Chapter 129: Conferment

Dongfang Qi's original intention was to ask Qi Zhaodi for an imperial edict of divorce.

But he heard Qi Zhaodi say, "Before Deputy Envoy Lin left the capital to send you to the Chiying Land, she had already asked me for a favor."

"What is it?" Dongfang Qi asked impatiently.

Could it be that what she wanted was also an imperial edict of divorce?

Qi Zhaodi said, "She wants me to confer upon her the title of Princess. Just right, help me think about what kind of title should be given to her?"

Dongfang Qi was taken aback, "She wants the position of Princess? But a Princess can only be the daughter of the Emperor. Could it be that she wants you to recognize her as an adopted daughter?"

Wouldn't that make her his sister?

Although they had called each other brother and sister along the way, Dongfang Qi did not want to be Lin Qingyue's brother.

Qi Zhaodi shook his head and smiled, "I thought so too at first, and I told her, you are already a Princess Consort, and your status is not below that of a Princess. Conferring another Princess title would be somewhat redundant."

"But she said, she doesn't want to be my adopted daughter, she wants to be my adopted younger sister."

Dongfang Qi: "..."

So, a sister is becoming an aunt? This is truly unacceptable!

Qi Zhaodi looked at the Crown Prince suspiciously, "Qi'er, your complexion is a bit strange."

"The subject is just a bit surprised." Dongfang Qi cleared his throat, "Father, this matter is inappropriate."

Qi Zhaodi asked, "How is it inappropriate?"

Dongfang Qi's brain turned, and he quickly found an excuse:

"She is the Jin Princess Consort, and also your niece-in-law. If you suddenly recognize her as an adopted sister, she would become Dongfang Yan's aunt. An aunt marrying a nephew violates the moral code."

Qi Zhaodi waved his hand, "Marry first, then confer the Princess title, it won't affect anything. I guess Deputy Envoy Lin's intention is just to get the upper hand over Dongfang Yan. Since she married, she has suffered a lot of grievances from Dongfang Yan, and it's understandable that she wants to win a round. Just a little woman's mind!"

Dongfang Qi knew that Lin Qingyue was definitely not the type of simple little woman.

In Qi, the highest status for a woman is a Princess. With the status of a Princess, she could have her own fief, salary, and mansion. She would no longer need to rely on anyone.

Even if it was an imperial marriage, with the status of a Princess, it would be easier to divorce.

But in this way, Dongfang Qi and Lin Qingyue also became aunt and nephew.

He couldn't imagine the scene where he would have to call Lin Qingyue aunt in the future.

Qi Zhaodi didn't know his son's little thoughts and had already ordered people to bring pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, preparing to write the title for Lin Qingyue himself.

"Father, let the subject do it for you." Dongfang Qi snatched the imperial brush from Qi Zhaodi's hand, and after a little thought, wrote four characters in a dragon-flying and phoenix-dancing style.

Qi Zhaodi came over to look, and was shocked, "This is simply nonsense! Throughout history, there has never been such a precedent!"

Dongfang Qi said, "A woman is not inferior to a man, why should Father be constrained by conventions?"

After saying that, he knelt down solemnly, "If it weren't for Deputy Envoy Lin, the subject would have already returned to the yellow springs. Along the way, I experienced many dangers, and it is no exaggeration to say it was a narrow escape from death. Besides sincere gratitude, the subject believes that only in this way can the imperial grace be manifested, and talents like Deputy Envoy Lin be loyal to Father. So this small empty title really doesn't count for anything."

Qi Zhaodi pondered repeatedly, and finally stamped the imperial seal himself.

Jin Wangfu.

Dongfang Yan was still waiting in the Wangfu for Lin Qingyue to be forced into a dead end and return to the mansion in a sorry state.

But until the night was deep and quiet, he still couldn't wait for her.

"Zhao An, go to the gate and see if the Princess Consort has returned."

Zhao An was already so sleepy he could barely stand, and could only force himself to stay by Dongfang Yan's side.

"Prince, there are people guarding the gate, if the Princess Consort returns, they will report it immediately."

As soon as his words fell, a servant ran in hurriedly to report, "Prince..."

Dongfang Yan stood up with a start, "Is the Princess Consort back?"

She couldn't return to her maternal home, and inns wouldn't take her in; she had no choice but to return to the Jin Wangfu!

The servant said sullenly, "The Princess Consort didn't, didn't return."

"Then what are you reporting?" Dongfang Yan's heart sank again, but he forced himself to remain calm and drink tea.

The servant said, "The people sent to find the Princess returned and said that all the inns in the capital, large and small, have been searched, and there is no trace of the Princess. In addition, the Changning Hou Fu just sent someone to say that the Princess has not returned home yet."

"Bang!" The teacup in his hand was suddenly crushed, and the anger in Dongfang Yan's heart could no longer be suppressed.

Searched everywhere and couldn't find her, did the person disappear?

Unable to find Lin Qingyue, Dongfang Yan couldn't sleep well all night.

Early the next morning, he had to face the morning court with a face full of bad luck.

Today's morning court was different from the past.

In the past, the Jin Wang stood at the head of the officials, one person below ten thousand.

But today, the Crown Prince replaced him, standing in the position of one person below ten thousand.

He felt an indescribable regret in his heart: It was really just one step away!

In the court, Qi Zhaodi briefly explained the Crown Prince's situation, the gist being that the Crown Prince was suffering from a strange poison, so he had been in a coma.

It just so happened that the Jin Princess, who grew up in the countryside, recognized the source of this poison at a glance, so she personally escorted the Crown Prince and traveled thousands of miles to find the antidote.

As for why she had to take the Crown Prince away, it was because the antidote materials could not be stored for long, otherwise they would lose their effectiveness. Anyway, Dongfang Qi had to be there in person!

Although many people had seen strange and supernatural things, everyone kept it to themselves, lest it cause panic.

Of course, the process didn't matter. What mattered was the result.

After briefly recounting the process, Dongfang Qi revealed the matter of the Li Wang sending people to ambush him in court.

The Li Wang still wanted to argue, but with both human and material evidence, Qi Zhaodi was too lazy to listen to him and directly issued an edict to demote him to a commoner, exile him, and place him under house arrest.

This move could also be considered killing the chicken to warn the monkey. Let the other vassal kings who were ready to move know that things that don't belong to them should not be coveted.

"This time, the Crown Prince was able to return to the capital safely, and the Jin Princess Lin Qingyue has made great contributions. Summon—the Jin Princess."

Hearing this, Dongfang Yan immediately looked toward the palace gate, and before long, he saw Lin Qingyue walking into the Yizheng Dian in her Xuanjing Division official robe with wide strides.

According to the rules, she should wear the Princess's ceremonial robes to show solemnity and nobility, but she chose the low-ranking official uniform, which was clearly a slap in his face.

Dongfang Yan's eyes sank, suppressing his displeasure.

"Deputy Envoy Lin wearing this official uniform is truly heroic." The Crown Prince's voice was not loud, as if he intended for Dongfang Yan to hear it.

Dongfang Yan said, "Thank you for the praise, Crown Prince, but the rank of the Xuanjing Division's official uniform is too low, not as luxurious and noble as the Princess's ceremonial robes."

"Not noble enough?" Dongfang Qi smiled slightly, "No matter, it will be replaced with a more noble one soon." ===== CHAPTER 130 =====