Wanjin Lady

The emperor finally had time to tease Wei Zheng, "Wife? You two have no status, so how can you be called a wife?"

Wei Zheng laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you are joking. When I was in Ping County, I married into the Wen family."

Wenwan’s eyelids were twitching!

Brother, can I say this?

I asked you to save me, not to attract hatred!
The emperor obviously knew more about the whole matter than Empress Wei. "You married into the Wen family under a pseudonym, not Wei Zheng, so this marriage doesn't count." He sneered again, "You are the only child of the Wei family. If you marry into the family, I'm afraid Wei Fengshan will squat over my bedside and scold me in the middle of the night!"

Wei Zheng smiled and said, "My father died for Your Majesty, with all his sincerity and loyalty. How could I be disrespectful to Your Majesty?"

Thinking of the old Duke's mutilated skeleton, the Emperor glanced at Wen Wan again. The murderous look in his eyes faded, and instead, he looked as peaceful and kind as an elder. "Come to think of it, this is the first time I've met this girl. The Queen said she's got a lot of ideas, but I see... she's not very smart, but she's got some looks. No wonder she was able to coax you, Wei Jinyu, into a frenzy!"

Wen Wan quickly said, "Your Majesty, you are wronged! I am a simple and honest person, and I am definitely not—"

"Shut up," the emperor said bluntly, completely ignoring Wen Wan's feigned obedience. He only looked at Wei Zheng, "I know my elder sister's character. She's just holding me in a weak spot, trying to stay alive. Thinking of escaping like you did fifteen years ago is wishful thinking!"

The emperor, as the emperor, did not show his emotions. Even when talking about the person who had toyed with him, his tone remained calm. "It's just that the late emperor did give her an imperial edict. It's recorded in the diary. It's just that no one has ever seen it."

Wei Zheng said bluntly: "The content of the imperial edict may not be related to your majesty's succession to the throne."

Wen Wan just wished she was deaf and dumb.

She had never expected Wei Zheng to be so powerful, and to have a heart-to-heart talk with the emperor about the succession issue.

"But it's not necessarily irrelevant." The emperor sighed softly, "This matter is like a thorn in my throat."

"Perhaps this is the eldest princess's intention. She simply wants to make His Majesty uneasy day and night."

"But she's dead." The emperor glanced at Wen Wan, intentionally or not. For a moment, Wen Wan felt that he had seen through everything she had done. "There's no way to verify anything."

"So, the content of the imperial edict is unimportant. What's important is that this piece of waste paper becomes nothing more than a piece of waste paper even if it ever appears."

The emperor was stunned.

Wen Wan met Wei Zheng's gaze and immediately bowed, "Your Majesty, have you heard of 'The Noble Lady', a play that's all the rage in Kyoto teahouses?"

"Tell me in detail."

"When I was making a living in Bozhou, I wrote several storybooks. They became very popular in Bozhou and almost everyone knew them."

"Arriving in Kyoto, the woman did the same thing, bribing the storytellers in the major teahouses and asking the Crown Prince to mediate, making 'The Noble Lady' a well-known story. Now, everyone is waiting for the next episode of 'The Noble Lady'."

Wei Zheng interjected, "The story of 'The Noble Lady' tells the story of a woman whose husband was taken away by the eldest princess, who then murdered her family. In pursuit of justice, the emperor gathers evidence of the princess's crime. However, during her trial, the princess claims to have an imperial decree, putting the emperor in a dilemma."

The emperor was stunned for a moment, then understood in an instant, "Let the imperial edict become a piece of waste paper..."

"Your Majesty is wise. The next chapter of 'The Noble Lady' will tell how the heroine retaliates against the princess." Wen Wan deliberated, speaking slowly. "I'm thinking of having the princess forge a false imperial edict, detailing how it was fabricated and the resulting unrest at court."

Wen Wan was being evasive, but Wei Zheng was frank. "This way, even if an imperial edict were to leak out in the future, the people would have their own opinions. They wouldn't just blindly follow others."

"But if everyone follows suit, wouldn't it undermine the foundation of the country?"

"Then let the princess who fabricated the false imperial edict have a miserable end. This will serve as a warning and a lesson."

Obviously, the emperor was not satisfied. He seemed to be held hostage by Zhao Yingzhen's true and false imperial edicts, like an old trapped beast.

Wen Wan once again sighed that Zhao Yingzhen's methods hit the nail on the head.

She grasped the emperor's biggest concern.

The emperor came to power illegitimately, so he was naturally like a frightened bird.

Wen Wan remained silent. Only now did she realize that everyone involved was a master, and her little bit of cleverness was probably no match for them. "Your Majesty is right. It's better to believe it's true than not to believe it."

Wen Wan's heart was pounding as she listened to Wei Zheng's voice.

"Wen Wan was once abducted by the Princess and had frequent contact with her and her confidants. She knows the Princess's various deserted islands and hiding places. If Your Majesty is concerned, I am willing to take Wen Wan with me to the Tianshui Prefecture area to investigate the imperial edict, eliminate the remaining pirates, and protect the safety of the sea."

Obviously, this answer can be considered a full score for the essay.

There is no better solution to the current predicament.

The emperor suddenly laughed, "In that case...it must have been hard work for Jinyu."

"If Your Majesty truly feels that I've worked hard..." Wei Zheng looked up, a smile on his face, "Why not reward me with an imperial decree granting me marriage? This will prevent me from being criticized in the future, and at least give me and my two children a legitimate status."

Wen Wan was stunned, then looked at Wei Zheng in disbelief.

This... the real purpose is revealed?
Is this...right?
I knew the figurine was cruel, but I didn't expect that even the emperor could be so scheming.

The emperor snorted coldly, noticing Wei Zheng's little thoughts. He glanced at Wen Wan with displeasure, and Wen Wan immediately lowered her head and acted like a weak quail.

"Miss Wen." The superior's voice was deep and moody, "You are so capable."

Wen Wan quickly knelt down.

"I have made such painstaking efforts to get Jin Yu to leave Kyoto for you. If you dare to betray or bully him again, I will not forgive you!"

Wen Wan moved her lips, wanting to argue, but the dog emperor had no patience with her and interrupted her spell directly, "Stop pretending to be nice and clever, get out, I have something to discuss with the Duke of Wei."

Wei Zheng watched her with a smile as she left Zhenghe Hall and went to the side hall to wait.

Wen Wan sat down in shock, holding her chest.

Accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger.

She finally understood the meaning of these five words.

It's so fucking hard.

Fortunately, they are going back to Bozhou!

Thinking of what Wei Zheng once said about staying away from the turmoil in Kyoto, she thought it was just a joke to coax her, but she never thought that he actually did it all.

After an unknown amount of time, the eunuch came late and told her that Wei Zheng had come out. Wen Wan took two steps at a time, not wanting to stay in the palace anymore, and hurried to meet him.

The two of them rode out of the palace walls in a carriage.

They were both silent along the way.

The carriage swayed slowly along the long streets of Kyoto. The setting sun was golden and the sunset glow was bright. The couple returned home hand in hand.

It was Wei Zheng who spoke first, "Did I scare you today?"

Wen Wan shook her head, her eyes fixed on his legs. "You should have been the last one to leave. Can your legs handle such a rapid march?"

Wei Zheng took her hand and whispered in her ear, "Actually, my leg is fine. It's just that in front of His Majesty, I have to pretend to be weak and unable to take care of myself."

Wenwan frowned.

The office atmosphere has been ruined by these scabs! (End of Chapter)