Upon hearing this, Pan Wenjun could no longer hold back the tears welling up in her eyes, and they streamed down her face like a burst dam. Sun Xingjian strode forward and embraced her.
"Let's go, I'll go ask the Protector-General for your hand in marriage!"
...
Inside the Hall of Heroes, the atmosphere was reaching its climax due to the previous scene, with everyone raising their glasses in celebration, except for Pan Wei, who was covered in a cold sweat.
When the four members of the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan returned together, all eyes in the hall were on Pan Wenjun. Their expressions were strange, with smiles on their faces, but a hint of pity could be seen deep in their eyes.
Li Qingchen and Sun Xingjian exchanged a glance, sensing something was wrong, while Wei Shuwan also had a bad feeling.
As expected, Emperor Pingjia on the jade platform laughed a few times and spoke: "Pan Wenjun, why don't you come forward and receive your title?"
Seeing Pan Wenjun's blank expression, Emperor Pingjia realized that she had not been brought back by the people he had sent out earlier and was unaware of what had happened. He patiently explained, "Just now, Prince Awuge asked me for your hand in marriage on behalf of his father. Today, in front of all the civil and military officials, I will formally confer upon you the title of Princess Changping. You will go to the Kingdom of Ziyi for a marriage alliance and contribute to the eternal peace of the two kingdoms of Daye and Ziyi."
After saying that, he added, half-jokingly and half-commendally, "The mission your father failed to complete in half his life will be completed by you."
Pan Wei's face had turned several shades pale. He had tried several times to rush to the front of the hall to express his determination to refuse the marriage proposal to the emperor, but with all the officials and envoys from various countries present, if he did so, he would be embarrassing the emperor in public and would only make things worse.
Therefore, he suppressed his anger and told himself to endure it for now, and wait until after the Autumn Festival to privately request an audience with the Emperor and persuade him to withdraw the decree.
But he didn't know that his daughter had just given herself to someone else. Pan Wenjun looked ashen-faced. Sun Xingjian was about to rush forward to explain the situation, but Li Qingchen grabbed his arm.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Li Qingchen couldn't elaborate, so he simply shook his head slightly at Sun Xingjian and said aloud without mouthing, "Don't be impatient, I'm here."
Wei Shuwan also heard it. These words were like the only glimmer of light in the boundless darkness that suddenly descended. She inexplicably believed Li Qingchen and felt that there was still room for maneuver in this matter. So she also advised Sun Xingdao: "Uncle, don't be anxious."
Sun Xingjian was temporarily calmed down by the two men. At this moment, Li Qingchen stepped forward and walked up the jade platform in full view of everyone. He walked straight to Emperor Pingjia and said a few words in a voice that no one else could hear. After that, Emperor Pingjia changed his mind.
Emperor Pingjia nodded, finding it reasonable, and then laughed loudly, "I am in a good mood tonight, and I will drink with you all until we are drunk. We will discuss other matters tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Wei Shuwan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Pan Wei's expression also improved slightly. Sun Xingjian silently grasped Pan Wenjun's hand to give her courage. Under the cover of his sleeve, no one could tell anything was amiss.
However, the eldest prince of Awuge looked rather embarrassed, staring suspiciously at Li Qingchen, unable to figure out what he had just said that made the emperor of Daye change his mind and postpone the originally agreed-upon matter.
Half an hour later, Emperor Pingjia was clearly drunk and was helped off the table by Consort Gui and Eunuch Cao, thus ending the grand palace banquet.
Before leaving the palace with the others, Li Qingchen sent a message to Feng Wan, asking her to devise a way to persuade the Emperor to refuse Prince Awuge's marriage proposal.
On the way back, Wei Shuwan and Sun Xingjian both got into Li Qingchen's carriage. Wei Shuwan couldn't help but ask, "How did you manage to persuade the Emperor just now?"
Li Qingchen shook his head. "It's not that I'm trying to dissuade him, but I'm just reminding him of a rule established by the late emperor: one should not draft decrees after drinking alcohol, so as to avoid acting on emotions and making wrong judgments."
"I see." Wei Shuwan let out a soft sigh of relief and said gratefully, "But at least you bought us one night."
Since Wei Shuwan had already discovered that Consort Wen was his person, Li Qingchen decided not to hide it from her and told her about sending the message to Consort Wen.
Although Sun Xingjian was unaware of the power Li Qingchen had been secretly accumulating over the years, he was not surprised. Many people in the previous dynasty would extend their reach into the inner palace, so it was not unusual for Li Qingchen to be acquainted with Consort Wen.
Besides, everyone is in the same boat right now, and Li Qingchen is only trying to help him, so he can only be grateful.
Li Qingchen had grasped this point precisely, which is why he was not afraid to expose Feng Wan, a pawn, in front of Sun Xingjian.
Upon hearing this news, Wei Shuwan's heart was filled with hope: "Since Consort Wen is so favored by the Emperor, he should agree to her request, right?"
However, Li Qingchen was not so optimistic and bluntly told him: "You underestimate our Emperor. He may be a romantic, but when it comes to matters of the previous dynasty, even the most favored concubine cannot change his mind."
Sun Xingjian felt the same way, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Then I will go to the palace with the Protector-General to see the Emperor first thing tomorrow morning and tell him that Wenjun and I have consummated our marriage. Even if Wenjun's reputation cannot be preserved, at least her life will be saved!"
"You won't even listen to the words of a favored concubine, do you think the Emperor will listen to you and Governor Pan?" Li Qingchen's words were ruthless, but they were all true: "Even if he knew that Pan Wenjun was no longer a virgin, he would have a hundred ways to cover it up. There is no shortage of underhanded methods in the harem, and he could make her go to a marriage alliance as a virgin."
Upon hearing this, Sun Xingjian felt as if a sudden storm had struck, yet he couldn't figure out how to respond.
"Regardless, let's wait for news from Consort Wen first. We'll think of other solutions tonight," Wei Shuwan reassured her.
As for Feng Wan, just as Li Qingchen had predicted, despite using the aphrodisiac on Emperor Pingjia and exhausting all her efforts, she still couldn't persuade him to retract his decree.
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