Zhou Mo and Xiao Tianmu had indeed come calling late at night because they had heard about the emperor's marriage decree. Impatient by nature, Zhou Mo asked the moment he saw Hu Xiaotian, "Third Brother, why so sudden? Why did the emperor suddenly decree this marriage?"
Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile. "I'm bewildered myself. There was no warning whatsoever. It must have been his idea-even Princess Yongyang knew very little about it. But since he has decreed the marriage, it can't have been a momentary impulse. He must have thought it through before making the decision. The old bastard must be after something."
Xiao Tianmu said quietly, "Could the emperor have grown suspicious?"
Hu Xiaotian said, "The emperor probably already knows that my father is going to Luosong to find a source of grain. Lately, he's handed court affairs over to Qiqi and devoted himself to the Way of Immortality. Now it seems that was merely a show."
Zhou Mo said, "You mean he's only been playing the fool to deceive his officials and subjects?"
Hu Xiaotian nodded. "I wasn't sure at first, but now I'm almost certain. That was precisely how he got rid of Ji Feihua. After going to such enormous trouble to claw his way back onto the dragon throne, he has no reason to hand the power he's just regained over to Qiqi. I suspect even Qiqi is nothing more than a prop in his hands."
Xiao Tianmu's brow twitched. "What suddenly made you think that, Third Brother?"
Hu Xiaotian said, "He arranged my engagement to Qiqi, then immediately decided to send me to Western Sichuan as an envoy to confer a princely title on Li Tianheng. This is the real reason he gave me the status of future imperial son-in-law."
Both Zhou Mo and