When Jiang Yuwei arrived at the princess's room, she saw that the princess's mother was helping her to wash and groom herself.
When the princess saw Jiang Yuwei arrive, she quickly asked her to sit down.
"Yuwei, you look so beautiful today. You must have known about the Prince and Huaizhi's return to the capital a long time ago, right?"
Jiang Yuwei smiled and nodded.
"Yes, that's why I came to see you as soon as I finished tidying up, to see how we should arrange dinner tonight."
The princess couldn't hide her joy either. It had been almost a year since the prince had gone to war on the border, and she had been missing him terribly.
Later, she heard that Ning Huaizhi had also gone to the border, and she was filled with anxiety every day. Now that she could hear the news that the two of them had returned to the capital safely, she was genuinely happy.
"Yuwei, let's prepare a family dinner tonight, and then we can have a good reunion meal together."
Jiang Yuwei smiled and nodded, then her smile faded as she looked at the princess.
"Since it's a family reunion dinner, shouldn't we also invite Ning Chunlin and the others?"
The princess frowned and pondered for a moment.
"His return to the capital is such a big event, he must have known about it long ago. Even if we don't call him, he will rush to come. We might as well give him a surprise when he comes back, and get rid of Ning Chunlin and the others from the manor as soon as possible. Otherwise, with them around, the manor will never have peace."
Jiang Yuwei looked at the princess.
"Your Highness, do you mean to reveal Huaizhi's true identity today?"
The princess nodded.
"Yes, you get ready. When the time comes at tonight's banquet, we'll expose all the dirty deeds they've done. Oh, and Aunt Lin too. When the Prince returns to the manor, let him deal with her personally. It's better to get things over with quickly than to suffer for a long time. It'll be easier for us to settle things properly."
Jiang Yuwei straightened the handkerchief in her hand.
"Alright, then let's prepare a wonderful surprise for the Prince and Huaizhi today."
Inside the palace,
"Minister Ning, please rise. You have rendered meritorious service in the rescue and helped Prince Jing recover lost territory. You deserve a reward. What reward would you like, Minister Ning?"
Upon seeing that the emperor had spoken, Ning Huaizhi quickly bowed to him again.
"Your Majesty, I do not wish for any other reward. I only beg Your Majesty to cancel my engagement with Princess Qinglan. I already have a family and know that I am unworthy of Princess Qinglan. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant my request!"
After listening to this, the emperor pondered for a moment, then smiled and said:
“Minister Ning, you are far away on the border and have just returned to the capital. You probably don’t know that your engagement with Princess Qinglan was canceled by the Empress Dowager after you went to war.”
Ning Huaizhi was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had been worried about marrying Qinglan after returning to the capital, so he had been desperately trying to reclaim lost territory and fighting fiercely on the battlefield, all in order to return to the capital and obtain an imperial decree to dissolve the engagement.
Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager had already dissolved the engagement for him, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Seeing Ning Huaizhi standing there in a daze without speaking, the emperor smiled and continued:
"Minister Ning, you may choose another reward."
After hearing this, Ning Huaizhi pondered for a moment, then bowed to the emperor again.
"Your Majesty, if I were to choose another reward, I would like Your Majesty to bestow upon my wife the title of Imperial Noble Consort."
The emperor burst into laughter upon hearing Ning Huaizhi's words.
"I never expected that Minister Ning would be such a protective husband. Very well, then I hereby appoint you as a Second-Rank General of the Valiant Cavalry and bestow upon your wife the title of Second-Rank Imperial Lady. I will deliver the imperial edict to your residence today."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Ning Huaizhi immediately knelt down to express his gratitude.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Rise. All of this is what you deserve. I will also bestow upon you a hundred acres of fertile land and five hundred taels of gold as a reward."
Ning Huaizhi kowtowed again to express his gratitude before getting up.
With fertile land and gold, he could now consider himself to have some property. It was time to put the wedding he promised to hold for Yuwei on the agenda. He would use these as betrothal gifts, and Yuwei would surely agree.
Ning Huaizhi smiled as he thought this.
Seeing Ning Huaizhi's expression, Ning Zixuan was also happy. This way, he could give Jiang Yuwei a better life, and it wouldn't be in vain that Jiang Yuwei had gone through so much hardship with him.
After rewarding Ning Huaizhi, the emperor looked at Prince Jing, who appeared somewhat aged after a year of war and the hardships of life on the frontier, and said with tears in his eyes:
“Prince Jing, it must have been tough for you to be away from the capital and go to the border this past year. I’m happy for you now that you’ve returned in triumph.”
Prince Jing stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
"Now, I should reward you with something. Gold and valuables are of course your due. I have prepared a thousand liang of gold for you, as well as some rare treasures from the Western Regions that have been brought to the palace. I will have them sent to your residence later."
The emperor paused, gave Prince Jing a deep look, and said calmly:
"Besides these, is there anything else that Prince Jing desires?"
Prince Jing frowned, took out his tiger tally from his sleeve, and presented it with both hands.
"Your Majesty, I am now old and can no longer withstand any more hardship. I only ask that Your Majesty take back the Tiger Tally so that I may also live a carefree life as a prince."
Ning Huaizhi was shocked to hear Prince Jing's words, because on the battlefield, Prince Jing could fight against a hundred men single-handedly, and showed no signs of aging; he was also very strong.
One reason for their victory was Ning Huaizhi's timely support, and another was Prince Jing's ability to make the right decisions at crucial moments, which allowed them to break through the encirclement with minimal losses.
Therefore, Ning Huaizhi was quite surprised that Prince Jing was willing to hand over the tiger tally. Logically speaking, given Prince Jing's status and ability, it would be most appropriate for him to have the tiger tally in his hands.
Although Ning Huaizhi felt sorry for Prince Jing, he did not understand Prince Jing's true predicament. Although in the eyes of the world, the tiger tally was rightfully in Prince Jing's hands, the louder the voices, the more suspicious the emperor would become.
Prince Jing was able to survive the struggle for the throne and earn the title of prince. Those who didn't know the situation assumed that Prince Jing had been on good terms with the emperor since childhood, which was why the emperor valued him so highly.
The reason is that although Prince Jing is capable, he is very tactful and knows when to advance and retreat. He understands the principle that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.
Therefore, upon his triumphant return, he did not desire much attention, but only wished to retire peacefully, thus dispelling the emperor's suspicions and ensuring the wealth and tranquility of the Prince Jing's mansion.
If Prince Jing does not voluntarily hand over the Tiger Tally this time, the Emperor will try every means to take it back, strip Prince Jing of his military power, and weaken his influence in the capital.
Rather than ending up in a complete falling out with the emperor, resulting in the destruction of his family and personal ruin, it's better to take the initiative to let go this time and lower the emperor's guard against him.
Prince Jing was a wise man. Having experienced so many ups and downs over the years and witnessed the changes of royal power, he had no more obsessions. He only wished for peace and prosperity for the country so that he could enjoy his old age in peace, which would be the best possible ending for him.
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