Chapter 387 All Parties Took Actions when the Imperial Edict was Issued
There was a great uproar in the Xia Manor, and it was not peaceful in the palace. All the people in the palace were trembling in fear. It was said that the emperor had been angry with the empress, and the Honored Consort Ya and the Honored Consort Shu, who had given birth to two beloved princes, had also been scolded. He felt everyone was offensive to the eye now. Three palace people had been beaten to death in a short time. They were the emperor’s favored ones, previously.
Everyone knew that the Emperor was in a bad mood at this time. Anyone who provoked him would be in trouble.
But fortunately, a few royal eunuchs came out of the imperial study in a short time. It was heard that they were going to grant marriages everywhere, so the people in the palace felt a little relieved. Did it mean that the emperor felt better and had time to think about this kind of happy event?
When the imperial edict came, Madam Dowager was very happy. She set up an incense table to welcome them, with her family.
Then, amid the eunuch’s congratulations in a shrill voice, she received the emperor’s great favor with joy and thanks, in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
How could Madam Dowager not be happy? She suddenly felt dizzy and thought that she was in a dream. Unexpectedly, her two useless granddaughters were set to become members of the royal family. Although Ning Qingshan had not become the princ.i.p.al wife of the prince, no one knew what would happen at the end of it all.
The Third Prince’s consort’s arrangement was full of twists and turns. In such a bad situation, Ning Qingshan could become his co-consort, which showed that the Third Prince thought she was important. Besides, Ning Qingshan was smart. If she gave birth to a son, it was highly possible that she could become his co-consort.
As for Ning Xueyan, it was a complete surprise. Madam Dowager thought if Ning Xueyan could become a member of the royal family, it would be the good fortune of the Lord Protector’s Manor, regardless if she had a status or not. In this way, the Lord Protector’s Manor would have one more chance to become rich. Madam Dowager even imagined that the Lord Protector’s Manor would probably rise to a position of great importance.
Therefore, at this moment, even her head did not hurt anymore. She felt full of energy. After sending the eunuch away, she deliberately asked Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan to stay. She told them the difference between being a daughter and a wife. She meant that they would be the daughters-in-law of the royal family, so they had to pay attention to their behavior publicly, to avoid being criticized by anyone.
The most important thing was that they could not let anyone denounce the Lord Protector’s Manor. Madam Dowager also warned them about this. She said that the reason why they could get such glorious marriages was because the Lord Protector’s Manor was behind them. If the Lord Protector’s Manor fell, even if they married into the royal family, they would have no family to support them. In the end, they would end up like concubines without any status.
Therefore, they had to understand that they all rose and fell together. If they tied themselves to the family, they would enjoy endless prosperity and wealth.
All in all, even if they married into the royal family, they should not forget the fact that they were the daughters of the Lord Protector’s Manor. They should never do anything that would harm the family. They had to put the interests of the family ahead of themselves. In the end, Madam Dowager kindly gave them the two sets of head-ornaments that she cherished greatly.
She especially sent one first-cla.s.s maid and two second-cla.s.s maids to help them prepare their dowries. The Honored Consort was not married yet, so the co-consort had to wait for a while. However, it was better for them to prepare in advance. She could not let the others look down on the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor.
After Madam Dowager finished nagging, the two were allowed to go back. And they were also told that guests would be invited next. The two Young Ladies would marry into the royal family at the same time. The Lord Protector’s Manor was the only one who had received such a favor. Madam Dowager wanted to give enormous publicity to this matter and sweep away all the bad luck that had acc.u.mulated in the manor.
They sent the invitation cards out, one by one. Everyone in the capital city had received the news that His Majesty favored the Lord Protector’s Manor. For a time, the courtyard was thronged with visitors, which suddenly swept away the decadence of the past days. Even the matter of Ning Yuling, the daughter of the princ.i.p.al wife, who had willingly abandoned herself to vice and became a concubine of Xia Manor, was forgotten.
At this time, everyone knew that the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor were all Golden Phoenixes. One or two of them were flying into the royal family. They could not spread any rumors about the other Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor, to avoid ruining the reputation of the two Young Ladies. Otherwise, the royal family would become infamous.
In the Riverside Pavilion of the Third Prince’s Manor, Xia Yuhang was sitting in the pavilion. He picked up the flagon in his hand and poured a cup for himself. Then he poured some into the empty wine cup opposite him. Xia Yuhang leisurely picked up the cup at hand and took a sip from it. He lowered his beautiful eyes, and no one could tell if he was happy or angry.
“Yuhang, what’s wrong? You seem to be in a bad mood today. Didn’t the Second Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor please you?” After practicing his sword skills, the Third Prince came back and handed the sword to the guard. He took the towel, wiped off his sweat, and strode in. He sat down in front of Xia Yuhang, picked up the wine, and drained it. He could not help saying, “Good wine.”
“Your Highness, do you know that today’s imperial edict has been issued?” Xia Yuhang looked up and asked with a smile.
Ao Mingyu stopped smiling and asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t they say that they want to see what’s going on first? Why did the Emperor suddenly give the order?”
Ao Mingyu knew that the reason why his father slowed down the marriage order was because he wanted to check up on the brides and see if there was anything else. It would be better to know more.
“I heard that the emperor’s subordinates got into trouble in some aspects, so they were in a muddle. As for Honored Consort Ya, Honored Consort Shu, and the Empress, I don’t know why they went together to ask the emperor to grant the marriages. Everything was mixed together. The emperor was furious, but he still sent people to announce the marriages.”
Xia Yuhang seemed uncertain when he said this. It seemed that his words had little connection with the matter, but Ao Mingyu obviously understood. He put down the cup in his hand and looked at Xia Yuhang seriously. “Is there any news from the palace?”
“Yes, the news came from the palace when Your Highness was practising your sword moves.” Xia Yuhang nodded steadily.
“Bang!” The wine cup in his hand fell heavily to the ground. The fragrant wine splashed in all directions and the wine cup was smashed into pieces. “There was an accident, but we still have time to plot. Why was the decree issued in such a short time? What is my mother thinking about? Why did she ask for the marriage?” Ao Mingyu gritted his teeth and said this with hatred.
He did not expect that his mother would drag him down. How could he not be angry?
“Maybe someone told the news about what happened before to the Honored Consort Ya. The Honored Consort Ya suddenly asked for the imperial edict because she was afraid that Your Highness and Prince Yi would confront each other.” Xia Yuhang a.n.a.lyzed calmly. He seemed to be logical.
“Confront Ao Chenyi?” Ao Mingyu snorted and said, “It’s not only me, but also my father. Why doesn’t my mother understand? It’s not about the woman I will marry. As long as my father wants me to inherit the throne, there will be no harmony between Ao Chenyi and me.”
Ao Mingyu said this angrily. The corners of his eyes twitched as he shouted.
“Your Highness, please lower your voice. Anyway, she will be your uncle’s wife. She will have nothing to do with you. You still need to calm down, Your Highness,” Xia Yuhang said in a low voice.
“Humph, Ao Chenyi’s wife?” Although Ao Mingyu lowered his voice a little bit, he still sneered. “If it weren’t for that idiot Ning Yuling, Ning Xueyan would have been the one who would have been in trouble. I thought as long as she entered your manor, I could have hidden her away and I did not believe that Ao Chenyi would be able to find her. But now, it was ruined by that stupid woman.”
When he thought that he had almost succeeded, Ao Mingyu would be angry and wanted to tear Ning Yuling apart. Thinking of the stupid and b.i.t.c.hy woman, Ao Mingyu looked down on her from the bottom of his heart. It was rare for him to send her to do something useful, but she even wanted to kill Ning Xueyan and stirred up so many things.
Although he was not clear about what had happened, he was sure that Ning Yuling had done something then. As long as he thought of the reason why he had miscalculated, Ao Mingyu would think that Ning Yuling, the b.i.t.c.h, was his bane. If Ning Yuling was not Xia Yuhang’s concubine, he might have sent someone to a.s.sa.s.sinate her to vent his anger.
“Your Highness, it’s over. It’s useless to think about it. We’ll talk about it later. If Prince Yi dies, Ning Xueyan will…” Xia Yuhang gracefully picked up his cup and took a sip of wine.
When you listen to someone speaking, you have to listen to the speaker’s tone of voice. Ao Mingyu was clever. He slowly calmed down and showed a slight smile.
The servant brought a new wine cup and refilled it. After taking a sip, he had a meaningful look on his face. He nodded to Xia Yuhang to show his agreement.
Prince Yi’s Manor was erecting a new building recently. It was said that it was because Prince Yi was getting married soon. They had to reorganize everything in the garden, including what they needed and what they were going to rebuild. They did not let the new Princess have any say in it.
Ao Chenyi was sitting in the pavilion. Most of the long gauzes were tied up, with only a few fluttering in the wind, which added a sense of elegance to the place.
Ao Chenyi leaned against a couch, listening to the reports from his subordinates. His beautiful, enchanting eyes were half-closed, filled with indolence and leisureness.
“Your Highness, we’ve done everything according to your instructions. Now, the decree has been issued.”
“Well, you did not slip up, did you?”
“No, everyone knows that the Honored Consort Ya does not like the Third Prince to confront you directly. If he wants to compete with you, he must be asking for death. The Honored Consort Ya won’t tell the emperor about this. Otherwise, the Third Prince’s status will be reduced greatly in the eyes of the emperor.”
“That’s good. Don’t make His Majesty angry next time. Anyway, I want to get married and let him live a peaceful life with me. As for whether he wants to live a peaceful life or not, it will depend on him. I will get married comfortably first. It’s a matter of my life, so you should take it seriously.”
“Yes, I’ve been arranging the matters in the courtyard recently. Do you have any other requirements, Your Highness?” Looking at Prince Yi, who rarely had a pleasant look on his face, he relaxed a little.
“I don’t have any requirements for the time being,” Ao Chenyi said lazily, propping up his face with one hand.
What did that mean? The secret guard was at a loss. “Your Highness, do you mean to change the requirements after the Princess enters the manor?”
“It’s not urgent.” Ao Chenyi shook his hand and said, “Don’t act rashly these days. The imperial guards might reveal some news. We can let the Fourth Prince know about the Ning’s Mansion in the regions south of the Yangtze River, so that he will not always stay behind the Third Prince.”
“Yes, I’ll do it right away.” The secret guard understood.
“Remember, don’t make too big of a move. We should win over the people and not stir things up for the time being. It’s so chaotic outside. If they fight with each other, it will have nothing to do with the others.”
“Yes, I understand.”