The sacrifice was over, and the ministers returned to the palace one after another.
Yan Sikong ran into his former colleagues from the Hanlin Academy, and they all started chatting with him. He kept turning back to look for Feng Ye, but found that Feng Ye had been surrounded by ministers who had come to congratulate him.
A colleague followed his gaze and said, "Master Yan, hurry up. You can't squeeze in now."
Liang Sui said proudly, "Don't you know that Sikong and the prince are close friends? They often drink and chat happily together, so why should I join in the fun now?"
"That's true. Lord Yan first impressed everyone with his literary talent at the prince's family banquet, and then went on a expedition to the two lakes with the prince. Lord Yan will be very successful in the future, so don't forget your brothers."
“Hahahaha, yeah.”
Yan Sikong smiled dryly and said nothing. He and Feng Ye had tried their best to avoid showing their friendship in front of others, but there were spies everywhere in the capital, and everyone knew that he and Feng Ye were friends. Although Yan Zilian did not say it explicitly, letting him marry Wan Yang was also to further the alliance with the Feng family, which was no less significant than becoming the emperor's son-in-law.
But he might just end up making things worse.
After finally entering the palace gate, Yan Sikong found an opportunity to squeeze next to Feng Ye. He whispered to Feng Ye: "My Lord, I have something to say..."
"Prince." Zhao Fuyi happened to walk over and pulled Feng Ye along and said, "General Di has come to the capital to report on his duties. Come on, I'll take you to meet him."
Feng Ye glanced at Yan Sikong and said, "Lord Yan, let's talk about this later."
"Prince..." Yan Sikong hurriedly chased after him for two steps, but was worried that the emperor would appear unpredictable, so he could only watch Feng Ye go away. He was also pushed into the Tai Chi Gate by the crowd, and began to line up with the ministers, waiting for the emperor.
Such red tape usually takes a whole day. When night falls and the banquet begins, the ministers are already hungry and weak, but they still stand upright.
Until the eunuch shouted, Emperor Zhaowu personally came out, supporting a graceful and elegant woman. Her hair was white and messy, and she walked slowly. Even though she was wearing gorgeous clothes and had powdered hair and carved eyebrows, she could not hide her frailty.
All the ministers knelt down, kowtowed three times and bowed five times, and shouted "Long live the emperor".
Emperor Zhaowu helped the empress dowager onto the golden phoenix throne and sat on one side to show his great filial piety.
Not until all the ministers stood up did Yan Sikong raise his head to look at the Queen Mother. He saw that her eyes were red and her forehead was dark, and she was breathing in slowly but out quickly. He was afraid that she would not be able to survive this winter.
The Queen Mother raised her hand tremblingly and waved it. The eunuch Yu Ji shouted, "Stand up, sit down."
The ministers took their seats according to their ranks. The higher the rank, the closer they were to the throne. However, there were exceptions. Feng Ye was only a fourth-rank official, but he sat among the first-rank officials.
Yan Sikong looked at Feng Ye, feeling uneasy and his heart seemed to be falling. He listened to Yu Ji reading the imperial edict and praising his merits and virtues in a trance, but sweat gradually appeared on his palms.
Yu Ji read about the rewards for Feng Jianping, which included a purple ribbon and gold seal, a first-rank jade belt, and countless treasures and land. As Prince Jingyuan had made countless military achievements and held a high position among the ministers, he had already been rewarded the most. This reward must have been thought out with great care, and Feng Ye received the reward on behalf of his father.
Feng Ye walked to the center of the Golden Throne Hall with his head held high, knelt down to accept the award with dignity, his young and handsome face was filled with arrogance and pride, he was truly a proud son of heaven who was held high in the clouds.
Liang Sui quietly poked Yan Sikong, who turned his head slightly, but his eyes were still on Feng Ye. Liang Sui leaned close to his ear and said, "Hey, did you hear that?"
"What did you hear?"
"In fact, His Majesty King Zhaojingyuan returned to Beijing to receive the reward."
Yan Sikong frowned slightly: "Really? Then..."
Liang Sui shook his head: "If we don't come back, they will kill all the remaining Wala troops and strengthen the defense line of Datong. It will be difficult to escape."
Yan Sikong was silent for a moment, then suddenly leaned close to Liang Sui's ear and said in a very serious tone: "Brother Liang, listen to my advice, and don't spread the rumor anymore, or you'll get into trouble."
Liang Sui looked at Yan Sikong in surprise, but seeing Yan Sikong's eyes were cold and sharp, as if they could penetrate people from the inside out, he suddenly felt his hair stand on end. He suddenly realized that Yan Sikong was no longer the country scholar who had never seen the world two years ago and wanted to curry favor with him and Zhou Mixing to get to know the rich and powerful. He nodded blankly and looked away with a guilty conscience.
Yan Sikong was also moved. He knew Liang Sui was trying to trick him, thinking that since he was close to Feng Ye, he should know some inside information. He really didn't know, and even if he did, he wouldn't tell anyone else.
Even he didn't know about this matter, which seemed to be very confidential, but he could guess that Liang Sui must have got the news from Zhou Mixing. Zhou Mixing's father was the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and the emperor's edicts had to pass through many post stations. Shuntian Prefecture was the outer gate of the capital, and it had always been well-informed about the news in and out of the capital.
This may sound innocent, but it is actually very problematic.
This decree of Emperor Zhaowu was not issued directly through Wenyuan Pavilion. It was called Zhongzhi, which means the emperor issued it secretly and was unwilling to let the inner cabinet discuss and record it. Yan Sikong guessed that Emperor Zhaowu was worried that Feng Jianping would not come back. If he issued the decree publicly and Feng Jianping publicly refused, it would be a bad ending.
But Feng Jianping really refused.
He has nearly 300,000 soldiers and sufficient military equipment. He has just defeated the Oirat and his name has spread far and wide. His achievements are so great that they have frightened the emperor. Feng Ye once said that as long as he is willing, he can change the country's surname. It is not arrogant. Even if the whole country is combined, it is difficult to compete with Feng's army. What's more, Emperor Zhaowu has lost all his virtue. If Feng Jianping is the opposite, his strength will be ten times that of King Liang.
But Yan Sikong knew that Feng Jianping had no intention of rebelling. If he had, he would not have waited until now. If he had, he would not have allowed Feng Ye to return to the capital. If he had, the only son he had educated would not have a sincere heart for Da Sheng. However, Feng Jianping would not give up his military power easily, so he would not risk returning to the capital. We were far away from the capital, and I would guard my border while you could be the emperor. We could live in peace.
This matter is so delicate that the emperor and Feng Jianping don't want anyone else to know about it. If Liang Sui can't control his mouth, he will get into trouble sooner or later.
Yan Sikong was thinking about all sorts of things when he suddenly heard Yu Ji say in a shrill voice, "Today, there is another happy event." He coughed lightly and dragged out the last syllable, "Yan Sikong, accept the decree."
Yan Sikong felt that hundreds of eyes were looking at him, but he could clearly feel that one pair was particularly hot, but he did not dare to look back. He stood up, straightened his brand new court robes, bowed, walked to the center of the hall, and knelt down.
"The Empress Dowager's decree: The Third Princess Wanyang is noble and dignified, gentle and virtuous, with a fairy-like appearance, filial and loyal, and I love her. However, I do not cherish myself as a goddess who has reached the age of marriage. I have heard that Yan Sikong is a Jinshi in the two lists, a tutor to the Crown Prince, and has made outstanding contributions in suppressing rebellions. She has the beauty of Xu Gong and the talent of Guan Zhong. She is both wise and brave, has a bright virtue, and is loyal. She is a talent that can support us. She is a perfect match for Princess Wanyang. I specially appoint Yan Sikong as my son-in-law to make her a beautiful woman and choose a good date to get married."
There were discussions in the hall, many of them envious.
Yan Sikong was still kneeling on the ground, and he only heard Yu Ji say with a smile: "Master Yan, the future prince consort, you still don't thank me for the order."
Yan Sikong was about to speak when he suddenly heard the sound of table legs colliding in front of him, followed by a series of hurried footsteps, and then a thud to his knees: "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, my cousin is young and arrogant, and is not yet suitable for marriage. Please revoke your decision!"
Yan Sikong bit his lip and his body trembled slightly.
Feng Ye's tone was not only urgent, but even a bit harsh. He dared to speak to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in such an almost "coercive" tone in the hall. Everyone was silent.
Emperor Zhaowu was also stunned, probably not expecting Feng Ye to be so rude.
Xie Zhongren suddenly stood up and shouted, "How dare you! The Empress Dowager has decreed the emperor's order, how can you object? The prince is too...too ignorant." He thought about it and did not dare to use any radical words.
Feng Ye kowtowed vigorously: "I know my crime. Xi'er is too young to be someone's wife. Moreover, Yan Sikong is born in a humble family, and her family background is poor. How can she be worthy of Xi'er's wealth? My father and I both hope that Xi'er can marry into a noble family, or at least a scholarly noble. I beg the Queen Mother and the Emperor not to let Xi'er down."
Emperor Zhaowu was furious, but he managed to control himself and said in a deep voice, "Xi'er is almost seventeen, which is the right age for marriage. Although Yan Sikong is a poor scholar, she is both talented and beautiful, and she is young and promising. She will definitely have a bright future. The Queen Mother and I love Xi'er, so how could we treat her unfairly?"
The Queen Mother also looked puzzled, but she did not speak.
"But……"
Xie Zhongren said in a sinister tone, "The prince insisted that Princess Wanyang marry into a noble family, but he thinks that Prince Jingyuan's power is not strong enough?"
Yan Sikong was terrified when he heard this, but unfortunately he couldn't stop Feng Ye from talking. Emperor Zhaowu married Wan Yang to him. From a personal point of view, he was indeed a good son-in-law. From a political point of view, Emperor Zhaowu couldn't give Feng family a powerful in-law. He was born in a poor family and had no one to rely on, which was exactly what Emperor Zhaowu wanted.
Having said this, Feng Ye knew that if he continued talking the situation would become serious. He clenched his fists, his face stiff and his complexion ashen.
Emperor Zhaowu looked at Xie Zhongren, then at the gloomy Feng Ye, and was still a little cautious, so he had to say: "Feng Ye, you, you should leave. If you say anything more about this matter, it would be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager and rude to the Prince Consort."
Feng Ye stood there in a stalemate for a moment, and that "moment" made everyone feel uneasy and dared not breathe. Finally, Feng Ye apologized, kowtowed, and returned to his seat.
Yu Ji was also frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve and said with a shudder, "Master Yan, you still don't thank me."
Yan Sikong's legs were numb from kneeling on the ground, and he didn't even raise his head. He took a deep breath and said loudly, "I thank the Queen Mother and the Emperor for their grace."
Emperor Zhaowu waved his hand and said, "Stand up."
Yan Sikong then staggered to his feet. He raised his head and met Feng Ye's red eyes staring at him. He closed his eyes and bowed deeply.
Emperor Zhaowu said something like he should treat Princess Wanyang with respect, then let him go, and Yu Ji announced the start of the banquet.
The whole night, Yan Sikong accepted everyone's congratulations in a servile and fawning manner, but he did not dare to look in the direction of Feng Ye.