RPAGF Chapter 236 The Sudden Imperial Decree of Marriage
Chapter 236 The Sudden Imperial Decree of Marriage
"Why not? You're not married, and I'm not married either. We can try being together!"
Ling Jiawei's arms tightened around her, and Xiangxiu gritted her teeth, biting hard on his shoulder. With a cry of "Ah!" from Ling Jiawei, he instinctively released his grip. Xiangxiu took a few steps back, while Ling Jiawei stared at her with disbelief.
"Xiangxiu..."
Xiangxiu had tears in her eyes and wanted to say something, but in the end she gritted her teeth and didn't say anything. She turned and ran away.
Ling Jiawei stood there dumbfounded until her figure disappeared from his sight. Only then did he turn around, lost and disoriented, unsure of where to step.
three days later
The weather has been nice these past few days, and Lan Zhi is in a good mood. When she has nothing to do, she takes her two maids for a walk in the back garden.
But these past two days, Xiangxiu and Aqi have both had long faces and looked listless, which puzzled her greatly.
A cool spring breeze blew in her face, and as she played with the ends of her hair, she said, feigning nonchalance:
"Ah Qi, has anything happened in the manor lately?"
Ah Qi was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head.
"No...no."
"Then why are you and Xiangxiu always hanging your heads? Did I shortchange you on your wages, or did someone in the manor offend you?"
Sensing something amiss in her tone, Xiangxiu and Aqi quickly lowered their heads and whispered in response:
“Master, you have never wronged us. Everyone in the manor knows that we are your personal maids, and no one dares to offend us.”
"Then what are you doing?"
Her tone suddenly rose, startling Xiangxiu and Aqi so much that they both lifted their skirts and knelt down. Xiangxiu said in a panic:
"My lord, I was wrong. I shouldn't have shown my emotions on my face and upset you."
Ah Qi nodded in agreement.
"The Crown Prince specifically instructed us that no matter what happens, we must not make you unhappy. We were wrong."
Lan Zhi took a deep breath and raised her hand, saying:
"Get up, both of you! I have always treated you two like my own sisters and have never treated you differently. If you have any worries or problems that you can't solve, just tell me. I will help if I can, and if I can't, I will at least try to comfort you. Don't always keep it to yourself."
At this point, she looked at Ah Qi again.
"And I should say something to you too. Last time Princess Yujie came, she wanted to talk to General Yuan a bit more, so why did you suddenly come out and call him away? That was extremely impolite. You've been with me for so long, can't you even tell the difference between us?"
Ah Qi clenched her fingers sadly and replied in a low voice:
"I understand, I won't do it again next time."
She really wanted to express her feelings, but she didn't dare. General Yuan had even rejected the princess. She was just a maid with nothing to her name. Besides serving others, she didn't know anything else. Why should she like him?
Therefore, she could only hide her thoughts.
Although Lan Zhi guessed that both girls had something on their minds, she didn't want to ask them since they weren't talking about it.
After all, everyone should have privacy. If they don't want to talk about it, they must have their reasons!
"Your Highness, someone from the palace has come to deliver an imperial decree."
Ling Jiawei's voice came from behind her. Lan Zhi turned around and saw him walking forward with a livid face. He repeated himself.
"Eunuch Qin has come to deliver the imperial decree."
"Oh? The Crown Prince has returned?"
"Not yet, it's only noon. The Crown Prince won't be back until the afternoon."
"So this imperial edict is for me?"
"Eunuch Qin said that the contents of the imperial edict are for the Crown Prince, but they are also related to you and the entire Crown Prince's residence. The Crown Prince has already sent the imperial edict to the military camp for reading, and you also need to come and read it."
Lan Zhi frowned slightly, then walked towards the main courtyard with a puzzled look in her eyes.
Qin Shun was standing in the courtyard, holding the imperial edict in his hand, his brows furrowed and his expression not good.
Seeing her walk through the passageway and coming from the backyard, he quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"Your Highness, the Emperor said that you are not feeling well, so you do not need to kneel to receive the decree."
At this moment, Lan Zhi still felt grateful to the Emperor, appreciating his understanding of the difficulties she, a woman who was more than four months pregnant, faced.
She never imagined that the imperial edict Qin Shun was about to read would plunge her completely into the abyss.
Seeing everyone kneeling on the ground, Qin Shun gave Lan Zhi another meaningful look, then opened the imperial edict in his hand and began to read it aloud.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have heard that Zhu Fangfei, the eldest daughter of Grand Commandant Zhu, is of virtuous character and outstanding talent, a jewel of our court. Furthermore, since Crown Princess Lan Zhi is pregnant and it is inconvenient for her to serve the Crown Prince, I hereby bestow Zhu Fangfei upon Crown Prince Wei Jianning as a secondary consort, to serve the Crown Prince alongside Crown Princess Lan Zhi. Now, an auspicious day has been chosen for the grand wedding to be held with the rites due to a principal wife, to be proclaimed to the world. This decree is hereby issued!"
This news was like a bolt from the blue for Lan Zhi, and even the servants of the Crown Prince's residence found it hard to accept.
Just as she was feeling lost, Qin Shun stepped forward, handed her the imperial edict, and gently comforted her:
"Princess Consort, don't be too sad. Throughout history, this old servant has never heard of any emperor who married only one woman in his entire life, nor has any emperor been able to remain faithful to one woman until the end. You should just let nature take its course and accept it calmly!"
Lan Zhi held the imperial edict in her hand, but felt a sense of emptiness and defeat.
She knew that Wei Jianning must have been shocked when he heard the imperial edict, but since the edict had already been issued, she had no choice but to accept it.
Before leaving, Qin Shun narrowed his eyes again and whispered a reminder.
"This imperial edict is not only a decree of marriage, but also a decree to stabilize the court. His Majesty deliberated for three days before issuing it, and has already discussed it with Lord Zhu and several important officials in the court. Everyone thinks it is feasible. Anyone who dares to disobey the decree will be committing a serious crime. Please, Crown Princess, handle this matter accordingly."
Qin Shun's words seemed to be both a reminder and a threat to her.
She forced a calm wave, revealing a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"Butler Ling, here's a tip."
Ling Jiawei angrily took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and handed them to Qin Shun. Qin Shun didn't want to accept them, but considering that the Crown Princess was in a bad mood, he thought it best to leave as soon as possible.
He accepted the money, bowed to Lan Zhi again, turned and left, with the eunuchs following him quickly.
Only after the palace staff had completely disappeared from the Crown Prince's residence did Lan Zhi stagger towards the main hall, supported by Xiang Xiu and A Qi.
This happened so suddenly that she was caught off guard and felt dizzy.
Only after she sat down did Ah Qi carefully offer his comfort.
"My lord, please don't be too sad. The Crown Prince probably doesn't know about this yet. If he did, he wouldn't agree to it."
She swayed slightly, a bitter smile appearing on her face.
"The imperial edict has been issued. What can the Crown Prince do even if he knows? He can't possibly disobey the decree, can he?"
"But……"
"Alright, everyone step back. Leave me alone for a while."
She wanted to sort out her thoughts and see why the Emperor had issued this imperial edict.