Relief

Zhao Ruxi quickly descended the steps, bowed to Eunuch Deng from afar, and said with a smile, "Eunuch Deng, I'm so sorry to have troubled you to come all this way and keep you waiting."

Just moments ago, Eunuch Deng had a stern face, but upon seeing Zhao Ruxi, he immediately beamed with joy. "Haha, Lord Zhao, what are you saying? This is my job, why would I talk about right or wrong? Lord Zhao making this old servant feel ashamed. You are so dedicated to public service, still working even after your official duties have ended. I will certainly report this to the Emperor when I return to the capital."

Hearing this conversation, Liu Hongyu's face was filled with complicated emotions.

Cai Yaozong went in to call Zhao Ruxi, while he was outside exchanging pleasantries with Eunuch Deng. However, he knew that Eunuch Deng was not an approachable or easy-going person. He had a cold face and completely ignored everyone, no matter what you said.

Furthermore, although Eunuch Deng was a eunuch, he always referred to Eunuch Deng as "I" when facing officials of the court, maintaining a respectful and humble attitude, and did not feel that he should be inferior to these officials.

But now, when facing Zhao Ruxi, Eunuch Deng seemed like a completely different person, addressing her as "slave" and "you" repeatedly. This differential treatment was all too obvious.

Seeing Zhao Ruxi approach, Eunuch Deng smiled and said, "Lord Zhao, please accept the imperial decree."

As he spoke, he walked to the incense table and took out the imperial edict.

There were cushions made by Qingfeng and others in Zhao Ruxi's room. Lu Yun was clever enough to grab one before leaving the room when he heard that Zhao Ruxi was going to receive the imperial decree. He then placed the cushion in front of Zhao Ruxi at the right moment.

Zhao Ruxi paused in her kneeling posture before finally kneeling down on the soft cushion.

Although the imperial edict was issued to Zhao Ruxi, everyone present, including Liu Hongyu and the clerks and runners from the Six Ministries, all knelt down.

However, the servants of these people were too busy with shock and curiosity to be as quick-witted as Lu Yun, and they had no experience in receiving imperial decrees. Therefore, from Liu Hongyu down to the yamen runners, they all knelt in the uneven courtyard, which was even covered with small stones.

Seeing everyone kneeling, Eunuch Deng opened the imperial edict and read aloud, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Zhao Ruxi, the wife of the Earl of Suiping's Residence, Zhao Zhiwei, kind, gentle, and outstanding in character and appearance, possessing exceptional talent and serving as a model for women throughout the land. I am greatly pleased to hear of her. Now, the Fifth Prince of Qi of Qi Xiao Lingyan, is eighteen years old and of marriageable age. A virtuous woman should be chosen to marry her. Zhao Ruxi is currently waiting in her chambers, and she and the Fifth Prince of Qi are a match made in heaven. To ensure the happiness of this beautiful union, I hereby betroth you to the Fifth Prince of Qi of Qi as his Princess. All the ceremonies shall be jointly handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. An auspicious day shall be chosen for the wedding. This is the decree!"

Zhao Ruxi lowered her head and waited for him to finish reading before bowing and saying, "Long live the Emperor!"

The others, who had been kneeling there in a daze, suddenly snapped out of their reverie and quickly followed suit, bowing and shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Eunuch Deng rolled up the imperial edict and handed it to Zhao Ruxi, his face crinkling with smiles. "Consort of the Prince of Qi, this servant congratulates you." With that, he bowed to Zhao Ruxi.

The Imperial Guards who came with him all bowed to Zhao Ruxi.

Li Li was much quick-witted than Liu Hongyu and Cai Yaozong. Seeing that Liu Hongyu and Cai Liu Hongyu looked completely bewildered and hadn't reacted yet, he quickly bowed deeply to Zhao Ruxi and said loudly, "Congratulations, Consort of the Prince of Qi! Congratulations, Consort of the Prince of Qi!"

The others quickly followed suit and also bowed in congratulations.

Liu Hongyu and Cai Yaozong quickly bowed, their feelings extremely complicated.

Liu Hongyu hadn't expected this. Even though Prince of Qi had come here yesterday and he had considered the possibility of a romantic relationship, he never imagined that Zhao Ruxi would suddenly become Consort of the Prince of Qi today.

Even though Cai Yaozong had anticipated this and was mentally prepared, he was still terrified when he heard the imperial edict.

He and Chen Kang had even planned to ruin Zhao Ruxi's reputation through their affair, making it impossible for her to stay here and forcing her to slink back to the capital to wait for marriage. They never imagined she would become a member of the royal family.

At the time, they were wary of Wu Huaisi and Wu Zong's retaliation, as well as Zhao Ruxi's assertive and "not to be trifled with" demeanor, which prevented them from making any rash moves, and they eventually gave in.

Thinking back on his initial thoughts, Cai Yaozong felt as if his family had walked on the edge of life and death.

Chen Kang, standing in the corner, had the same thought, secretly glad that he hadn't followed Cai Yaozong down the same dark path, but had instead chosen the right one.

"Thank you all." Zhao Ruxi returned their greetings.

She looked at Eunuch Deng: "Does His Majesty have any further decrees? Does he summon me back to the capital immediately?"

"His Majesty said that the Princess Consort is a court official, not an ordinary woman waiting to be married. Before the marriage, the Princess Consort will continue to serve as an official here," Eunuch Deng said with a smile.

Zhao Ruxi was Gao Xing and bowed towards the capital. "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Liu Hongyu, Cai Yaozong, and the others felt very strange. It seemed that Zhao Ruxi hadn't been this Gao Xing when she heard that she was going to become the Consort of the Prince of Qi.

However, they probably already knew about this imperial edict, so it's understandable that they weren't surprised.

Thinking that for at least the next six months, he would have to serve as an official with the future Consort of the Prince of Qi, and that the entire prefectural government was under the Emperor's close scrutiny, with Prince of Qi frequently coming and going, Liu Hongyu, Cai Yaozong, Li Li, and the others felt uneasy.

Being under the watchful eye of higher-ups is like walking a tightrope; there's no room for the slightest mistake. It's an incredibly difficult life.

Liu Hongyu and Cai Yaozong were thinking about how not to make mistakes, while Li Li, while Gao Xing, was pondering how to make a good impression so that he could catch the eye of the higher-ups and perhaps be promoted in the future. After all, he was the first to extend an olive branch to the future Consort of the Prince of Qi.

Zhao Ruxi was unaware that these people had different intentions. She said to Eunuch Deng, "You and the Imperial Guards have worked hard. Why don't you come to my humble abode to rest and have a simple meal?"

Liu Hongyu, however, became quick-witted at this moment.

Zhao Ruxi's household consisted only of her mother and some servants; the absence of a male head of the household to entertain guests was truly inconvenient. Although Eunuch Deng was a eunuch, the Imperial Guards were all men, so it would be better for them to handle the reception.

He said, "Your Excellency and the others have come on official business, so they should naturally be received by the government. Why don't we go to the Added Fortune Pavilion and keep you company?"

Eunuch Deng, having considered the Zhao Residence's situation, nodded and said, "Alright, let's go to the Added Fortune Pavilion then. But there's no need for the yamen to host a dinner; we'll pay for it ourselves."

"That won't do..." Liu Hongyu said politely.

"Xiang Ming, go pay the bill," Zhao Ruxi said. "Eunuch Deng has come all this way for me, so it's only right that I receive him."

"Haha, then we'll have to trouble the Princess with a meal. After dinner, we still need to go to Gusu to read the imperial edict to your father. The Emperor said that your father is the head of the family, and he needs to know about the Princess's marriage."