Chapter 15
"Thank you, father emperor" Xiao Feng gave the edict to the emperor as the emperor took the edict and Xiao Feng went to her place in the court which is in the middle of the stairs which is the regent's place when Xiao Feng turned emperor sat down. Xiao Feng didn't kowtow but cup her hand and bow.
"Long live the emperor" Everyone in the hall kowtowed.
"Long live the emperor"
"Please rise"
"Imperial eunuch informs the 7 kingdoms that new emperor has taken the throne" Emperor nodded and then signal for the court to dismiss.
"Court dismisses"
"Xiao Feng and prime ministers please come with me" The three of them were in the royal chamber.
"Left prime minister, you can take your 1st daughter back"
"Thank you, your majesty"
"You can go now" He hesitated but bowed and went out.
"Right prime minister, you can send your daughter as the highest ranked consort"
"Thank you, your majesty"
"Your majesty, what daughter of Wife in Shu family you're taking to the harem?"
"Your highness it's 3rd daughter" Xiao Feng chuckled.
"Right 3rd Ms. of Shu hasn't married yet. Shu family is indeed lucky as 4 daughters have married royal blood. 2 of them are from the royal harem. But if my memory is right 3rd Ms. was engaged to Duke Shin's son"
"Your highness, may not know. Duke Shin's son died of a sudden illness"
"Right, I was away for 2 months. What a pity! Ministry Shin has only one son to take their blood"
"Okay, you can go now" He also bowed to the emperor and Xiao Feng before going out.
"Xiao Feng, have you already known about I being the emperor?"
"After all throne belongs to the crown prince and uncle knew you were okay"
"Xiao Feng, 7 days from now on will be a good day. Since you have already divorced prince Jing will you become my empress?" Xiao Feng looks at the emperor. She was still expressionless as he guides her to sit down.
"Will you? I know it's just a show father prepared to marry you to 5th brother and you haven't even done any marriage rituals and about what happened in camp-"
"Nothing happens that day!" Emperor look at her asking her to go on.
"He was drunk and he planned all with aphrodisiac in incense but with the help of my two maids I could save myself and I decide to put on an act so he will stop his plans for a while. He believed me since he couldn't remember anything"
"So, it means you agree?"
"Your majesty has the word in everything but I have few conditions" Xiao Feng knew she is on good terms with the emperor and still talk about conditions but if we reject, he may forcefully make her concubine and not a single condition could be negotiated.
"Go on. As long as you're my empress I will do anything"
"When the uncle died, he gave me a letter and ask me not to read it for 3 months and ask to burn it after reading. The day before yesterday I read it. There was written about the edict under the throne. About my conditions I want you to assure the protection of the Xiao family. Second, you have to free all the imperial family"
"If you become the empress, of course, you can take care of the Xiao family by yourself and I will give freedom to all the members of the imperial family"
"Other conditions I haven't thought about yet"
"I will agree to anything within my limit" Xiao Feng nodded. Emperor hugged Xiao Feng. Xiao Feng was a little confused about her feeling. She likes Shan Yuan and should hate the emperor but she couldn't. Her heart doesn't let her hate her brother Zheng.
The left prime minister was in their main hall with his Xiao Qi, sons, other wives, and concubines.
"Father, I told you Xiao Feng must be the one who helped the crown prince to be the emperor" Xiao Qi was crying. Xiao Feng entered the hall.
"Older sister, that's how you think about me?"
"Kneel!"
"Father?" Xiao Feng didn't think that her father didn't trust her.
"Xiao Feng! I didn't believe Xiao Qi when she said it may be you. For a long time, we were living a calm life but after the crown prince became the emperor we have to live with caution" Xiao Feng knelt she doesn't have hatred towards her father. It was completely okay for him to doubt her.
"Father I am doing what the former emperor ask me to do"
"But if you tell it before the Second prince wouldn't have died"
"Do you know his majesty forced the Second prince to suicide" Xiao Feng wasn't shocked as she stayed silent.
"So don't seem even a little bit shocked. You killed the Second prince and make me a widow" Xiao Qi slapped Xiao Feng and Xiao Feng fell to the ground. She got straight back in the kneels touching her cheek.
"How can you be so scheming at a young age" Concubine Xu just scoffed. Xiao Feng looked down. She doesn't want to explain after all they will not believe her even if she did.
"See master, I was saying the truth"
"When your majesty said the Second prince killed himself, I could guess someone forced him to suicide. After all, he is not an idiot to kill himself"
Xiao Feng just looks front but landed with another slap. Weining and Linlin were going to meddle but Xiao Feng shook his head.
"He threatened your majesty with everyone's lives. Court officials and my and other concubines' lives" Xiao Qi said while crying.
"If you didn't participate in the scheme, where were you? Why didn't you come? If you are loyal and stayed in the court, you could have saved your majesty's life"
"Now you know if I stayed his life have been saved" Xiao Feng chuckled. "Father I am tired. I will take my leave" Xiao Feng bowed and went away. A servant whispered something in the prime minister's ear.
"Wife Yu, take Xiao Qi to rest. Others also can go back"
"Father, do you going to let it go?"
"Xiao Qi, the people of your majesty who kept an eye on Xiao manor has gone away. City gates are opened and everything came back to normal. Anyone can leave and enter the capital like previously you understood what I said right?"
"Prime minister, royal edict" Everyone went to the entrance as there was an imperial eunuch with a few more imperial servants.
"Princess royal grand?" The Prime minister motioned a maid to take her and after some minutes she came back and knelt.
"Princess is resting because of the exhaustion. Sister Weining said she fell asleep right after she went to her room"
"Imperial eunuch, Xiao Feng just came back from a long journey after all" Imperial eunuch nodded and read the edict about Xiao Feng entering the palace as empress. Servants send the betrothal gifts sent by the emperor to Xiao manor. Xiao Qi gripped her skirt and the concubines in the family were also displeased.
Xiao Feng was taking a nap and Weining was carefully rubbing her cheeks with an egg.
"What was that?"
"About empress" Xiao Feng sighed.
"This is an endless abyss. Weining, find some good servants to bring to the palace. They don't need to be our people"
"Your highness?"
"I mean since my older sister is already started to show her true face and despise me it must be the same goes for my Second sister and also other wives and concubines. They must be eager to know what happens in the palace when I enter. Just do it"
"Yes, your highness" Weining went away.
"Linlin, go with me to prince Jing manor. Prepare for it. Make sure to bring some servants. There are a few things I needed to bring back" Linlin also went out. Xiao Qi was with her mother and two brothers.
"Mother, what should I do now?"
"Don't act rashly. Let's wait for the time being. Your brothers need to get a hold of the court. So, it will be easy in the future" Xiao Feng gets off in front of the prince Jing manor. She went inside as the housekeeper went to inform his masters then Xiao Feng was invited to the main hall.
"I know Xiao Feng, crown prince forced you"
"Prince Jing, you must be misunderstood me. Your Highness, please don't talk so intimately if someone hears they will take the wrong idea. I came here to, Linlin" Linlin signaled and a servant brought a few gifts inside.
"Concubine Zhu, this is the gift from me to your unborn child" She hesitantly bowed.
"Also, this princess Jing, token" She look at Xiao Feng.
"Xiao Feng, what happened in the camp is it a joke?" He was anxious and Xiao Feng chuckled.
"Your highness, can a drunk person remember what happened? Do you think with some drugs you can achieve what you want? Your highness underestimates me. For the sake of the late emperor, I married you. You can now guess what happened right? Nothing is out of my control"
"You! You mean you're the one behind the 8th royal brother coming to the throne"
"No, it's not me, but I knew it will happen" Xiao Feng stood up and Linlin opened the box in her hands and Xiao Feng took the edict. She read the edict to make concubine Zhu the wife of prince Jing. Before coming to the Prime minister's manor, she asked the emperor for this edict.
"Thank you, princess royal grand"
"Congratulation, princess Jing. Take care of your child. After all, it's royal blood. I have a duty from the late king to take care of royal blood"
"Yes, your highness"
"I have something to take, I will take it" Xiao Feng went to her former courtyard. She went inside and went to the dressing table. She doesn't want to take anything from here because everything she brings as a dowry wasn't the dowry of her mother. She made dowry herself but there was something useful here. She opens a box and took out an elegant hairpin. She took it.
"Housekeeper, everything here distributes them for servants. Before that if princess Jing wants something, let her take" Xiao Feng went out.
There was a servant in front of the emperor.
"Princess royal grand went out directly. She didn't meet anyone privately" Emperor nodded.
Weining entered the room where Xiao Feng was reading a scroll.
"Servants are selected and this is the list"
"Just put it here. Select 4 more maids sent by grandfather and send others to Feng villa. Send a copy of the list to the father. Also, there is no need for dowry like I went to the prince Jing manor. Palace doesn't lack things but more gold leaves and what you think is necessary" Weining nodded.
"Tomorrow bring new servants to see me"
"Yes," Weining nodded.
"Greetings Princess, I heard that except for the Shu family's 3rd daughter there is another one in the harem," Linlin said after entering the room.
"I do not have an interest in the harem"
"And she has a child"
"Child?" Xiao Feng put down the scroll and look Linlin who nodded.
"A prince, nearly 2 years. I heard that it's Wei's woman. Should I investigate?" Xiao Feng nodded.
"It doesn't matter the relationship with your majesty but the background of the woman and the child" Linlin nodded.
In the harem Shu family's third daughter, imperial consort Shu was preparing herself for her first night with the emperor.
"Your highness, after the emperor sees you, he will not visit any other woman" Consort Shu smiled looking at her in the mirror. She waited for the emperor to sit in the bed and time went by but the emperor was not there so consort Shu messaged her shoulders while waiting.
"Why his majesty hasn't arrived yet? Send someone to see" A eunuch nodded and went away. The next morning consort Shu's maid woke her up.
"Did his majesty come?" Consort Shu asked her while tidying her clothes.
"Your highness, emperor he didn't come last night"
"What?"
"He, he went to concubine Wei's palace," The maid said after kneeling.
"Concubine Wei?"
"Yes. Your Highness"
"I haven't heard of another concubine in the harem"
"Your highness, concubine Wei is from kingdom Wei. She is just a concubine not like your highness who is the highest ranked concubine but she has a little prince"
"Prince??"
"Yes, your highness. Prince is already 2 years old"
"Father didn't tell me about a concubine"
"Your highness, before the empress and emperor's wedding, the emperor disclosed the information. I heard that when his majesty was assignation it was concubine Wei's brother who rescued his majesty. Then marry her to his majesty" Consort Shu chuckled.
"Ms. Xiao Feng is fair and always wants peace. If she became empress, I don't have to worry. I admire her but about concubine Wei, I have to take care of her. Let's visit empress dowager and princess dowager"
Xiao Feng came out of her room and servants were standing in rows in the courtyard. She looks at the servants one by one when a maid fell unconscious to the ground.
"Call for a physician," Xiao Feng said and sat down in the armchair. A physician came and greet Xiao Feng before checking the maid's pulse. After rechecking two times Physician look at Xiao Feng and bowed.
"Your highness, she is pregnant" Xiao Feng looks at the maid. She could see that the maid was purposely acting and wanted Xiao Feng to get to the bottom of it. Of course, Xiao Feng was bored preparing for the marriage and she will play with her.
"How can a maid be pregnant?" Xiao Feng asked with an innocent look.
"Your highness, the maid should be beaten to death as she is still a maid"
"I-I, your highness please have mercy. I didn't hook up with any other man. It is the fourth young master's child. Please, have mercy"