"Pear Blossom, what are you doing?"
Several carriages approached from behind, and several noble ladies from the capital alighted from them. The Fan family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were trying to find a way to persuade the Empress Dowager to rescind her decree, when they heard the news that the young girl had requested to leave the clan.
By the time everyone arrived, Pear Blossom had been kneeling in the rain for quite some time.
A blue umbrella tilted, shielding the pear blossoms from the raindrops for a moment.
The girl didn't speak, but her friends behind her understood why Pear Blossom was reacting so strongly this time.
For them, the Prince of Zhenbei was hope.
So the girls didn't ask any more questions. The umbrella was removed, and a group of girls knelt behind Pear Blossom.
"Your Majesty, please rescind your decree."
Even on a rainy day, such a lively scene never lacks an audience. Pedestrians gradually gathered around, and upon seeing this, the Fan family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law knelt down beside the girl.
"You child, you even wrote a letter severing ties with your family."
"Even if we sign and put our fingerprints on it, it won't work. The Empress Dowager won't let us off the hook."
The woman knelt beside the girl. From the moment her daughter was born, she knew that she would die for her for the rest of her life, let alone now that the whole family was together.
"Mother..."
Inside the palace, the Emperor was frantic, pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. Not only were the officials from the Censorate pressuring him, but even the noble ladies were pressuring him.
Logically, given the situation had escalated to this point, the Empress Dowager should have revoked the imperial edict. However, since it was a capital offense, while the death penalty could be waived, punishment was inevitable. Taking advantage of the situation, it was still possible to dismiss Imperial Censor Fan.
But the old woman sitting in the chair disagreed; instead, she wanted to persuade the emperor to issue an imperial decree to grant them the marriage.
“The Prince of Zhenbei is young and impetuous. In addition, he is bound to be ambitious in his efforts to recover the grasslands. Even if Fan Lihua is a corpse, she still has to marry into the Marquis of the Northwest.”
"You must make the Prince of Zhenbei understand that this Great Yan is your Great Yan, the world is your world. You can make her live or die as you please. How she lives is entirely in your control. Do you understand, my son?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Xuanhong gradually calmed down, bowed, and then said...
"Thank you for your teachings, Mother."
"It was Lihua's reckless actions that implicated...and her family."
The girl originally intended to die in front of the palace gate and that would be the end of it, but who knew that her family and friends would come after her.
“Some things are more important than living, Pear Blossom. If I were in her shoes, I would have done the same,” the girl behind her said.
"We're all family, what's this talk of being implicated?"
At this point, life and death are trivial matters. Imperial Censor Fan is truly unafraid of death. If the Emperor insists on doing this, he swears to Heaven that his throne will definitely be over.
—Squeak.
The palace gates slowly opened, and Lu Kai, dressed in dark red official robes with a duster draped over his arm, held the imperial edict in both hands.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have heard of the virtue and ability of Marquis Lan Tingche of the Northwest and the gentleness and grace of Fan Lihua. Both are talented individuals and a match made in heaven. Therefore, I hereby bestow marriage upon them, wishing them to be forever united in heart and mind, to respect each other as guests, and to live a long and happy life together."
This imperial edict is an edict to establish the proper rites for a wife.
The Emperor's actions were intended to force Fan Lihua to her death, leaving the Prince of Zhenbei with a deceased wife.
"emperor!"
Young Censor Fan tried to struggle, but was held back by his mother and father. Censor Fan knew very well what kind of person the current emperor was. If it weren't for his deep roots in the Censorate and the fact that there were no good knives in the court, he would have gone to see the King of Hell long ago.
The current state of things is not Lihua's fault, and it has nothing to do with her.
The entire Fan family was nothing more than a victim of imperial power.
The rain had gradually stopped, and the sun was peeking out from behind the dark clouds. The local people gradually found out what was going on, and when they heard Lu Kai's decree, they couldn't help but murmur to themselves.
But if the girl isn't happy or doesn't like it, why do you insist on putting yourself together with her?
Do they only feel happy when they drive someone to their death?
The girl raised her head, placed her hands on her forehead, and bowed deeply towards the palace before opening the porcelain bottle.
Before the porcelain bottle even reached her lips, a nut flew by from afar, shattering white porcelain shards all over the ground.
"I'd like to see who's been planting people in Lan Tingche's backyard?"
"According to the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty, a man who marries into his wife's family cannot take a concubine or have a mistress. Does this mean the law is being disregarded?"
Fan Lihua turned around and saw the person she saw every day riding a white horse. A pearl was inlaid on his jade crown. Huo Xiaolong's bright red python robe had some clever details. The upper arms were covered with bright red mesh embroidered by Lan Tingche, which was breathable and cool.
The girl's slightly upturned, sword-like eyebrows were delicate yet dignified, and the bright, flamboyant look in her eyes could not be hidden.
She was like the kind of hero described in storybooks, appearing before him in the early morning sun after the rain when his life was in danger.
Huo Xiaolong dismounted and bent down to help Fan Lihua, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet. Perhaps she had been kneeling for too long, as the girl was unsteady on her feet.
Long'er's long, strong arm encircled Lihua's waist, and then he said...
"careful."
She was almost a head taller than her. Pear Blossom raised her head slightly and looked at Long'er. Only then did the girl feel afraid, and she uttered a sentence with red eyes.
"You've arrived."
"I am coming."
Huo Xiaolong turned around, and the little girl understood almost immediately with just a glance. The girl in plain clothes got off the carriage and hurriedly went to take everyone's pulses.
They were all teenage girls, and they'd been soaked in the rain for so long. It wouldn't be good if they developed some kind of illness.
The girl in the python robe reached out her hand to Lu Kai, asking for the imperial edict.
"Is the Emperor going to bestow a marriage upon the Marquis of the Southwest?"
"Your Highness?"
Lu Kai had never met the Prince of Zhenbei before, and he was really just guessing. After all, he had been in the palace for so many years, and he couldn't help but hand over the imperial edict with both hands. Judging from his aura, he was definitely the Prince of Zhenbei.
"Your Highness, this is an imperial edict..."
Before Lu Kai could finish speaking, a tinderbox appeared in Long'er's hand, and then the paper covered with bright yellow silk disappeared in the wind.
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