Chapter 98: Self-Inflicted

    Ling Feng pushed the door open and entered, kneeling on one knee: “Master.”

    Ji Yucang’s voice was cold and merciless: “Gu Yanran poisoned the Regent and the princess consort with the intent to harm. Considering our past like a sibling, I will spare her life and send her to the military to reward the soldiers—”

    “Cousin!” Gu Yanran woke up as if from a dream, her face pale, crawling forward on her knees, her voice shrill, “I won’t go, I won’t go! It was Princess Jiayu who gave me the medicine, she… she tricked me! She said it wasn’t poison, as long as cousin took it, he would fall deeply in love with the first woman he saw after the effects kicked in, I didn’t harm cousin! I wouldn’t harm cousin—”

    “Princess Jiayu?” Ji Yucang’s eyes were cold as ice, “She gave you the medicine?”

    “Yes, it was Princess Jiayu.” Gu Yanran nodded repeatedly, almost losing her soul, “Princess Jiayu said the medicine was not poisonous, as long as cousin was affected by the medicine, after it took effect, he would fall deeply in love with the first woman he saw, I… I was bewitched, cousin, please spare me! I dare not do it again, I beg cousin to spare me, I will never dare again! Please spare me this once!”

    Ling Feng looked at Gu Yanran in disbelief.

    A cousin who lived in the Regent’s residence, wasn’t she very well-behaved before? What’s been going on recently?

    Not only did she repeatedly oppose the princess consort, but she also attempted to harm the Regent in secret?

    Where did she get such audacity?

    “Ling Feng.” Ji Yucang’s voice was cold and deep, “Which generals in the military have not yet married?”

    Ling Feng thought for a moment: “General Wei, Yang Ming, after his first wife died in childbirth, has been in the military all these years without remarrying, just that he’s a bit older in age…”

    Ji Yucang said indifferently: “Go and inform him that my cousin, Gu Yanran, is betrothed to him. He has half a month to complete the marriage.”

    Gu Yanran’s expression changed drastically, pleading: “Cousin, I don’t want to—”

    Ji Yucang’s gaze was intimidating: “Or would you prefer to serve the soldiers in the military?”

    Gu Yanran seemed frozen on the spot, the words she hadn’t finished were all stuck in her throat, her whole body as if falling into an ice cellar, the blood draining from her face bit by bit.

General Wei, Yang Ming, was already in his late thirties. Although he was a general in the military, he was far from being a close confidant of the Regent.

He was not weak in combat, but he was rough in manner, a burly and uncouth man.

Gu Yanran couldn’t believe that she was going to marry such a person.

“Aunt told you to take good care of me before she passed away,” she looked at Ji Yucang in despair, her eyes red, full of accusations, “Is this how you take care of me?”

“I allowed you to live in the Regent’s residence and also promised to help you choose a husband, but you refused.” Ji Yucang’s voice was as cold as ice, piercingly cold, “Refusing is one thing, but you also opposed the princess consort at every turn, and tonight you harbored sinister intentions towards me, which I cannot tolerate.”

With that, he ordered coldly: “Ling Feng, take her back to her Residence. Before her marriage, do not allow her to step out of Yanyan Residence.”

“Yes.”

Gu Yanran wanted to say more, but one sentence from Ji Yucang made her shut her mouth: “If you say one more word, you will go directly to the military to report.”

Gu Yanran’s blood flowed in reverse, and she was led out in a daze.

Ji Yucang didn’t say anything more and stayed in the study to deal with the government affairs that needed to be handled.

The next morning, he made two decisions that surprised everyone: “Starting today, the husband of Princess Pingyao, Qin Yumo, the husband of Princess Jiahe, Shen Huai, and the husband of Princess Jiayu, Qi Mingyu, will follow by my side and obey my commands.”

“If Shen Huai and Qi Mingyu achieve something in the court, they will be allowed to have four personal guards in the future, enjoying equal power with the princesses, and at most, they can take two concubines.”

As soon as the orders were issued, Princesses Jiahe and Jiayu were almost out of control with anger.

Allowing the husbands to take concubines?

This order was obviously aimed at the two of them, trampling on the dignity of the royal princesses!

What exactly did the Regent want to do?

Did he just not want to see them live well?

However, despite their dissatisfaction, they didn’t dare to question Ji Yucang. In great anger, they could only vent their fury on their husbands.

“Shen Huai, do you really want to take concubines? Are you overjoyed, thinking that you can now be on equal footing with me?” Princess Jiahe whipped Shen Huai with a whip, “Let me tell you, you’re dreaming—ah! Who? Who’s looking to die?”

As usual, the whip, filled with anger, was swung out, but it did not land on Shen Huai as intended. Instead, it was caught by the little eunuch who had come to deliver the decree.

He pleaded in fear: “Please forgive me, Princess Jiahe, the Regent has ordered that the two husbands are now officials of the court, and the Princesses must not lay a hand on them in the future. Otherwise, it would be considered inflicting private punishment on court officials, which is punishable.”

Shen Huai stood to the side, his hands clenched, his slightly lowered eyes swirling with intense emotions.

The Regent wanted him and Qi Mingyu to serve under him?

Court officials?

What did this mean?

“Shen Huai.” The eunuch turned to Shen Huai and bowed, “The Regent orders you to enter the palace now. After the morning court, he will examine the abilities of the three husbands in the Diligent Government Hall.”

“Shen Huai is my husband, and husbands cannot enter the court. On what grounds does the Regent break tradition?” Princess Jiahe regained her senses and glared at the eunuch, “What are you really up to?”

The eunuch bowed his head, speaking humbly: “I am here on the orders of the Regent and dare not have any ulterior motives.”

Princess Jiahe turned to look at Shen Huai, speaking angrily: “Shen Huai, if you dare go, I will make your life a living hell when you return tonight!”

“Princess Jiahe.” The eunuch reminded in a low voice, “Starting today, Shen Huai’s status in the princess’s residence is equal to yours. After entering the court, the husband will also hold an official position, and you have no right to punish him in any way. Otherwise, the Regent will—”

“Shen Huai.” Princess Jiahe’s gaze fell on Shen Huai’s face, her eyes glinting with a cold light like the tip of a needle, “You dare to try.”

Shen Huai was silent for a moment, then spoke indifferently: “The Regent has ordered, I dare not disobey.”

Princess Jiahe’s face turned a shade of iron: “I do not allow you to go!”

Shen Huai lowered his eyes, repeating the same words: “The Regent has ordered, I dare not disobey.”

Princess Jiahe gritted her teeth, staring at him fiercely.

“Your Highness, let’s go now.” The eunuch bowed, indicating the way, “You must wait for the Regent in the Diligent Government Hall first. You must not keep the Regent waiting, or it would be a great disrespect.”

Shen Huai nodded slightly: “Please, sir.”