Chapter 155: Turned Away at the Door

Afterwards, she tucked away the smile on her face, her expression turning serious, and said:

"Father, I reckon that soon various Wang Fu may also bestow rewards, and perhaps even your colleagues will come to offer gifts."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng was slightly stunned, looked at his daughter with confusion, and asked:

"This is good news; why bring this up suddenly?"

Jun Jun Zijin paused briefly, then continued:

"We must simply keep the Wang Fu gates tightly shut; whether it be rewards from the Wang Fu, especially those from Prince Yi Wang Fu, or congratulatory gifts from officials, we must not accept a single one. Otherwise, we may well invite disaster upon ourselves."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng was first stunned, then suddenly realized the truth, secretly admiring his daughter's wisdom and caution in his heart.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng understood that at this critical moment, the Emperor and Empress's high-profile bestowal of rewards reflected their stance, but the Jun family should be as low-key as possible.

Moreover, Prince Yi was ambitious and ruthless, wielded immense power in the court, and had long coveted the throne.

The key point was that the Jun family had already accepted the betrothal gifts from Prince Yi Wang Fu and agreed to let Jun Jun Yiyi become Prince Yi's side consort, which the Emperor already found displeasing.

If the Jun family now had too much interaction with Prince Yi and accepted his rewards, getting dragged into the court's power struggles, it would surely bring utter destruction upon the Jun family.

Refusing only Prince Yi's gifts would not make sense either; it was better to refuse them all.

Furthermore, at such a time, once congratulatory gifts were accepted, it meant forging deeper ties with these factions, and that web might one day tightly bind the Jun family.

"Second daughter, your thinking is truly thorough."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng nodded in approval and said:

"Do as you say; I will go immediately to instruct the servants to keep the Wang Fu gates tightly shut, and no matter who comes to deliver gifts, we will accept none."

Just then, the steward rushed in hurriedly, his expression panicked, and said:

"Master, it is bad news; people from Prince Yi Wang Fu have already arrived at the gate, claiming to bring rewards to offer congratulations."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng's face darkened; just as he was about to speak, Jun Jun Zijin spoke first:

"Steward, go tell them that the Jun family is already deeply grateful for the Emperor's great favor and dares not accept any further rewards. Please ask them to return."

The steward hesitated for a moment and said:

"This... will this not offend Prince Yi?"

Jun Jun Zijin said firmly:

"Offending him temporarily is better than inviting utter destruction. Go and carry this out immediately."

The steward, having no choice, turned and went out. A short while later, he rushed back in again and said:

"Master, Second Young Lady, the people from Prince Yi Wang Fu have already left, though their expressions were not very pleasant as they departed."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng sighed and said:

"Let it be; there was no other way. We are not merely refusing his gifts, so he will have no grounds for complaint later."

Indeed, as soon as the retinue from Prince Yi Wang Fu left, before the Jun family members could even breathe a sigh of relief, delegations from Prince Rui Wang Fu, Prince Qi Wang Fu, and Prince Liang Wang Fu arrived in succession, and even the consorts from the inner palace sent people to show goodwill.

But without exception, all were turned away by Xiang Xiang Junzheng at the door.

Only Prince Chen Wang Fu and Lady Lady Qingping's Changqing Palace sent no one; Jun Jun Zijin smiled at the corners of her mouth: "As expected, Prince Chen and Lady Lady Qingping understand her best."

She knew deeply that Prince Chen and Lady Lady Qingping's actions were no accident; they were by no means careless people, and their silence and restraint must have stemmed from seeing through the complex interests and stakes behind this.

Gazing at the gift-bearing delegations returning helplessly, Jun Jun Zijin secretly rejoiced in Xiang Xiang Junzheng's wise decision.

"Father, you did well." Jun Jun Zijin walked over from the side, her eyes shimmering with admiration.

"Our Jun family does not need such hollow, superficial things. As long as our hearts hold the common people and the nation, we need not fear having no place to stand."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng nodded and said:

"I, your father, understand the gravity of the situation; however, doing so may well invite rumors and slander, with others claiming the Jun family is arrogantly aloof and ungrateful."

Jun Jun Zijin smiled slightly:

"Father, do not worry; the pure remain pure. We need only do our own duty well."

The news that the Jun family had tightly shut its gates and refused congratulatory gifts spread through Jingcheng like wings had grown, swiftly circulating.

Those officials in Jingcheng who had originally hesitated whether to send gifts to the Jun family were all like birds startled by the sound of a bowstring; some had already delivered their gifts halfway, but upon hearing the news, immediately turned back and returned in disgrace.

This news soon reached the imperial palace and fell into the ears of Emperor Quan Quan Wuji.

At this moment, Quan Quan Wuji sat in the resplendent Imperial Study, idly playing with a warm jade thumb ring in his hand, his gaze resting on the memorials on the desk, his expression calm.

When eunuch Wang Xi carefully finished reporting the matter of the Jun family, Quan Quan Wuji's movement paused slightly, then the corners of his mouth turned up, revealing a smile of approval.

"Lately, the more I look at Xiang Xiang Junzheng, the more agreeable he seems. This matter is likely greatly related to that girl."

Wang Xi, his face full of smiles, bowed and said:

"Your Majesty is wise; this old servant also believes Young Lady Lady Qingping is exceptionally intelligent. She is truly a perfect match for Crown Prince."

Quan Quan Wuji nodded, set down the jade thumb ring in his hand, slowly rose to his feet, and paced back and forth in the study.

"When all the civil and military officials in the court are seeking favor with the powerful, the Jun family is refreshingly clear-headed, which is indeed rare. Unlike those ministers who only know how to cling to the powerful."

Seeing this, Wang Xi, standing nearby, quickly chimed in:

"Your Majesty is wise; the entire Jun family is utterly loyal to Your Majesty, which is why they made such a wise decision."

Quan Quan Wuji nodded slightly, the expression of approval in his eyes growing even stronger.

He knew deeply that on the court, various factions were intricately complex, and a single misstep could plunge one into a place of no return.

Now that Jun Jun Zijin had repeatedly achieved great merit and the Jun family was at the height of its prominence, if they accepted gifts from all sides without restraint, they would easily be dragged into the vortex of factional strife and become the target of all.

And the Jun family's decisive refusal of all extra rewards not only demonstrated their loyalty and integrity but also showed him the Jun family's sense of the bigger picture and political wisdom.

Quan Quan Wuji suddenly stopped in his tracks:

"Convey My decree: summon Xiang Xiang Junzheng to the palace to receive the Imperial audience."

"As Your Majesty commands!"

Wang Xi received the order and departed, hurrying to convey the Emperor's decree.

The bustling activity at the Jun Wang Fu stood in stark contrast to the desolation at the Jun residence, as if two completely different worlds.

In the Jun residence, Li Shi lay on the bed, her head and face wrapped in bandages, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with resentment. Hearing the laughter and joy coming from the main house, her jealousy and unwillingness grew wildly like weeds in her heart:

"Why? Why can the main house receive the Emperor's reward and enjoy this honor, while we of the second house must suffer such a disaster!"

Since the family split, Xiang Xiang Junzheng had been quite obedient these days; he sighed and said:

"This is fate. The second daughter of the main house made a great contribution to the nation; it is no surprise she received a reward. We cannot now charge straight into their crosshairs and cause any trouble."

Li Shi, however, was far from resigned. She could not listen to Xiang Xiang Junzheng's words at all. The hatred and jealousy in her heart had blinded her eyes, and a vicious plan quietly took shape within her mind...