The emperor was right in front of him, and his gloomy face made it clear that Liu Baoxuan was doomed this time.
"The wedding procedures for Liu Baoxuan and Jinghe are not yet complete, are they?"
The emperor's sudden question, though seemingly directed at someone, has already been answered by someone.
Xie Shiyan, who had been silent for a long time, replied, "We just finished serving tea, but haven't taken it into the inner room yet."
It means that only the last step is left.
The emperor gritted his teeth and said, "Since the final step hasn't been taken yet, then there's no need to proceed."
Liu Baoxuan and his wife were both dumbfounded.
None of them quite understood what the emperor meant.
As if to explain this specifically to the two of them, the emperor spoke again:
"Originally, I arranged the marriage between you and the princess without caring about your background or family history. As long as you are good to the princess, I don't care about anything else."
Upon hearing this, Liu's heart sank.
The emperor continued, "But now that things have come to this, I believe that Liu Baoxuan is not truly sincere towards my princess, so let's call off this marriage."
"I have heard that Liu Baoxuan was originally a beggar."
"Since that's the case, then restore your former identity and go back to being a beggar."
"Begging can be done everywhere in the capital."
"Wherever you go, I will order people to protect you and ensure that you do not suffer any injustice on your begging journey."
Liu Baoxuan was stunned, as if struck by lightning.
He was only interested in the pleasure of speaking, completely forgetting that he was an emperor.
An emperor who could decide his life or death.
If I go back to being a beggar, won't I end up with nothing?
Thinking about it this way, Liu Baoxuan felt utterly hopeless.
He knelt there, stunned, his eyes vacant.
Only Liu was left standing aside, weeping and begging for forgiveness from the emperor and princess.
But the emperor's face remained cold, and he was unmoved.
Princess Jinghe, on the other hand, looked smug and happy. "Hmph, how dare you lay a hand on me, you filthy beggar! Don't you even know who's above you?"
Liu pleaded desperately, but no one dared to speak up for her.
She had no choice but to set her sights on General Xie once again.
"Master! Please save Baoxuan! He's my only brother, and you always dote on him, don't you?"
Liu pleaded desperately for mercy.
How could she not understand the emperor's ultimate intention in issuing this punishment?
Bao Xuan's punishment was not just turning him into a beggar, but making him a beggar protected by the royal guards!
Who would dare to give money to those protected by the royal guards?
Isn't this just a disguised way of sending Bao Xuan to his death?
Liu cried with tears streaming down her face.
General Xie, however, was willing but powerless.
Now he is just a retired old general in the imperial court.
He had neither military power nor made any substantial contributions to the Northern Qi.
The Emperor valued him far less than he valued Shi Yan.
He had no say in front of the emperor.
The only way to save Liu Baoxuan is for Shi Yan to speak up.
Or... the princess could speak up...
At that moment, an absurd idea was born in his mind.
General Xie hurriedly bowed to the ground and kowtowed deeply, saying:
"Your Majesty, Bao Xuan is indeed wrong, but he is self-aware and knows that he is not worthy of the princess, which is why he did what he did today."
"Rather than letting the princess submit to this lowly boy, it would be better to let the princess annul the engagement herself and let him be the villain. That's what he really wanted."
"This old minister knows that the princess is of noble status, and I, as her brother-in-law, am naturally not qualified to be her husband."
"I will risk my old face today and tell you the truth: the only person in the world who is worthy of the princess is indeed my son."
Princess Jinghe was initially annoyed, but upon hearing these words, her eyes immediately lit up.
General Xie continued, "The princess's thoughts are known throughout the capital. If the princess does not mind, this old minister can make the decision for Shi Yan and arrange this marriage. I beg you to spare Bao Xuan's life."
Everyone was shocked.
No one expected that General Xie would go to such lengths for his wife's younger brother.
After all, it was common knowledge throughout the city that Xie Shiyan disliked Princess Jinghe.
Princess Kejing seemed to have long been accustomed to Xie Shiyan's indifference towards her, and was quite satisfied with General Xie's words, but soon she felt that something was amiss.
"But everyone in the capital knows that Brother Ayan is going to marry Gu Jiangli. Do you expect me to become a concubine?"
Princess Jinghe looked in Gu Jiangli's direction with a slightly provocative expression.
This indicates that she absolutely did not want to be a concubine.
Xie Shiyan's face had turned as black as charcoal after General Xie uttered those words.
He didn't speak, wanting to see just how absurd General Xie could be today.
Seeing that he remained silent, Gu Jiangli naturally did not speak either.
General Xie treated the emperor's princess with utmost respect and made no attempt to conceal the agreement reached between Old Madam Xie and Gu Jiangli:
"Princess, Your Majesty, you may not know this, but Gu Jiangli has not yet been accepted by my Xie family."
"Although she is staying at my Xie family's place, she is not Shi Yan's wife."
"The old lady once made a deal with Gu Jiangli: to become Shi Yan's wife, she had to get pregnant first."
"Otherwise, she could not be Shi Yan's legal wife."
"Since the two have not yet held a wedding ceremony, and Gu Jiangli is not pregnant with Xie's child, I, as her father, can naturally still make the decision regarding Shi Yan's marriage."
"If the princess is willing, you will be Shi Yan's legal wife."
The crowd erupted in another uproar.
One reason is that the conditions between the Xie family and Gu Jiangli are not fair.
On the one hand, it was because General Xie was so eager to make the princess his wife, not for his son, but for his brother-in-law.
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