Two days into the boat trip, the Marquis of Xiangyang suddenly instructed his wife and Xin Jie'er to dress up nicely, and even had his wife put on the imperial edict and make-up. By the time the mother and daughter had washed and dressed, the Marquis of Xiangyang was already waiting in front of the hall.
Later, Xin Jie'er learned that her father had received word that the Emperor would be passing by on a boat and had begun preparing to welcome him. The three of them sat in the hall, waiting for over half an hour, but still saw no sign of the approaching ship. Just as the Marquis of Xiangyang was about to send someone to investigate, Xin Jie'er saw smoke rising ahead. She stood up to look, and saw nothing but thick black smoke.
Xin Jie'er quickly stood up and shouted, "Father, Mother, look, is there a fire over there?"
The Marquis of Xiangyang took a closer look and immediately panicked, "Not good."
Then the Marquis of Xiangyang hurriedly called for his men, saying, "Quick, gather all the men and follow me." Turning to his wife, he said, "Take the women and hide well. Do not run around."
A moment later, the passenger ship rushed forward, and as it got closer, it could see that one of the boats ahead had an accident. Not only were there men in black on board, but there was also a fire.
The other boats were either stuck or something, and they couldn't even get to the rescue. The Marquis of Xiangyang shouted, "Your Majesty, I'm here to rescue you!"
This sound made the men in black look over. At the command of the leading man in black, dozens of men in black rushed towards the boat of Xiangyang Marquis' Mansion.
Although the Marquis of Xiangyang had lost his former heroic spirit in recent years, he remained undaunted and shouted, "According to my command, these thieves will be killed without mercy. Not a single one will be spared."
After saying this, he picked up his sword and rushed forward, and the dozens of people following him also started fighting. With one blow, the Marquis of Xiangyang severed the head of the person in front. After killing three people, the Marquis of Xiangyang found the right time to rush onto the burning ship.
After he killed another thief, the guards rushed over and soon captured the leader of the men in black alive. After capturing two more men alive, they killed all the other men in black.
After the fire was put out and the hull was cleaned, Marquis Xiangyang was summoned by the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Without taking the time to tidy up his appearance, the Marquis of Xiangyang knelt down and kowtowed.
The emperor said calmly, "Get up."
Seeing that the Marquis of Xiangyang was disheveled, the Emperor ordered Zhou Defa, "Go, bring me my tiger-skin cloak and put it on him."
Zhou Defa agreed and went to find his cloak. The emperor sat and chatted with the Marquis of Xiangyang for a while. After the Marquis of Xiangyang put on his cloak, he asked, "I heard that you have only one daughter. I wonder if you have arranged a marriage for her?"
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Xiangyang was delighted. He couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor wanted his daughter to be the Crown Prince's concubine. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, my daughter has no marriage proposal."
He thought that no matter how powerful the Duke's Mansion was compared to the Marquis' Mansion, it was still no match for the Imperial Family. Even if his daughter didn't become the Crown Princess, being a Consort would be fine. And when the Crown Prince became the Emperor, who knows what would become of him.
However, as he waited for the emperor's response for a long time, the Marquis of Xiangyang couldn't help but look up.
The emperor glanced at the Marquis of Xiangyang and said, "Thanks to your timely arrival today. After much reflection, I feel that it would be a great blessing for you and your family." He paused and continued, "Since you are still childless at your age, it would be better to confer the title of a princess on your daughter."
The Marquis of Xiangyang, feeling disheartened, didn't dare to say anything more. He thought it would be a good idea to grant her the title of Princess. Although it wouldn't mean she could enter the Crown Prince's harem, as long as she got the title, even if it was just an empty title, she could still marry smoothly into the Duke of Qi's mansion.
The Marquis of Xiangyang, having come to his senses, quickly expressed his gratitude, saying, "I have only done my duty. Your Majesty has sympathized with my difficulties, and I am deeply grateful. Thank you for your grace. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor."
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