With thаt, hе рresentеd а mеmоriаl: "The spесific cеlestial рhеnоmеnа hаve all bеen recorded herе bу yоur humble sеrvаnt. Рlеasе rеviеw it, Yоur Мajеsty."
All natiоns оf the timе had imperiаl astronоmical burеаus, аnd аll rеgаrdеd celеstiаl phеnоmеna аs crеdiblе omens. Еmрerоr Wen of Wei wаs no exсерtion. Uрon hearing this, hе оrdеred thе mеmоriаl tо bе prеsеnted аnd eхamined it сarеfullу. Тhough hе соuld nоt understand it, he still аsked with a solemn eхpression, "Whеn would be thе most арprоpriate time to move it forward?"
The Director of the Astrological Bureau bowed and replied, "Five days from now is also an auspicious day, suitable for weddings and relocations."
Five days? Emperor Wen of Wei frowned. "That is rather rushed, but there is no other way. For the sake of our Great Wei, Nan Ping can endure this slight hardship. Then, let the Minister of Rites prepare early, and the relevant offices should quickly gather the necessary items. The ceremony will take place five days from now."
"Yes!" The Director of the Astrological Bureau bowed and withdrew.
This minor matter was not taken to heart by anyone. Shi Hongwei was solely focused on assisting the Crown Prince, as he believed that the person who had bribed officials behind the scenes to rescue Guan Qingyue must be connected to Yin Chenbi!
The new wedding date was set, and Nan Ping hurriedly went to the Prince of Filial Piety's Mansion.
"What should I do?" Her face a mix of bashfulness and fear, Nan Ping tugged at her handkerchief, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Yin Gezhi. "I'm not ready yet. To marry him so hastily?"
Yin Gezhi looked up at her. "You don't want to marry?"
"No, no, no!" Nan Ping bit her lip, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. "I... I want to marry, but I'm too nervous!"
Shaking his head gently, Yin Gezhi sighed and reached out to take the pastries Feng Yue had brought over, placing them in front of Nan Ping. "This is something your elder brother cannot help you with—the feelings of a young woman about to marry. Your elder brother does not understand."
Picking up a pastry, Nan Ping took a pitiful bite, then glanced to the side and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this... Miss Feng Yue?"
Wasn't she some kind of folk mediator? Why was she in the prince's mansion?
Feng Yue gave an awkward smile, bowing as she said, "Greetings, Princess. Life outside has been difficult lately. This commoner is merely seeking a meal in the prince's mansion."
Blinking, Nan Ping looked at her, then at her elder brother, who appeared calm and composed. Suddenly, she felt something was odd, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
Never mind, that wasn't the point. Finally, there was another young woman here, and one who was eloquent and quite capable. Nan Ping immediately took Feng Yue's hand, stuffed a pastry into it, and asked earnestly, "You must understand my anxious feelings about getting married soon. Please comfort me, won't you?"
Feng Yue was taken aback. Lowering her head, she thought seriously. Feelings about getting married? She certainly knew about those!
"Why would you be anxious?" Frowning slightly, she said with a serious expression, "When I was about to get married, I wished I could first take a knife and kill that man, then go live as a widow!"
Nan Ping was dumbfounded. Her already nervous heart nearly stopped from fright. "Kill... kill your own husband?"
"Yes." Scratching her head, Feng Yue said, "I wasn't nervous at all. I just thought, if he wouldn't let me live well, I wouldn't let him live well either!"
Nan Ping: "..."
Yin Gezhi shook his head as he listened. "That was because you were marrying the wrong person, not the marriage you wanted, so naturally, you thought of causing trouble. Nan Ping is different. She has been talking about that Feng family heir for two years now."Ever since the royal family held a banquet two years ago to send Feng Ming off to the battlefield, where the two had met once, Nan Ping had been constantly murmuring about how heroic Feng Ming was, so young yet already able to lead an army as a general. She had also heard that he had persistently refused to marry, as if he remained deeply devoted to the girl he was once betrothed to. "Ah, Imperial Brother, could you invite him to Zhaowu Palace for a meal?"
Initially thinking it was just a young girl's first stirrings of affection, no one expected that even after two years, Nan Ping's longing for Feng Ming had not diminished in the slightest. Instead, it had grown even more stubborn.
Hearing Yin Gezhi say this, Feng Yue grew somewhat worried. If it were an ordinary girl, it might be fine, but if Feng Ming were given a girl who loved him deeply, would he cherish her properly?
After some thought, she spoke earnestly: "Life after marriage may not be as happy and joyful as the princess imagines. You would be marrying General Feng, and after the wedding, he might leave for the battlefield and not return for years. If you cannot endure such hardship, remember to speak with the prince beforehand."
With a determined look in her eyes, Nan Ping clenched her fist: "I’ve thought about these things before choosing him. But I admire him, and being able to marry him is already happiness enough. As for other matters, we can take our time to see."
Yin Gezhi fell silent, and Feng Yue fell silent too. In the entire room, only Princess Nan Ping shone brightly, while everyone else seemed shrouded in gloom.
After Nan Ping left to change clothes, Yin Gezhi looked at Feng Yue and asked, "What do you think?"
"What do I think?" A bit frantic, Feng Yue scratched the table and said, "This feeling is not pleasant. It’s not that I think too highly of myself, but Feng Ming is inherently stubborn. It might be difficult for him to devote himself wholeheartedly to Princess Nan Ping anytime soon. Princess Nan Ping is a good girl—how can I just watch her jump into a pit of fire? I can’t. But stop her? How? Should I go up and say, 'Don’t marry him, Feng Ming still has me in his heart'? Am I insane?"
Like a cat sharpening its claws, Feng Yue scratched Yin Gezhi’s low table until it was covered in marks.
Glancing at her sideways, Yin Gezhi said, "Since you can’t make sense of it, then don’t think about it. Stay out of it."
"How can I stay out of it?" Feng Yue gritted her teeth. "Isn’t it all related to me?"
"Feng Ming likes you, but that has nothing to do with you. It’s his own feelings. You didn’t ask for it, nor did you deceive him. You don’t need to take responsibility for him." Lowering his eyelids, Yin Gezhi said coldly, "As for Nan Ping, she has even less to do with you. She is my imperial sister."
Thinking about it this way, it really had nothing to do with her! Feng Yue nodded, convinced by Yin Gezhi: "Then I won’t interfere."
Better to focus on her own affairs seriously.
The capital was under strict martial law. Feng Yue secretly changed into men’s clothing, pasted on a fake beard, and went to report to Lian Heng. Without any regard for principles, Lian Heng pulled strings for her and secured her a position.
It seemed as though Yin Chenjue wanted to turn the entire Wei Kingdom upside down. Not only did he issue wanted notices to every county, but he also dispatched the City Garrison to conduct searches everywhere. Pedestrians on the streets were stopped one by one and compared to portraits. The common people were too frightened to leave their homes.
Shi Hongwei wanted to search the Prince of Filial Piety's Mansion, but without an imperial edict from the emperor, he could not enter a prince’s residence at will. He could only send people to loiter around the area every day, hoping to catch a few people coming out to question.
However, after several days, there was no trace of anyone, and the City Garrison had not captured a single person either.Shi Hongwei really wanted to blame the City Garrison for not doing their job properly, but he often went out on the streets himself and frequently saw Lian Heng personally leading soldiers around to interrogate people. He had even become familiar with the soldiers following him, so he truly had no grounds for complaint.
Look at that soldier with the full beard—how diligent he is! He didn’t let a single passerby go, grabbing them one by one to compare them with the portrait, his gaze resolute. Though he was short in stature, his attitude was commendable. Shi Hongwei was so impressed he even considered promoting him.
With such rigorous investigation, they still hadn’t found the person. Shi Hongwei shook his head, thinking that perhaps after Guan Qingyue escaped, she had died somewhere else? She might not even be in the Wei Kingdom.
Having reasoned this through, Shi Hongwei decided to help the Crown Prince thoroughly investigate the person who had bribed the jailer!
The Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion was filled with joy, the sound of gongs and drums echoing through the air, firecrackers crackling loudly. Princess Nan Ping was married from the palace, her red bridal procession stretching all the way to the Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion.
Naturally, the Crown Prince was in attendance at the wedding. As he was watching the festivities at the entrance of the Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion, he suddenly heard someone beside him report, "Your Highness, we’ve found the person!"
"What?" Yin Chenjue was momentarily stunned before quickly asking, "Found who?"
"The escaped jailer was captured by Prime Minister Shi’s men. After severe torture, he finally confessed. He said it was a guard from the Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion who gave him the silver. He was afraid of the Marquis’s power and had no choice but to agree."
The Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion? Yin Chenjue thought blankly for a moment, "Why does that place sound so familiar?"
The guard was taken aback, pointing to the plaque above the gate behind them.
Yin Chenjue followed his gaze and suddenly nodded in realization, "Oh, isn’t this the Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion?"
As he spoke, his body stiffened abruptly, his eyes widening as he exclaimed loudly, "The Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion?!"
Everyone around them was startled. Shi Hongwei frowned and looked at him, leaning in to whisper, "Your Highness, we’re in public. Please mind your demeanor. What could possibly be worth such a commotion?"
Clutching Shi Hongwei’s sleeve nervously, Yin Chenjue lowered his voice and said excitedly, "It’s the Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion! The one who bribed the jailer to release Guan Qingyue was someone from the Marquis of State Pacification's Mansion!"
Shi Hongwei was momentarily stunned, his face turning ashen. "How could that be…"
"How could it not?" the Crown Prince said. "Didn’t Feng Ming have a marriage contract with Guan Qingyue? He’s always been fond of her. Bribing someone to let her escape is perfectly reasonable."
Fuming, Shi Hongwei closed his eyes and shook his head. Who cared who liked whom? What he wanted was to drag Yin Gezhi into the mess. How did Feng Ming end up being implicated instead? Today was the auspicious day of the Feng family’s wedding to the princess. It was absolutely impossible to accuse the Feng family of a crime at this moment. But once the wedding was over, Feng Ming would already be the imperial son-in-law. Who would be foolish enough to bring up a three-year-old case to trouble the new imperial son-in-law and the princess? Even if they reported it to the Emperor, His Majesty would surely order them to keep it quiet and act as if nothing had happened.
How could things turn out like this?
The Crown Prince, oblivious to everything, was still overjoyed, whispering, "Let’s tell Father about this. Once he’s angry, Nan Ping won’t be able to marry Feng Ming."
"Your Highness," Shi Hongwei said with frustration, "things aren’t as simple as you think. Feng Ming is now the Wei Kingdom’s top general, relied upon to lead troops into every battle. Do you think the Emperor would punish him severely? Moreover, this is the critical moment of the princess’s marriage. If you go against Feng Ming, aren’t you also going against the princess and the Emperor who arranged the marriage?"Yin Chenjue was taken aback, unwilling to accept it. "So we just let it go? After finally catching a handle..."
"It's useless now." Shi Hongwei brushed his sleeve, frowning. "Nothing we say matters anymore. Let's just gloss over this matter—find someone who's already gone to take the blame. Don’t offend His Majesty."
"But what about Guan Qingyue..."
"Can’t be caught." Suddenly feeling weary, Shi Hongwei said, "Someone who’s been missing for over three years isn’t easy to find."
Yin Chenjue was stunned. His heart sank heavily.
If he couldn’t even handle the tasks he took on himself, how would his father view him?
No need to ask—Emperor Wen of Wei was furious, berating him harshly in the imperial study. In his rage, he even said things like, "How can someone like you be the Crown Prince?"
Yin Chenjue trembled, going to the central palace to see his mother, tears streaming down his face.
"I also feel I might not be suited to be the Crown Prince," he choked out. "With my eldest brother ahead of me, Father will never be satisfied with me no matter what."
Gently stroking his head, Empress Shi smiled. "What are you afraid of? Your father is already old. When he passes away, the Wei Kingdom will surely be yours."
But Father is only in his forties, not even fifty until next year, and he’s always been in good health. How could he pass away so soon? Yin Chenjue was puzzled, but when he looked up, he saw his mother’s calm expression.
"For so many years, you and I have waited long enough. If your father still favors someone else, then don’t blame your mother for being ruthless."
OpenNovel