Qi Zhen left for Old Marquis Qi’s study in a somewhat dazed state.
The old marquis was bent over a map, his face solemn as though facing a formidable enemy.
Hearing movement, he raised his head and immediately saw Qi Zhen’s absent-minded expression. He frowned. “It’s only the Ren family’s affair. Is it really enough to scare you into this state?”
Even Ah Huang the dog hadn’t been frightened!
Wasn’t this embarrassing?
Qi Zhen felt rather wronged.
He cleared his throat before looking at his father. “Father, do you know? His Highness came just now, and I think Yuan Jie’er won’t be able to become the Imperial Grandson’s Consort after all.”
“…?”
Old Marquis Qi immediately put down the map.
This was a major matter.
Concerned, he asked: “What happened? Did Yuan Jie’er get angry with him?”
That shouldn’t be possible!
Xiao Yunting always indulged Qi Yuan in everything and treated her extraordinarily well.
One could fake kindness, but not responsibility in times of danger.
Nor could one fake risking one’s life to save another.
In Old Marquis Qi’s opinion, there was no way Xiao Yunting would abandon Qi Yuan.
The only possibility was that Qi Yuan had decided Xiao Yunting wasn’t good enough.
At that moment, Old Madam Qi happened to be entering with a bowl of ginseng soup for the marquis.
Hearing this, she was startled. “What?!”
She turned to stare at Qi Zhen.
Qi Zhen scratched his head.
“The Imperial Grandson said that, to him, there is no such thing as an Emperor and Empress.”
“There are only two sovereigns ruling together.”
Old Marquis Qi shot to his feet.
In a flash, he rushed over, grabbed Qi Zhen’s arm, and demanded: “Is that true?! Tell me honestly, is it true?!”
Old Madam Qi sucked in a sharp breath.
She suddenly felt as though she couldn’t breathe.
What kind of situation was this?
How could Xiao Yunting possibly hold such an idea?
There were countless arrogant men in this world.
Men who naturally believed themselves superior to women.
Men who always placed themselves above women and regarded women as useless.
Throughout history, emperors had almost universally forbidden women of the inner palace from interfering in state affairs.
Yet Xiao Yunting was the complete opposite.
Not only did he not oppose it…
He supported it!
He wanted Qi Yuan to share power and authority with him.
What extraordinary affection was this?
And what kind of broad-mindedness did it take to accomplish such a thing?
Old Madam Qi couldn’t help looking toward her husband.
Old Marquis Qi was so excited he began pacing in circles. “Good! Excellent!”
“I knew it! I knew it!”
“So what if Yuan Jie’er is a woman?!”
“My granddaughter isn’t inferior to any man!”
“So what if she shares power with Xiao Yunting? She has the ability to do it!”
His heart swelled with pride.
Countless heroic declarations rushed to his lips.
But in the end…
Smack!
He slapped Qi Zhen across the face.
Qi Zhen was completely dumbfounded.
“…?”
If Qi Yuan was capable, then she was capable.
If she was exceptional, then she was exceptional.
Why hit him?!
Aggrieved, he cried out: “Father!”
Had his father gone mad?
Old Marquis Qi snorted coldly and looked at him solemnly. “Do you know what this means?!”
“Do you know what our family could become in the future?!”
“From today onward, you’d better conduct yourself properly and watch every word you say!”
“As for the younger generation, you’d better pay attention to their education!”
“They can study. They can learn martial arts. They can join the army. H*ll, they can even go raise horses!”
“But our family cannot afford useless people. Do you understand?!”
At the very least, there could be no wastrels like Ling Chuhan.
Nor scoundrels like Tian Baoci.
As long as the descendants of the Qi family worked hard and amounted to something, the Qi family might truly become a great clan that lasted for centuries.
Qi Zhen found himself swept up by his father’s enthusiasm.
That was right!
The more important Qi Yuan was in Xiao Yunting’s heart, the greater the benefits for the Qi family.
All they needed to do was treat Qi Yuan well.
As long as they themselves remained capable and ambitious, future wealth and prosperity would take care of themselves.
Old Marquis Qi’s emotions remained turbulent for a long time.
The impact of this news was simply too great.
He had no idea how he was supposed to calm down.
But for Qi Yuan, the matter didn’t seem nearly so astonishing.
She understood Xiao Yunting.
He had grown up in a sacred Daoist mountain sanctuary.
The teachings and values he had received were fundamentally different from the worldly notions of male superiority and female inferiority.
In Daoism, Heaven and Earth stand side by side.
There is no inherent distinction between male and female.
Not to mention that the ancient creator goddess Nüwa had both created humanity and repaired the heavens.
Still, she could not deny that hearing those words made her happy.
The reason she liked Xiao Yunting was because, from beginning to end, he had always treated her as an equal and independent person.
He had never looked at her gender and decided she could or could not do something because of it.
That was extraordinarily rare.
The road ahead would be difficult.
Reaching the point where all under Heaven could accept two sovereigns ruling side by side would not be easy.
But she would make it happen.
After leaving the palace, Xiao Yunting’s mood had improved tremendously.
Even the moonlight seemed brighter than usual.
At last he understood. When one was with the person one loved, even the moonlight became beautiful.
In that moment, all the resentment and frustration in his heart finally dissipated.
In a low voice, he told Qi Yuan: “I won’t let him die. But I will bind his hands and feet so that he can never commit evil again.”
The Crown Prince would become a prince in name only.
Qi Yuan understood his reasoning. She also knew it was the best possible outcome. Nodding calmly, she replied: “Good. Then let him live for now.”
“For someone like him, losing his power and his ability to control others will be even more painful than death.”
Besides, what she intended to do extended far beyond that.
Feeling much lighter, Xiao Yunting wrapped his arms around her and pursed his lips. “Yuanyuan, I’ll be back soon.”
Qi Yuan nodded.
Meanwhile, Liujin and the others had lined up atop the wall, six heads peeking over the edge.
Each one stretched his neck farther than the last.
Honestly, watching battles and bloodshed every day was exciting.
But watching His Highness court Miss Qi was surprisingly entertaining too.
Before long, Qingfeng tugged at Babao’s sleeve from behind.
Babao immediately became annoyed. “What? What is it?!”
Can’t you see I’m busy watching?
How utterly lacking in romance!
What did he know?
Qingfeng was nothing like Babao.
Back on Longhu Mountain, he had been one of the most outstanding disciples and had personally been assigned to Xiao Yunting by the sect leader.
Among the Daoist soldiers, he was unquestionably the leader.
Now he snorted.
Babao turned around, saw who it was, and immediately scrambled down from the wall.
With his head lowered, he obediently called out: “Senior Brother…”
Qingfeng snorted again.
Only after all of them had climbed down properly did he vault over the wall himself and call out: “Your Highness.”
Xiao Yunting turned around.
Qingfeng lowered his voice. “Your Highness, something has happened in the palace. Her Majesty the Empress requests that you return immediately.”
A sudden incident in the palace?
At this moment, could it be that something had happened on the Crown Prince’s side?
Xiao Yunting glanced at Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan immediately nodded. “Your Highness should go back.”
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