As expected, Prince Jing’s Mansion held a three-day banquet. Even the emperor complained sourly that he had never enjoyed such high-level treatment from his younger brother and nephew!
"Your family is just marrying a daughter-in-law, why is it so grand compared to my wedding to a princess?"
King Jing shook his head proudly. A good daughter-in-law is not like the cabbages sold on the street that you can just grab a few of. It is hard to find one by chance. He doesn't care what others think. As long as his family is satisfied with Xiao Yao, it's enough.
Although Yun Yichen, who was sitting next to him, did not say anything, his frequent nodding movements could not escape anyone's attention!
Knowing that your family has found a treasure, the emperor was too lazy to argue with the two people in front of him on this issue, and changed the subject and said, "Achen promised that after marrying the little girl from the Xiao family, he would unconditionally serve as an official for his uncle for three years."
It would have been fine if this matter hadn't been mentioned. Once it was mentioned, Yun Yichen had something to say: "My nephew is already working. At most, I won't need a salary for three years. You can't assign me any other tasks. First, I'm getting married soon, so I don't have that much free time..."
The emperor waved his hand to stop Yun Yichen from speaking any further. What about first, second, and third? He hadn't mentioned any conditions yet, but he had brought them up first: "It doesn't matter if you don't have time now. After you get married, take ten or eight days off and I'll send you on an errand in the south. You won't be away for too long, and you can be back in half a year."
King Jing's hand trembled, and the tea in his cup spilled mostly on himself. Turning to look at his son, he saw a tearful expression on his face. He might be sent away on a mission right after getting married, and he'd be gone for half a year. Was he really going to be so ruthless?
"Brother, this isn't appropriate!" He and his wife are still waiting to become grandfathers and grandmothers! Even if his daughter-in-law is too young to have a baby, the two of them should still cultivate their relationship!
It was good enough that Xiao Yao agreed to get married. King Jing knew that his son was too eager and in his daughter-in-law's heart he was not as important as the Xiao family. The young couple needed time to get used to each other and get along with each other, and they should not be separated in any way.
Is the emperor's uncle serious or is he joking? Yun Yichen tried to find some clues from the emperor's calm face, but unfortunately he found nothing after looking for a long time: "Can my nephew go now?"
"Are you afraid that you'll be reluctant to leave your young wife when you're newly married? Your uncle will allow you to bring four, no, six concubines with you. What do you think?"
After hearing what the emperor said, Yun Yichen knew he had been tricked. This wasn't about him doing his job, it was clearly a way to make him anxious and take revenge. He angrily left his seat, not intending to continue the show with the emperor.
The brat tried to run away, but the emperor called out to Yun Yichen, "Sign your pledge before you leave. You're a person who changes your mind so quickly. I don't trust you."
Yun Yichen picked up the paper, glanced at it twice and threw it aside, then picked up the pen and ink again and started writing. After finishing writing, he pressed his fingerprint on it, and the thin paper fell lightly on the emperor's desk.
He had actually tampered with the letter of guarantee he had written with such great difficulty. How could he be so careless? Had all his efforts today been in vain? The two brothers huddled together to carefully read the letter of guarantee produced by Yun Yichen. It stated that they would serve the Emperor for three years without compensation, but they would not leave the capital for any errands, must return to the palace every day, and would have their monthly rest time doubled...
Is this doing work for free or for benefits? The emperor was so angry at his nephew that he almost swore. He originally wanted to turn the situation around, but he was taken advantage of by him again.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has arrived," Chen He reported quietly. This statement instantly dissipated the relaxed atmosphere in the imperial study. The Emperor and Prince Jing sighed silently, and Yun Yichen's eyes flashed with impatience. He should have left earlier. He knew her intentions without having to guess.
Queen Mother Han, dressed in a gorgeous purple palace dress, walked into the imperial study surrounded by a group of palace maids. Three of them stood up to greet her.
"Your son greets your mother."
"Grandson greets the Imperial Grandmother."
The three people before him couldn't be more respectful than they were. They'd done so much behind his back, and they hadn't even said hello. "Mother" and "Grandmother" were just titles to them now! It had reached the point where they didn't need to worry about it anymore, didn't they want to obey?
After sitting down and sulking for a while, Queen Mother Han finally asked Prince Jing and his son to stand up: "Grandmother, congratulations to Achen. You must be very happy to have married the most beautiful woman in Kyoto!"
Yun Yichen stood up and replied with a smile: "Grandson also congratulates the Royal Grandmother for finding another good granddaughter-in-law."
"You..." The grandson is more capable than his father. He doesn't give her any room to talk back to him. Twenty years ago, her son did it for the bitch of the Yin family, and now her grandson openly disobeys her for a girl from a reckless man's family. The queen mother is really a failure.
But if they thought they would give up so easily, they were wrong.
Pretending not to hear the implicit meaning in Yun Yichen's words, Queen Mother Han put on the air of a kind elder and said, "The Imperial Grandmother has prepared a gift for your fiancée. Please ask her to come to the palace, have a meal with me, and stroll around the garden. We will soon become family. We should get closer and visit each other more often."
Yun Yichen didn't believe Empress Dowager Han's words. He looked at the emperor with pleading eyes, hoping that his uncle would help him. Given the little girl's current condition, if she entered the palace, she would be half dead without the Empress Dowager's help.
Besides, can the Empress Dowager forgive her? No, the little girl must not be allowed to enter the palace.
The emperor couldn't understand why his mother was still making trouble when things had come to this point. His younger brother and nephew came to Fengxiang Palace less and less frequently. Did she really want to feel abandoned by everyone?
Is it worth it to fall out with the person closest to you for the sake of the Han family? No matter what the matter is, once the Han family's mother is involved, she will become unreasonable, which is really a headache for me. But this matter cannot be left untouched. If Xiao Yao is really allowed to enter the palace, it will definitely cause trouble.
The emperor considered it for a moment and then tried to dissuade her, saying, "Miss Xiao is a little unwell and is currently recuperating. It's not appropriate for her to go out."
"Hmph! I'm afraid he's bedridden! Ah Chen was bewitched by beauty, and are you elders also bewitched? Ah Chen is the only male in the Jing Palace. Instead of bringing in a few fertile women to his backyard so that the palace can have more members sooner, you actually let him treat a dying little girl like a treasure.
"I can ignore other matters, but I must intervene in matters concerning the heir. I cannot let you do whatever you want. Since you disdain the women of the Han family, I will not force you. So, I will choose some healthy, virtuous, and outstanding women from the ministers' families as concubines. Nothing is more important than expanding the family line. Since the three of you are here, there are several young ladies in the palace today. Achen will meet them and take two back to Prince Jing's mansion first."
Even with the candidates ready, the emperor felt a headache. He actually agreed with Queen Mother Han's opinion. With Xiao Yao's poor health, it was really a question whether she could give birth to a healthy child for her nephew. He had tried to persuade her, but what was the point! The father and son never thought that having more children was a good thing. They both believed that one good child was enough, and more was not necessarily a good thing. What else could he say?
Should I stand on the Queen Mother's side and help my nephew choose a few women? Or should I help my nephew persuade the Queen Mother to stop?
Seeing the emperor's hesitation, Chen He wanted to remind him, "You've lost an entire mansion and countless treasures just by sending two people into Prince Jing's mansion. If you make another mistake today, who knows how much more treasures in the treasury will be lost."
The emperor inadvertently caught sight of Chen He's distorted expression, his body trembling, and he slapped his forehead. "The previous experience, the previous experience! How could I forget it? I must remain neutral today, saying nothing. Let the Queen Mother, my brother, and my nephew fight it out! I won't get involved."
Prince Jing and his son exchanged a glance, each seeing the refusal in the other's eyes. Yun Yichen didn't want to provoke Queen Dowager Han to vent her anger on his father and mother. He had to deal with his own affairs on his own. He wanted to see who was coming today.
Six slender women with graceful figures and light steps filed in. Seeing that neither her son nor her grandson had said anything to refuse, Queen Mother Han said proudly, "These young ladies are of excellent family background, character, appearance, talent, and even health. They are the best among the ladies in Kyoto, much better than those who are unworthy of the reputation and have empty reputations. Please raise your heads and let the prince see you, so that we can get to know each other."
The six women raised their heads shyly. They were all beautiful, some plump and some slim, with sweet voices. They were truly rare beauties.
Yun Yichen walked in front of them, giving each of them a loving glance. If the little girl was standing here at this moment, she would never do that. Someone dared to look at him like an item. Let alone exchange glances with him, she would be lucky if she didn't step on him.
When he thought of the little girl who occupied his heart completely, Yun Yichen couldn't help but laugh softly.
"It seems that Achen is interested in Miss Qu. I will send someone to inform your parents soon. You should go to the palace with the prince first!"
"Yes!" Miss Qu responded shyly.
Yun Yichen shook his head and sneered. Since she had no self-respect, why should he save her face? "Her eyebrows are so light, and the corners of her mouth are crooked. It's too ugly. Don't want her."
Miss Qu's face turned pale. This was too much. She was the second one among the four beauties of Kyoto after excluding Xiao Yao. How could she become an ugly thing in the mouth of the prince!
This Miss Qu is obviously very beautiful, but her grandson is so sharp-tongued: "Miss Qu is multi-talented and has never been sick since she was a child. The nun of Qingyue Temple said that she is destined to have many children and grandchildren."
"Oh! If the nun is so powerful, why would she still practice? It would be better for her to tell fortunes for others. I don't know whether this lady will have many children or grandchildren, but I only know that if you see her, you will probably have nightmares at night. It's scary, don't do it!"
Could your words be any more venomous? Miss Qu slumped to the ground with a pale face. If what she said today were to get out, she would never get married in her life.
"There are a few more ladies here, take a look."
Yun Yichen really looked carefully. The lady who flirted with him the most was criticized as "having a body like a wooden block and darker than the fire-cooking maid in the palace. If you didn't know better, you would think that a man from some family had secretly worn women's clothes..."
The young lady fainted magnificently before Yun Yichen finished his comments. The remaining women knelt on the ground together, claiming that they were too weak to serve the prince and would never dare to have such unrealistic dreams again.
Finally, Queen Mother Han came in full of vigor, and left weakly being supported by others. The emperor also felt that he should cultivate his character for a while, because what his nephew said made him want to vomit when he saw a woman.
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