Surprise

Surprise

The prime minister was so infuriated with this mother and her daughter! Yet he comforted himself due to the fact that the rest of his children were did not inherit his wife's foolishness! Look at Jiao Min and Jiao Han! His sons took after him! And his younger daughter Jiao Ren was doing great accompanying the empress dowager in the mountains!

"Both of you! Don't leave your rooms until you've written a five foot long reflection on your wrongs and how you will make it right! After that, you will go to Guifan City to help the refugees!"

Lin Shuyan and Jiao Zhu couldn't believe their ears.

"Father! How can you do that! Are you punishing me because of that sl*t!"

"Lin Shuyan, can you yourself hear the words coming out of your daughter's mouth! A noble lady, and not a country bumpkin!"

"What!" Lin Shuyan cradled Jiao Zhu in case her father hit her again, "is Xiao Taoqi not a sl*t! Whatever my Zhu-er says is right! And how dare you ask lock us up in house arrest! How will my Zhu-er socialize! And how dare you send us to Guifan! Do you want my Zhu-er to die!"

"If you don't want this," Jiao Hanli eventually regained his composure and stared down coldly at the foolish duo, "then you can just return to Hanji City for the rest of your lives!"

Hanji City! Lin Shuyan shuddered. That was where she was born! It was one of the poorest cities in Jin Empire. If not for the stroke of luck that enabled her to come to the capital, she would have rotted there forever!

"No! We won't go to Hanji City!" Lin Shuyan vehemently refused.

"Then leave now! Go do your reflections!"

The mother and daughter grumbled as they got up and left the prime Minister's chamber.

Jiao Hanli rubbed his forehead as he slumped into his seat. He had already decided what to do! If after this, his wife and daughter still didn't have any sense, he would send them off to the Kidan Monastery to learn the ways of nuns for a while!

It would make him lose face, no doubt, but he would cover it up. They would first head to Guifan City before starting the journey to the Kidan Monastery. Yes, that was it.

"Who's out there?" Jiao Hanli called. A guard came in.

"My lord,"

"Send for Jiao Min,"

"Yes!" The guard bowed and left.

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Wang Fengli returned to his palace late in the evening. He changed in his chamber first before heading straight towards Xiao Taoqi's.

"Your highness," the servants greeted him.

"Where's her highness?"

"She took a walk," Xue Er replied. Wang Fengli raised his eyebrows.

"At this time? Where did she go? Why are none of you with her?"

"Hey, you brat," Xiao Taoqi's voice came from outside.

Wang Fengli turned around to see his consort. She was wearing a riding attire, and her feet were dusty. His heart stirred st the sight of her hair tied up like a man's.

"I'm here," Xiao Taoqi didn't notice his eyes, "I can go anywhere I want. I'm not in prison, am I?"

"Of course not," Wang Fengli reached out to pick a piece of twig stuck to her shirt. The maids filed out to give them some privacy, but that seemed to alert warning bells in Xiao Taoqi's head.

"Hey, hey, hey, where are you all going!"

"It's late, let them retire," Wang Fengli pulled on Xiao Taoqi's arm. She flicked him away expertly.

"I thought I told you to keep your distance." She glared at him.

"What about after our wedding?" He asked with twinkling eyes.

"Hah," Xiao Taoqi laughed and scoffed, "hey, I don't know you. I don't even know where you came across my portrait. I never took a wedding portrait. I never took any portrait. I'm just nineteen. Who the hell told you about me?!"

Wang Fengli smirked.

"Lady Hong Niang, the royal matchmaker,"

"Aha!" Xiao Taoqi spun around, "so that's the wicked woman's name!"

"Wicked woman?" Wang Fengli was stunned.

"Yes! The wicked woman that got me into all this mess of not being able to reject the emperor's mandate! I'm so going to kill her!"

Wang Fengli laughed. His consort was so amusing.

"What are you laughing at? Bit wait, that aside, even if the matchmaker said so, why did you not refuse,"

"Because I love you!" Wang Fengli declared happily. He'd wanted to tell her this for such a long time!

"How can you love me! Idiot! You don't even know me!"

"I don't know Xiao Tao Qi?" Wang Fengli raised his eyebrows, "I don't know the girl that used to pour sand on me whenever I visited their manor? I don't know the girl that hit me on my birthday when her kite was stolen? I don't know the girl that pushed me into the pool because I ate her cake?"

"That's all in the past! And even, you yourself can see that you're a scumbag," Xiao Taoqi only remembered the birthday event, and not the others, "why the hell did you eat my cake anyway?"

"Because Taoqi had held it in her hand," Wang Fengli smiled. Xiao Taoqi rolled her eyes hard at him.

"All of that doesn't show that you know me! Was I not seven or so when you saw me last! I'm not the same person from back then!"

"I know," Wang Fengli took two steps closer to her. She took ten steps backwards.

"But I still love you!"

Xiao Taoqi raised her finger at him.

"You-- you're so annoying! Well, I'm going to give you the full list of rules tomorrow! Hopefully you'll back out of this in time!"

"We're going to court tomorrow." Wang Fengli replied.

"I don't care! Now, leave,"

Wang Fengli pulled out something from within his robes and set it down on the small round table in the room.

"Goodnight, Tao-er,"

"Get out already, Idiot Feng," Xiao Taoqi had already chosen a nickname for him. Wang Fengli smiled as he left.

"Ugh!" Xiao Taoqi threw herself onto the bed, "Hong Niang, right! I'm coming for you! Xue Er! Xue Er! Where are you guys? Come back in! Xue Er! Fu Yin!"

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Nanny Chun exclaimed at the beauty of the crown prince consort! The silver colored chest height hanfu with tassels at the waist that swung to and fro as she glided across the room was so elegant on her! It had intricately embroidered swans! The azure phoenix hairpin in her hair also! She already looked like an Empress!

"You're so beautiful, miss!" Xue Er had tears in her eyes. She had never imagined that she would one day see her miss dressed up like this. Asides when miss became Lady Yue Meng Mei, the business tycoon, she hardly dressed up.

"You are beautiful, prince consort!" All the other maids gushed as well. Xiao Taoqi strutted up and down in front of the mirror.

"Oh, I suppose," she had no idea she looked like a fairy! "Where's Idiot Feng? Does he want me to be late on my first day of court?"

Nanny Chun went out to see if the crown prince was on his way. Those inside heard her greeting someone.

"His highness must be here already!"

Wang Fengli wore a deep yellow dragon robe. He held up his hair with a dragon headpiece. As he stepped into the room he paused and stared at Xiao Taoqi as if he could not believe his eyes.

"Wow!" All that could come out of his mouth was that. Yes! This was his wife to be!

Xiao Taoqi walked towards him.

"Did a thunderbolt strike you? Why are you standing there like a dummy? Let's go!"

Wang Fengli recomposed himself and held out his hand. Xiao Taoqi ignored him and headed outside. The maids followed in a hurry.

"Presenting the crown prince and Lady Xiao Tao Qi!" The grand chamberlain announced their arrival. Everyone in the court turned their faces towards the entrance. Wang Fengli and Xiao Taoqi entered gracefully under the shocked gazes. So this was miss Xiao! She was an unparalleled beauty!

Wang Fengli and Xiao Taoqi headed straight towards the throne, where the emperor and empress sat. The emperor was seeing Xiao Taoqi for the first time in person. He glanced at the empress and nodded satisfactorily.

"Greetings to your majesty! May you live for a thousand, thousand years! Greetings to the mother of the empire!"

"Rise, rise," the emperor beamed, "so this is Xiao Tao Qi! Good! General Xiao has really trained you well!"

Xiao Taoqi curtseyed.

"Taoqi doesn't dare accept his majesty's praise. This subject has caused a lot of headaches for my father,"

Her words were met with amused laughter by all the court officials as well as the emperor. She was respected a bit more by them.

"Oh, really? But that's how it is. Fathers will only get headaches from their daughter's behavior. You have to see what my little Yue-er puts me and the empress through!"

"Yue-er?" Xiao Taoqi glanced curiously at Wang Fengli. He smiled back at her.

"That's my little sister. You'll meet her soon,"

"Is she called Feng Yue?" Xiao Taoqi asked with raised eyebrows. Wang Fengli was surprised.

"Do you know her?"

Xiao Taoqi smiled lightly.

"No, no, forget it,"

How dumb she was! Feng Yue, the friend of her Lin Miqi identity, was actually the sister of Idiot Feng!