43. Proposal (Part 2)
◎Win the bet◎
Chapter 43
One day ago,
The sky gradually became gloomy and the first snow fell in Shengjing City. Ji Ci, dressed in his official uniform, reached out his hand to catch a snowflake and watched it slowly melt in his palm.
Eunuch Li stepped out of the doorway, bowed, and said, "Prince Qi, may His Majesty summon you."
Ji Ci nodded and entered the hall. He passed by Concubine Shu who was coming out. The two of them greeted each other and then passed each other.
He stood beneath the Emperor's throne and bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty."
"Stand up. Jian Xi is different from others. There is no need to be so polite." The emperor raised his hand.
"I wonder what important matter Jian Xi has to see me for today?"
Ji Ci said, "There are two things. One is the progress of the Huo family case. Huo Heng is a lustful man, and there is solid evidence that he has repeatedly abducted women. However, I later accidentally learned that all the girls under the age of sixteen that Huo Heng had abducted disappeared in Shengjing, and their whereabouts are unknown."
"Missing?"
"The Huo family father and son refused to confess. They only said that they released them from the mansion and never cared about the whereabouts of these people again."
The emperor stroked his chin and said, "They were all under sixteen. How could it be such a coincidence that they all disappeared?"
Ji Ci said, "Yes, I suspect these girls were abducted. Our Great Jin has strictly prohibited abduction since three years ago. This is a serious crime, but the father and son of the Huo family still hold official positions, so I cannot torture them at will. Therefore, I have come to ask for your permission to punish the father and son of the Huo family severely so that I can catch the person behind this abduction."
"Okay, I grant your permission. These people are truly despicable, trafficking our good citizens of the Great Jin, even to other countries."
The emperor pondered for a moment, picked up the tea on the table and sipped it gently, then continued, "Jian Xi, what is the second thing?"
Ji Ci stood there silently, with hesitation in his eyes. Finally, he exhaled and said, "Your Majesty, I come to ask for your permission to grant us marriage."
With a loud bang, the emperor accidentally knocked over the tea set, soaking the memorial in front of him. His eyes widened.
"Oh, Your Majesty." Upon seeing this, Eunuch Li immediately stepped forward, bent down to wipe the table clean, and ordered several eunuchs to put the wet memorials aside to dry.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Seeing this, Ji Ci was about to kneel down, but the emperor waved his hand to stop him. He didn't know what to say for a moment.
He paused for a long moment before saying, "I remember Jian Xi once said she would never marry. What kind of girl could have allowed Jian Xi, a cultivator of immortality, to fall into the mortal realm?"
Ji Ci's expression remained cold and emotionless as he said, "The legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo, Qiu Ziye."
"It's her? I remember she was Zhang Liang's wife. If Jian Xi wants to marry, why not find an unmarried girl?"
Ji Ci shook his head and said, "I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. However, since I took over the Zhang family case, I met this woman and fell in love with her. I secretly decided to marry her."
The emperor was surprised and said, "Are you serious? This is really not something you would say."
Ji Ci smiled slightly and said, "Of course it's true. The things I wouldn't say before have all changed after I got to know her."
The emperor nodded. "If that's the case, then I grant it. I will issue an edict tomorrow to give you Qiu...Qiu Ziye."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." After saying this, Ji Ci knelt down to the emperor and left the Taiji Hall.
As he stepped out of the room, a cool breeze hit him. After he walked down the platform, Weather immediately came forward and held an umbrella to block the snow for him.
The smile on his face just now gradually disappeared.
…
The sunlight was a little dazzling. After a small burst of snow yesterday, it stopped soon. Although the courtyard had been swept clean by the servants, my knees were still cold and wet.
"Miss Qiu, please accept the order." Eunuch Li saw Jiang Qiuye still kneeling there in a daze, so he reminded her.
Jiang Qiuye suddenly reacted and raised his hand to take the golden imperial edict, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
"Get up." Eunuch Li raised his hand to everyone.
"From now on, Miss Qiu will be the Princess of Qi County. This old servant would like to congratulate Miss Qiu. The Prince of Qi County is no different from others and holds a noble position. Even though he was previously demoted, he is still trusted by His Majesty and loved by the people. In the future, the Prince and Princess must serve His Majesty and the Great Jin with all their heart and soul."
This time the emperor must have asked Eunuch Li to give him a warning secretly, saying that he was deeply trusted, but he was afraid that the reality was not so.
Although the Anguo Mansion was an empty shell, the sudden request for marriage by Prince Qi, who usually did not have any interest in women, still caused the suspicious emperor to think deeply about it.
"Ye'er has taken note of what the father-in-law said."
"Prince Qi wants the wedding to be completed as soon as possible, but the rules must be followed, especially since this is a royal wedding. The Ministry of Rites will take care of everything, so just stay in the mansion and wait for your wedding."
Jiang Qiuye smiled and said, "Yes, father-in-law."
"Everything has been explained, so I will withdraw."
The originally stiff expression on the Duke of Anguo's face suddenly broke into a smile. He immediately stepped forward, extended his hand, and said, "Thank you for making this trip, Eunuch. Please come this way."
"We work for His Majesty, so it's not hard work."
Eunuch Li smiled and left with Duke Anguo.
Jiang Qiuye was still standing there in a daze, seemingly still not reacting. Concubine Qian and Qiu Ying concealed their jealousy and stepped forward to congratulate him.
"This is really good news. Prince Qi is a hundred times better than General Zhang Liang before." Aunt Qian's smile seemed forced.
"Congratulations...congratulations...sister."
Jiang Qiuye smiled and said, "I'm really tired today, I'll go inside and rest first."
She turned around to leave, only to find that Ding Zhao had secretly left the Anguo Mansion at some point. She must have been extremely upset by this trip.
She clenched the imperial edict in her hand and returned to the room she usually lived in. The room was spacious, with exquisite and gorgeous furnishings, and a faint scent of sandalwood burning in the incense burner.
Before marrying Zhang Liang, she lived in a dilapidated woodshed that even servants wouldn't live in. It wasn't until she managed to get a handle on Duke Anguo that her adoptive father's attitude changed, and no one in the mansion dared to neglect her anymore.
Close the door tightly and lock it.
Jiang Qiuye turned around, opened the imperial edict, and read it carefully twice.
She really is... the principal wife of Prince Qi... the principal wife.
She succeeded, won the bet, and even doubled her profits, which was beyond her imagination.
She used those inferior means, drugging, seducing, deceiving, and even deliberately not denying Sisi's words at the King of Wei's coronation ceremony to make herself infamous. She knew that he was a kind and righteous person.
She used despicable things to gamble on his kindness.
Very successful.
But for some reason, she didn't feel happy at all, but rather extremely resistant.
She married Zhang Liang without hesitation. So what if he was a 43-year-old man? She just had to complete the task.
If Ji Ci only took her as a concubine, or if she followed him without any status or position, she might not have been so resistant in her heart.
But he actually gave her the position of queen.
Becoming his princess meant that she had truly received his lifelong protection, had truly gained his complete trust, and had truly succeeded in her infiltration.
Concubines can be dismissed at will, but it is different for the princess of a county.
This is clearly what she wanted, but why does she feel so lost in her heart?
…
"Master, Prince Qi has come to the palace and is waiting at the door. He asked you to step out for a while." The servant knocked on the study door and announced.
Upon hearing this, the hand holding the brush trembled, and he said sternly, "You ignorant fellow, why don't you invite Prince Qi in instead of having him stand at the door?"
The servant said helplessly and aggrievedly, "Master, it was Prince Qi who said he couldn't come in. He just wanted to say a few words to you and then leave."
Upon hearing this, Duke Anguo immediately stood up, not wanting to delay for a moment, and trotted directly to the gate of the palace. When the gate opened, he saw a tall figure wearing a jade crown standing in the afterglow of the setting sun, the golden light shone on his head. Even though he had been demoted to a county prince, he was still so dignified that people dared not look directly at him.
"Your Highness, why are you here suddenly? Are you here to look for my daughter? Should I call her out?" Duke Anguo was uneasy and bowed to flatter her.
After hearing this, Ji Ci turned around, bowed to Duke Anguo, and said, "No need. I came here today just to have a few words with my future father-in-law."
The future father-in-law, Duke Anguo, smiled obsequiously upon hearing this.
"I wonder what it is?"
"I'm sure Duke Anguo knows that Qiu Ziye once stayed in this prince's residence for a while. It was because of this prince that her Guihong Hall was burned down in a fire. She didn't dare return to the Duke's residence, so she took refuge in this prince's residence."
After hearing this, Duke Anguo wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed dryly, "Don't dare, don't dare to return to the Duke's Mansion?"
Ji Ci nodded gently, "I have heard about Qiu Ziye's childhood experiences and felt deeply sympathetic. In addition, she was later caned according to family rules, so I promised her that I would protect her. However, I believe that the Duke understands this, so I will not elaborate further."
Duke Anguo: “…”
He hadn't expected Prince Qi to defend Qiu Ziye to such an extent. He had considered the reasons behind the Emperor's granting of the marriage, and now it seemed that Prince Qi had indeed personally requested it. No wonder she had been so dismissive when he'd mentioned Ding Zhao's matter to her.
But it's true, after climbing the mountain of Prince Qi, Ding Zhao is nothing.
This daughter is really amazing. She has quietly made this big gold mountain fall deeply in love with her.
Ji Ci continued, "According to ancient etiquette, a woman must stay at her parents' home to marry. This prince hopes that the Duke will treat his daughter well."
Duke Anguo recalled how Qiu Ziye had threatened him before, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart and cursed his "weak" daughter a thousand times.
He was afraid that Prince Qi didn't know that she had the upper hand over him, so he didn't dare to do anything to her.
In addition, with her status as Princess of Qi County, the Duke of Anguo's Mansion might also rise to prominence. Naturally, he was very satisfied with this marriage.
I have no choice but to bear the reputation of this vicious father.
He smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes. I understand. I will take good care of the future Princess Qi during this period."
"Um, Your Majesty, would you like to come in and have a seat and a cup of tea?"
"No need for that. I have important matters to attend to later. Besides, it is not appropriate for engaged couples to meet before the wedding. I take my leave."
"Yes, yes. Take care, Your Majesty."
Seeing that he had said everything he needed to say, Ji Ci pulled the horse over, jumped on it, and sped away.
The next day, Jiang Qiuye learned from Jinhong that Ji Ci had come to the palace yesterday, talked to Duke Anguo for a few words, and then left.
Hearing that he seemed to have secretly threatened Duke Anguo, Jiang Qiuye couldn't help but feel happy. Thinking that he had forgiven her, she took the prepared medicinal food to Prince Qi's Mansion, but she didn't expect to be still turned away.
The old housekeeper, Uncle Fu, thought that Prince Qi was busy all day and had not returned home for a long time.
Jiang Qiuye returned home disappointed. After being rejected for five consecutive days, she finally realized that Ji Ci did not forgive her just because he asked for a marriage. He was just fulfilling his duty. He must be extremely disgusted with her now.
Not long after, the Ministry of Rites sent someone to get the engagement letter, and after going through the ancestral temple, the betrothal gifts were also delivered to the Anguo Mansion. Although he was a prince, the regulations were completely in line with those of a prince. I heard from the Ministry of Rites that all of this came from the private property of Prince Qi, and they privately gave Jiang Qiuye a list to add to the dowry, which was really thoughtful.
But Ji Ci never appeared in the Duke of Anguo's Mansion again from beginning to end.
The Ministry of Rites quickly made arrangements. It was now mid-winter, November of the sixth year of Jingning, and the wedding date was set for the first month of the following year, after the Lantern Festival. For the royal family, this wedding was already very rushed.
Originally planning to marry Jiang Qiuye off within a month, Qiu Ying and her daughter naturally didn't dare rush Prince Qi's marriage. However, by the first month of the following year, it would be too late to abort the pregnancy.
Qiu Ying's pregnancy before marriage and subsequent break-off of the engagement were naturally different from a widow. If she gave birth to a child with a child, there would be no chance of marriage. Concubine Qian had originally urged Qiu Ying to abort the fetus, but she hadn't expected Qiu Ying to make a scene, insisting on keeping the child and saying she'd rather remain single.
When Feiyan Pavilion heard about Jiang Qiuye and Ji Ci's marriage, they were overjoyed and sent someone to secretly congratulate them. They also promised Jiang Qiuye and Jinhong the antidote, saving her the trouble of exchanging the spy list for the antidote.
Time flies quickly, and in the blink of an eye it is the Lantern Festival of the next year.
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Preview: Tomorrow's wedding, bridal chamber
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