Yan Qi was taken aback for a moment, feeling that the noise and laughter outside were particularly harsh and unpleasant.
Since the downfall of the Yan family, for the past year and a half, he has been staying with his grandfather in the ancestral home in the west of the city, serving him left and right. Like other descendants of the Yan family who held official positions in the court, he was also stripped of his official position and would never be allowed to enter the court as an official. After the mutiny, many descendants of the Yan family were dismissed and investigated, exiled to the harsh northern region, and the Yan family’s influence in the court was completely eradicated.
In the past, he was proud to be the eldest grandson of the Yan family. Now, the two words “Yan family” are like a mouse crossing the street, everyone is shouting and beating.
He still cannot accept the fact that the Yan family fell to this point overnight, nor does he understand why the Yan family, which was once glorious, suddenly came to this day.
His grandfather advised him to stay quiet and hibernate, wait for the opportunity and revitalize the Yan family, and don’t let his talent and his identity as the Yan family’s eldest grandson down. But how could he accept all of this calmly?
Every time he encountered those who strike a person when they’re down, the resentment in his heart grew by one more point.
He is the most talented person in Jiangbei, he shouldn’t have fallen to such a level.
He often feels regretful. If he were to hurry up to Mount Li and tell him the news, would he be able to understand his sincerity towards him?
After being dismissed, he spent a long period of time in depression, until that day, he heard the news that Chu Yan had fallen into the river and died.
He was instantly revitalized with a new hope and instantly pulled himself together. As his grandfather had intended, he calmed himself down, picked up his brush and paper again, and diligently practiced his writing.
Although the Yan’s descendants were stripped of their official positions, they can still attend the Spring Banquet as ordinary scholars.
Next year’s Spring Banquet will be an excellent opportunity for him to regain the title of the first talented scholar in Jiangbei.
But he never expected that before he could wait till March next year, he would get the news of his upcoming wedding first.
It was just an emotionless political alliance, and he went so far as to make such a big deal out of it and intentionally used this method to make this happy news spread all over the streets and alleys from the south of the river and north of the river.
Who is he going to show it to?
After the house servant finished speaking, he regretted it. After all, the head of the family had instructed him not to mention the Crown Prince’s wedding in front of the Young Master these days, so as not to disturb his mind.
The servant said, “It seems that such a political alliance is not very meaningful, let alone sincere. His Highness the Crown Prince previously hated the Crown Prince of Jiang to the bone, and for him to agree to this marriage is mostly due to the many benefits that the Jiang Empire has provided.”
Yan Qi didn’t speak, but he clearly agreed with the house servant’s words in his heart.
After the battle at the Muyun Pass, although the Sui capital’s famous scholars were all proclaiming how the Crown Prince of Jiang was so elegant and outstanding, the so-called ugly rumors were just a falsehood, but he did not believe those brainless praises. He didn’t believe that, with his temperament, he would move on to another love in such a short time and fall in love with that enemy Crown Prince.
He knew that the Crown Prince of Jiang was just a tool for him to achieve his ambitions and nothing more.
He just didn’t understand why he could accept an enemy Crown Prince who had been against him everywhere but couldn’t see his sincerity.
Since childhood, the servant has been following Yan Qi’s side. Seeing that Yan Qi did not speak, nor did he show any displeasure or reprimand him, he knew that the young master had listened to his words.
The servant continued, “From the servant’s perspective, this marriage will not last long. When the North and South are unified in the future, His Highness the Crown Prince will take over the entire world, and the death of the Crown Prince of Jiang will also come.”
“Besides, no one in the Sui capital doesn’t know that His Highness the Crown Prince had a charming and favored noble concubine. When it gets into the Crown Prince of Jiang’s ears, wouldn’t he have no grudges at all?”
Yan Qi exhaled lightly and said, “Don’t talk anymore, let’s go shopping first.”
“Yes.”
The servant cheerfully responded and drove towards another sparsely populated brush and ink workshop.
The various matters of the wedding were tedious and busy, but time passed exceptionally quickly. Sui Heng, amidst his busy schedule, would send a love letter to Muyun Pass every five days, regardless of wind or snow.
The one in charge of delivering the letter is a majestic Gyrfalcon.
As soon as the day came, the little boy would make Gongsun Yang hold him and stand up at the city gate tower to watch the eagle. He would wave his little hands joyfully and make ah-ya sounds.
Every time Jiang Yun opened his letter and saw the sour poems that Sui Heng had copied from various books, he couldn’t help but laugh. Then, as he requested, he picked up his brush and wrote another sour poem back to him.
The two have fun with this on the days they can’t see each other.
Since his return from the Qi capital, Emperor Jiang has suffered from a serious heart disease, often experiencing pain in the heart and vomiting blood at night. However, he is still a pioneering emperor who has expanded his territory. He has been trapped in his own inner demons for his whole life and may continue to be entangled with deeper ones for the rest of his life. After recuperating from his illness for a while, he resumed his former style.
Emperor Jiang did not mention anything about Dongzhou, nor did he say anything about this marriage. After waking up, he only did two things. The first thing was to demote King Chu, Jiang Lang as a commoner.
The second thing was to summon the generals of the pass and make a posthumous edict in advance that after hundred years, the throne would be passed on to the Crown Prince Jiang Yun. The imperial edict will be sealed in the Muyun Pass, and in the future, it will be transferred to the new capital.
Jiang Lang’s leg injury has healed, but that leg is completely useless, and now he can only walk with a cane. Previously, he had been King Xian for only one day and was demoted back to King Chu, which was enough to strike his mind. Now, with great difficulty, he was hoping that his uncertain Emperor Father would wake up, and suddenly he became a commoner, not even the royal son anymore.
Jiang Lang couldn’t accept this fact and ran to Emperor Jiang, crying loudly.
Emperor Jiang coldly waved his hand, and the Silver Clothes Guards entered directly, dragging the commoner Jiang Lang away.
On a snowy day, Emperor Jiang officially set off to return to the Jiang capital, and Jiang Yun led the generals of the pass to bid them farewell.
The father and son fall silent towards each other.
Emperor Jiang, supported by Liu Gong, climbed onto the carriage and walked forward. He turned his head and looked at his young son standing in the snow and wind. His eyes suddenly turned red, and he said, “Rongyu, Emperor Father regrets not sending anyone to save you eight years ago.”
“Emperor Father won’t expect your forgiveness and only wishes that God will bless my son with a life of health, peace, and joy.”
This emperor, who had lived his life in a cold and overbearing manner, even to the point of harshness, let out the guilt that was buried deep inside and tormented him for eight whole years in this way.
After saying that, Emperor Jiang got up and entered the carriage.
King Chu, Jiang Lang, was also escorted in a carriage, following at the very end of the procession.
In the blink of an eye, it was next year, and the wedding day was approaching. Everyone in Muyun Pass was busy, lighting up and decorating colorful decorations to celebrate the upcoming Crown Prince’s wedding. Sui Heng took care of all the matters related to the wedding, including the tailoring of the wedding attires. Jiang Yun didn’t need to prepare anything special, just sitting in the pass and drawing the blueprint of the new capital everyday, and then waiting for Sui Heng to come over and welcome the bride.
By February, the basic drawings for the new capital have been completed, and Jiang Yun revise some minor details. Once the weather gets warmer, construction can officially begin.
In March, just as the water surface of the Yellow River had melted away, a massive welcoming procession arrived as promised, with red silk wrapped around ships carrying dowry, covering the entire Yellow River from the north to the south.
The people of Jiangnan and Jiangbei rushed to both sides of the river to watch this rare grand wedding ceremony.