A grand court assembly where thunder rolled in silence came to an end. The court officials dispersed, but Ye Zhen had no time to rest.
Though he still felt somewhat uncertain, Ye Zhen had already achieved his goal in this political struggle.
That was what imperial words, once spoken, meant.
Since the Emperor had agreed to grant the marriage, and had said so before the entire court of civil and military officials, there would certainly have to be an outcome.
Moreover, Ye Zhen's proposal to marry the princess had been the joint result of the noble interest bloc and the Prince of Consultation bloc working together.
With that premise, Ye Zhen felt that Princess Changle should be safe for the time being.
Ye Zhen had also seen through Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long. He was the sort who wanted both the power and influence of an emperor and a long life.
Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long was unwilling to prolong his lifespan only to lose his power.
That was perhaps the main reason Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long had compromised today.
However, Changle was only temporarily safe. Only once she left the imperial palace could her safety be truly assured.
But for an empire like Great Zhou, marrying a princess was itself an exceedingly complicated matter.
It was not as though the Emperor's agreement today meant Ye Zhen could marry Princess Changle and bring her home tomorrow.
The procedures for a royal princess's marriage were extraordinarily cumbersome.
Ye Zhen feared that Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long might use an underhanded move during this process.
Thus, Ye Zhen did not relax his surveillance of the imperial palace in the slightest.
He ordered Big Ear Nie Ting to monitor every movement around Changle Garden without pause, all twelve double-hours of the day. When tired, he merely