"Sir, something happened. Xiao Cheng was killed in prison." Three days after Shi Wei and the others were killed, He Wu came to Xia Jingyao to report.
"What's going on?" Xia Jingyao asked calmly. Xia Jingyao was not surprised that Xiao Chenghui was killed.
"While the jailer was delivering food, he suddenly broke out and killed people. Xiao Cheng died on the spot, and the jailer also committed suicide." He Wujiang stated the situation concisely and clearly.
"Since the murderer has committed suicide, let's not investigate further." Xia Jingyao was self-aware and knew that he could not continue to investigate. Since Xiao Cheng is dead, let's end it here.
Ten days later, Zhao Tan came to the Yongan Marquis Mansion with the imperial edict.
"The emperor has decreed that the Marquis of Yong'an, Xia Jingyao, has both wisdom and bravery to eradicate the Mingyue Gate and purge the officialdom of Fuchang County, which will benefit the country and the people. The Marquis of Yong'an is specially ordered to enter the court as an official and be granted the title of Minister of the Ministry of War. As soon as the affairs of Fuchang County are handed over, he will I will return to the court and take office. I hope you will do your best to share your worries for the king. You and Zhao Zi are a talented man and a beautiful woman, and they are a perfect match. The marriage has been granted for a long time, so you should get married as soon as possible. The eighteenth day of the next month is a good and auspicious day to get married, so you can't wait any longer. Qin This." When Xia Jingyao and others came to the front hall, Zhao Tan read out the imperial edict.
After hearing the second half of the imperial edict, Xia Jingyao suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhao Tan who was reading out the imperial edict. He never expected that this time the king would directly set the wedding date. This suddenly disrupted all his plans. Liu Yunqing was very happy and sad, but the sadness was hidden in his heart and did not show it. Zhao Zi's joy was not concealed, with a smile on his face.
"Thank you first for accepting the order, and I will explain the rest to you later." Zhao Tan said in a low voice when he saw that Xia Jingyao was staring at him intently and had no intention of accepting the order. Refusal to accept the imperial edict is disrespectful and is a capital offense.
"Thank you Lord for your kindness." After hearing Zhao Tan's words, Xia Jingyao kowtowed and thanked him, and then received the imperial edict. After getting up, Xia Jingyao looked at Liu Yunqing behind him. Liu Yunqing had already left with Haitang. Xia Jingyao raised his legs and was about to chase Liu Yunqing, but stopped again. He couldn't explain it to Liu Yunqing until the matter was clarified.
"Brother Tan, come to Jingyuan to talk." Xia Jingyao said to Zhao Tan. Zhao Tan nodded, and the two of them walked towards Jingyuan. Zhao Zi wanted to follow, but Zhao Tan stopped him with his eyes.
"Brother Tan, what's going on?" Xia Jingyao asked immediately when he arrived at Jingyuan.
"My father proposed it. Your Majesty thought that it would bring you double happiness, so you agreed. I knew that you would be emotional, so I took the initiative to come and deliver the order. Jingyao, now that the matter has come to this, just accept it as it goes. Xiao Zi is true to you, and I don’t want to see her sad. Although this goes against our previous agreement, it is also the best result for you. When you arrive in the imperial capital, with the help of Prince Ning’an, you will definitely be able to go further. Far away, stand higher. You can marry Liu Yunqing on the same day and with the same specifications. I have already discussed it with my father and will never make it difficult for you." Zhao Tan still felt a little guilty, after all, he had promised before Xia Jingyao was stunned. However, the development of things was out of his control. All he could do was make up for Liu Yunqing as much as possible.
"Brother Tan, I really have no feelings for Xiaozi. If we are forced to be together, Xiaozi will not be happy. I know that marrying Xiaozi will have many benefits for me. But I can't delay my marriage because of my selfish desires. I want Xiaozi's life-long happiness. What I want is to be a pair for the rest of my life, just like my father and my mother, loving husband and wife. I already have Liu Yunqing, and I can't let go of the second person in my heart." Xia Jingyao still firmly opposed.
"Last time your Majesty granted you a marriage, few people knew about it. Even if you broke off the engagement, it would not have a great impact on Xiaozi. But this time, the news has spread throughout the entire imperial capital. If you insist on breaking off the engagement, you can How did Xiaozi raise her head in the imperial capital. Since Xiaozi has chosen you, no matter whether she is happy or not in the future, it is her choice. I believe that as a person, you will never treat her badly. Your Majesty, because of your Two imperial edicts have been issued on the marriage, do you think you can still persuade the emperor to take back the order? Do you still need me to remind you of the consequences of resisting the edict and disrespecting the edict?" Now that the matter has come to this, Zhao Tan is also happy to see it done.
"Brother Tan, you are forcing me to do this. But I have made up my mind. I will beg you to take back my life and use my merits and title as a bargaining chip. You are a wise king, so you will definitely not It will make things difficult for others." Xia Jingyao still refused, even if he gave up all his glory and wealth, he would not hesitate.
"You are just too naive. Do you think that by giving up everything, your Majesty can take back your life? The result of your doing that will only be a dead end. You have no foundation in the court. How could your Majesty, because of you, And you have offended your father. Your father already knows about your killing of Shi Wei. If you insist on breaking off the engagement, your father will definitely not let you live." Zhao Tan hesitated again and again, but still said the words he least wanted to say. This is already a naked threat. After so many years of friendship, Zhao Tan never expected that one day he would threaten Xia Jingyao.
"You have an spy around me?" Xia Jingyao looked at Zhao Tan in disbelief.
"It's not an eyeliner. In fact, the original purpose is to protect your safety." Zhao Tan explained, but he felt that he couldn't even convince himself with this explanation.
"Then I have to thank Brother Tan. For so many years, I have always regarded Brother Tan as a relative. It's really a fate. It seems that I can only marry Zhao Zihe and die. There are two options." Xia Jingyao At this time, I felt particularly sad. His best friend and most trusted relative gave him the most fatal blow.
"A Yao, you have to believe that Brother Tan has always treated you as his own brother. He has never thought of plotting against you. Don't be stubborn. Brother Tan will definitely make it up to you in the future." Seeing Xia Jingyao's pain The look on his face made Zhao Tan feel uncomfortable.
"I believe Brother Tan. Brother Tan, please take Xiaozi out of the Hou Mansion first. I want to be alone." Xia Jingyao didn't want to say anything else.
Zhao Tan wanted to say something more, but sighed and left. When Zhao Zi learned that Zhao Tan wanted to take her out of the Hou Mansion, she was very reluctant, but she did not dare to object.
After listening to the imperial edict, Liu Yunqing left the Hou Mansion and came to the street, wandering aimlessly. At this time, she felt very confused. She also knew that it was normal for a man as good as Xia Jingyao to have three wives and four concubines. But she was unwilling to serve the same husband as others. She didn't want to end up like her mother and end up miserable. But now that the wedding date has been set, it may not be that easy to resist the decree.
If you marry Zhao Zi, you can get the support of Prince Ning'an, and your career in officialdom will definitely be smooth in the future. If you resist, your life may be in danger. This doesn't seem to be a multiple-choice question. Everyone would marry Zhao Zi. Moreover, Zhao Zi has outstanding appearance, is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and is a famous talented woman. Liu Yunqing thought about it and suddenly felt a little ashamed of herself.
Yes, such an excellent Zhao Zi is willing to serve a husband with her, so what else can she do to be pretentious. However, she was just sad about this situation in her heart. She also knew that Xia Jingyao marrying Zhao Zi was the best outcome. No matter what, Xia Jingyao's future cannot be delayed, Liu Yunqing thought to herself.
When Liu Yunqing returned to the Hou Mansion, it was already dark. When passing by the Jingyuan, Liu Yunqing inadvertently looked up and saw a person sitting on the roof of the Jingyuan. Without thinking, he knew that person was Xia Jingyao. In the Hou Mansion, no one would go to the roof casually. Liu Yunqing changed direction and walked towards Jingyuan.
