Chapter 43 The Banquet (Part 7)
However, Pei Yanchuan was different today than before. In the past, he would always wear clothes that made him look older and he always kept his beard.
Today, not only does he look younger in his clothes, but he has also shaved his beard clean.
Standing in front of a group of men who had just reached the age of thirty-three, she showed no signs of being thirty-three years old.
"Greetings, Prince of Langya!"
Everyone stood up and bowed.
The Prince of Langya bypassed the crowd and walked directly to the right side of the eldest princess.
Mo Qing and Mo Ran had already moved the grand master's chair in place, as in the Eastern Ling Kingdom, people of the same rank were considered more honored on the right.
"How dare you!" The Grand Princess sat up straight and said angrily, "How utterly disrespectful the Prince is to me!"
"They've even stopped showing courtesy."
"His Majesty has already exempted me from bowing, does the Grand Princess intend to overstep His Majesty's bounds?"
The Grand Princess gripped the armrests of the chair tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. "Regardless of the distinction between ruler and subject, in terms of seniority, I am a generation older than you."
"My surname is Pei, not Xiao."
The implication is that I am not a member of the Xiao family, and you are not my elder.
"However, if we consider age, Your Highness is indeed older than me."
The Grand Princess's face was ashen. "I wonder what brings the Prince of Langya here so suddenly?"
Pei Yanchuan toyed with the thumb ring on his finger, his voice icy, "I've heard that some people are meddling in other people's business at this banquet."
"So I came to take a look."
"And at the same time, announce an imperial edict."
As soon as Pei Yanchuan finished speaking, Mo Qing stepped forward, holding up the imperial edict.
Everyone knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
The Grand Princess suppressed her anger, rose, and knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
The Emperor exempted Pei Yanchuan from the kneeling ceremony and came to deliver an imperial decree. Even if the Grand Princess was dissatisfied, she had to kneel down to receive the decree.
"Hmph." Mo Qing cleared his throat, opened the imperial edict, and held his head high like a proud rooster. "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."
"He said: Prince Pei Yanchuan of Langya is loyal, brave, and righteous. In order to repay the kindness of his deputy general who risked his life to protect him, he requested that I make him ten years older than himself."
He adopted his benefactor's son as his own, and upon his death, bequeathed the throne to his benefactor's son to repay his kindness.
"But today, I have found a good medicine to cure the Prince of Langya's illness. The Prince of Langya is now healthy. I am grateful for the life-saving grace of his adopted son and father."
"Therefore, the position of heir apparent will be retained, and if he wishes to establish meritorious service, I will grant it."
The imperial edict was announced, and everyone clicked their tongues in astonishment.
"What? The Prince of Langya and his heir are not biological father and son?"
"If he's ten years older than the nominal age, then that means the Prince of Langya isn't thirty-three, but twenty-three?"
"The Prince of Langya returned victorious and was enfeoffed as a king, yet he had only just come of age?"
"I knew it, the prince doesn't look that old."
"So that's how it is. The prince's illness has also been cured, which means that Jiang Wan Ning won't have to be a widow after marrying into the family."
"What? She doesn't have to be a widow anymore? If only I'd known..."
"Did you hear that? The imperial decree means that Pei Anqing can become the heir if he wants, and it is also agreed that he doesn't want to."
"If he becomes the heir apparent, then he will naturally only ever be the heir apparent."
"In that case, the Prince of Langya is only six years older than him. By the time the prince dies of old age, he himself won't live much longer."
"Yes, yes, if I were the heir apparent, I certainly wouldn't be so spineless. Isn't this just taking advantage of our friendship to let someone support me for life?"
"Yes, this affection belongs to his biological father, not him."
"If Jiang Wan Ning marries into the Prince of Langya and has a child with him, then that child will be the rightful heir."
"Hmph, that illegitimate daughter stole the legitimate daughter's marriage, but I didn't expect her position as heir to be just a facade."
"......"
Suddenly, everyone started talking at once, and as they talked, they forgot about the occasion and their voices grew louder and louder.
Jiang Wan Ning and Pei An Qing's expressions were both increasingly grim.
Jiang Wanning looked at Pei Yanchuan.
In his previous life, Pei Yanchuan never revealed this secret, but now he actually asked for an imperial decree so that he would no longer be ridiculed by others.
"Wow, Ningning. I've discovered you have good taste." Shen Ruzhi nudged Jiang Wanning with her elbow. "Look at the expressions on those women's faces after the imperial edict was read aloud."
"It perfectly captures the regret and resentment."
At this moment, Jiang Wan Ning felt nothing but heartache; he had already started taking the medication.
It was much earlier than in my previous life, also because of myself...
The Grand Princess's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint, then she curled her lips slightly, "This imperial edict seems to be aimed at protecting the bride-to-be."
"I wonder if the prince will live to be a hundred years old once the poison is cured."
"Some people, if they are destined to be lonely and miserable, there is no way to save them."
"Arong, don't you think so?" The eldest princess looked at Zhou Shi.
“Your Highness,” Jiang Wan Ning interjected, “Your Highness has already said that one’s fate is predetermined by Heaven.”
"So what kind of fate one has is not something that can be decided by people, nor can it be decided by a few words from others."
"Your Highness, I wonder if what I said is correct?"
“Getting involved with the Prince of Langya is truly something else.” The Grand Princess leaned back in her armchair. “We must make the most of this opportunity.”
"After all, your mother knows best whether a man is reliable or not."
"My father was simply framed back then. Someone deliberately framed him, so naturally he couldn't escape it."
Although my father accepted the Liu mother and daughter, he treated them with courtesy and never had any further contact with Liu over the years.
"To put it bluntly, our Marquis's mansion is just providing good food and drink to Liu and her daughter."
"The Grand Princess wields immense power, yet her husband shows no affection for you whatsoever. So why meddle in other people's family affairs?"
"Jiang Wan Ning, how dare you!" Princess Ping An stood up from her chair, pointing at Jiang Wan Ning, "Who do you think you are?"
"How dare you speak to my mother like that?"
"Mo Qing".
"yes!"
Mo Qing stepped forward and slapped him repeatedly.
Two hard slaps landed on Princess Ping'an's face.
"Pei Yanchuan, do you think you can just hit my daughter as you please?" The Grand Princess stood up.
Pei Yanchuan ignored the furious Grand Princess and said in a calm voice, "The Princess is disobedient, and His Highness cannot bear to see her like this."
"As her elder brother, I should naturally teach her a lesson."
"It's none of your business what my daughter wants to do."
"It is not Your Highness or Your Highness's daughter's place to criticize or condemn what my Queen wishes to say!"
"You!" The Grand Princess's chest heaved violently. "Fine, Pei Yanchuan."
"Even His Majesty has to address me as Aunt. How dare you be so presumptuous! I'd like to see what His Majesty will do when he finds out!"
Pei Yanchuan ignored the Grand Princess's roar, stood up, walked past the Grand Princess, and went straight to Jiang Wanning's side.
"As long as I live, I will not allow anyone to point fingers at her."
"Otherwise, let alone a princess, I will not let even a princess go."
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