Tian Yu and Zhao Moyan were brought into the palace one after the other. Before entering the palace, Tian Yu met Xuan Yu at the palace gate, but they did not speak. Tian Yu quickly tidied her clothes and hair and followed the eunuch into the main hall. As soon as Tian Yu stepped into the hall, she saw two figures, one big and one small, standing in front of her. She could hardly believe it. As she approached step by step and met their eyes, Tian Yu wanted to run up and hug them. It was so good to see that they were safe and sound. She held back the urge to cry and pretended to be calm as she walked towards them step by step. Tian Yu felt like she walked for a long, long time under everyone's gaze before she reached the father and son. After glancing at them, Tian Yu knelt down and bowed to the emperor, just like she had seen on TV.
The ministers on both sides followed Tian Yu from the moment she entered, trying to get a good look at this fairy under the moon who they both loved and hated and who had been fascinated by for months. Now she was standing in front of them. Although she was dressed simply and had an ordinary appearance, they all seemed to see the light emanating from Tian Yu from the moment she entered. It was so dazzling and so warm.
This was the first time Tang Wenli and Fang Jue had stared at someone so impolitely. Only upon hearing Tian Yu kneel and pay her respects did they lower their heads in shame. The others also lowered their heads to conceal their abruptness. Only the Crown Prince and Li Linfeng looked at them with unusual expressions, the Crown Prince appearing particularly intrigued. The other two princes were even more mesmerized, unable to believe that the celestial being they revered was such an ordinary woman before them. Countless fantasies they had made about her appearance had failed to match, yet from the moment she entered the hall, whether due to the lighting or something else, her radiant presence seemed to confirm it. Their doubts and inner conflict deepened.
"You are Tian Yu! The mother of this child?" the Emperor asked in confusion, then looked at Zhao Moyan, who nodded in affirmation.
"Yes!" Tian Yu replied calmly.
"Good! Good! Good! Rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Mother!" Tangyuan and Zhao Moyan stepped forward to help Tian Yu up.
Tian Yu smiled slightly at Tang Yuan and Zhao Moyan, waiting for the Emperor to ask questions.
"You're the Moon Immortal?!"
Tian Yu looked at Prince Wu and then said, "Yes!"
"Although Tian'er also says it's you, I still don't quite believe it. Do you have any evidence?" As soon as the Emperor said this, the ministers immediately nodded in agreement. They were also eager to know if it was true or not!
"These are what I wrote in prison during this time. Your Majesty can take a look," Tian Yu said, taking out several sheets of paper from her bosom.
"Quickly! Bring it here!" the Emperor exclaimed excitedly.
After the emperor had flipped through a few pages, he said, "It really is you. Do you know that Jiang Lao of Che Kingdom calls you 'Sir'?"
"Sir? This humble woman is dull-witted."
"It's a long story, but in short, you've raised a fine son and avenged my Wu Kingdom! I will certainly reward you handsomely."
Tian Yu glanced at Tang Yuan, who was smiling smugly. Tian Yu could only politely say, "As a citizen of Wu Kingdom, this is what a common woman should do. Your Majesty does not need to reward me."
“Look at you all. When I ask you to do something, you all make excuses. But look at how magnanimous you are, even as women. You should all learn from Mr. Tian.”
"Your Majesty, we obey!"
"Alright, you're just trying to fool me. Do you think I don't know?"
"By the way, I've heard about your imprisonment. Tian'er has already sent people to investigate the cause. It was all a misunderstanding, and everything is fine now." The Emperor said, pointing to Prince Wu, who smiled at Tian Yu.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Prince Wu!"
"And you, Marquis of Zhenbei, why didn't you say so earlier that you already had a wife and children, instead of causing everyone to misunderstand?"
"It is my fault. I only learned about this when I returned to my hometown to pay respects to my grandmother a while ago."
"Alright! I will not pursue this matter further, but your act of disobeying the imperial decree and leaving the Marquis's residence without permission cannot be let off the hook."
“Your Majesty, the Marquis left the Marquis’s residence without permission because he knew that I had come to the capital to find him and was being chased on the way. It was all my fault. If Your Majesty wants to punish someone, then punish me.”
"You're being chased? And this is happening?!"
"Father, it was because of this matter that I went out of the city that day and met them," Prince Wu explained.
"It's good that you're all alright, otherwise my Wu Kingdom would have lost a great talent. Since that's the case, I won't pursue the matter of the Marquis of Zhenbei being so eager to save his son, but disobeying the imperial decree is disobeying the imperial decree. He's already been imprisoned and flogged, so I'll let bygones be bygones the matter of the six-month salary deduction."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the three of them knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude.
"Alright, the matter has been explained clearly, those who deserved punishment have been punished, and those who went to jail have served their time. Now it's time for a reward."
The Emperor stood up and said loudly, "I hereby declare that Lady Tian, wife of the Marquis of Zhenbei, is a model of virtue and morality in raising her children and upholding the proper conduct of a woman. She is hereby granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady."
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!"
“But even with the imperial decree, the princess must still be married!” the emperor said.
The crowd stared at each other, realizing from the Emperor's expression that there was no escaping it this time. Zhao Moyan stepped forward to object, but Tian Yu grabbed him and shook her head. She said that this outcome was already good enough, and she didn't want anything else to happen to them.
While everyone remained silent, several ministers stepped forward and said, "I find this inappropriate! A princess, of the highest status, cannot be made a concubine!"
"I also think it's inappropriate. Soon everyone will know that there is a Mr. Tian in our Wu Kingdom. If Your Majesty forces the princess into the family, wouldn't we be laughed at!"
"Your Majesty, I agree!"
"I implore Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"
"Your Majesty, please rescind your decree!"
Seeing the ministers kneeling down in disarray, Tian Yu was bewildered. What was going on? Why were they all suddenly speaking up for her? She looked at Zhao Moyan, who was also confused, but pulled Tian Yu down to kneel with him and said, "Your Majesty, I have failed them for many years. For the rest of my life, I only wish to take good care of them, mother and child. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"
Seeing that the Emperor was about to lose his temper, Tang Wenli stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I also feel that this matter is inappropriate. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!" He then knelt down as well. With him standing, the entire Hanlin Academy followed suit. The few remaining people standing, seeing the situation was turning against them, dared not utter a sound, even if they wanted to object!
Although Prince Wu did not step forward, he did speak up, saying, "Father, I think we should put this matter aside for now!"
Tian Yu followed Zhao Moyan, feeling dizzy, into the carriage. The Emperor, finally forced by circumstances, temporarily agreed. After learning the reason from Tang Yuan, he wanted to scold Tang Yuan but couldn't bear to, so he reached out and hugged him, saying, "You can't do that again, it's too dangerous."
"Yes! Don't worry, Mother, I will protect you from now on!"
Zhao Moyan also reached out and hugged the two of them, saying, "With me here, I will never let you encounter danger again."
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