Not only the Emperor was left with their lips twitching by the Prince-General"s reply, but all the ministers present were also. However, it was to everyone"s expectations. What could be expected from somebody whose brain only worked well on the battlefield? How the h.e.l.l would he know something not even ministers proud of their information network were aware? The Emperor realized his fault too so he fell silent. He had to admit that the look of innocence and nonchalance on the young man"s face was annoying the heck out of him, but what could he do if the other party was really blameless? Even if he truly wanted to throw something at Chen w.a.n.g"s face, how could he do so without thinking of his own face and status? Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
Veins were popping on the Emperor"s forehead as his hands tightly grabbed on the armrest. He turned to his other ministers and roared, "How about you lot?! Each and every one of you have stayed in the capital all year round. Stop pretending to be mute! Speak! Don"t reason to Zhen you all don"t know as well!"
"Uhh... How is staying in the capital related to grasping what is happening somewhere else?" This was the thought that crossed everyone"s mind.
Jiang Li secretly snickered, wondering why the h.e.l.l the Emperor was putting more importance to whoever knew about the imminent drought in the east. Really... A year ago this old guy was still very level-headed and knew what to prioritize. What happened to him?
"It is obvious we, or actually, they should be brainstorming how to deal with that issue. But since the old dude couldn"t think properly these days, is he still badly affected by Jiang Ying Yue"s prank? The young general secretly shook his head, a corner of his lips curled up. "This is the only explanation I could think of."
After a minute-long silence, one of the wisest and most capable people in the gathering, the Prime Minister, finally spoke and advised the Emperor to focus more on how to deal with the issue. With that said, a proper court session finally commenced.
Time then flew by and the case was closed with Hai w.a.n.g and Rui w.a.n.g being chosen to a.s.sist Duan w.a.n.g, the First Prince who was already in the affected region. The Prime Minister pushed forward for his beloved granddaughter to be the head of logistics. Those around kept their silence but they knew the old fox wanted his granddaughter to be responsible for the supplies and rations so she could reap some merits alongside Hai w.a.n.g.
As for the army or band of soldiers who would escort them along the way, Hai w.a.n.g looked at Jiang Li while Rui w.a.n.g at the Marshal, but neither of them met their stares. Jiang Li wanted to enjoy his vacation while the Marshal was preoccupied with so many thoughts - anger at Chen w.a.n.g and worry for his princ.i.p.al wife and the tiger tally the main ones. Because of this, another lucky officer managed to get the spot. They were to set out within three days.
"Before I dismissed the court today, since Zhen remembers that Zhen has yet to reward Chen w.a.n.g for his astounding victory against the Wus...Zhen would like to take this opportunity so Zhen would be able to sleep at night guilt-free."
The Emperor"s face finally looked to be in a good mood after he remembered their nation"s triumph at the Fu Cheng Valley. With a slight smile, he asked the Prince-General, "Chen w.a.n.g, feel free to say what"s on your mind. What do you want Zhen to reward you?"
Jiang Li took a step forward then bowed to the Emperor. There was a smile on his lips too, and when the old guy saw that, he immediately felt like the prince would say something very challenging. He wouldn"t ask again for that la.s.s" hand, right?
A few moments later, the Emperor discovered that he was merely thinking too much about it.
Jiang Li smiled again, eyes twinkling in antic.i.p.ation. The Marshal was glaring openly at him from the side, yet he snubbed him.
After saluting, he opened his mouth. "Your Majesty, This Prince is in awe of your big heart." He paused, gaze meeting the Emperor for a brief moment before lowering it at the floor, "This Prince will impose on your generosity then.... and request for the status and everything that should belong to the former First Miss of the Jiangs to be returned."
What he said made most of those in the audience hall stared at him with amazement. The others were shaking their heads at him, but laughter danced in their eyes and expression. The Marshal though, like usual, was glaring. The Emperor was relieved that he didn"t have to promise a marriage decree to the man, yet his heart still felt complicated.
This prided retainer of his fought wars and won a huge victory for his empire, just so he could reinstate his lover as the daughter of the Marshal? He shook his head again and rubbed his forehead. Why was this young man so foolish?
"Your Majesty," Jiang Li continued, explaining. "A year ago, it has already been proven that she is innocent. The reason she is disowned is not valid anymore. Yesterday, This Prince tried to talk about it to the Marshal. However, the Marshal didn"t want to hear out my request. So I could only turn to Your Majesty."
The Marshal"s eyes bulged out after he heard the Prince"s words. "He burned my home and now he slandered me His Majesty? How shameless could this d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d be?"
"Grand Marshal, is what he said true?"
Jiang Ke suppressed the fire in his heart and head. He then hurriedly knelt on one knee and shouted, "Your Majesty, This Marshal is being slandered." The middle-aged man hated that he couldn"t talk about what happened to his Residence because he knew he would be ridiculed due to the Second Madam.
Hands balled into a fist, he said, "This official didn"t manage to talk to His Highness Chen w.a.n.g yesterday and only met the previous Chen w.a.n.g Fei Lady Lu."
"Dragging that airhead mother of mine into our problem again?" Jiang Li"s eyes darkened. However, that immediately vanished as he retorted, "If this Prince didn"t see you yesterday, how would I know that the angry soul of Lady Yu sent down a bolt of lightning to destroy your current home?"
"Hmmm?"
The other ministers, and even the old Emperor, frowned after they heard what the younger man replied. Chen w.a.n.g was that against the Marshal? Didn"t he know that mentioning the name of someone who had already died was just very disrespectful?
Jiang Ke furiously said, "Chen w.a.n.g, you have truly gone overboard this time! I"ve yet to seek compensation and explanation for what you did yesterday to my home yet now you"re adding one more sin to the list? You"re good! Good!"
"Well, thanks." Jiang Li laughed, unabashed by the sarcasm and fury of the other. "So now that you mentioned I did something to your home, how come you"re still denying that you have spoken with me yesterday?"
The Ministers: ... Help, we"re lost.
System: Er, I"m lost too.
Angrily, the Emperor barked, "Grand Marshal. Chen w.a.n.g. Stop it."
Due to that icy shout and from realizing they were at the wrong place for their argument, the two temporarily shut up.
After chorusing an apology to the Emperor with Jiang Ke, Jiang Li shrugged and asked, "So Your Majesty, about my reward..."
"..."
"This shamelessness... I shouldn"t have offered to reward this d.a.m.n fool." Thought the Emperor while nursing a headache. He ignored the anxious Marshal who kept calling out "Your Majesty!", and waved a hand.
When the royal scribe started helping the mentally exhausted son of heaven penned the decree, Jiang Li gave the raging bear near him a taunting smile, one which was seemingly saying, "Hehe. So what if I am despicable? Didn"t I get what I wanted in the end?"
Just now, he had acted so childishly and unreasonable, but he couldn"t care less, and didn"t bother to hide how joyful he was at this minor victory. Only one thing mattered - that the villainess could finally be reinstated as an aristocratic lady.
He also successfully angered his enemy. And perhaps, shorten his lifespan for a few hours.