“This imperial edict is not stamped with the imperial seal.”
Ling Yaodong raised his doubts.
His eyes moved between Yan Zhongying who was confident of victory and the Fifth Prince who was obviously stunned by the pie that fell from the sky. Then, he lowered his head slightly and raised his doubts.
In fact, Ling Yaodong was also worried about Emperor Qian’s safety.
He was also a favorite of Emperor Qian. In the past, Emperor Qian would always find time to meet him no matter how obsessed with alchemy he was, and ask him about the big and small things that happened in the court.
This time, Emperor Qian disappeared for five months. Ling Yaodong handed him dozens of secrets one after another. The letter received no reply from Emperor Qian.
He also suspected that perhaps Emperor Qian might have been controlled by Yan Zhongying.
“His Majesty has always had the habit of using private seals as imperial seals. Could it be that the Marquis of Changping suspected that I was forging the imperial edict?”
Yan Zhongying narrowed his eyes.
He and Ling Yaodong had always kept a close eye on each other. Ling Yaodong was a smart man who had never gotten involved with the princes. Therefore, Yan Zhongying had no hostility toward him.
But today, before the princes had even stood up, he had already questioned him.
Was he really being rude? Did he really think that he would not touch him?
Yan Zhongying stood up from the chair with a dragon carved on it, raised his hand, and revealed a gold medal engraved with the imperial characters.
Seeing the gold medal as if seeing His Majesty, all the civil and military officials in the court fell to their knees in an instant.
Including several princes, they also knelt down unwillingly. After all, no one wanted to bear the infamy of being a traitor for no reason.
“Lord, I don’t dare.”
Ling Yaodong’s eyes were as dark as ink, and the surroundings were gloomy. He was obviously not feeling well.
“Prince Rong, please accept the edict quickly.”
Seeing these once high and mighty princes and loyal ministers kneeling spineless in front of a eunuch like himself, Yan Zhongying felt so happy that he wanted to roar to the sky three times.
Decades ago, he was still a lowly servant who was bullied by everyone, but now he stood at the top of the mountain, and no one could bully or humiliate him anymore.
“T-this son– This minister accepts the order.”
Li Chenghe looked at his brothers beside him blankly.
Although there was joy in being hit by a pie on his face, he was still more frightened and uneasy.
However, he did not have the courage to say no to Yan Zhongying, so he could only slowly move to Yan Zhongying. In front of Zhongying, he took the imperial edict from his hand.
Seeing the performance of the Fifth Prince, Yan Zhongying felt satisfied.
If he wanted an adopted son, he could raise a child as cruel and vicious as Yan Yu, but if he wanted a puppet, it was better to find someone as cowardly and irresponsible as the Fifth Prince.
In this way, at the court meeting, not only did the First Prince and others fail to attack Yan Zhongying, but the Fifth Prince, who was once neglected, also took the lead.
They became more and more unwilling. Thinking of the Emperor whose life and death were still uncertain, they gradually developed a crazier idea.
***
“The draft is coming soon. I heard that our palace will also be accepting new members this time. I just wonder if the new members will be gentle or overbearing.”
Jin Qiaoqiao sat in front of the dressing mirror, looking at herself in the mirror who was no longer young and delicate five years ago.
She listened to the personal maid chattering in her ears.
“I heard that this time the First Prince wants to marry the Seventh Young Lady of the Marquis of Changping Mansion. The eldest son of the Marquis of Changping gave up writing and joined the army. He has been doing well in the army over the years. Many people say that he has the legacy of the Grand Marquis and will be a brave and warlike general in the future.”
“Now the First Prince is short of talented generals. In addition, the Marquis of Changping himself is quite powerful. If he can marry the daughter of the Marquis of Changping, he will definitely be able to suppress the Third Prince and other brothers.”
“But it’s not just the First Prince who thinks so. The Third Prince and the Seventh Prince seem to have their eyes on the Seventh Young Lady Ling.”
“I didn’t expect that the girl who was living in the countryside back then would become a hot commodity once she gained power.”
The little girl was muttering to herself.
Jin Qiaoqiao was fiddling with the hair accessories in the dressing box. When she heard what the little girl said, the jade hairpin in her hand was broken into two pieces.
Five years ago, she was still the most distinguished daughter of the Marquis of Chengyi. She should have been married into the First Prince’s Palace with great glory and became a noble concubine. After the First Prince ascended the throne, she might have competed for the empress’s throne.
But now, even a concubine with no status was rewarded generously by the First Prince in order to win over his subordinates and show his kindness and generosity.
Her grandmother, her mother, and her sisters all hanged themselves with a piece of white silk that year to protect their innocence. To this day, Jin Qiaoqiao still remembers the corpses dangling from the beams of the house.
The purple face and the hanging tongue appeared in her mind again and again in the form of a nightmare. She had never forgotten it.
Jin Qiaoqiao did not dare to hate the emperor, but she hated the eunuchs of Yan Zhongying’s faction. She also hated those ladies who were present but refused to help her. She also hated her ‘close friends’ who saw her joke that day.
Over the years, Jin Qiaoqiao has been deeply favored by the First Prince. However, due to her status as the daughter of a guilty minister, she had never been able to be promoted. This also made Jin Qiaoqiao’s heart become more extreme and stubborn.
Although she looked beautiful and bright on the outside, she was actually a dark person on the inside.
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Transmigrated Into The Stepmother Of The Handsome, Strong, And Miserable Male Lead
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Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1
Isn’t her name jin ruyi?