"I won't let A-Xu's reputation suffer a single blemish. Everything bad will fall on me. If mountains and seas stand between us, I'll level the mountains and fill the seas, as long as I can spend my life with A-Xu!"
At the determination in Xiao Jinyi's eyes, both Emperor Wu'an and Empress Lin wavered. As his parents, they knew their son all too well.
Once Xiao Jinyi set his mind on something, he would never change it. And once he chose someone, that choice was for life.
Making him let go was impossible in this lifetime.
In the end, Emperor Wu'an was biased toward his own son. Though he knew such thoughts wronged the Shen family, if he did not cherish his own son, who else could he expect to? He could only wrong someone else.
"Since you've said as much, I shall grant your wish." Emperor Wu'an instructed Quan Xi beside him, "Quan Xi, go to the Imperial Study and bring me a blank imperial decree. I shall issue a decree granting this marriage right here."
Quan Xi bowed and withdrew, tucked his fly whisk into his belt, and raced to the Imperial Study at lightning speed.
After instructing Quan Xi, Emperor Wu'an looked down at Xiao Jinyi, who was still kneeling on the floor. "Since you say he has feelings for you, I shall simply grant you two a marriage. But you must be punished. If you want to shelter Shen Shixu from every storm, you cannot merely say it."
Quan Xi soon returned with the blank decree. Emperor Wu'an took up his brush and wrote the decree granting the marriage. When he finished, he addressed Xiao Yuanqi, who had barely made his presence felt. "You must have known what your younger brother was thinking all along, and