```htmlChapter 4: Two Imperial Edicts```
wondered what kind of secrets this study held. So she walked up the steps to go up there.It took Yun Qianmo an entire incense stick's worth of time to climb all the way to the top. When she got there,...The Fourth Chapter: Two Imperial Decrees
After Rong Jing finished speaking, Ye Tianyi suddenly turned his head and looked at him again.
Those who were kneeling on the ground finally remembered that there were still two imperial decrees unopened and lifted their heads in unison.
The atmosphere once again became cold, and the snowflakes flying through the air froze into ice pellets because of some kind of aura.
"What Young Prince Jing said is right. There are still two imperial decrees left to open. Regent King, why don't you open them together" Empress spoke with solemn dignity, breaking the silence.
"Yes! Regent King, open the other two imperial decrees as well. After they're all opened today's matter will have a definite conclusion." Leng Shaozhuo, who rarely spoke up, agreed with Empress' words.
"Very well! The late emperor's edict said to take three imperial decrees as the standard." Rong Jing looked at Ye Tianyi and slowly opened his mouth.
After these three people had spoken, nobody answered. Everyone looked at Ye Tianyi.
The coldness in Ye Tianyi's eyes faded away as he took his gaze off of Rong Jing and cast it onto the kneeling Filial King and Cloudy King, commanding them in a deep voice: "Cold Uncle, Cloudy Uncle, please open the imperial decrees!"
"Yes!" The two people quickly answered.
“Hold on a moment. Make sure that the imperial decree is intact first!” Duke De stepped forward to stop the two of them.
Their actions paused, they glanced at each other before respectfully raising both the imperial decrees above their heads.
"Duke De is right. Wen Lai, you check it!" Ye Tianyi commanded Wen Lai.
“Yes!” Wen Lai walked up cautiously. He first took the imperial decree from Filial King to inspect and then passed it over to Ye Tianyi for him to take a look at. Ye Tianyi nodded his head and returned the imperial decree to Filial King. He did the same with Cloudy King's imperial decree, handed it back after checking, and finally retreated behind Ye Tianyi.
"The imperial decree is intact and there are no signs of it having been opened before. You two can open them now," said Ye Tianyi to both men.
“Yes!” The two men took the imperial decrees and simultaneously opened them in the same way as Duke De did.
"Cold Uncle, please read first!" instructed Ye Tianyi.
Filial King responded with a sound. He opened up the yellow scroll and when his eyes fell onto the page of the imperial decree, he suddenly changed color. The old man stared at it in disbelief, his eyes wide open. After a moment, "Pah-ta," the imperial decree slipped from his hands and dropped to the ground.
Everyone looked curiously at him, following his gaze down to the fallen imperial decree, all of them suddenly becoming alarmed.
They saw that there was nothing on the page of the imperial decree, it was completely blank.
The expression on Ye Tianyi's face twitched slightly and narrowed his eyes as he stared intently at the blank imperial decree.
"How can this be" Night Lightdyne was equally astonished. He stepped forward to pick up the blank imperial decree, asking Filial King in disbelief.
Filial King was terrified, shaking his head and pale-faced replied: "Your Old Servant... Your Old Servant doesn't know what happened!"
"You don’t know how this could happen Then why is the imperial decree blank" Lightdyne did not seem to believe him.
“Young Prince Lanyan, when Emperor gave these imperial decrees to your servant Your Servant wrapped them up. I slept with it in my arms and never left its side until just now… You’ve seen that the imperial decree was intact; also, using this special royal sealing adhesive if I had opened the imperial decree there would be traces…” Filial King defended himself shakily.
Yé Qīngrǎn frowned and flipped through the imperial decree, finding it to be a blank one with nothing written on it. He looked at Yé Tiānyì.
Yé Tiānyì's expression darkened as he reached out and took the imperial decree from Yé Qīngrǎn’s hand for a look. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, he told Prince Yun, "Uncle Yun, open your imperial decree."
"...Yes!" Prince Yun seemed to be surprised too. He hurriedly opened his imperial decree but his hands were shaking so much that it fell onto the floor.
Yé Qīngrǎn could not bear to watch any longer and stepped forward, picking up the imperial decree from the ground and opening it deftly. As he saw what was inside the imperial decree, his brow furrowed and without a word, he passed the imperial decree to Yé Tiānyì.
Yé Tiānyì took the imperial decree and glanced at it; the color of his eyes darkened but he did not speak either.
The rest also saw that Prince Yun’s imperial decree was blank like the other one, leaving them all perplexed.
"How... how is this possible" Prince Yun said hastily, "After getting His Majesty's imperial decree, I received special instructions from him. Just like Cold King, I slept with my eyes wide awake and also clung to the imperial decree while sleeping..."
"Exactly, how can this be so" Duke Dēng also looked at two blank imperial decrees in disbelief.
All of them were full of questions now.
Yé Tiānyì suddenly turned to look at Róng Jǐng and said with a blackened gaze, "Young Master Jing, can you explain to me how this is possible"
Róng Jǐng glanced indifferently at Yé Tiānyì and spoke in a warm tone, "Seventh Prince, your question sounds really strange. As the emperor did not give his imperial decree to Jing, how could he know what happened!"
"Young Master Jing is an extraordinary genius; even late Emperor praised him endlessly. Now that these two imperial decrees are blank, Father can’t possibly have sealed and given them to Duke Xiào and Prince Yun as blank ones, right Since this matter has occurred, wouldn't Young Master Jing have any thoughts" Yé Tiānyì stared at Róng Jǐng intently.
Róng Jǐng's expression was cool and calm. His voice was neither too high nor too low; it was always soft and warm. "I do have a few thoughts, but I wonder if Regent wants to listen."
"It’s good that Young Master Jing has some thoughts, then say them out loud! Not only me will be listening, even the rest of officials would like to hear," Yé Tiānyì said.
"Then Jing will give his opinion!" Róng Jǐng said indifferently: "Firstly, this imperial decree is in good condition. The adhesive used was made especially for the royal family; once it’s sealed, there would be a mark if anyone had opened it before. Since there are no marks of it being opened previously, these two blank imperial decrees given to Duke Xiào and Prince Yun might have been originally blank."
"Impossible! Father has mentioned in Uncle Dēng's imperial decree that he made three copies," Yé Tiānyì immediately rejected the idea.
Róng Jǐng did not argue with him but continued, "Secondly, someone might have opened the imperial decree and used some special technique to erase its contents before sealing it again."
"This is also impossible! Not only can this adhesive not be sealed again after being opened once, even if one tries to, there’s no trace of any color left on this blank imperial decree. What kind of skills would that take I cannot do such a thing, and Young Master Jing is an extraordinary genius; could he have done it" Yé Tiānyì rejected the idea again while raising his eyebrows at Róng Jǐng.
"Of course Jing couldn’t do it!" Róng Jǐng shook his head and continued: "Thirdly, these two princes might not have kept their imperial decrees well. Someone could have switched them with blank ones."
Yé Tiānyì frowned but did not refute him this time.
The rest also felt that the latter was more plausible and thus remained silent for a moment.
Róng Jǐng glanced at all of them, then continued, "However, imperial decrees had always been kept in places specially designated by late Emperor. They were guarded by special people who would report to him whenever they took out the imperial decree for any reason and make copies too. After the emperor fell ill, as Regent, Seventh Prince was responsible for handling state affairs; therefore, the imperial decrees were handed over to you then. You appointed someone to look after them. Could it be that someone stole an imperial decree from you"
"Imperial decrees are kept in count. If there’s one more or less than usual, the guards would report immediately," Yé Tiānyì said, "I have not heard of anyone reporting such a matter."
"But this imperial decree is indeed real. It bears the totem and dragon pattern of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, which is Night clan’s family seal; only members of royal families can use it; no one else outside knows about it," Róng Jǐng looked at Yé Tiānyì slowly: "This needs Regent to investigate thoroughly. Find out how this could have happened Such an imperial decree cannot be forged."
Yé Tiānyì’s expression darkened, and he stared silently at Róng Jǐng.
Rong Jing remained silent and lightly flicked the snowflakes that had landed on him during his pause in speaking, causing them to flutter gently from his jade-like fingers. His movements were casual and unhurried, elegant and relaxed; among those standing or kneeling outside the Shengyang Palace, he stood alone like a picturesque scene.
"Commoners might not be able to forge such documents, but would it apply to the exceptionally gifted Crown Prince Jing" Ye Tianyi remained silent for a moment before staring at Rong Jing and spoke heavily.
Everyone collectively inhaled sharply, looking towards Rong Jing. In the eyes of all people, including those present, he was an exceptionally talented genius who could accomplish anything he desired. Forging imperial edicts and switching out documents while under the surveillance of the Regent Prince seemed impossible for others to even contemplate, but not for him.
At this moment, Rong Jing’s status wasn’t just admired by the common folk; everyone present felt that he stood alone beyond the honorific title bestowed upon him. He could achieve what no one else could, regardless of how unbelievable it seemed.
"Huh…" With a light laugh, Rong Jing looked at Ye Qingran and said nonchalantly, "The Regent Prince is being too generous with me!"
"Whether I am or not, you yourself should know best!" Ye Tianyi glared at Rong Jing.
"If Rong Jing had such abilities, why would he be secretly harmed by a love potion and have to use cold poison pills to suppress it After barely surviving, why was he then struck by a palm strike that left his body burdened and ultimately suffer from the debilitating effects of cold poison for ten years" Rong Jing looked at Ye Tianyi with a placid expression as he slowly said, "Jing is human, not a god. The Regent Prince must have misunderstood. Even those gifted beyond measure cannot cure their own ailments or do everything."
"That’s not necessarily true; Moon just now also mentioned it. There isn’t anything you Rong Jing dares not to do. It all depends on whether you want to do it or not. She knows you so well that no one would believe your words," Ye Tianyi said coldly.
"She was merely in a fit of anger just now and spoke without thinking. Moreover, her words don’t surprise me because there are countless men in this world, but I am the best in her heart. Praising me excessively is simply due to extreme joy and admiration. The Regent Prince ought to be rational; shouldn’t he not base his judgment on a woman’s words who has feelings for him" Rong Jing seemed to recall Cloud Shallowmoon as a warm smile spread across his elegant features.
Anger surged in Ye Tianyi’s eyes, like a storm instantly engulfing them.
"If the Regent Prince says so, then investigate! If evidence is found, Rong Jing will have nothing to say. However, if no evidence can be gathered, questioning and severely injuring an official loyal to the Heavenly King without reason must come with consequences. Otherwise, before the late king’s remains are cold, officials’ hearts should already feel the chill!" Rong Jing ignored the storm in Ye Tianyi's eyes and spoke calmly.
Ye Tianyi stared at Rong Jing as if a storm was swirling in his eyes.
"Regent Prince, Crown Prince Jing is right. This matter indeed needs to be thoroughly investigated; one mustn’t easily suspect who might have done this. Although Crown Prince Jing is exceptionally gifted, evidence still matters." The Duke of De shivered internally as he watched the storm in Ye Tianyi’s eyes. Seventh Prince was even more intimidating than the late king. Fearing another outburst that would spill blood at Shengyang Palace, he couldn’t bear to think about the consequences.
The filial duke didn’t respond this time; with a blank imperial edict appearing in his hand and the situation still unclear, he dared not agree arbitrarily for fear of angering Ye Tianyi. But fortunately, there was Cloud Duke as well.
Cloud Duke also remained silent, hanging his head in shock, looking like he wouldn’t object even if others twisted him into a ball but would at most let out a couple of wails.
The two dukes’ silence made this matter significant. None of the other officials dared to speak either, fearing that a slip of the tongue might offend either Seventh Prince or Crown Prince Jing and bring upon them great calamity.
"Father is right; Regent Prince, this indeed needs thorough investigation," Ye Qingran said after looking at Rong Jing. He then spoke solemnly, "One shouldn’t suspect someone just because they are talented."
"There are many wise men in the world whose names aren't recorded; it’s not only about Crown Prince Jing who is merely known for his reputation," Rong Jing said coolly.
"Crown Prince Jing, there's no need to be so humble!" Ye Tianyi loudly threw out those words and didn’t look at Rong Jing anymore. He called out sharply, "Wen Lai!"
"Your Excellency! Here I am!" Wen Lai immediately answered.
"Summon all the guards of the imperial edict room to me," Ye Tianyi instructed.
"Yes, Your Excellency!" Wen Lai responded and quickly ran towards the imperial edict room.
Everyone watched as Wen Lai left; no one spoke further.
The imperial edict room wasn't far from Shengyang Palace. Shortly after, Wen Lai returned with two black-robed men. One was tall and thin while the other short and fat. Both wore masks, hiding their faces, but judging by their stances and eyes, they were elderly.
The two elders approached respectfully bowed to Ye Tianyi before standing silently without a word.
"You are in charge of guarding the Edict Room. Has anything happened there For example, did any imperial edicts go missing" Ye Tianyi looked at both people.
The two shook their heads together upon hearing his question.
Everyone then realized that these two guards watching the Edict Room were probably mute.
"Has anything unusual happened all along" Ye Tianyi asked again.
The two thought about it together and shook their heads once more.
"You can leave now!" Ye Tianyi did not get angry. He waved his hand to let them step back.
Those two people bowed respectfully again, turned around, and stepped out.
"Regent, is this how you finish an inquiry" The Prince of Filial Piety could not help but ask.
"These two are the Ghostly and Phantom Elders. A hundred years ago, they were known alongside the Heaven, Earth, Mystic Void, and Yellow Sky elders as the greatest in the world. Their capabilities need no doubt. If they say nothing happened, then indeed nothing happened," Ye Tianyi said.
Upon hearing this, The Prince of Filial Piety immediately fell silent. Everyone had always known that these two people guarding the Edict Room were skilled martial artists who reached a realm of illusion. But no one would have thought they were actually the Ghostly and Phantom Elders from a hundred years ago whose reputation had been formidable throughout the land. If those elders watched over the Edict Room, the possibility of someone stealing imperial edicts without being noticed by them and leaving no trace at all was indeed extremely slim.
"But if the imperial edicts were not stolen, then... What is going on Are the imperial edicts given to us by His Majesty truly blank" Prince Yun seemed to have just recovered from his shock. He asked in puzzlement.
“That’s impossible! Uncle Emperor clearly stated that there are three copies of each imperial edict. It can't be only one.” At this point, Ye Qingran objected with a serious tone: "Unless someone had planned it long ago and stole the blank imperial edicts from somewhere else rather than in the Edict Room. Someone actually broke through the royal seal used by the royal family to produce imperial edicts and made copies of them, replacing the real ones."
"That’s a very high possibility!" The Prince of Virtue nodded, agreeing with Ye Qingran's statement.
“But this old minister has always kept my imperial edict on me…” The Prince of Filial Piety said.
“As the Prince Jing had stated, there are many wise people. You keep your imperial edict close to you and don’t notice that someone else could replace it without being noticed. Do you really think the Prince of Filial Piety's residence is impenetrable Is your own body impenetrable” The Prince of Virtue looked at The Prince of Filial Piety.
The Prince of Filial Piety immediately fell silent.
Prince Yun glanced at the Prince of Virtue, seemingly wanting to say something. Upon hearing him speak, he lowered his voice and no longer spoke.
"This old minister believes that the Prince of Virtue's residence isn’t as impenetrable as some think. But why wasn't my imperial edict replaced" The Prince of Virtue raised a doubt, expressing his confusion.
“Compared to the Prince of Filial Piety’s and Prince Yun’s residences, Your Highness’s can be considered an impenetrable fortress. Even compared to the Imperial Palace, it's not much worse," Rong Jing said calmly: “After all, Young Prince Qingran oversees forty thousand troops in the capital city, so someone could fear for their life and dare not steal from Your Highness.”
"It doesn’t matter what we say now! What should we do next" Ye Qingran seemed impatient and asked Ye Tianyi.
“We must investigate thoroughly!” After looking at everyone, Ye Tianyi’s gaze fell on Rong Jing once again. His handsome face showed rare authority for the first time, before he moved his eyes to look at the Queen who had remained silent all along: “Mother Empress, what are your thoughts”
Since Ye Tianyi tried to stop Yun Qianwei earlier, the queen had already regained her composure. She listened silently as everyone spoke and now answered in a dignified tone: "This empress has no opinions."
"Young Master Jing, what do you think" Ye Tianyi looked at Rong Jing again and asked sternly.
“Of course this matter needs to be investigated. And we must get to the bottom of it.” Rong Jing said in a calm tone.
Ye Tianyi moved his gaze, looking at Ye Qingran and giving him an authoritative order: “Young Prince Qingran, you are fully responsible for investigating this matter thoroughly!”
"Yes!" Ye Qingran bowed his head and responded.
Ye Tianyi shook the imperial decree in his hand, looked at the two blank imperial decrees again, and said to everyone: "Regarding the matter of there being only one imperial decree left now, what are your opinions Feel free to speak up. Let's see how we should handle today's situation"
The officials looked at each other without speaking. No one dared to make a hasty statement.
"No one has anything to say then Prince Jing, you speak up!" Ye Tianyi turned and looked at Rong Jing, raising an eyebrow coldly: "Prince Jing should be the most satisfied with this result of only having one imperial decree left. Because if there's just one imperial decree, some things wouldn't need to be revered anymore. Like... the arranged marriage!"
"Does the seventh prince mean to put Prince Jing in a difficult position Because I love Yun Qianyue and the seventh prince has an engagement with her beforehand, also because the seventh prince is the emperor's most favored son, so you want to suppress us as ministers One imperial decree to split lovers. Even though Prince Jing harbors resentment about this, and Yun Qianyue became enraged over it, I haven't taken it seriously. After all, a promise of life and death isn’t something an imperial decree can dictate. You might be able to control people’s actions but not their hearts. Prince Jing could say in front of everyone that he doesn’t follow this decree, nor does Yun Qianyue, because it's unjust."
Rong Jing looked at Ye Tianyi, seemingly finally roused to anger; his clear eyes were slightly cold and his normally warm voice was cool as he continued: "But I stopped Yun Qianyue from destroying the imperial decree so that she wouldn't stain the palace with blood. The previous emperor’s corpse is still not cold, and an imperial decree pertains to national affairs. An arranged marriage is just a matter of personal feelings for children, which isn’t significant in comparison to state affairs. Although it's major in our hearts, before the people and the nation's fortune, it’s insignificant. Since Prince Jing is part of the Fourth王府 (Wangfu), a prince of the Rong Wang Family, and as a minister in court who was heavily favored by the emperor and appointed as chancellor in his will, I don’t want to betray the late emperor’s kindness or feel guilty towards the people. Therefore, I stopped Yun Qianyue. Regent, if you hadn't blocked her just now, would you be certain that she wouldn’t have destroyed the imperial decree Or do you really think she doesn’t have the ability to destroy it With her stubbornness and roused fury, even risking her life, she would still destroy the imperial decree. Since you know her better than me, if you don’t understand this point, then your early acquaintance with her is pointless."
Ye Tianyi’s eyes were deep but he remained silent.
"If I wanted the most satisfactory result, it would be helping her destroy the imperial decree! If there's no more imperial decree, there wouldn’t be an arranged marriage at all! Seventh prince, is this what you mean to say Or if you still don't understand and want to pin the blame on Prince Jing, then Prince Jing has nothing left to say." Rong Jing’s voice was slightly cold.
The officials were speechless.
Ye Tianyi suddenly smiled, looking at Rong Jing. The coldness in his face and eyes instantly vanished as he said with a smile: "This regent merely mentioned it casually. After all, no one here has Prince Jing’s abilities. Why should Prince Jing be angry This regent just wants to ask how to handle the matter of today's two blank imperial decrees being useless when there's only one left and what your opinion is as a chancellor appointed by my father"
"How can I speak up again The more I say, the more mistakes I make. This kind of thing is unprecedented in history, especially concerning matters related to the will. Regent, perhaps you should ask someone else." Rong Jing blocked his words with a calm voice.
"My father's will besides this regent also includes you, Prince Jing. Furthermore, when the previous emperor was seriously ill, this regent acted as regent and you served as a co-regent. Here, everyone including Uncle Duke De, Uncle Duke Leng, Uncle Yun Wang, even Chancellor Qin who retired due to my father’s grace, and Princes Ran and Cold along with Prince Rong Feng, all are not comparable to your words. Although this regent has some doubts, I merely expressed the people's feelings in their hearts since you are an unmatched existence in their eyes. Moreover, you’ve rebutted me; a man of talent like Prince Jing who is skilled in debate wouldn’t fear my questions. How can it be said that one dares not speak up This regent thinks everyone here wants to hear your opinion." Ye Tianyi raised his eyebrow and glanced at the crowd before asking: "Uncle Duke De, Uncle Leng, Uncle Yun Wang, do you want to hear Prince Jing's opinion on this matter"
"Yes!" The three dukes quickly responded in unison.
Ye Tianyi turned to the officials and asked: "What about all of you Are your thoughts similar to mine and the three princes’"
"Yes!" Everyone answered together without hesitation.
"Look, Prince Jing, your authority now surpasses even the emperor's and this regent’s," Ye Tianyi said to Rong Jing.
Rong Jing rubbed his forehead with a helpless smile. After a moment, he lowered his hand and was about to speak when a shadow flashed in front of him silently. The figure knelt down without sound. Lifting his head, Rong Jing looked at the green-clad figure who asked before he could speak: "What happened"
The green-clad figure kneeled with a thud, expressing guilt: "Your Highness, I lost sight of Miss Qianyue!"
"Lost her" Rong Jing's brows furrowed slightly.
"Yes!" The figure nodded.
"She was seriously injured; how did you lose track of her" Rong Jing asked.
"Although Miss Qianyue is severely injured, she’s still skilled in lightness kung fu. After leaving the palace, I followed her out of the city gates. But as soon as we left the city, a gust of wind blew snow into my eyes, and when I blinked again, she was gone." The figure expressed his guilt: "Forgive me, Your Highness; I'm useless."
Rong Jing raised his hand and placed his fingers on his forehead, massaging them gently before saying: "She likely realized you were following her so she managed to shake you off."
"I was very careful; Miss Qianyue shouldn't have noticed…," the figure said.
Rong Jing smiled and sighed, "She guessed I would be worried about her safety and would make you follow her. Even though an injured person might not notice a follower, she assumed your presence behind her and thus shook you off."
When Qing Ying heard this, he knelt on the ground and remained silent.
This conversation between them was not in private; everyone could hear it clearly.
"Young Master Jing, with such heavy snow and cold weather outside, what should we do about Yue'er being alone" The Empress looked anxious. "We must send people to look for her! What if something happens to her!"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I'll go find her now. She was angry today because she had a reason." Rong Jing put down his hand and said to the Empress.
"It's best that you go then!" The Empress nodded in agreement.
"Regent, I think finding people is more urgent. With such heavy snowfall and her being seriously injured, wouldn't you not want anything to happen to her" Rong Jing turned around and looked at Ye Tianyi.
Ye Tianyi remained silent.
"The imperial decree today is a major matter. I believe that this imperial decree should still be followed as the Emperor's will, for now. Let everyone carry out their duties according to the decree until we find out about the blank imperial edict and make further decisions. The court affairs should remain unchanged during the Emperor’s illness. We cannot disrupt the order or cause chaos." Rong Jing seemed to consider this before saying: "Regent, what do you think I believe that Duke De, Duke Xiao, Cloud Prince, and all the officials will agree with me."
Upon hearing this, Duke De hurriedly answered, "Young Master Jing is right! It is essential not to disrupt court affairs and cause chaos because of this."
Duke Xiao also nodded quickly, while Cloud Prince echoed his agreement without hesitation.
The other officials all nodded in agreement as well.
With the consensus among the ministers, this effectively turned the must-follow will of the late emperor into a temporary decree.
"This is the best course of action!" Night Qingran also admitted that it was the best approach and looked at Ye Tianyi. "Regent, shall I go with Weak Beauty to find the little girl If anything happens to her, none of us will have much of a future."
"Little Prince Rang just got injured too. In such weather conditions, one person going out is enough. If you get into trouble again, neither the people from Duke De’s residence nor the 400 thousand troops in the capital city would be able to live on." Rong Jing shook his head and glanced at Ye Tianyi. Seeing that he remained silent, he turned around and said to Qing Ying who was still kneeling, "Let's go!"
Qing Ying stood up; however, Rong Jing had already left the spot without any trace of wind or snow being stirred. Everyone could tell Young Master Jing’s martial arts were extraordinary as they witnessed with their own eyes how he moved swiftly and silently, leaving no disturbance behind.
Ye Tianyi watched Rong Jing leave but did not say anything. He retracted his gaze and hid the emotions in his eyes before looking at everyone present: "Have all officials stood up You are pillars of the state who have been loyal to Emperor Tian and the late emperor throughout your lives. You don’t need to endure this snowstorm and keep vigil any longer; if anyone gets frostbite, it would be a loss for the country."
"Thank you, Regent!" The officials all stood up as several elderly ministers were already shivering from cold.
"Brothers and sisters have been keeping vigil here since yesterday. Your filial piety towards our father is heartwarming enough; you can stand down now too," Ye Tianyi said to the Princess and others, looking at them.
The Princess's body was already numb from the cold, and her attendants hurriedly helped her up along with other royal members. They all looked pale with blue lips, some even had frost on their eyebrows.
"The rest of you were close to the late emperor. Since he loved each of you while alive, now that he’s passed away, it's your duty as his intimates to keep vigil for him," Ye Tianyi said coolly after looking at those concubines and ladies-in-waiting in the harem. A few of them collapsed on the snow-covered ground upon hearing this; however, he did not pay attention and walked towards the Empress to support her arm. Speaking gently, he said: "Empress Dowager carries His Majesty’s heir; with such cold weather, our father would be worried about His Majesty if you catch a chill while keeping vigil. Allow my younger brother to escort you back."
The Empress' face showed a moment of daze as she recalled her years in the palace when she went from being a young lady to Dowager Empress.
"See off Empress Dowager!" The officials shouted loudly.
In the Empress Dowager’s daze, Ye Tianyi supported her out of the Shengyang Hall and towards Ronghua Palace.
The death of a great emperor had led to two blank imperial edicts that defied logic. The late emperor's will was rendered meaningless—it was laughable!em.The third day, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, marked the annual Qiqiao Festival of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty.Early in the morning, the Yun王府 (Cloud Manor) was bustling with activit...