Tian Zhongxun’s face was ashen.
He had already guessed it when Ning Que was providing disaster relief.
Emperor Feng intended for Ning Que to inherit the title of Prince.
But he never expected it to happen so quickly.
Times were different now…
Emperor Feng had already taken full control of power.
The armies in various regions were all at his command.
Heavy troops were stationed near their fiefdoms.
If he continued to threaten, it would only backfire.
Emperor Feng was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Seemingly gentle, he was actually ruthless and decisive.
There was only one possible reason for him to support Ning Que!
To counterbalance the four Other surname Princes!
Gu Yuan’s face was equally grim.
He felt a burning pain on his face.
Emperor Feng was backing Ning Que!
Or rather, deliberately suppressing their Gu Family?
The Emperor’s heart was unfathomable!
Looking at Ning Que, Gu Yuan was incredibly furious. He had endured years of hardship in the Western Border, fighting bloody battles with the Western Liang dogs, which was how he achieved his current status.
What had Ning Que done?
He had merely been born into a good family.
As for disaster relief and saving the people?
How could that even count?
Emperor Feng had personally issued an edict, sparing no expense for disaster relief.
He even, unprecedentedly, opened the Chang'an granary.
What did this have to do with Ning Que?
Even leading a pig to Jingyang could have solved it!
Now, Ning Que had inherited the title of Prince!
It was important to know that Great Feng had only one Prince!
That was Prince Ning!
Since the founding of the nation, the title had been passed down through generations.
Each Prince Ning held extremely high authority.
Internally, he assisted the monarch in governing the four directions.
Externally, he led armies in battle to expand territory.
Crucially, Ning Que was very likely to take a share of his military power.
It should be known that the Western Border had historically been guarded by Prince Ning.
What problem was there with Ning Que inheriting the title of Prince and guarding the Western Border?
No!
Absolutely not!
Gu Yuan looked at Tian Zhongxun.
Both of them secretly nodded.
Although the imperial edict had been issued, the official enfeoffment had not yet taken place.
They would join forces with other ministers tomorrow morning to impeach him!
…
Chief Steward Hu raised a slight smile and instructed, “His Majesty specially ordered that His Royal Highness must attend the court assembly tomorrow. At that time, the Ministry of Rites will be responsible for his official coronation as Prince Ning, and then it will be proclaimed to the world!”
“Your subject obeys the decree.”
Ning Que raised his hand and accepted the imperial edict.
Was it over?
Of course not!
Chief Steward Hu calmly took out a new imperial edict.
Finally, his gaze fell upon Lin Xianhong.
“Lin Xianhong, heed the decree!”
“Your subject accepts the decree!”
Lin Xianhong walked forward in surprise.
Why was there an imperial edict for her too?
“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees!”
“Lin Xianhong, Princess Consort of the Prince Ning’s Heir, privately aborted a fetus, harming the imperial bloodline. Considering that she saved General Gu Yuan, her merits and demerits offset each other, and she will not be prosecuted. The Heir submitted a memorial to divorce his wife based on the seven grounds for divorce. Lin Xianhong’s private abortion suggests childlessness and potentially disrupting the ancestral lineage. After discussion with Us and the Clan Head, We agree to Ning Que’s divorce!”
“From today onwards, Lin Xianhong’s clan registration is removed. From now on, she has no relation to the imperial family, and her life and death are irrelevant. Furthermore, the Heir is permitted to reclaim the betrothal gifts and dowry previously given. Anyone who obstructs this shall be punished by law. Respect this!”
“Your… Your subject thanks His Majesty for his grace!”
Lin Xianhong trembled as she raised her hand to accept the decree.
At this moment, her face was pale, and her whole body was shaking.
She looked at the calm and composed Ning Que.
Ning Que had gone to the palace earlier to divorce his wife?!
She had originally thought that it was all Ning Que’s scheme.
He merely wanted to ask the Empress Dowager for help.
No matter how aggressive he appeared, it was all intentional.
Just as others said, it was all a tactic to play hard to get.
The goal was to make her obediently admit her mistake.
Everything, absolutely everything, was for the purpose of controlling her.
In her opinion, Ning Que loved her very much.
He was willing to do anything for her.
Therefore, he simply could not live without her.
Even if he said he would divorce her, it was just to scare her.
After all, that was how he had always acted over the years.
Because of this, she even thought Ning Que was a scoundrel.
To get her, he even resorted to asking the Empress Dowager for help.
Using his power to force her to admit her mistake.
It turned out she had overthought everything.
Ning Que really wanted to divorce his wife!
So resolute and decisive…
Lin Xianhong stared blankly at Ning Que.
At this moment, he was so calm and composed.
As if he had shed a heavy burden, he was free and at ease.
Involuntarily, she thought of that night.
Her father was detained by the Ministry of Justice.
Her mother and others were imprisoned in the manor.
She crawled out of a dog hole, wanting to find Gu Yuan for help.
She knocked on the door for a long time.
Finally, the steward told her that Gu Yuan had already left…
It was raining heavily that night.
She walked through the streets like a zombie.
When she looked back, it was Ning Que holding an umbrella for her.
After that, Ning Que handed her a marriage contract.
Because it was the Princess Consort’s wish.
For the sake of the Lin Family, she decisively agreed to the marriage.
Ning Que entered the palace with a death-exemption tablet to meet the Emperor.
With the Prince Ning’s Manor’s recommendation, the Lin Family was pardoned.
Now, it was all in the past…
Logically, she should have felt happy.
After all, she had wanted to leave the Manor for a long time.
Although she was being divorced, her goal had been achieved.
However, she couldn’t feel happy.
Looking at Ning Que, her face was only filled with confusion.
As if she had lost something important.
“It really is a divorce!”
“Unexpectedly, even His Majesty approved it.”
“Speaking of which, didn’t the Empress Dowager dote on Lin Xianhong the most?”
“The Empress Dowager loved her because of someone else. Don’t you understand this?”
Yes!
Everyone suddenly realized.
That’s right, Lin Xianhong had saved the Empress Dowager’s life.
And her medical skills were indeed quite good.
But was there a shortage of physicians in the palace?
At least, there was still Chang Divine Doctor in Chang'an.
The Empress Dowager truly felt guilty towards the Prince Ning’s Manor!
She had specially set up a Buddhist hall in the palace.
She recited scriptures daily to pray for the salvation of Prince Ning.
The entire place was silent.
Everyone watched quietly.
Finally, Chief Steward Hu stood up and bowed deeply.
“This humble one, greets Prince Ning!”
“We greet Prince Ning!”
Everyone raised their hands and bowed deeply.
Even if Tian Zhongxun and Gu Yuan were unwilling, they had no choice but to bow.
Emperor Feng’s imperial edict had already been issued.
Therefore, Ning Que was now Prince Ning!
He was the only Prince of Great Feng!
Second only to one person, above ten thousand!
He was above the four Other surname Princes!
Even if Tian Zhongxun was Prince Qi, he was still a head shorter!
“You may rise.” Ning Que calmly flicked his sleeve, “This Prince has inherited the title, and according to custom, I should host a banquet for the court officials. However, I still have some private matters to attend to in the next few days. I will send invitations to your residences at that time.”
“Haha, easily said, easily said!”
“I’ve long heard that the cooks in the Prince’s Manor have exquisite culinary skills.”
“Yes, the previous wedding banquet allowed us to feast to our heart’s content!”
They also came forward to greet him.
Completely disregarding the expressions of Gu Yuan and the others.
These people were all seasoned officials.
Each one changed their expression faster than flipping a book.
Their Actively please now was not because their relationship was good, but purely out of fear of Ning Que’s power. As the saying goes, one doesn’t hit a smiling face; leaving a good impression would make it easier to get help in the future.
Ning Que looked at Chief Steward Hu again.
“Chief Steward Hu, thank you for making this special trip today.”
“If you have free time in the future, you are welcome to visit the Manor.”
“This Prince remembers that Chief Steward Hu enjoys strong liquor.”
“Coincidentally, the Manor has a few jars of aged Daughter’s Red.”
“That would be excellent.”
Chief Steward Hu rarely smiled.
However, these words were just for listening.
His identity was very sensitive.
Getting too close to Ning Que would inevitably lead to repercussions.
Emperor Feng might not care, but he couldn’t do such a thing.
Serving the monarch was like serving a tiger, yet he could always remain by Emperor Feng’s side.
Could he do that without emotional intelligence?
“Iron Ox, let’s go.”
“Inform the household guards to go to the Lin Family and move things!”
“What?”
Lin Xianhong’s heart sank.