Chapter 22: A Sincere Request for Miss Sheng's Return to the Estate

Sheng Jintang clenched her fists, her tears falling uncontrollably.

Madam Bai sighed and scolded her with irritation, "If you had told me earlier that Yunqing was the seed of that man, I wouldn't have been caught so unprepared."

Not only was she the child of Sheng Yuting, but she had also become a disciple of the Daoist priest Yun Sheng!

She raised a hand to rub her brow, wondering how she was to deal with this thorny problem now...

The next morning.

The palace was magnificent and resplendent. In an elegant hexagonal pavilion, slender fingers held a black chess piece and slowly placed it down.

"Seventh Imperial Brother rarely enters the palace. You surely didn't come here just to play a game with me, did you?" Emperor Ye Jinfeng, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe and looking to be in his fifties, spoke with a deep, resonant voice full of vigor.

Ye Jinchen, dressed in ink-colored finery with his long hair tied high, wore a faint smile on his exquisitely chiseled features. "Imperial Brother, I have come to the palace today to request a marriage."

Hearing this, Ye Jinfeng gave a soft scoff internally. He had heard that Ye Jinchen’s heart ailment was cured; looking at him now, he was indeed full of spirit, no longer the short-lived wretch he once was.

This news had spread throughout the capital. Every civil and military official with a daughter of marriageable age had submitted memorials, begging for a marriage alliance with Ye Jinchen.

He had been signing so many memorials these past few days that his hands were nearly falling off!

Barely recovered from his illness and he was already impatient to marry! Was he not afraid the doctors had misdiagnosed him?

He smiled faintly and said, "Oh? I wonder which young lady the Seventh Imperial Brother has set his sights on? She must be blessed indeed."

Ye Jinchen’s thin lips curved into an inscrutable smile. "The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei's estate."

"The eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei..." Ye Jinfeng frowned, lost in thought.

He had heard of that woman recently. Some time ago, when the Marquis's estate was distributing porridge for charity, the eldest daughter had stood at the gate, and her repulsive body odor had driven many people away.

Thinking of this, he nearly laughed out loud. He quickly raised a hand to cover his mouth as if nothing were wrong, stroked his chin, and said, "I have heard lately that you and the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei have been quite close."

"That is true," Ye Jinchen nodded. "I have long admired the eldest Miss Sheng. I implore my Imperial Brother to grant this union."

"If you are so deeply in love, how could I refuse?" Ye Jinfeng could barely hide his sarcastic smirk, so he kept heaping praise upon him. "I fully support your courageous pursuit of love! I shall draft the imperial decree immediately; you shall be wed within three days!"

"Imperial Brother, there is no need for such haste," Ye Jinchen said with a light cough. "It is enough that you grant your blessing. I only ask that you formalize the betrothal. As for the wedding, I would like to wait until the eldest Miss Sheng is ready before setting a date."

Ha, so in love, a real romantic, is he?

Regardless, once the betrothal was set, if he wanted to break it, he would have to get past him first.

When the time came, he would personally force their heads together to bow at the wedding ceremony!

Thinking this, he nodded and said with a smile, "As the Seventh Imperial Brother wishes, I shall draft the betrothal decree at once!"

With that, he hurriedly called for a eunuch to bring paper and ink, fearing that Ye Jinchen might change his mind.

Watching his flustered haste, Ye Jinchen’s eyes held a subtle, invisible glint of amusement.

Sansheng Hall.

"Wuwuwu..." Ye Xianning entered the door crying, rubbing her eyes as she sat down beside Yunqing.

Yunqing furrowed her brows slightly, wiped the tears from the girl's face with a handkerchief, and asked gently, "What's wrong? Who bullied you?"

"Sister Yunqing, I don't want you to go!" Ye Xianning sobbed, throwing herself into her arms. "Seventh Imperial Brother is bad, a big bad egg!"

Yunqing raised a willow brow and patted her head. "What has Ye Jinchen done?"

Ye Xianning sniffled, sat up, wiped her tears, and choked out, "Seventh Imperial Brother went to the Eldest Imperial Brother to request a decree to betroth that Sheng Jintang! Wuwuwu... Sister Yunqing, Seventh Imperial Brother is a big bad egg!"

"What?!" Yunqing sprang up, gritting her teeth in anger. "How preposterous! That thousand-cut Ye Jinchen, he must be blind!"

"It was one thing that he didn't discuss calling off the engagement when he went to the Marquis's estate last time, but now he has personally gone to the palace to request a decree? Doesn't that mean his marriage to that green tea bitch is set in stone?!"

"Damn you, Ye Jinchen, do you really love her that much?!" She ground her teeth in resentment and snorted, "Ye Jinchen, remember this: don't you ever come to see me again. Every time I see you, I'll beat you!"

With that, she sat down with a cold face, folded her arms, and turned away.

Ye Xianning tugged at her sleeve. "Sister Yunqing, you can be angry at Seventh Imperial Brother, but please don't be angry at me. I don't like Seventh Imperial Brother anymore either. How about I introduce you to my other imperial brothers? I have many more brothers, and I still want you to be my imperial sister-in-law."

"They must be better than Ye Jinchen! And they can't be overshadowed by that green tea bitch!"

"Mm-hmm! I support you, Sister Yunqing!"

"Fairy Sister, it's so lively outside," Su Lan said, bouncing across the threshold to Yunqing, who was reading a book.

Yunqing raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is it?"

Su Lan nodded. "I just saw that the Marquis's estate has arrived in a grand procession. The Marquis, the Madam, the two young misses, the young master, and all the servants—it seems everyone except the old matriarch and that imposter are here, and they are heading right toward us."

She frowned with a worried expression. "They aren't coming to pick a fight, are they?"

"What?" Ye Xianning, who had been sitting beside Yunqing peeling flower petals, froze and jumped up. "The Marquis of Zhenbei must be here to cause trouble for Sister Yunqing on behalf of Sheng Jintang! Sister Yunqing, don't be afraid. With me, Ye Xianning, here, they won't be able to touch a single hair on your head!"

Saying this, the girl patted her chest confidently, snorted in her childish voice, and pointed to the two guards standing at the door. "You two, block the door for me!"

"Yes!"

Yunqing curled her beautiful lips, saying nothing.

She knew exactly why Sheng Yukun had come.

Sheng Yukun led the crowd, standing outside the entrance of Sansheng Hall, blocking the road completely.

Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing, Madam Bai whispered to Sheng Yukun, embarrassed, "My Lord, must you really go this far?"

Sheng Yukun ignored her, clenched his fists, and shouted toward the entrance of Sansheng Hall, "The one hundred and twenty-seven members of the Marquis of Zhenbei's estate respectfully invite our eldest legitimate daughter, Miss Sheng Jintang, to return home!"

"The one hundred and twenty-seven members of the Marquis of Zhenbei's estate respectfully invite our eldest legitimate daughter, Miss Sheng Jintang, to return home!" the entire retinue shouted in unison.

The crowd outside erupted in chaos.

"What is the Marquis doing? Isn't the eldest Miss Sheng at the Marquis's estate?"

"Indeed, I heard that the eldest Miss Sheng broke her legs and was disfigured yesterday; she shouldn't be able to leave the house at all."

"There are only Miss Yunqing and Miss Su inside Sansheng Hall..."

Hearing the commotion outside, Su Lan snorted, her eyes shimmering with tears. With the realization that their suffering had finally come to an end, her voice trembled, "Hmph, at least they know their place!"