You Ran suddenly realized, "So, you're a commander, so you must be of the highest rank. After retiring, you can't choose your own career?"
Long Da nodded bitterly.
Long Shisan quickly replied, "I am a Class C, and I hope the County Princess will take me in after I retire next year!"
You Ran thought for a moment, "Fu Xi Lou is currently short of a security guard, oh, I mean a patrolman. The monthly salary is ten taels of silver. Would you be willing to do that?"
Long Shisan almost jumped up, quickly kowtowing to You Ran, "Thank you so much, County Princess! Thank you so much, County Princess!"
The other two also cast eager glances at her.
You Ran was just about to say that Fu Xi Lou has several branches, so they could arrange security guards for all of them.
Suddenly, I thought, why not start a security company? And take care of all the security work for the major shops in Kyoto and my own department store?
Not only does it provide guests with a more stable environment and solve their re-employment problems, but it can also form a new intelligence network.
You Ran nodded leisurely, "No problem, no problem. You can come find me when you retire!"
The group was so happy they danced with joy, unable to contain their delight.
Long Shisan couldn't help but shout, "Ten taels! I earn ten taels a month!"
You Ran looked at Long Da and asked, "Do you... receive very little monthly allowance?"
Long Da nodded, "I get fifteen taels, a second-class person gets ten taels, and a third-class person only gets five taels! Sometimes when I'm on a mission, I have to eat and sleep on my own."
You Ran: ...
You are truly wronged to be by the emperor's side.
Long Da and his friends happily went out, but faced with so many silver notes, they didn't dare to really divide them up.
Long Da honestly carried the box into the palace to see the emperor and reported the truth.
Chu Heng knew that his wife was a wealthy woman, so he didn't care and waved his hand, letting them handle it themselves.
Long Da thanked him profusely, tears streaming down his face.
This time, I won't have to worry about buying a house or getting a wife!
Even after his three-year retirement, he was not free and had no complaints!
As Chu Heng watched Long Da's hunched back recede into the distance, he suddenly wondered if he was giving Long Yingwei too little money in monthly allowances.
...
The news that the sixth daughter of the Yun family had returned to the capital after five years of running away spread like wildfire throughout the city.
However, since everyone knows about His Highness the Crown Prince's long and arduous search for his wife five years ago, almost exhausting himself, it is obvious to everyone whose blood the two great-grandsons who suddenly appeared in the Yun family are.
Naturally, no one dared to gossip.
Those are the sons and grandsons of dragons and phoenixes!
And that one has finally returned; who knows, he might become the emperor one day. Who would dare to risk speaking out of turn?!
So for seven days in a row, apart from the comings and goings of her own family members, You Ran's ears were quite quiet.
On the eighth day, early in the morning, an imperial decree arrived from the palace.
Madam Yun and the rest of the Yun family set up a table to receive the imperial decree.
You Ran, along with Qian Qian and Wan Wan, knelt upright.
She knew it must be an imperial decree concerning Qianqian and Wanwan; they might be brought to the palace that afternoon, and she was truly reluctant to part with them.
As expected, the Grand Eunuch Changfu announced an imperial decree, bestowing the name Chu Yan upon the eldest prince and Chu Xuan upon the eldest princess, thus establishing their royal bloodline, and ordering them to enter the palace for education from this day forward.
The two children had learned their identities in the past few days and, with You Ran's persuasion, also learned that they might be temporarily separated from their mother after entering the palace. Upon hearing the imperial decree, Qianqian was alright, but Wanwan immediately burst into tears.
Just as You Ran was about to offer some words of comfort, Chang Fu smiled and produced another imperial edict, saying, "Eldest Princess, don't cry. This is a joyous occasion!"
Madam Yun and Madam Su exchanged a glance, both having a bad feeling.
You Ran's heart skipped a beat. How could there be a second decree?
Sure enough, when the second decree was read out, she was completely stunned.
The Empress Dowager bestowed a marriage upon them?
To be precise, it was an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager that directly conferred the title of Empress of the Great Zhou upon the Crown Princess Su Youran, and a month later, a grand wedding ceremony would be held to welcome her into the inner palace.
After receiving the imperial decree, he stood up leisurely, shocked and bewildered.
Crown Princess?
When did she become the Crown Princess?
Seeing her blank expression, Madam Su quickly explained in a low voice, "After you left back then, His Highness the Crown Prince sent the imperial decree of marriage to the Yun family."
You Ran: ...
Therefore, she had been the Crown Princess for five years already, and there was no escaping it.
This time, the Empress Dowager's decree directly conferred the title of Empress upon the Crown Princess, which seems reasonable.
But... should I enter the palace?
She could only chuckle.
She deliberately nitpicked, muttering under her breath, "Hmph, it usually takes a year and a half for an ordinary woman to prepare for her wedding. To get married in just one month is such an insult to the Yun family!"
In front of the chief eunuch, neither Madam Su nor Old Madam Yun dared to speak. Madam Su first tugged at You Ran's sleeve, then quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Eunuch Changfu has worked hard. Please have a cup of tea before returning to the palace."
After saying that, he stuffed a thick red envelope into his hand.
Changfu accepted it with a smile, "This is to share in the joy, it would be impolite of me to refuse."
“However…” He turned to You Ran and bowed deeply, “Your Majesty, you have misunderstood the Emperor. Five years ago, when the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, he ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the wedding ceremony. After the Emperor ascended the throne, he ordered the Ministry of Rites to directly prepare the items needed for the Emperor and Empress’s wedding. That is why everything was able to be prepared in just one month. The Emperor even personally revised the ceremony schedule a few days ago, and I reckon that tomorrow the head of the Imperial Wardrobe will bring the wedding dress for you to try on.”
Upon hearing this, You Ran was taken aback.
Madam Yun immediately beamed with joy.
Madam Su said gratefully, "Thank you so much, Eunuch Changfu, for informing me. The Emperor is truly thoughtful."
Changfu coughed lightly and lowered his voice, saying, "We are all deeply moved by His Majesty's kindness towards the Empress. You will understand once the Empress enters the palace."
After saying this, he bowed deeply again before leaving.
The aunts and sisters-in-law around her gathered around to congratulate her, chattering all at once, "You Ran, we knew you were the luckiest person in our Yun family!"
"Your Majesty! Our Yun family has actually produced an Empress!"
"And Qianqian and Wanwan, oh no, now they're the eldest prince and princess... I'm so reluctant to part with you, what am I going to do?"
You Ran was filled with conflicting emotions and didn't know how to express them.
After everyone had left, Madam Su held You Ran's hand. "You Ran, since that's how it is... then let nature take its course. In my opinion, this is the best way to handle it. It would be wonderful if Qianqian and Wanwan could enter the palace with you."
No one will question the child's origins, no one will ask the child's biological mother any questions, and no one will separate the mother and child.
You Ran knew this all too well.
However, she was ultimately unwilling to accept losing her freedom...
It feels like I'm back to that feeling of being forced into marriage five years ago?
Moreover, why was it the Empress Dowager who issued the imperial edict?
Normally, when the emperor wants to appoint an empress, he can use his imperial seal.
The question she couldn't figure out was finally answered when her brother came over after he finished his shift that night.
...
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