As for the marriage between the Southern Barbarian Lands and the Qin Kingdom, Feng Yulei didn’t feel any joy as he saw Princess Caifeng’s affectionate gaze. He felt as if he was being roasted. Furthermore, it was not something he wanted to do!
No matter who he offended, it was different from his original intention. In face of this kind of choice of gain and loss, Feng Yulei was under too much pressure.
“Your Majesty, I have also seen this jade pendant. This was a betrothal gift from His Highness King Yan to my younger sister. Then, it was sent back to King Yan’s Manor as a dowry. Speaking of which, the true owner of this jade pendant is my younger sister,” a clear voice stated, helping Feng Yulei out in a timely manner. Everyone turned around and saw You Yuecheng stand up to reply.
He didn’t say much, but after a few words, he had explained the jade pendant’s situation.
Everyone present only felt ashamed. Just now, everyone’s attention was attracted by the jade pendant in Crown Prince Xieyue’s hand, and their thoughts were all about the jade pendant. They only thought that the jade pendant was a betrothal gift for the prince’s wife, but did not remember that King Yan had already had a wife. The jade pendant had been sent out, but it was not taken out in the hall.
You Yue’e’s expression slowly softened from her excitement. She wrung her handkerchief tightly and twisted it into a ball, no longer as delicate as it used to be.
“Your Excellency, what you said is about before. At that time, Caifeng hasn’t come yet.” Crown Prince Xieyue smiled slightly.
This was to remind You Yuecheng that the past was the past. Now that Feng Yulei had given the jade pendant to another woman, which meant that he was not satisfied with You Yue’e and wanted to choose another wife!
Feng Yulei, who had just sighed with inward relief, became worried again. But there were some things that others could say, but he could not. He couldn’t let Xieyue tell others why he left the jade pendant at that time. A lot of things had happened to him recently, and he grew less and less liked by his father. His previous good reputation had gradually become worse.
If there was a rumor that he was a hooligan, there were few ministers in the entire court would stand on his side.
Therefore, he could only pin his hopes on You Yuecheng. He hoped that You Yuecheng would be able to pull him out of the whirlpool of the marriage with Princess Caifeng. He did not dare to win Princess Caifeng and the help of the Southern Barbarian Lands. He had thought about it clearly just now. No matter how powerful the Southern Barbarian Lands was, it was too far away from him, and was not comparable with the support of Mingguo Manor.
If he really lost Mingguo Manor and You Yuecheng’s support, it would be a disaster for him. So what if he got the support of the Southern Barbarian Lands by then? If he had no power in the court, he would never be able to get the throne. At most, he would be an idle prince. How could Feng Yulei, who had always been a legitimate son, stand it?
“Your Highness, you are wrong. The marriage between my younger sister and King Yan was granted by His Majesty and the prince’s jade pendant was the betrothal present. Even though it had been returned to King Yan, the true master is still my younger sister. Now that the jade pendant has fallen into Princess Caifeng’s hands, it means that my younger sister has proposed to Princess Caifeng on behalf of King Yan and will give her a status similar to that of the wife.”
You Yuecheng smiled slightly and explained calmly. There was a polite and calm smile on his lips. He was competing with Crown Prince Xieyue and was not at a disadvantage at all.
The jade pendant had been sent by the prince himself, and then it was sent by his wife. Although it was the same jade pendant, it was of lower value because the owner of the jade pendant was different. The jade pendant sent by the prince presented the respect to his wife, and the one sent by his wife meant a betrothal of a co-wife for her husband. As a co-wife who was superior to other concubines, she was also a wife. It was normal to give a jade pendant to show respect to her.
What was more, Princess Caifeng was not an ordinary person! You Yue’e’s action of asking to marry a woman from a noble family for her husband showed that she was generous and decent, and there was nothing wrong with it.
Feng Yulei did not dare to say what had happened then. You Yuecheng was also taking risk. He believed that Crown Prince Xieyue was too embarrassed to tell them about what had happened between Princess Caifeng and Feng Yulei. Even though Feng Yulei was embarrassed because of what had happened, what about Princess Caifeng? If the whole thing was exposed, Princess Caifeng’s reputation would be ruined. The Southern Barbarian Lands would not be able to afford to lose face!
This matter was like a double-sided sword. On the one hand, Feng Yulei and Princess Caifeng were connected; on the other hand, no one dared to say anything!
The entire hall fell silent. Even Emperor Zongwen, who was seated high, also looked at his sons sitting on one side with a meaningful look. His thoughtful gaze made them feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles. They all avoided Emperor Zongwen’s gaze. However, Feng Yuran glanced at Emperor Zongwen devilishly and a faint smile appeared in his eyes as if he was watching a show.
Emperor Zongwen glared at Feng Yuran and looked at Crown Prince Xieyue again!
He waited for Crown Prince Xieyue to say something with the others.
“The gift for a co-wife?” The smile on Crown Prince Xieyue’s face grew even fainter. He turned around to look at Feng Yulei before looking at You Yuecheng. Then he asked as if he wanted to verify it.
“Yes, the gift for a co-wife.” You Yuecheng nodded affirmatively. Inside him, he was not as calm as it looked on the surface. If Crown Prince Xieyue really came to a life-and-death struggle, there was nothing he could do. Fortunately, Crown Prince Xieyue was still wary, and the smile on his face became more sincere. “The co-wife is similar to the legal wife, and the child she gives birth to is also the legitimate child.”
Although her children’s status was lower than the official legitimate sons and daughters’, they were still legitimate children!
“Your Highness, in the Qin Kingdom, the children of the co-wife and the children of the legal wife are all the legitimate children. They share the same status,” Imperial Noble Consort Wen, who was sitting high, suddenly said with a gentle smile.
Her words were a little off, but they were all members of the Qin Kingdom and were seen by the Emperor. As Imperial Noble Consort Wen spoke at this time, it might be the Emperor’s opinion. No one dared to explain the difference between the co-wife and the legal wife’s children to Crown Prince Xieyue. No matter how similar the co-wife was to the legal wife, they were different.
There was only one position of the legal wife!
“He wants to marry the person he gave the gift to?” Crown Prince Xieyue seemed to be confused by what he said and asked again.
“Yes, of course.” You Yuecheng relieved and let out a sigh of relief. There was a hint of a smile on his handsome face. Fortunately, Feng Yulei and You Yue’e had gone to the Mingguo Manor to tell him about it after the incident. He felt that something was wrong then and was prepared for it. You Yuecheng was naturally happy when the matter was settled.
Princess Caifeng’s temperament was nothing to be afraid of, and she was just a pawn of the marriage.
In You Yuecheng’s opinion, having a co-wife in King Yan’s Manor was like having another second consort, which could not stir up any trouble. As long as his younger sister was in the position of Consort Yan, and Feng Yulei had to rely on him, such affairs would not be a problem. Furthermore, Princess Caifeng did not seem smart at first glance. Otherwise, he would not have gotten something on her.
“Oh, it was supposed to be like this. I misunderstood it,” Crown Prince Xieyue said, as if he had suddenly realized something. He then turned to look at Princess Caifeng. Under everyone’s gaze, he suddenly smiled at Hu Qianyue beside Princess Caifeng and asked, “Miss Hu, this jade pendant was sent to you before, wasn’t it?”
“Yes!” Hu Qianyue’s heart trembled at his glance and she answered subconsciously. As soon as she said yes, she felt that something was wrong and was shocked out of her wits. But before she could finish her words, Crown Prince Xieyue had already bowed up and said, “Your Majesty, since King Yan wants to marry Miss Hu of our Southern Barbarian Lands as his co-wife, I will agree on behalf of Miss Hu. Please grant the marriage to them, Your Majesty.”
His words shocked all the people in the hall, and everyone stared at Crown Prince Xieyue who had just thrown an inspired trick.
Hu Qianyue went limp and almost fell off the chair. She only felt that her body was trembling, but she couldn’t say anything. She was just an official’s daughter of the Southern Barbarian Lands and came to the Qin Kingdom alone. Who could speak up for her now?
Princess Caifeng was also stunned at first. However, when she saw how shocked Hu Qianyue was and how she could hardly sit still, she immediately smiled with satisfaction. Just now, she had already been unwilling to put on an affectionate expression to look at Feng Yulei, especially when the man could not even say anything about his marriage and had to ask his brother-in-law for help. Princess Caifeng looked down on Feng Yulei at this moment.
She felt that he was not manful at all. He was just like a man who lived off a woman. He depended on his wife’s brother and had no opinions of his own.
However, she was afraid of Crown Prince Xieyue. When he turned to look at her, she had to do something. As such, even if she was unwilling, she had to look at Feng Yulei affectionately. How could she not be happy when she heard that her elder brother had changed his mind and wanted Hu Qianyue to marry into King Yan’s Manor?
At the moment, she pulled Hu Qianyue and said with a chuckle, “Qianyue, you are really going to be a prince’s wife now. Congratulations!”
The situation had totally changed, and all the people in the hall fell silent.
Crown Prince Xieyue failed to get the position of King Yan’s legal wife for Princess Caifeng. It seemed that he was completely defeated by You Yuecheng. But seconds later, Hu Qianyue was pushed to the front stage. Who was Hu Qianyue? She was the daughter of a general, and she had an aunt who was the Empress. Her status in the Southern Barbarian Lands was lower than that of Princess Caifeng, but the power behind her was stronger than that of the princess.
Moreover, it was said that Miss Hu was a strong competitor for the position of Third Prince’s wife.
Such a person was supposed to just send Princess Caifeng to the Qin Kingdom. Unexpectedly, she had to stay in the Qin Kingdom. Was this a marriage or a feud? Now, even You Yuecheng could not remain calm and his face darkened.
Before he could speak, Crown Prince Xieyue pleaded again, “Your Majesty, King Yan and Miss Hu are in love with each other, which is a good thing for the two countries. On behalf of the Southern Barbarian Lands, I am here to ask Your Majesty to grant the marriage for them, and the marriage for Caifeng and King Ning. These two heaven-made matches will definitely ensure eternal peace between our two countries.”
Crown Prince Xieyue made a decision. The envoys who came with him also stepped out. They kowtowed to Emperor Zongwen and said in unison, “Please grant the marriage, Your Majesty. The two countries will always be in peace.”
He wanted Emperor Zongwen to grant one marriage after the other, in the name of the friendship between the two countries. Coupled with what Feng Yulei and You Yuecheng had said before, it had risen to the level of two countries. If Emperor Zongwen did not agree, it meant that he did not want the two countries to reconcile forever. Emperor Zongwen did not say anything else and nodded with a smile. He said, “Since Crown Prince Xieyue wants it, come on, draw up an edict to bestow the marriages.”
“Yes.” Liu Xi hurriedly took out the prepared imperial edict and flattened it on the table. Emperor Zongwen thought for a moment and then quickly wrote. Then, he gave it to them.
The content of the imperial edict was simple. The Emperor said that these two couples were two matches made in heaven and the witness of the two countries’ friendship. Since they had feelings for each other, then, the two women should marry into the Qin Kingdom together to prove the two countries’ relationship.
At this point, the matter had reached the level of countries. You Yuecheng could not oppose it anymore, so he could only nod to Feng Yulei.
Feng Yulei and the others went up to express their gratitude.
