"Miss, hurry to the front hall, the imperial edict has arrived!"
Imperial edict?
The Shu family is just a small business, yet Emperor Yuming was willing to issue an imperial decree personally.
Qin Qi frowned deeply. Turning his head, he saw that Shu Hua's face was deathly pale, and her eyes even looked somewhat timid.
Qin Qi couldn't understand the reason, so he had no choice but to go with Shu Hua.
...
In the front hall of the Shu residence, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict held the decree in one hand and a whisk in the other, followed by a group of followers who all bowed their heads respectfully. It was just like the scene when Emperor Yuming issued the decree to Qin Qi and Lu Huai, or rather, even more grand.
Seeing that Shu Hua and Qin Qi were also kneeling down, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict glanced at them before taking out the edict and unfolding it.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Shu Hua, a woman of the Shu family, is virtuous, diligent, gentle, and pure in nature. Effective immediately, she is hereby granted the title of Princess Zhaoyue. This decree is hereby proclaimed throughout the realm, so that all may know of this. This is the imperial decree!"
What? They actually bestowed upon Shu Hua the title of Princess?
Qin Qi looked at Shu Hua in surprise, only to see that the latter's lips were deathly pale, and even when she bit down hard, there was no color in them.
The eunuch delivering the imperial decree closed the scroll, glanced at Shu Hua sideways, and said, "Princess Zhaoyue, what are you still standing there for? Hurry up and accept the decree to express your gratitude!"
"Zhaoyue...thanks to Your Majesty's great favor." Shu Hua rose, stepped forward to receive the imperial edict, and then took a handful of silver peanuts from the maid's hand, preparing to hand them to the eunuch who was delivering the edict. "Eunuch..."
The eunuch delivering the decree reached out to stop him, "Princess, I haven't finished speaking yet." He turned around and took a bright yellow object from the little eunuch behind him—it was an imperial edict!
Shu Hua stared at his actions in astonishment until Old Master Shu tugged at the hem of her skirt, at which point she reacted and knelt down again.
The eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict finally relaxed his brow. He cleared his throat and unfolded the edict once more.
By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
Princess Zhaoyue, Shuhua, is dignified and beautiful, possessing both inner and outer grace. Her words and actions embody the elegance of royalty, and she has now reached marriageable age. Now, there is a worthy prince of our allied nation, Shangguan Jingci, of noble character and dignified appearance. Therefore, I hereby decree the marriage of Princess Zhaoyue to the prince of the Kingdom of Qing, to be carried on their return to Qing in seven days. So be it!
Qin Xi's eyes widened upon hearing this. A marriage decree? Zi Hui and Shangguan Jingci?
Shu Hua's face turned deathly pale, and her legs suddenly went weak, as if she had suffered a great blow. If Shu Zhan hadn't caught her in time, she would probably have collapsed to the ground by now.
The eunuch delivering the decree looked at her with pity, then sighed, "Princess, accept the decree."
Shu Hua gripped the hem of her skirt tightly. As she stood up, she glanced back at the Shu couple, only to see their faces filled with worry. Looking at Shu Zhan, her hands were clenched into fists, her teeth clenched, as if she were trying desperately to control something.
She suddenly smiled, accepting the imperial edict with ease, and then earnestly kowtowed three times towards the direction of the palace, "Zhaoyue...thanks to Your Majesty's great grace!"
Shu Hua was still smiling when she kowtowed, but as she smiled, her vision blurred.
The eunuch delivering the imperial decree shook his head with pity. Seeing that she remained prostrate on the ground without saying a word, he turned and left. Once he was gone, the others all stood up.
"Zihui..." Qin Xi looked at her with concern. Although she didn't know what had happened to make Shangguan Jingci suddenly marry Zihui, and even Emperor Yuming issued an edict ordering Shu Hua to set off with Shangguan Jingci in seven days, her intuition told her that this was definitely not a good thing.
Shu Hua turned around, still smiling, and her face regained some of its rosy color.
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