Mu Yunlian returned to his quarters, tossing and turning restlessly.
In Zichen Palace, Xiao Yang sat in her study for an hour.
To her left lay a set of birthdate cards. They contained the precise birth times for Rong Yin and the three other men, as well as her own. An auspicious date had been calculated by combining them.
It was the marriage compatibility report from the Astronomical Bureau, for which the date had already been calculated.
The Astronomical Bureau had presented her with three possible dates. She had chosen one for next year, in the middle of the fourth month, which was still about six months away.
To her right lay a blank, unfurled imperial edict.
Xiao Yang knew what she needed to write. She hadn’t done so yet simply because the time was not yet right.
As for marriage, Xiao Yang no longer felt any resistance to it. It was simply a process.
Aside from changing some titles and their official relationship, it would have little impact on her life.
Finally, she lifted her brush and slowly brought it down to the edict.
The next day, during the morning court session.
After the morning obeisances, instead of reviewing memorials, Prince Jing solemnly stepped forward to receive an imperial edict.
He straightened his robes, his expression solemn.
Just as the tense atmosphere made everyone’s chests tighten, leading them to believe some major disaster had occurred…
Prince Jing suddenly broke into a wide grin. “No need to be so nervous. It’s wonderful news.”
Everyone was taken aback. Just as they were about to let out a sigh of relief, Prince Jing’s face suddenly grew stern once more.
He opened the edict with immense gravity and began to read.
Everyone’s hearts did a few flip-flops, and they nearly couldn’t catch their breath.
Mu Yunlian was still gloomy about the previous night. Rong Yin and the others, not knowing the contents of the edict, were still guessing why Her Majesty would suddenly issue such a solemn decree.
‘The marriages of Xiao Cheng and Xiao Lan?’
‘Even so, a marriage decree shouldn’t warrant this much fanfare.’
However, once Prince Jing read the first half, they all looked up abruptly.
Heaven and Earth united in virtue,
Yin and Yang shining in harmony.
This was an edict for an imperial wedding!
Just as they thought, Prince Jing read on: “…Rong Yin, Li Wei, Mu Yunlian, and Xu Xingchen are to be named Imperial Consorts, joined together in a joyous union…”
Everyone knew that the Empress had a relationship with these four men.
A male Emperor has his three palaces and six courtyards, so it was only natural for an Empress to have a few male consorts. Moreover, the Empress had not chosen them wantonly; she shared a genuine bond with each of these men.
But while people knew they were the Empress’s men, the selection of the primary consort had always been a point of controversy.
The other consort ranks were easy enough to handle, but there could only be one person in the main palace.
In terms of status, any of them could have been the primary consort. But no matter who was chosen, he would not have been able to command the respect of the other three.
This included Li Wei, who possessed the strongest martial arts.
One couldn’t rely on brute force in the inner palace.
They never expected the Empress to simply make all four of them Imperial Consorts, with no distinction in rank.
The four men stepped into the center of the hall, listening until the very last word was read.
‘Her Majesty is truly willing to marry us.’
‘There are no ranks. We are all called Imperial Consort. Though none of us can be her one and only, this is still the best possible outcome.’
The gloom that had plagued Mu Yunlian all night was swept away. He had thought Her Majesty had tired of him, but she had been thinking about the imperial edict all along.
Xiao Yang’s gaze met four pairs of eyes trying to suppress their excitement, and she couldn’t help but break into a smile. “What, do you have objections?”
The four men shook their heads in perfect unison. “None.”
Rong Yin: “We are deeply honored.”
Mu Yunlian: “Thank you, Your Majesty.” ‘This fulfills my obsession.’
Xu Xingchen clenched his fists inside his sleeves, the tight fabric assuring him this was no hallucination. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Li Wei, however, didn’t have such complicated thoughts. He was purely happy that Her Majesty was willing to marry him. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I am deeply honored.”
They had long known this day would come, so while they were overjoyed, they were not uncontrollably ecstatic. It was more a sense of grounding reassurance, like finally winning a grand prize they had been waiting for.
Xiao Yang’s gaze moved past the four men to the crowd behind them, who were already murmuring uncontrollably.
“My marriage is an affair of state, but it is also a minor one, and above all, it is a personal matter.”
“I permit discussion, but I will not permit censure. From this day on, I do not wish to see a single memorial discussing my marriage or my Imperial Consorts. Violators will be dismissed from their posts and permanently barred from holding office.”
“My union with the four Imperial Consorts is born of affection and is unrelated to politics. Anyone who takes sides, forms factions for selfish gain, schemes to control the inner palace, or interferes with the succession will be executed without pardon!”
This was a stark warning to everyone.
“We obey the decree.”
The Empress’s edict was posted throughout the Capital City and printed in the newspapers, announcing the news to all under Heaven.
The Empress was happy, the courtiers were satisfied, but one group of people emerged as victims.
All the major gambling houses, and many private citizens, had opened betting pools this year on who the Empress would choose as her Imperial Consort. When the answer was revealed today, it turned out to be all four of them.
Seeing that they had lost every bet, the bookies instantly refused to pay up. The bettors began chasing them for their winnings, and the commotion eventually reached the Ministry of Justice.
Xu Xingchen was the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice and also one of the very men at the center of the bet, yet he was asked to adjudicate the case.
Xu Xingchen likely never imagined he would have to deal with such a case.
Both sides seemed to have a point. This was the first case Xu Xingchen had ever encountered that he could not rule on, so he could only seek out the Empress.
Xiao Yang issued a simple decree: all bookies were to return the principal stakes, and all bets were voided. The next time anyone used the Empress as the subject of a wager, the penalty would be three years of forced labor.
Once the order was given, everyone immediately quieted down.
No matter who was in the right, no argument was stronger than the Empress’s.
With neither side suffering a loss, this was undoubtedly the best result.
————-
「Keruo City, Longchuan.」
Xiao Kun searched around. “Where’s Wen Rang?”
A soldier informed him, “Reporting to the Prince, the strategist is on the city wall tower.”
Xiao Kun was puzzled. “Why does he go up to the city wall tower every day?”
He walked up to the city wall tower and, just as expected, found Wen Rang at the highest point. Snow was beginning to fall from the sky, yet he stood there facing the wind, seemingly unafraid of the cold.
He climbed up to stand with Wen Rang. “What in the world are you looking at?”
‘What’s so great about the streets of Longchuan?’
Wen Rang sighed. “I’m looking at the Capital City.”
Xiao Kun understood. He was missing the Capital City. “Just how magnificent was the Capital City that you can’t stop thinking about it?”
Wen Rang said, “A magnificence you couldn’t possibly imagine in a lifetime, not unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes.”
He had done all his homework, wanting to build Keruo City in the style of the Capital City. He wasn’t asking for it to be identical, just to achieve a tenth of its grandeur.
But the gap between the ideal and reality was more than just a little bit.
No manpower, no money, no technology, no materials… It was all just imagination.
An impossible dream.
Xiao Kun asked, “I heard the Empress asked you to stay on as an official?”
Wen Rang nodded. “Yes, she did.”
After a moment of silence, Xiao Kun said, “If you wish to go, you may.”
Wen Rang look back at him. “It was hard enough for me to refuse the Empress. Don’t you go trying to shake my resolve.”
The Empress had told him to tour the Capital City before giving his answer. No wonder she was so confident. Anyone who saw the Capital City couldn’t possibly help but be drawn to it.
Heaven knows how much willpower it took for him to refuse the Empress at the time.
‘They had been brothers for many years; how could he not know Xiao Kun?’
‘He knew whether the offer was genuine or just a test.’
‘But their bond was deep, so such things didn’t matter.’
“It will take a very long time to develop Longchuan. But as long as we have the Empress’s support, there is always hope.”
To spend their entire lives guarding Longchuan—that was the destiny of their generation.
“I hope that you, my Prince, will get to see the Capital City at least once in your lifetime. Only then will your life not have been lived in vain.”