When Xu Buyue first appeared, Caiyu didn't think much of it. After all, she had been away from the capital for a long time and didn't know much about the political situation in the court.
But standing under the catalpa tree and listening to the whispers of the officials, she finally grasped the main point.
Her heart sank like a stone into an abyss. With a dazed and aching look in her eyes, she looked over.
The woman sitting beside Queen Ma was clearly of noble status. She had a delicate face, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned and her eye sockets a bit narrow. Her pupils glowed with a cold and proud light.
She wasn't a stunning beauty, but it was hard to take one's eyes off her.
Before Caiyu could think further, the majestic Emperor Guangwu spoke:
"I have something important to announce today on the occasion of the Queen's birthday banquet... Prince of Yan, receive the imperial edict!"
At Emperor Guangwu's call, not only did Caiyu stagger, but Song Chengyuan's face also changed drastically.
Song Chengyuan looked at Emperor Guangwu in disbelief.
He had been under house arrest before, and even he hadn't received any news about Xu Buyue's entry into the palace. It was only last night after Lü Baiwei entered the palace that Eunuch Cen came with an oral edict announcing his release.
So when he saw Xu Buyue today, he thought it was Queen Ma's arrangement for a new Crown Princess for him.
After all, Emperor Guangwu and Queen Ma doted on him the most.
Who else could such a good girl be matched with if not him?
So he didn't pay much attention to this matter at all.
But why did Father Emperor ask his fourth younger brother to receive the edict?
A bad premonition suddenly welled up in Song Chengyuan's heart.
Could it be that Father Emperor and Mother Queen...
Song Yinghuai was also caught off guard when Emperor Guangwu suddenly called his name.
He was always good at planning everything, and he also knew that Father Emperor always feared that his power would overshadow the Crown Prince. So he thought the daughter of the Xu family was going to be betrothed to the Crown Prince.
He had once fantasized about his future wife, imagining that she would be like Miss Lan, the third daughter of the Lan family.
But after he learned four years ago that Lan Jinshu had passed away, he had no more expectations.
He also knew that as a prince, he had no say in his marriage. No matter which woman was betrothed to him, he could only respect her and ensure that she would have a comfortable life.
But who would have thought that Caiyu would burst into his life, and this Caiyu turned out to be Miss Lan, the third daughter who had been dead for four years.
How could he let her go?
But...
Song Yinghuai swallowed hard. His hands on both sides curled slightly, and his eyes involuntarily looked in Caiyu's direction.
At the same time, Sheng Jiangli was also looking at Caiyu.
Sheng Jiangli had always been indifferent to the political situation in the court, but he cared about the woman standing under the catalpa tree - Lan Jinshu.
At this moment, the woman's complexion seemed normal, but the two men who were very familiar with her could see at a glance.
Her body was as stiff as a strong bamboo, and her face was a little pale, barely noticeable.
She was just stubbornly hiding her emotions. The trembling eyelashes covering her eyes had already betrayed her mood.
The night wind blew the bells on the eaves of the palace, making a chaotic sound.
Song Yinghuai tightened his lips, knelt on both knees, and his eyebrows were almost knitted together.
The unexpected uneasiness couldn't be suppressed and welled up in his heart.
It made him lose some of his usual calmness, and even answering seemed a bit difficult.
"Chen Ce, you read the edict for me!" Emperor Guangwu said in a deep voice.
Suddenly, everyone in the imperial garden knelt down in a dense mass.
"Yes!" Eunuch Cen bent over and stepped forward. He unfolded the bright yellow imperial edict and said in a high - pitched and shrill voice:
"The hereditary feudal prince of the Yanbei region! The fourth son of Emperor Guangwu! Song Yinghuai, the Prince of Yan and the commander of the Yan Army! In the 25th year of Yuanzheng, he was defeated in the Nao'erhai battle. He voluntarily asked to be under house arrest in the Yan region to practice Buddhism and pay tribute to the 30,000 sacrificed soldiers. Now that seven years have passed, I hereby specially allow you to leave the Yan region again, serve the country, assist the monarch, and lead the troops to guard the border sands!"
Unrestricted!
This imperial edict was like a thunderbolt exploding in people's hearts!
The Prince of Yan was unrestricted!
This meant that from now on, Song Yinghuai could personally lead the troops to fight on the border sands. He no longer had to stay in Yanjing and just let the five fierce generals fight on the border!
It also meant that the power of the Yan region had grown further, and the Crown Prince had retreated one step further.
Unrestricted!
It also meant that Song Yinghuai could get married!
Next, would come the betrothal of the daughter of the Xu family?
Caiyu seemed to hear the whispers of the court officials in the distance. Even the supporters of the Prince of Yan were burying their heads and secretly cheering in a low voice.
The cheers seemed to be contagious, making her smile involuntarily.
Her knees were pressing hard against the grass. The rough sandstone was rubbing her skin and knees painfully, but she didn't feel it at all. She just followed the crowd and laughed stupidly.
Out of the corner of his eye, Song Yinghuai saw the woman under the catalpa tree kneeling on the ground, shaking with laughter.
The man's throat suddenly tightened, as if something was seeping through his fingers and lingering in the night wind.
He jerked his head back and still knelt on the ground.
The imperial edict wasn't finished yet and continued.
The wind blew across Caiyu's eyes, drying the mist that had just welled up in them.
Under the imperial edict, no one could move.
Sheng Jiangli's face was always turned to the side, watching Caiyu bury her head, with her shoulders twitching with laughter.
The laughter was silent, but he seemed to hear the sound of crying.
At this moment, he didn't know what to do to comfort his Miss Lan, the third daughter.
There were only some tables and people between them, but at this moment, he couldn't rush over and hold Miss Lan in his arms.
He couldn't even rush up and tear up the imperial edict!
He had known for many years that he wasn't an omnipotent person.
For many things, even if he resisted, he would eventually have to bend his back and obey the arrangement of fate.
Sheng Jiangli knelt on the ground with his head down and took a few deep breaths.
Well... If Song Yinghuai really married Xu Buyue.
Maybe Sister Shu'er would give up.
He would take Miss Lan, the third daughter, out of the pass!
It didn't matter if he never set foot in the territory of the Great Ye Kingdom again in this life.
As long as she was willing to go, he would definitely take her away!
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Song Yinghuai.
There was fear, hesitation, and determination.
Some officials had already chosen their sides at this moment.
Some officials were still hesitating, wanting to hear if there were more decisions later.
There were also some officials, like Wen Zilong, who were in a complete panic.
The wind was changing!
As a key member of the Crown Prince's faction, once the Crown Prince lost power, he would be the first target for the Prince of Yan's faction to attack!
He had just been promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War!
How could he be willing?
Song Yinghuai took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, his eyes were full of surging emotions, so complex that it was hard to tell whether it was joy or sorrow.
Being unrestricted was indeed one of his plans for coming to the capital this time.
It was a pity that plans couldn't keep up with changes.
He had achieved his goal of being unrestricted, but he had done it to keep Caiyu by his side in a proper way, not for...
Eunuch Cen's high - pitched voice continued:
"Xu Buyue, the youngest daughter of Xu Ying, the Duke who founded the country, comes from a noble family. She has received good education and is naturally chaste and obedient. Her words and demeanor follow the rules. She is suitable to manage the palace education and lead the nine concubines to receive blessings. She can assist the Queen and is worthy of the stars. In accordance with the regulations, I bestow this imperial edict. I hereby confer Xu Buyue as..."
"Eunuch Cen!" Song Yinghuai suddenly interrupted him before he could finish reading.
Eunuch Cen almost bit his own tongue. He looked at Song Yinghuai kneeling below in horror.
It was the first time he had ever encountered someone daring to interrupt the reading of an imperial edict!
"Your, Your Highness, the Prince of Yan..." Cold sweat broke out on Eunuch Cen's back in an instant. "Do you have something to say?"
Not to mention that Emperor Guangwu himself was sitting above, even when going to other officials' mansions to read an imperial edict, no one would dare to do this!
If the Prince of Yan didn't come up with a good reason today, His Majesty might punish him severely...
Eunuch Cen secretly glanced at Emperor Guangwu sitting on the dragon throne, looking extremely distressed.
He had just been unrestricted!
What was the Prince of Yan up to?
Not only Eunuch Cen, but all the civil and military officials in the imperial garden were also stunned.
What was the Prince of Yan up to?
Everyone had already heard most of it.
Xu Buyue was just one sentence away from being betrothed to him!
But he just had to interrupt Eunuch Cen's reading of the imperial edict at this moment!
What on earth was the Prince of Yan thinking?
And what about the Princess of Nan'an?
What was she thinking?