Chapter 170 Extra: Returning to the Dream of a Past Life
On the first day of the tenth month, Ling Yumo and Yan Jinyue held their grand wedding in Yong Kingdom. The officiants were the retired emperor, the empress dowager, the emperor, and the empress.
A long red carpet stretched from the main hall all the way to the south gate.
Witnessed by ministers from both countries, they successfully completed the wedding ceremony, walked through the grand wedding procession, bid farewell to the Emperor Emeritus, Empress Dowager, Emperor, and Empress, walked out of the main hall, stepped down the palace steps, and solemnly performed the farewell ceremony. Under the watchful eyes of the grand wedding procession from Xiling, the couple turned around hand in hand, stepped on the long red carpet, and walked step by step towards the palace gate.
The groom mounted his horse, and the bride sat in the luxurious carriage. Yan Cang, along with the Emperor Emeritus, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress, ascended the city tower and watched as the wedding procession joined the Xiling ceremonial guard outside the palace gate, stretching endlessly towards the city gate.
Yan Jinyue peeked out from the side of the carriage, waving her arms toward the city tower with tears in her eyes, reluctant to leave.
The Empress Dowager's eyes reddened, and she secretly wiped away her tears.
Chu Yunjin couldn't bear the thought of parting from her daughter, and tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked, trying to suppress the tears.
I don't know when we'll meet again after this separation.
Feeling melancholy, she was suddenly pulled into a strong embrace. Chu Yunjin looked up and met Yan Cang's gentle and tolerant eyes. Feeling a little embarrassed, she rested her head on his shoulder.
The weather is cold in October.
Chu Yunjin did not stay on the city wall for long. Once the Xiling troops were out of sight, the Emperor Emeritus took the Empress Dowager's hand and turned to leave the city wall. Chu Yunjin and Yan Cang also turned and left together.
That night, Chu Yunjin had a dream.
In the solemn imperial court, the ministers, led by Prime Minister Wen, vehemently requested the Emperor to demote Chu Yunjin to the rank of concubine.
"Minister Chu has been corrupt and lawless, and is already a criminal. Your Majesty has shown leniency by not implicating his daughter, but the Empress, as the daughter of a criminal, is not qualified to be Empress. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"Your Majesty and Empress are deeply in love, which we can understand. However, it is my daughter who is destined to be the mother of the nation, and I cannot convince the people of her worth! We beg Your Majesty, for the sake of the country and the foundation of the Yong Kingdom, to re-establish an Empress and restore order to the court!"
"We beg Your Majesty to depose the Empress and establish a new one!"
The ministers, led by Prime Minister Wen, knelt down and begged the Emperor to depose the Empress and establish a new one!
A tense atmosphere hung over the imperial court.
The newly enthroned emperor sat on the dragon throne, his right hand clenched behind his back, coldly watching the scene in the hall, his expression furious, and he remained silent.
“When a woman marries into the royal family, she becomes a member of the royal family and should not be implicated by her maternal clan.” A cold and steady voice rang out from outside the hall, startling everyone in the hall. “Moreover, whether Minister Chu’s embezzlement is true or a frame-up, I’m afraid the town government needs to investigate thoroughly.”
All the officials turned to look.
Two men walked against the light, stepping into the palace gate side by side. One wore a black brocade robe, exuding a cold and dignified air, while the other wore a light white robe, appearing handsome and refined. What they had in common was that their robes were not brand new or luxurious; they looked like styles from several years ago.
However, this did not diminish the imposing aura they exuded, nor the reactions of the ministers upon seeing the two men.
The hall fell eerily quiet for a moment.
The new emperor, seated on the dragon throne, showed a slight change in expression. He quietly loosened his grip on the armrest, and his tense back unconsciously relaxed.
“Chen, Prince Chen?” Prime Minister Wen’s expression changed, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched involuntarily. “How could you…” “Prime Minister Wen is wondering why Prince Chen has been released from confinement?” Shen Jingbai walked to the front of the hall, a cold smile curving his lips. “That’s because Prince Chen cares about the world and is worried that the Emperor’s position is unstable after his ascension to the throne and that he might be bullied by treacherous officials who rely on their seniority.”
Upon hearing this, the ministers who had just threatened the emperor to depose the empress all changed their expressions and unconsciously lowered their heads, avoiding the cold and intimidating gaze of Prince Chen.
"Prime Minister Wen just said that Minister Chu was corrupt, so he wanted to depose the Empress. Then, the Wen family deceived the Emperor and plotted against the Princess. How should they be dealt with?"
Prime Minister Wen's face darkened: "Young Master Shen, please don't make baseless accusations. When has the Wen family ever done anything to deceive the emperor?"
"The husband of the Grand Princess Ning'an has three children. Nominally, it is said that the Grand Princess was unable to have children, so they were adopted from a branch of the Wen family. In reality, all three children were born from the husband's affair with his mistress. Moreover, the Grand Princess's infertility was also due to the husband bribing the doctor to deliberately deceive her."
Yan Chen's voice was cold: "Yan Yang."
The wise king stepped out from among his ministers.
"Take Prime Minister Wen away and bring him to the imperial prison for questioning." Yan Chen's tone was cold and ruthless. "The Wen family has been scheming against the Grand Princess for sixteen years, deceiving the emperor and the people, and they didn't know the truth until the Grand Princess died. Today, Prime Minister Wen publicly threatened the emperor to depose the empress, which is an act of overstepping his bounds and committing treason. His crime is unforgivable!"
Yan Yang raised his hand and waved: "Men, seize Prime Minister Wen!"
Prime Minister Wen's face turned ashen: "I have always been loyal and have never deceived my superiors. Prince Chen's accusations are baseless!"
"Whether it's a frame-up or not, a trip to the imperial prison will tell." Yan Yang smiled slightly, his smile gentle and harmless. "Take him away."
The hall fell silent, everyone trembling with fear.
The ministers who had been shouting earlier lowered their heads and shrank their necks, looking like quails, and no one said another word.
Prince Chen and Shen Jingbai walked to the foot of the palace steps, lifted their robes and knelt down: "Your subject Yan Chen."
"Your subject, Shen Jingbai."
"Greetings, Your Majesty, long live the Emperor."
"Rise, Your Majesty." The new emperor's voice was calm. "Effective immediately, Prince Chen will temporarily assume the position of Prime Minister, and Shen Jingbai will serve as the Censor-in-Chief."
Yan Chen and Shen Jingbai accepted the imperial decree with both hands and expressed their gratitude: "Your Majesty, we obey your decree. Thank you."
"The case of Minister Chu's embezzlement will be handled by Prince Chen, who will conduct a thorough reinvestigation. The case of the Wen family's deception of the emperor will be handled by Prince Ming."
The new emperor's voice was calm and composed, yet tinged with a chilling coldness, unlike Yan Chen's coldness and hardness, or Shen Jingbai's gentleness.
He's completely different from Yan Cang in this life, yet somewhat similar...
Chu Yunjin suddenly opened her eyes and met a pair of gentle and tolerant eyes.
"Awake?" Yan Cang reached out and pulled her into his arms. "It's still early, sleep a little longer."
Chu Yunjin didn't say anything, just quietly looked at him.
"What's wrong?" Yan Cang asked softly.
"Yan Cang, I had another dream." Chu Yunjin's voice was low, a little scared but also a little relieved. "This time it was different from the last one. I dreamed that you were being forced to depose the empress by the ministers of Prime Minister Wen's faction in the Golden Palace. At the critical moment, Prince Chen and Shen Jingbai appeared."
She snuggled closer to Yan Cang: "The moment those two appeared, everyone else became like quails... Yan Cang, even though the eldest prince was imprisoned for four years, he still looks so powerful, easily intimidating everyone."
Yan Cang nodded: "He has been groomed as the crown prince for many years, his foundation is solid, and his authority is heavy. As long as he lives, most of the court officials will fear him."
Chu Yunjin raised her eyes: "Are you wary of him?"
“No,” Yan Cang said softly. “If he really wanted the throne, he wouldn’t have chosen to be with Shen Jingbai back then. If he changes his mind now, I’m willing to return the throne to him.”
Chu Yunjin gave a soft "hmm," nestled quietly in his arms, and said nothing more.
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