In the end, the emperor actually had no room for regret. His only choice at that time was to let Marquis Mu Houchu go far away to Yu State, and the situation in Yu State six years later only revealed the strength of this man.
His ability to turn decay into a miracle.
How could the emperor feel at ease allowing such a powerful and terrifying man to live?
Even the so-called real dragon emperor would have times of fear.
The emperor remained silent with a sullen face, not saying a word.
Duan Lan continued, "During my visit to Yu State, I found that it is far from the barrenness and backwardness outsiders anticipated, infested with bandits. Instead, the entire Yu State is prosperous. Whether in terms of economic level or the well-being of the common people, it is certainly comparable to the capital city. I even suspect that Prince Pingyang has already begun to secretly amass private troops. If this continues, people in Yu State will only respect Prince Pingyang and disregard Your Majesty."
The emperor’s face turned pale instantly, and he angrily slammed the table with his hand, barking: "Insolence!"
Duan Lan immediately knelt and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty has tolerated Yu State enough."
The emperor gritted his teeth and asked, "What do you mean by this marriage grant that you mentioned?"
Actually, since the Leng Dynasty, which started with the late Emperor, there had been a hidden rule among the imperial family. Any courtier with significant power within the Imperial Court or suspected of any wrongdoing had to be monitored by hidden chess pieces placed by his side.
Like the former Le Yuanhou, and the current Duan Lan.
Marquis Mu Houchu was the only exception, for his power was so great that it could suppress the emperor. What His Majesty the Emperor was most unwilling to admit, but had to acknowledge, was that it was with the help of Marquis Mu Houchu that he got his current throne and was able to hold on to his reign.
As the emperor had to rely on Marquis Mu Houchu to seize the throne, and even after seizing the throne, he still needed him to hold the imperial power and stabilize the court situation. The emperor in his weakness couldn’t possibly place any chess piece or spy beside Marquis Mu Houchu.
As for Marquis Mu Houchu, the emperor’s feelings were complicated. Killing him was what the emperor surely needed to do, but his inability to do so was his biggest concern at the moment.
So now that Duan Lan was willing to share his worries, he was naturally delighted.
Duan Lan said, "Does Your Majesty remember the third Miss Song who was previously engaged to the Great Prince?"
The moment the emperor heard the words "Great Prince", his face darkened, and he snorted coldly, "That miscreant!"
"The third Miss Song has been delayed by this marriage until she is twenty and not yet married. However, she is after all the first lady of Yu State, and also the sister of Imperial Noble Consort Shu, don’t you think Your Majesty should give her some compensation?" Duan Lan said with a soft tone.
The emperor’s eyes flashed, "You mean to..."
"Miss Song from the Song family also resides in Yu State. The Song family is a highly trusted and prominent family to Your Majesty. Wouldn’t deploying Miss Song as a chess piece be a good move?"
The emperor pursed his lips, apparently somewhat moved.
Duan Lan immediately followed, "Besides, granting this marriage may bring unexpected gains that Your Majesty might already aware of. Princess Pingyang is no ordinary woman. The prosperity of Yu State today is not solely attributable to Marquis Mu Houchu alone. She has also made significant contributions. If Marquis Mu Houchu were to lose her, it would surely be like losing an arm. Moreover, this woman is the only weak spot of Marquis Mu Houchu, which Your Majesty is well aware of."
Not only did the emperor know this, but everyone in the world did, considering that Marquis Mu Houchu retreated from the capital city to Yu State in order to protect Ji Xinhe.
The only time the Emperor has ever won over Marquis Mu Houchu was because he targeted this woman.
"What does this granted marriage have to do with Ji Xinhe?" The emperor questioned suspiciously.
Duan Lan curled his lips, "Xin He is no ordinary woman. She cannot tolerate her husband having a second woman. Otherwise, why would Marquis Mu Houchu have had only one daughter all these years and not taken any side consort or concubine?"
The emperor’s face slightly changed, and he nodded.
"If Miss Song enters the royal mansion, and Xin He can neither tolerate nor drive her away, wouldn’t the eventual breakdown between her and Marquis Mu Houchu be considered an unexpected gain?"
The emperor laughed, "This move of yours is truly ruthlessly brilliant!"
"Your Majesty is wise," Duan Lan said modestly.
"Good! As per your suggestion, let the marriage be granted!"
With that single phrase, the emperor settled the matter.
A faint sneer flashed in Duan Lan’s eyes, which were slightly lowered.
Mu Houchu, pushed to this point, will you choose to wrong her or will you resort to rebelling, regardless of the consequences?
Either way, Duan Lan had already won!
If Marquis Mu Houchu chooses to rebel out of unwillingness to go along with the marriage, he will lose his reputation. The people of Yu State will not sincerely revere him. Once he loses the people’s hearts and support, it will be easier to retake Yu State. Moreover, Marquis Mu Houchu will have earned the label of a rebel. It will be justified to execute him.
---
As soon as the imperial edict of the emperor was issued, the eunuch who was to deliver it had just started on his way to Yu State, but the scout Marquis Mu Houchu had planted in the palace had already found out about it and relayed the information via carrier pigeon.
Xin He had been busy with Xiao Bei’s marriage these days. Even though they were only preparing for the engagement, the process was quite troublesome. The process of arranging a marriage in ancient times was such that it took a year to complete.
Xin He was so confused by these complicated rules that she finally asked Xiaoyu to help organize it. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
Seeing how overwhelmed she was, Marquis Mu Houchu chuckled and said, "Can’t handle it now? You’ll likely worry more when it comes to Ah Guai’s marriage."
When a boy marries, he ultimately brings home a girl, who can be nurtured as he chose. But when a girl weds, her destiny is fixed, enduring all the good and bad on her own.
Therefore, any parents who cherished their daughter would painstakingly investigate their future son-in-law’s family down to its component branches so that they could be at ease.
Upon hearing this, Xin He grumpishly said, "Who’s good enough for our Ah Guai?"
Ah Guai was only five years old, and the thought of her getting married someday made Xin He utterly unwilling.
Ah Guai blinked her eyes and said, "Mother, don’t be angry. Ah Guai won’t get married. Ah Guai will stay with you, all right?"
Xin He held her in her arms joyously, "Our Ah Guai is indeed the most affectionate."
Marquis Mu Houchu also smiled, caressing her little head, "Ah Guai, you must love your mother more in the future. You have no idea how much suffering your mother went through to give birth to you."
Ah Guai patted Xin He’s stomach, "Did Ah Guai hurt mother when she came out of mother’s belly? Ah Guai will blow it to make it better."
Xin He’s heart melted, "No, it didn’t hurt. Our Ah Guai was so well-behaved, never fussing."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
