Chapter 430: Co-Wives (1)
Editor: Atlas Studios
The smile on Qi Haoran’s lips froze and his heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness. It’s just that I already have a wife.”
The Emperor waved his hand nonchalantly and said with a smile, “Even if you have a wife, you can have another one.” The Emperor pointed at Minister Qin and said, “Minister Qin has a daughter who is gentle and virtuous. She can be your co-wife.”
All the officials, including the Empress, concubines, princes, and princesses, were stunned, except for Minister Qin.
Minister Qin looked calm on the surface, but he was very displeased in his heart. However, he had no choice. Sometimes, he could not convince the Emperor otherwise when the latter was intent on doing something.
Another person who was not stunned was Qi Haoran, who was kneeling below. Almost as soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Qi Haoran kowtowed and said, “I thank Your Majesty for your kind intentions. It’s just that when I married my wife, I swore that she would be the only one in my life…”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and said with an indistinguishable expression, “Oh? Did Minister Qi really make such a promise, or are you dissatisfied with the marriage partner I’m proposing?”
Of course, he wouldn’t believe Qi Haoran’s words. Which capable man wouldn’t take in a concubine? The Mu girl would be his only woman?
Did Qi Haoran think he was a fool?
For a moment, there was silence. Everyone looked at the Emperor above and Qi Haoran below in a daze.
Mu Yangling sat in her seat, anger surging in her heart. She looked up at the Emperor with a cold glint in her eyes. This was clearly the first time they had met. Why was this person so ugly?
Mu Yangling threw the “handsome uncle” evaluation to the back of her mind.
Li Jinghua straightened her body nervously. There simply wasn’t a good way to answer the Emperor’s words. However, with Fourth Brother’s personality, he would probably stubbornly refuse to acknowledge this marriage.
As this thought flashed through her mind, someone stood up beside her. Li Jinghua was shocked. There was only Mu Yangling beside her. She stiffened her neck and turned to look, only to see Mu Yangling standing up with a dark expression.
Li Jinghua wanted to reach out and pull her back, but she avoided her easily and turned to walk out.
Suppressing the anger in her heart, Mu Yangling tried her best to smile, but she realized that this seemed very difficult. She could only walk out with a dark expression.
Mu Yangling stood beside Qi Haoran and slowly knelt down. She looked up and said, “Your Majesty, I have a question for you.”
The Emperor looked at Mu Yangling quietly for a while and asked, “Are you Qi Haoran’s wife?”
Mu Yangling nodded, smiled, and replied loudly, “Yes, I’m from the Mu family.”
“Madam Mu, what do you think of my matchmaking? Are you willing to get along with Fourth Miss Qin and treat her as your sister?”
Laughing from anger, Mu Yangling asked, “Your Majesty, I already have a younger sister in my family. She’s exactly five years old this year.”
The Emperor was a little angry. He clearly didn’t mean that, but Madam Mu actually misinterpreted it. Just as he was about to flare up, he heard Mu Yangling turn her head in confusion. “Your Majesty, I haven’t studied much and have always grown up in the countryside, so there are many things that I don’t understand. They say that ‘If you don’t understand something, ask. Otherwise, you’ll make a fool of yourself.’ Now, there is something that I don’t understand, so I want to ask you.”
The Emperor sneered in his heart. He could almost guess what she wanted to ask. It was nothing more than why he wanted to grant Qi Haoran an co-wife. How could a country bumpkin understand the deep prestige of a ruler?
The Emperor nodded proudly. “Ask away.”
Mu Yangling smiled. It was indeed as Big Brother Qi had said. The Emperor was really suspicious and self-righteous. Mm, he was stupid in her opinion. How did he secure his position as Emperor when his intelligence could not even match up to hers?
Mu Yangling asked, “Your Majesty, I’ve only heard of wives since I was young, but I’ve never heard of the term co-wife. Therefore, I want to ask you what a co-wife is.”
The Emperor was stunned, and then his face burned. His eyes darted to the Empress beside him. The Empress was smiling, but she had long lowered her eyes and pretended not to see the Emperor’s look.
How stupid. The Emperor should have directly issued an imperial edict and confirmed the matter, not giving them a chance to refute. Otherwise, he should have just perfunctorily skipped this topic and not given Madam Mu a chance to ask questions.
No, a topic like ‘co-wife’ shouldn’t be raised in such a place at all. Couldn’t he just call the Qi and Qin families into the palace in private and instruct them?
Wasn’t it embarrassing enough to bring it up in front of the ministers at the palace banquet?
The Emperor did not answer. The scene fell silent for a moment, but Mu Yangling looked at him with bright eyes. The Emperor was a little uneasy for a moment. What should he say?
The Emperor took a deep breath and was about to say that co-wives meant that both were legitimate wives when a voice said, “Co-wife, as the name implies, is a wife with equal status and rights.”
Assistant Minister Lu Zhen of the Ministry of Revenue glanced at Mu Yangling, who was kneeling, and said with a mocking smile, “Fourth Madam Qi doesn’t even know such a simple term. It can be seen that you’re indeed not educated enough.”
Qi Haoran took the time to glance at Lu Zhen with sympathy and gloating in his eyes. Mu Yangling was usually very normal, but if anyone dared to look down on her intelligence, she would definitely toy with them. She usually didn’t speak much in front of outsiders, but when it came to arguing, she wouldn’t lose to anyone.
Indeed, out of the corner of his eye, Qi Haoran saw Mu Yangling smile gently and happily. Mu Yangling looked at Lu Zhen and sized him up, then asked with a smile, “Is this the one and only Minister Lu who holds an official title and has co-wives in the 160 years since the Great Zhou Dynasty was established?”
Lu Zhen blushed slightly. He could hear the mockery in Mu Yangling’s tone, but there was nothing wrong with her words, so he could only say, “Yes, it’s me.”
“Ah, for Minister Lu to be able to pass the Imperial Examination and advance all the way to become the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, you must be very knowledgeable. I wonder if Minister Lu can help me resolve my doubts. How are the terms ‘co-wife’ and ‘wife’ interpreted in the ‘Great Zhou Code’?” Mu Yangling stared at him and asked with a smile, “Minister Lu, why are you sweating?”
Lu Zhen’s face turned slightly pale. He glanced at the Emperor and shouted, “This is a palace banquet, not a place for you to have your doubts answered. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask a teacher or your husband later.”
Mu Yangling smiled, the anger in her heart finally dissipating a little. Initially, she couldn’t decide if she should offend the Emperor. After all, if she offended him badly this time, their lives would more or less be inconvenient in the future. Fortunately, Lu Zhen ran out.
Mu Yangling expressed that she adored him very much at this moment. This fellow had really come out at the right time.
“Minister Lu, I believe I’m not the only one who has this question. Many people are also curious about this. Most of the teachers outside have specializations. If you ask them about scriptures and histories, they might be able to tell you a thing or two. However, if you ask about the term ‘co-wife’, no one in the Great Zhou Dynasty can be as knowledgeable as you, right?”
As soon as Mu Yangling finished speaking, a white-bearded old man sitting in front of Minister Qin stroked his beard and smiled. “Madam Mu is right. Minister Lu, I’m naturally quite knowledgeable, but I’m also curious to know how the term ‘co-wife’ is interpreted in the ‘Great Zhou Code’?”
No one said anything and looked at Lu Zhen with interest. Compared to the similar performances every year, everyone was more interested in this juicy gossip. In any case, they could just watch on the sidelines without being implicated.