Chapter 51
"Master?" Lin Ziyi also looked at herself and her husband in confusion.
"It's nothing. I need to go to the palace." Wei Jing'an gently patted Lin Ziyi before standing up and walking out.
Watching his father leave, Wei Herui let out a sigh of relief.
His father was truly terrifying.
"Mother, I truly know I was wrong," Wei Herui said, acting spoiled as usual toward Lin Ziyi.
"Hmph, you’ll kneel here until your father returns!" Thinking of how her son had embarrassed her today, Lin Ziyi felt that this unfilial child still needed her husband to discipline him properly.
Otherwise, if today it was her husband who was humiliated, next time, it might be her turn.
It was one thing for him to say her husband ran naked through the capital three times, but if it were about her...
She might not even have the face to live in this world anymore.
With that thought, Lin Ziyi left without another glance.
Wei Jing'an entered the palace with unease. Along the way, he kept wondering why the Emperor would bypass his father and summon him directly.
He tried hard to recall if he had done anything wrong recently.
But there hadn’t been any royal ceremonies or sacrifices lately, so he couldn’t think of any mistakes he might have made.
Moreover, the Imperial Astronomers hadn’t mentioned any upcoming rituals that needed preparation.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty! May Your Majesty enjoy boundless fortune and peace!" Wei Jing'an stood below Zhu Jingchen and bowed nervously.
"Minister Wei, rise!" Zhu Jingchen smiled as he studied Wei Jing'an.
Grand Tutor Wei was already quite handsome, and Wei Jing'an bore some resemblance to him. He couldn’t help but wonder what Wei Jing'an would look like without his outer robes.
The thought of Wei Jing'an and Xu Heming carrying logs in the imperial garden as entertainment for him and his concubines crossed his mind.
For some reason, Zhu Jingchen felt that such a sight shouldn’t be shared with his harem.
But then again, he couldn’t enjoy it alone, could he?
This dilemma left Zhu Jingchen conflicted.
"Your Majesty, may I ask why you summoned me to the palace?" Wei Jing'an cautiously inquired when the Emperor remained silent for a long time.
However, Zhu Jingchen was too deep in thought and didn’t hear him.
"Your Majesty?" Eunuch Liu quietly reminded him.
But Zhu Jingchen simply rested his chin on his hand, staring in Wei Jing'an’s direction—sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling—making Wei Jing'an’s heart race.
He had no idea why the Emperor had called for him.
Especially since the way the Emperor looked at him gave him a bad feeling.
"Your Majesty?" Eunuch Liu called again.
"Oh, what is it?" Zhu Jingchen coughed lightly, pretending not to understand.
"Your Majesty, Minister Wei asked why you summoned him to the palace," Eunuch Liu whispered.
"Ahem! I’ve heard that Minister Wei is a man of great learning and talent," Zhu Jingchen said, glancing at Wei Jing'an again.
"Your servant is unworthy of such praise!" Wei Jing'an grew even more uneasy.
He had no idea what the Emperor was plotting.
The Li Residence
When Li Zhiwei returned to West Willow Lane, she found her father already waiting for her.
"Father, why are you out here?" Li Zhiwei felt a little awkward and quickly went to greet him.
"Young lady, your father was worried something might happen to you." Li Tianyou sighed in relief when he saw his daughter return safely.
He feared she might be kidnapped again, as she had been before.
If that happened, there might not be anyone to save her in time.
"Father, the capital’s security isn’t that bad. Last time, it was because Lin Jitong incited others," Li Zhiwei quickly explained.
"Mm, let’s talk inside." Though Li Tianyou agreed verbally, he still felt a lingering fear.
Once father and daughter were seated in the parlor, Li Zhiwei finally brought up the Emperor’s plan to issue an imperial decree the next day, betrothing her to Prince An.
"Father, the Emperor has decreed my marriage to Prince An. The edict will arrive tomorrow."
Thinking of this, Li Zhiwei felt uneasy. After all, they were merely merchants—receiving an imperial decree was a first for them.
She feared they might mishandle the ceremony and incur the Emperor’s wrath.
"Did Prince An tell you this?" Li Tianyou’s heart sank at the news.
He hadn’t expected things to move so quickly.
"Yes. Prince An said the decree should arrive tomorrow. Father, we should prepare for the ceremony."
"Ah! I’ll have Zhou Tong make arrangements. But Zhiwei… are you sure about this?" Li Tianyou studied his daughter, worried she might be marrying Prince An out of gratitude for saving her.
What troubled him even more was whether his daughter would be Prince An’s wife or merely a concubine.
Though he was just a merchant, he refused to let his daughter suffer as someone’s concubine—even if that someone was Prince An.
"Father?" Li Zhiwei looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he would ask such a question.
"Zhiwei, if you’re unwilling, we can always leave the capital." Li Tianyou spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Father, this is an imperial decree!" Li Zhiwei was shocked.
Defying the Emperor’s will was a crime punishable by the extermination of one’s entire clan. Though Li Zhiwei knew she had no siblings, she still couldn’t bear the thought of her parents dying because of her.
"I know. I’m powerless, letting you suffer in the capital. Last time, I acted stubbornly and didn’t listen to you. But this time, if you’re unwilling, I’ll risk my life to change things."
"Father, Prince An is a good man. I’m not unwilling." After careful consideration, Li Zhiwei answered firmly.
"Prince An may be good, but he holds high status and power. If you’re mistreated in his household, I…" Li Tianyou’s chest tightened at the thought. If his daughter married above her station, he wouldn’t even have the means to stand up for her.
"Father, Prince An is usually busy with official duties. I doubt he’d have time to mistreat me."
"Hmph, who knows? Besides, if you marry him, you’ll be a stepmother to his child!" Thinking of Xu Qingshi, Li Tianyou sighed again. While he might have found another family’s child endearing, the idea of his daughter becoming a stepmother was hard to swallow.
His beloved daughter, raised with the utmost care, suddenly having to mother a child so old—it felt uncomfortable.
Recalling how Xu Qingshi had repeatedly called her "stepmother," Li Tianyou felt even worse.
"Father, the young prince is a good child. Besides, if not for him, I might still be suffering in the Lin household."
"That child isn’t bad at heart, but his mouth…" Li Tianyou thought of the rumors spreading outside about Xu Heming running shirtless through the capital.
"Father, have you heard the rumors outside?" Li Zhiwei asked, both amused and worried. The way Xu Qingshi’s argument with another child had ruined Xu Heming’s reputation was almost laughable, but she feared her father might oppose the marriage because of it.
"What rumors?" Li Tianyou frowned. Was there something he didn’t know?
