Chapter 10: You and I Shall Marry in One Year's Time

Hearing this, Qi Yuning's gaze was laced with a chilling frost, her eyes turning toward Guan Zhiyi with a coldness that bit. "The Guan family's prosperity has reached its end."

Guan Zhiyi raised her eyes through the pain and asked, "Who are you?"

Qi Yuning spoke with a detached coolness, "You are not worthy of knowing who I am."

Gazing at Qi Yuning's contemptuous eyes, Guan Zhiyi stood up and said, "You... don't be too arrogant."

Qi Yuning picked up Lingling and said, "Mother will take you into the palace to ask His Majesty to bestow upon you the status of a golden branch and jade leaf, alright?"

Lingling smiled and said, "Going to the palace is good! I can play with Little Uncle! Lingling likes playing with Little Uncle the most!"

Qi Yuning had possessed the right to enter and exit the imperial palace freely since childhood without needing to announce herself. Upon arriving outside the Zichen Hall, it wasn't long before Emperor Shiyuan summoned her into the hall.

The Emperor was already over sixty, his hair turned white early, and he wore a long white beard. Having sat on the throne for over forty years, the Emperor, in his old age, lacked the severity of a ruler and was instead quite kind.

Qi Yuning bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Beside Qi Yuning, Lingling also mimicked her movements by kneeling, her small peach-blossom eyes peeking secretly at the Emperor.

Emperor Shiyuan said, "Ningning, rise."

Seeing Lingling secretly staring at Emperor Shiyuan—who did not look like the Emperor she knew—Qi Yuning whispered to the girl, "Lingling, do you not recognize the Great-Great-Grandfather in front of you?"

Lingling shook her head.

Qi Yuning was stunned. Lingling remembered her uncle, her grandmother, and Uncle Lin Jiang, so... does that mean the Emperor is no more after six years?

Seeing the appearance of the little girl beside Qi Yuning, Emperor Shiyuan rose from his dragon throne and walked over to her. "Ningning, is this Ze'er's daughter?"

By now, Qi Yuning had become practiced at lying, no longer fearing the crime of deceiving the monarch.

"Your Majesty, when I was young and ignorant, I had a private affair with Heir Lu. We were young then, and once Lingling was conceived, she was born. I was afraid of being ridiculed, so I never spoke of it."

Emperor Shiyuan said, "How can such a major matter as having a child be kept secret?"

Qi Yuning knelt and said, "At that time, the Heir Lu and I were still very young, and I had no parents to guide me. I was foolish..."

Hearing Qi Yuning say she had no parents, a wave of guilt washed over Emperor Shiyuan. "It is also Ze'er's fault. I shall grant a marriage decree to you and Ze'er immediately, letting Ze'er marry you as his Heir Consort."

Qi Yuning said, "No, Your Majesty. The Heir Lu and I have long since lost all feelings for one another. When we parted, we agreed that we would each go our own ways and have nothing to do with each other. However, the daughter of Counselor Guan Cheng insulted my daughter, claiming she is not a golden branch and jade leaf, but a bastard child. Lingling carries the bloodline of the most loyal and brave generals of Great Sheng; she cannot be a bastard. The mistake I made with the Heir Lu due to our youthful ignorance should not cause Lingling to bear such infamy. This subject requests Your Majesty to grant Lingling an identity, so that she may be spared such insults."

Looking at the little girl who looked exactly like his grandson in his youth, Emperor Shiyuan asked, "What is this child's name?"

Lingling smiled faintly and said, "Lingling's name is Lu Yiling."

Emperor Shiyuan stroked his white beard and smiled. "This cleverness is exactly like Ze'er when he was young. Lu Yiling, a good name. I shall issue an edict immediately, enfeoffing Lu Yiling as the Princess of Xichang."

Qi Yuning smiled at Lingling and said, "Lingling, thank you, Your Majesty."

Little Lingling knelt and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Emperor Shiyuan pulled little Lingling up and said, "Someone, go call Lu Ze here. How could he hide the fact that he has a daughter from me for so long?"

Qi Yuning had not yet told Lu Ze the lies she had just spun; she could only hope he would be able to adapt on the fly.

Emperor Shiyuan also ordered someone to summon Empress Qin. Emperor Shiyuan and Empress Qin had been husband and wife since their youth, staying together from their black-haired days to their white-haired years.

Previously, the Empress had no sons, and the Crown Prince had not been established until twenty-three years ago, when Empress Qin gave birth to a prince in her late thirties and was then titled Crown Princess. This showed the deep affection between the Emperor and Empress.

When Empress Qin arrived, Qi Yuning stepped forward to pay her respects.

Empress Qin chuckled softly. "Rise, Ningning. Regarding that child Yun'er breaking the engagement, this Palace will certainly not let him off easily! If he wants to become a monk, let him! Until the day he apologizes to you and you have let go of your anger, I will never let him return to secular life!"

Qi Yuning smiled gently. "Thank you, Empress."

Empress Qin looked at the little girl sitting beside Qi Yuning. "And this is?"

Qi Yuning saw that Lingling also looked at Empress Qin with a face of unfamiliarity.

Qi Yuning pursed her lips slightly. So, even for Empress Qin, it had been less than six years?

Emperor Shiyuan said, "This is Lingling, the daughter of Ningning and Ze'er. Ze'er and Ningning had a child in secret, and they only dared to speak of it once the child turned three."

Hearing that his eldest daughter had a granddaughter, Empress Qin was both surprised and delighted. "Oh! This is my very first great-granddaughter! Ningning, what can I say to you? To hide such a huge matter."

Qi Yuning lowered her head and allowed the Empress to speak. She could not reveal Lingling's true origin—especially since, six years later, there would be no Emperor or Empress.

Lingling looked at Empress Qin with a smile and said, "Great-Great-Grandmother."

Empress Qin laughed happily. "Such a good girl. You look exactly like your father did when he was little."

When Lu Ze entered the Zichen Hall, he saw the two elders, the rulers of the world, playing with Lingling.

"Your Majesty, Empress."

Seeing Lu Ze, Emperor Shiyuan had Empress Qin take Lingling to the inner palace to play, then furiously hurled a cup at Lu Ze. "Kneel!"

Lu Ze knelt, looking at Emperor Shiyuan in confusion; this was the first time his maternal grandfather had ever lost his temper with him.

Emperor Shiyuan said, "If not for Prince Qi back then, I would have died long ago, the Zhao dynasty of Great Sheng would no longer exist, and there would be no mother for you, let alone the wealth and honor you enjoy in this life. You certainly have nerve! To dare betray the descendant of the loyal and brave Prince Qi! How old was Ningning then? Only fourteen, and you let her bear a child. Is that even human behavior?"

Lu Ze looked toward Qi Yuning. Not knowing how she had explained Lingling's identity to the Emperor and Empress, he first admitted his fault. "This subject knows his error. I am willing to take responsibility for Princess Qi."

Qi Yuning said, "No, Heir Lu. Our ties are severed. Back then, it was you who said we would each go our own ways and have nothing to do with each other. I have nothing to do with you. Although Lingling is of your blood, you did not acknowledge this daughter then, so I will not force you to acknowledge her now."

Hearing this, Emperor Shiyuan became even more incensed. "Lu Ze, you! You actually dare not acknowledge your daughter?"

Lu Ze said, "This subject knows his error. I hope the Princess will give me one more chance to take responsibility for you and Lingling."

Qi Yuning gave a light snort. "That will depend on the Heir Lu's sincerity. Your Majesty, this subject will not disturb you further. I shall take my leave."

Emperor Shiyuan stroked his white beard. "Very well."

Just as Qi Yuning left, Lu Ze followed.

As they walked side by side, Qi Yuning once again smelled the orchid scent on Lu Ze; today, the scent seemed even stronger.

After leaving the Zichen Hall, Lu Ze asked Qi Yuning, "Why did Princess Qi bring the child into the palace?"

Qi Yuning replied, "Someone called Lingling a bastard to my face. I sought the Emperor's help to give Lingling an identity, to shut those gossips up."

Lu Ze asked, "Then how did the Princess explain Lingling to His Majesty?"

"That you and I were young and ignorant, and then went our separate ways, and from then on, we would have nothing to do with each other."

Lu Ze said slowly, "If you and I truly had nothing to do with each other, Lingling would not exist."

Qi Yuning stared at Lu Ze.

Lu Ze's voice was clear. "If Princess Qi were to marry someone else in the future, the child born would not be Lingling. Therefore, when speaking before His Majesty and Prince Qi, the Princess should speak less of having nothing to do with each other."

Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze and said, "You do not like me, and I do not like you. If we hadn't said we would go our separate ways, His Majesty would have granted us a marriage decree just now. Would we have had to marry this very moment?"

Lu Ze gave a wry smile. "You and I will certainly marry in a year. Even if a decree were issued now, it would only mean marrying earlier."

Smelling the orchid scent coming from Lu Ze, Qi Yuning frowned. "As a grown man, why does Heir Lu frequently use a woman's orchid scent?"

Lu Ze said, "In the Court of State Ceremonies, one must frequently deal with corpses. It is inevitable to be tainted by the smell of decay, so I use orchid balm to mask the odor."

Qi Yuning took two steps away from Lu Ze. "Has this Princess gone blind in a year? Otherwise, why would I ever marry a man who deals with corpses year-round?"

Hearing the Princess's words of disdain, Lu Ze let out a mocking laugh.

He had once thought his future Heir Consort would surely be gentle, virtuous, considerate, and quiet, but Princess Qi had absolutely nothing to do with those eight words.

Lu Ze truly found it difficult to imagine how, in a year's time, he would end up with Qi Yuning and have a daughter like Lingling.

(End of Chapter)