After that, Lei Pan'er seemed to have let go of Xiao Qiao's matter and did not mention her again. She continued to play when she should play and eat when she should eat.
When Xiao Qiao saw Lei Pan'er's personal maid Hua Die'er, her face immediately turned pale when she learned that Lei Pan'er was not going to come and say goodbye to her. She even forgot to struggle when she was helped into the carriage.
Xiao Qiao's departure seemed like a small matter to the Lei family. However, a major event occurred the day after Xiao Qiao's departure.
After leaving Yanbei, the Xian King who had disappeared for the most part finally reappeared before the eyes of the world. The Xian King appeared in Hezhong Prefecture and moved into the Hezhong Prince's residence on the day of his appearance.
On the second day, King Xian announced a will from the late emperor to the world.
This edict was issued after the decree deposing the king. The late emperor's will stated that the crimes of King Xian's family were pardoned, and King Xian was granted the title of King of Hezhong, with Hezhong Prefecture as his fiefdom. Furthermore, after King Xian officially accepted the title, he and his direct descendants were not allowed to leave Hezhong for five years.
When this will was announced, the entire Zhou Dynasty was shocked.
Of course, some people would doubt the authenticity of the will in King Xian's hand. If the will was real, why didn't King Xian take it out earlier?
After announcing the edict, King Xian made a copy and posted it on a notice board near the Hezhong City Gate. Soon, many people received copies. Several experts confirmed that the handwriting on the edict was that of the late Grand Secretary Pei Xun, and the "Fengtian Zhibao" seal affixed to the edict was suspected to be the imperial seal.
Although Pei Xun had passed away, he left behind numerous calligraphy works, making it easy to authenticate his handwriting. The Pei family was a prominent figure in the literati community, with numerous members serving in government. During the Zhou Dynasty, several of the six ministries and cabinet ministers were headed by members of the Pei family. The Pei family was a remarkably stable official family within the Zhou Dynasty. No one would have believed that Pei Xun had colluded with Concubine Wan and Prince Xian to fabricate the inscription.
So when this edict was announced, everyone who suspected it was fake fell silent.
As for the most talked-about part of the will, the most secretive and thought-provoking one is the decree: "Within five years, King Xian and his direct descendants are not allowed to leave Hezhong."
Throughout history, vassal princes were forbidden to leave their fiefdoms without imperial decree, let alone enter the capital without it. However, if the emperor issued a summons, the princes would travel to the capital to present themselves to the emperor, no matter how far away they were. The late emperor's will was a good one; it prohibited the direct descendants of Prince Xian from leaving Hezhong for five years. This meant that even if the emperor issued an order to summon Prince Xian or his son to the capital, they could ignore it and simply treat it as a fart. No matter how powerful the emperor was, he was no more powerful than his biological father. Of course, this biological father had to be dead; a living one might not have had the nerve to do so.
It is unknown how angry and aggrieved Empress Dowager Yan and the Yan family were when they found out. In Yanbei, Li cried for joy after finding out, and Ren Yaoqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Five years wasn't a long or short time, but it was the perfect opportunity for Prince Xian's Mansion to develop. With the foundation Prince Xian had left behind, as long as they successfully navigated these five years, it wouldn't be so easy for the imperial court to take action against Prince Xian's Mansion in the future. It had to be said that Concubine Wan's methods were truly unmatched.
However, Ren Yaoqi was still surprised that the will was linked to the Pei family. Although Mr. Pei had mentioned Concubine Wan before, it was only a few words, just out of a man's admiration and regret for a peerless beauty.
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