnapped and would cause a lot of discussion later. Seeing the emperor's attitude, I feel relieved."
Although the marriage between the two families will not change because of what happened to Miss Lin Er, it is not a pleasant thing after all if the daughter-in-law who has not yet married into the family is talked about and ridiculed by the world.
The Emperor, in his grief over the loss of the Crown Prince, remembered to praise his son, and he certainly wouldn't forget to reward Miss Lin. With the Emperor's words, the gossip naturally vanished.
Unlike the court which has focused on the old crown prince in recent days, the topic of conversation among the people after dinner is still about the three kidnapped girls, despite deliberate suppression.
After returning home, Chi Caiyun slept soundly for two days and finally regained her energy. She was about to go out with her maid.
"Caiyun, stop right there. How dare you go out after such a big thing happened? How can you be so worrying!" Mrs. Chi stopped her daughter.
Chi Caiyun turned to Mr. Chi for help: "Dad, Mom won't let me go out."
Master Chi stroked his beard and said, "Your mother is right. You finally came back safely, why do you want to go out again?"
Chi Caiyun's face was puffed up. "I agreed to treat Miss Lin and Miss Zhu to lobster. If you don't let me go, aren't you breaking my promise?"
Mrs. Chi glanced at her daughter and said, "Do you think those two girls can go out? The ladies of noble families are different from those of us. If something like this happens, forget about going out. It's good that they are not sent to the family temple."
Mr. Chi also said, "You're still eating lobsters. It's only you, Yun'er, who are so lucky. Those two girls can't even eat meat."
Fearing his daughter would get into trouble, Master Chi simply made it clear: "We shouldn't eat meat in our family. We're still in mourning for the Crown Prince. We feel sorry for you for having to suffer, so you need to eat some more meat."
When the crown prince passed away, the people were prohibited from slaughtering animals for five days. However, compared to the officials and nobles who had to strictly abide by various rules, the common people were much more relaxed. They could avoid being held accountable if they did not celebrate the wedding with drums and gongs.
"Then why did our family buy lobsters on the day I had the accident?"
Facing his beloved daughter's persistent eyes, Mr. Chi looked at Mrs. Chi.
Mrs. Chi's eyes flickered, and her voice unconsciously lowered: "It's not that the prince passed away, so the seafood store is selling them at a low price..."
The big lobsters shipped from the distant seaside are so precious.
Chi Caiyun understood now: "Okay, I'll treat them to a meal after this period of time."
Seeing her daughter stop making a fuss, Mrs. Chi breathed a sigh of relief and comforted her, "Don't worry, your father has sent a lot of thank-you gifts to Prince Jing's Mansion, the General's Mansion, and the Yichun Earl's Mansion. Those two girls won't misunderstand that you are heartless."
"Yes, Dad has already prepared a generous thank-you gift." Master Chi was secretly happy when he mentioned this.
The safe return of their daughter was a blessing in disguise for their family. It was natural for them to have contacts with royal family members and nobles. In the future, as long as they were smart, it would be very beneficial for them to get in touch with the managers of these three families.
As for the reputation of having their daughter kidnapped? Merchants like them didn't care about that. As long as he had money, there were plenty of people who wanted to marry their daughter.
Compared to the calmness of the Chi family, the atmosphere in the Yichun Earl's Mansion was much more depressing.
The wife of the Earl of Yichun has cried countless times since her daughter's accident, and her eyes have never been swollen.
"We were discussing the marriage, but something happened to the Crown Prince, so we had to stop. We had planned to continue after this period of time, but who would have thought that Yu'er would encounter such a thing... Why is Yu'er's life so miserable..."
Zhu Jiayu is the daughter of the Yichun couple who came of age in their later years. They raised her as their precious jewel in the palm of their hands. Mrs. Yichun feels really sad when she thinks about her daughter's future.
Yichun Bo was so upset by the crying: "Well, it's okay. What happened has already happened. If I were to ask you, you should be content that Yu'er has returned safely. Look at the general's mansion, they are so happy."
The wife of the Earl of Yichun moved her lips, wanting to say that the Lin family had too many lice and were not itchy, but when she thought of what her daughter said about the second Miss Lin taking them away, she did not say the unpleasant words.
But it still hurts!
The wife of the Earl of Yichun began to cry again.
Unlike the Zhu and Chi families who were grateful to Lin Hao and kept their promises, people were much more harsh in discussing the matter, and there were even rumors that Prince Jing's Mansion wanted to cancel the engagement.
It was not until the imperial sedan stopped in front of the general's mansion and various gifts bestowed by the emperor were carried in like water that these discussions suddenly disappeared and turned into doubts about Miss Lin Er.
Isn't it true that the higher the family, the more they care about a girl's reputation? Why is Miss Lin the second one an exception? Not only was she not scorned by the royal family after such an incident, she even received a reward from the emperor.
Whenever Wen Rusheng went out for a walk, he would hear countless questions like this. He wanted to jump up and shout "I know!", but unfortunately, as soon as he opened his mouth, he was dragged back home by Wen Ping who had been warned by Wen Feng. He had no choice but to tell Wen Ping the truth.
The devastated Wen Ping: "..." He didn't want to listen, and even felt scared, because he actually began to believe it a little!
The weather was getting colder day by day, the prince's funeral was still going on, the people were less lively and the whole capital seemed to be shrouded in a dark cloud.
Just as the twelfth lunar month arrived, something big happened.
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