"Princess, the Prince of the Sea's Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion have both sent invitations!" After she finished speaking, Nanny Shangguan respectfully handed the invitation to Yun Qianmeng.
"Cousin, why did the Sea King's Mansion and the Prime Minister Han's Mansion suddenly think of Yan?" Xiahou An'er's eyes flashed with confusion, but the pair of eyes that could not be distinguished between good and evil flashed through her mind, making Xiahou An'er frown slightly.
"Maybe there's some happy event!" Yun Qianmeng answered with a smile, and then opened the invitation from the Sea King's Mansion, which said that it was the first birthday banquet of the Sea King's Prince Lin'er.
After closing the invitation, Yun Qianmeng calculated in her mind that it had been more than a year since she last went to the Sea King's Mansion.
It was the full moon celebration for Prince Lin'er of the Sea Palace. I didn't expect time to pass so quickly and now it's his first birthday celebration.
However, according to Neptune's usual low-key style of doing things, if the last banquet was held because Hai Quan had a grandson, why was he busy holding a banquet again when the child was one year old? It is a bit puzzling.
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?" Seeing Yun Qianmeng's eyes filled with contemplation, Xiahou An'er took the invitation from her hand and took a closer look. He didn't find anything wrong with it. "It's just a first birthday party!"
"Yes, it's just a one-year-old banquet!" Yun Qianmeng put away the look in his eyes, curled his lips and smiled, repeating Xiahou An'er's words, and then opened the invitation to the Han Xiang Mansion, which stated the Han Xiang Mansion's housewarming banquet and Han Che's promotion banquet to the Left Prime Minister.
"Huh? I didn't expect Prime Minister Han to have learned the ropes of officialdom!" Xiahou An'er took the invitation from Prime Minister Han's residence from Yun Qianmeng's hand, glanced at it, and spoke with a faint smile. Her mind suddenly flashed back to her impression of Han Che from the previous banquets. He had always seemed too aloof, and he didn't seem like someone who sought power and wealth. So, this invitation was a bit surprising.
Yun Qianmeng also smiled along with her, and then said, "Although he is already the Left Prime Minister, he received the imperial edict suddenly, which is equivalent to accepting the order in a critical moment! For Han Che, this is an opportunity, but also a disaster!"
Ever since Prime Minister Qin fell ill, several factions in the court have been eyeing the position of Left Prime Minister. How many people have focused their attention on this tricky position? Everyone has tried their best to get this position, but it was taken by Han Che, a small sixth-rank Hanlin editor. It can be seen that there are many jealous people.
If Han Che still doesn't learn how to behave, even if he has the emperor's support, the people below him will not be convinced, and he will not be able to do things smoothly in the future.
Looking at the time of the two banquets, we can know that Han Che deliberately avoided the banquet at the Sea King's Mansion and did not hold it before it. This is also where Han Che is meticulous.
"Were these two invitations delivered at the same time?" Looking at the dates on them, Yun Qianmeng looked up at Nanny Shangguan and asked softly.
"In reply to the princess, it was sent over by the Sea Palace first, and the Han Xiangfu sent it over about a cup of tea later!" Nanny Shangguan has been in charge of the Chu Xiangfu for many years, so she naturally knows the twists and turns here better than others. Now, seeing Yun Qianmeng's question, she answered it fluently without any embarrassment. It can be seen that Nanny Shangguan is really working hard for the Chu Xiangfu.
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng nodded, handed the two invitations to Mu Chun, and said to Nanny Shangguan, "Then please prepare two generous gifts. I will attend on time!"
Unexpectedly, Yun Qianmeng actually agreed to all of them. A hint of surprise flashed across Shangguan Ma's eyes, but she didn't say anything more. She just bowed to Yun Qianmeng and said respectfully, "I understand. I will go down and prepare now!"
After she finished speaking, Nanny Shangguan led the two little girls away from Mengxin Cottage!
"Cousin, I heard that Princess Hai Tian relied on her position in the Sea Palace to cause you to fall into the lake! Why do you still want to accept the invitation from the Sea Palace now? What if they have evil intentions again..." Xiahou An'er saw Mu Chun put away the two invitations, but frowned slightly and spoke. Her eyes were full of worry about Yun Qianmeng's trip, and she didn't understand the intention of Yun Qianmeng's move.
Yun Qianmeng smiled elegantly, took a sip of the slightly cool tea on the table, and then slowly spoke, "It's okay! Now that I'm the Princess of Chu, with the shrewdness of the Sea King, he naturally understands that protecting me is better than harming me! Besides, Princess Heshun has already married far away in Northern Qi, so it will be safe for me to go there!"
"But I don't think the Prince of Hai is someone you can easily mess with!" Especially those eyes that seemed to be half-smiling, half-good, half-evil, and half-smiling, they were unforgettable. Furthermore, Hai Chenxi seemed to admire his cousin's wife very much, which also made Xiahou An'er feel a little uneasy. //.//
"Prince Hai?" Yun Qianmeng sneered when she heard Xiahou An'er mention Hai Chenxi. Her bright and clear eyes immediately turned to the frowning Xiahou An'er. Seeing the worry between her brows, she patted her small hand and said in a clear voice, "His target is not us!"
Hai Chenxi's mind was completely consumed with his battles with the Sea Princess and her children, leaving him no energy for anything else. Yun Qianmeng felt somewhat reassured about Hai Chenxi, especially after the incident at Prince Duan's mansion. It was clear from the previous incident that Hai Chenxi would intervene if Hai Yue and the others were to cause trouble for them, so Yun Qianmeng naturally wasn't at great risk.
After seeing off Xiahou An'er, Yun Qianmeng returned to the inner room. However, Aunt Mi looked at her princess worriedly, seeming to be hesitant to speak.
"Mammy, just say whatever you want to say. There's no need to be so reserved in front of me!" Yun Qianmeng looked at the worry emanating from Mammy Mi and spoke with a smile.
Seeing that Yun Qianmeng could see through her emotions, Nanny Mi stopped hiding them and walked a few steps closer before speaking carefully, "Princess, you must bring Yuandong with you this time. Don't let her fall into the water like last time!"
Still remembering the last time she saw Yun Qianmeng soaked all over, Aunt Mi couldn't help but tremble in her heart. Fortunately, the King of Chu found her young lady in the lake at that time, otherwise she would not have the face to see his wife even if she died.
Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but smile lightly when she heard Aunt Mi's genuine concern, and nodded cautiously.
At this time, in the Golden Palace, all the officials waited for half an hour before Emperor Yugan arrived.
However, compared with his usual energetic appearance, Emperor Yugan looked a little tired today. His eyes were bloodshot and there was a hint of coldness around him, making people dare not look at him.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you. Long live the Emperor!" Seeing that Emperor Yugan had already sat down, all the officials saluted. When Emperor Yugan stood up, they stood up in unison and stood respectfully in the hall.
"Prince Chen, please accept the order!" Eunuch Yu's shrill voice resounded above the hall, and all the officials looked at each other in surprise.
Even King Chen himself frowned, but when he remembered what Emperor Yugan said before leaving the city last night, Jiang Muchen suddenly understood what was going on.
At this time, his face was stern and his lips were tightly pursed. He did not speak out immediately to receive the order because he was worried that his hesitation would anger the emperor. Instead, he stood quietly in the hall and thought about the matter.
Prince Chen's silence made all the officials even more puzzled. They didn't understand what had happened between Prince Chen and the Emperor, why the Emperor asked Prince Chen to receive the emperor's order as soon as he attended the morning court, and why Prince Chen's face was so ugly at this time.
"Prince Chen, why are you in a daze? The emperor wants you to receive the order!" At this time, Chu Feiyang reminded Prince Chen with a faint smile, his eyes full of anticipation for the show.
A cold light immediately shot towards Chu Feiyang, but Jiang Muchen never spoke a word. He still stood there with a cold expression, with no intention of accepting the order.
When Eunuch Yu saw this, his heart was already in his throat. These princes were powerful and held military power in their hands. Their arrogance was no less than that of the emperor.
But the emperor drafted such an imperial edict and asked him to read it, which really made it difficult for a slave like him.
Eunuch Yu turned his head slightly and glanced at Emperor Yugan carefully. Seeing that the emperor was not angry, he turned to look at Prince Chen and whispered a reminder, "Prince Chen, accept the order!"
Jiang Muchen glanced coldly at Eunuch Yu, and his gaze instantly met the gloomy eyes behind the Emperor Yugan's crown. He said in a cold voice: "I wonder what order the emperor has given me to do!"
In a word, it is hard to tell whether Prince Chen intends to accept the order or to disobey it. However, looking at Prince Chen's expression, it is extremely cold as ice. I am afraid that he is more unwilling to accept the order.
"You will understand after you accept this imperial edict!" Through the pearl curtain in front of him, Emperor Yugan's sinister eyes shot directly at King Chen below. There was a hint of indifference in his bloodshot eyes, which made people afraid, but did not scare King Chen away.
"Your Majesty, I don't understand. Please enlighten me!" Prince Chen held on tightly and refused to give in. The expression on his face did not change because of Emperor Yugan's very light tone. He stood proudly in the hall, even more unyielding.
"Of course it's a good thing! Little Yuzi, read it out!" There was obvious displeasure in his eyes. Emperor Yugan was not playing word games with Prince Chen. He directly forced Eunuch Yu to read out the imperial edict.
"Yes!" After receiving the order from Emperor Yugan, Eunuch Yu opened the memorial in his hand and spoke loudly, "By the order of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The daughter of Jiangcheng's richest man has a clean family background, is virtuous and intelligent, and is specially granted as Prince Chen's concubine. The two are allowed to choose a date for their marriage. This is my decree!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into a dead silence. How could anyone understand why the emperor would issue such an imperial decree without knowing why? The daughter of Jiangcheng's richest man might sound appealing, but she was a merchant, of low status. How could she possibly become Prince Chen's concubine? What was the emperor's plan?
Everyone was frightened and their eyes were on Prince Chen and Emperor Yugan, fearing that a dispute would break out between them.
"It's really a cause for celebration. For such a happy event, I would like to congratulate King Chen first!" Chu Feiyang was the first to speak as he was afraid that the world would not be in chaos, with a sneer in his eyes.
Prince Chen was secretly annoyed by this. He could not help but glare at Chu Feiyang coldly and retorted, "I haven't received the decree yet. Where does the congratulations from the King of Chu come from? If the King of Chu is satisfied with this marriage, why not take that woman as a concubine and enjoy the happiness of having two wives?"
Seeing the anger in Prince Chen's heart, Chu Feiyang curled his lips into a smile and spoke elegantly, "Prince Chen's intentions are kind, but I cannot accept them! Firstly, this is the Emperor's grace, and this grace is a favor given to Prince Chen! Secondly, when I was in Jiangzhou, I swore in front of everyone that in this life, there will only be one princess, Yun Qianmeng, and only Yun Qianmeng can enter the Chu family! How can I go back on my words and lose my trust in the people of the world? I really can't help Prince Chen with this matter. I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"
Chu Feiyang used Jiang Muchen's incident to make his position clear, thus blocking the path for Emperor Yu Gan to place a beauty in his place in the future. It could be said that Chu Feiyang's words not only mocked Prince Chen, but also backfired on Emperor Yu Gan, causing both of them to frown.
However, for King Chen at this moment, the most important thing was not Chu Feiyang, but to reject this marriage.
As for Emperor Yu Gan, his attention was also on King Chen, and he was only thinking about how to make King Chen agree to accept this imperial edict.
However, when Qu Changqing, who was standing in the queue, heard the imperial edict, a chill flashed across his eyes. It had only been a few days since the King of Chu ordered the richest man in Jiangcheng to be escorted to the Ministry of Justice, but the emperor made such a decision in such a short time. It seemed that the power in the hands of the emperor was not as simple as they saw.
While Qu Changqing was absorbed in official business, Qu Yan's mind was full of hidden agendas. Especially after hearing this sudden imperial decree, he was filled with surprise and anxiety. There were only two concubines to begin with, and if Prince Chen accepted this decree, there would only be one. It would then be even more difficult for Jing Qing to secure this position.
After pondering for a moment, Qu Yan slowly stepped out of the procession and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I think it's inappropriate for Prince Chen to marry the daughter of a merchant! Your Majesty is a dragon among men, how could he marry the daughter of a lowly merchant? I'm afraid that if people tell others about it, it will only make people laugh!"
"Is that so?" A cold voice echoed in the hall. Emperor Yugan withdrew his gaze from Prince Chen and slowly turned to the kneeling Qu Yan. He asked in a cold voice, "Isn't my Concubine Rong also the daughter of a merchant? So, are all of you laughing at me behind my back?"
The cold voice carried an immense chill, and Yu Gandi's words were threatening and oppressive, instantly frightening Qu Yan so much that his face turned pale, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"We dare not!" All the officials were frightened by Emperor Yugan's words. They all saluted Emperor Yugan and did not dare to use the excuse of the merchant's daughter. Many of them even looked at Qu Yan with obvious reproach in their eyes.
Chu Feiyang glanced at Qu Yan who was kneeling in the middle of the hall, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, full of interest.
"Prince Chen, what do you say?" Emperor Yu Gan's fingers gradually tapped on the dragon table in front of him. He had little patience left in his heart. In addition, the series of events that happened last night also made him annoyed. Now seeing that Prince Chen was determined to die and refuse to obey, he became even more angry.
"Your Majesty, I cannot accept your order!" But Prince Chen was not vague and rejected Emperor Yugan's kindness in front of all the civil and military officials.
Seeing this, everyone lowered their heads even more, hoping that the conflict between the Emperor and Prince Chen would not involve them.
What's more, when Prince Chen married his concubine, many ministers present went to congratulate him, and the invitation clearly stated that it was the daughter of the richest man in Jiangcheng, but in the end they saw the second daughter of Prime Minister Yun's mansion. No one dared to mention this farce until now, but the emperor actually picked it up again to humiliate Prince Chen. The heart of the emperor is really hard to understand.
Emperor Yugan hadn't expected Prince Chen to be so resolute, actually disobeying the order in front of the entire court. A strong murderous intent and anger instantly gathered in his eyes. He clenched his hand tightly on the dragon table, but after a while, he slowly loosened it and said earnestly, "Seventh brother, you are not young anymore, and you should plan for your future!"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty! I have been planning for my future since I was a child!" This sentence immediately brought the atmosphere in the hall to a low point.
How could everyone not know that Prince Chen was unwilling to give up? However, Emperor Yugan and the Queen Mother were very capable back then, and Prince Chen was still young, so it was really hard to say who was sitting on the dragon throne.
But now that things have come to this, and so many years have passed, no one has mentioned the turmoil over the throne. Unexpectedly, Prince Chen actually brought it up in a veiled way today, causing everyone's faces to change suddenly. Even Emperor Yugan narrowed his eyes, and a chill instantly emanated from his body.
"Your Majesty, Prince Chen might not be ready yet, or perhaps the prince has someone in his heart. It would be better for Your Majesty to discuss this matter with the prince privately after the court session! Don't delay the time for the adults to report on state affairs!" Unexpectedly, Chu Feiyang spoke up for Prince Chen at this time.
Hearing his voice, the tense nerves in the ministers' hearts finally loosened a little. They were just a little puzzled. Why was even the King of Chu acting a little strangely today? Normally, he was the one who was most at odds with the King of Chen, but he didn't expect that today he would actually speak up for the King of Chen.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit!" At this time, Han Che also spoke. He stood out from the queue with a gloomy face, holding a memorial in his hand, and handed it respectfully to Eunuch Yu.
When Emperor Yugan saw Chu Feiyang break the deadlock, he glanced at him with a cold gaze, even though he was smiling faintly. He then took the memorial from Eunuch Yu, glanced at it hastily, and said indifferently, "Approved!"
"Yes!" After receiving Emperor Yugan's approval, Han Che saluted again and then returned to his seat.
Eunuch Yu noticed that Emperor Yugan was also on the verge of anger, and immediately shouted to the court officials, "If you have a petition, please submit. If you don't, please leave the court!"
"Your Highness, we respectfully bid farewell to the Emperor!" All the ministers were waiting for these words. Before Eunuch Yu finished speaking, they began to respectfully bid farewell to Emperor Yugan.
"Prince Chen, come with me!" Emperor Yu Gan stood up with a gloomy face and left after leaving these words.
Upon hearing this, Prince Chen glanced coldly at Chu Feiyang, who was smiling nonchalantly, and then followed Emperor Yugan into the upper room.
"Your Highness, I never thought the Emperor was so well-informed!" After everyone had left, Qu Changqing approached Chu Feiyang and spoke in a very low voice. The case of Jiangzhou's richest man was a minor matter, unrelated to the Emperor Yugan's report, so Qu Changqing hadn't submitted a memorial. Unexpectedly, the Emperor Yugan already knew about it, demonstrating his formidable abilities.
Chu Feiyang's gaze was fixed on Han Che's back, with a faint smile hanging on the corner of his mouth...
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