Xue Yuan tightened his grip on the imperial edict. "The imperial edict is a precious item. How can just any Tom, Dick, or Harry be allowed to see it? If it is defiled or damaged, it would be a grave offense of disrespect."
Xie Wei sneered, "Duke Dingguo said so much, but he still doesn't dare to let us see the written edict clearly, does he? Those who know will think that Duke Dingguo cherishes the imperial edict, but those who don't will doubt that the contents of the edict are different from what the Duke said. In that case, wouldn't the Duke be suspected of forging the imperial edict?!"
"Xie Wei, do you really have to meddle in other people's business today?" Xue Yuan was furious.
I didn't realize it before, but today I find Xie Wei incredibly annoying. It's like he's my nemesis!
Xie Wei: When you were so ruthless and heartless back then, you should have thought about this day coming to pass!
Suddenly, Xue Yuan's "good son" squeezed out from the group of Xingwu Guards, his face flushed red, and said urgently, "Father, why bother arguing with them? Our imperial edict is genuine. Show it to them immediately, arrest those who should be arrested, and confiscate their property!"
"Shut up!" Xue Yuan glared at him. The imperial decree was fine, but...
Xie Wei's words just now were merely an attempt to find fault and buy time. However, upon closer examination of Xue Yuan's expression, he was likely to see through the fact that the imperial edict was indeed problematic!
With a slight raise of his thick eyebrows, he said, "If the Duke of Dingguo doesn't present the imperial edict to us all today, then the Marquis of Yan cannot be considered to have defied it. After all, if even the person leading the reading of the edict is not meticulous, how can others be convinced? It's a waste that the Duke of Dingguo has stood in the court for so many years, yet he has forgotten even how an imperial edict should be read!"
With just a few words, Xue Yuan was so angry that his face turned blue and purple.
His gaze was like a sharp sword fixed on Xie Wei, almost as if he wanted to shoot him dead.
No matter how angry he was, he couldn't refute Xie Wei's words at the moment. After pondering for a moment, he had no choice but to resign himself to taking out the imperial edict and loudly proclaiming, "Yan Mu of the Marquis of Yongyi's Mansion, receive the imperial edict—"
In a short while, everyone inside and outside the Hou Mansion knelt down, treating the imperial edict as if they were seeing the emperor himself.
Except for the person delivering the imperial edict, who represented the emperor and did not have to kneel, no one else was exempt. Chu Yuan also got off the carriage and knelt outside.
Xue Yuan read the imperial edict strictly according to the regulations, rolled his eyes, and placed the edict in Yan Mu's hand.
Try your best to pretend that nothing is wrong.
However, Xie Wei, with his sharp eyes, noticed it and pointed to the lower right corner of the imperial edict, "Isn't that a bit off, Duke Dingguo? There's a cabinet seal missing here?"
Yan Mu looked closely and, sure enough, it was true. He looked up in surprise.
Xue Yuan cursed Xie Wei in his heart, but on the surface he tried to smooth things over, saying, "The imperial seal has already been affixed, what need is there for the cabinet to say anything? It's just a matter of summoning Yan Mu to the palace, a trivial matter, there's no need for an imperial edict."
Xie Wei stood up and helped Yan Mu up as well.
He said in a lukewarm tone, "Duke Dingguo, your words are absurd. Since the Emperor has issued a written decree, there is no distinction between large and small matters."
Moreover, there are only three or four hours left until tomorrow. Marquis Yan is still waiting for his son to return late. Tomorrow's coming-of-age ceremony is of utmost importance. If the imperial decree is issued now, it is fine to go to the palace. But what if some people are trying to sabotage the coming-of-age ceremony for ulterior motives? Then we cannot tolerate it.
Therefore, if you wish to take Lord Yan away, please have the Duke complete the seal before you return.
"Thank you, Wei!" Xue Yuan shouted.
Xie Wei was unyielding and simply stood in front of Yan Mu, preventing Xingwu Guards from even getting close to him.
Chu Yuan secretly glanced up and realized for the first time that Xie Wei was cool in the right way.
Awesome! He's utterly crushed that treacherous Xue Yuan.
In the end, Xue Yuan was defeated by Xie Wei's forceful approach. He angrily flung his sleeves and said, "Fine! I'll go to the cabinet to get it stamped right now. Ye'er, you stay here and keep watch. Don't let a single fly escape the Yan residence!"
Xue Ye puffed out his cheeks angrily, "Father, rest assured, your son will guard it without blinking an eye!"
As soon as Xue Yuan left, everyone in the Yan family breathed a sigh of relief, and even Xie Wei's shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.
Just then, Jiang Xuening arrived late. As soon as she got off the carriage, she ran into the gate, asking, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Xue Ye instinctively tried to stop her, but she slapped him across the face. "Get out of my way!"
Enraged, Xue Ye drew his sword with a sharp clang. Zhou Yanzhi, standing beside him, quickly stopped him, saying, "Young Master Ye, you mustn't! Before the Duke left, he told us to remain calm and wait for his return. If we fight like this, the charge of disobeying the imperial decree might not be pinned on the Yan family."
Xue Ye acts impulsively, but deep down he is very afraid of Xue Yuan and dares not ruin his father's plans.
He could only swallow his anger for the time being, and with his sword raised, he made everyone around him take a step back. "Alright, you grasshoppers in autumn, I'll just watch and see how long you can keep jumping around."
Jiang Xuening successfully entered the mansion. Chu Yuan looked down at her skirt and was about to enter as well, but at that moment, she heard the clatter of horses' hooves.
As if sensing something, she suddenly turned her head. On the street not far away, the lanterns were dimly lit, but Chu Yuan still recognized Yanling on horseback at a glance.
It immediately turned and galloped towards the antelope.
As Yanling galloped away, he saw Chu Yuan running towards him. He immediately adjusted his posture on the horse, changing from having his legs wrapped around the horse's back to having one hand around the horse's neck, with half of his body hanging outside, looking very spirited.
As the person approached, he lightly leaped and darted aside, grabbing Chu Yuan's waist.
The horses did not slow down and continued to run forward, but there were soldiers in the group who were specially trained to train the horses, so there was no need to worry about the horses bumping into things they shouldn't.
Chu Yuan was held in Yan Lin's arms, feeling his burning heat.
His chin brushed against her forehead, the stubble from not grooming for days tickling her.
Chu Yuan instinctively backed away, "No, it tickles."
"No! It's been four days since we last met, Yue, I miss you so much. Do you miss me too?"
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