Whether Yun Zheng was willing or not, since Emperor Wen had already issued the imperial decree, he had no choice but to accept it.
Oh well!
If it's a marriage bestowed by the emperor, then so be it!
I'll get the military power first!
After all, I'm still a prince!
For a prince's wedding, even if those court officials look down on me, they should still show some courtesy, right?
Hmm, take this opportunity to make some money!
The more, the better!
With troops and horses, I also need money and provisions!
However, in this way, I'll have to stay in the imperial city for a while longer.
Yun Li and Concubine Shu will surely take this opportunity to take revenge on me!
During this period in the imperial city, it will surely be the most dangerous time.
I have to think of some countermeasures!
"Your Highness the Sixth Prince, please wait!"
Just as Yun Zheng was walking and thinking, Mu Shun, the chief eunuch beside Emperor Wen, caught up with him.
Yun Zheng stopped and turned to look at Mu Shun, "Chief Eunuch Mu, what do you want from me?"
Looking at Mu Shun, Yun Zheng's mind immediately became active.
Mu Shun was a favorite beside his nominal father.
Even the former Crown Prince had to be polite to Mu Shun.
If he could win Mu Shun over...
Soon, Yun Zheng dismissed this idea.
I have no power, no influence, and no background. What can I use to win Mu Shun over?
If I'm not careful, I might even expose my ambitions.
If Emperor Wen knew that I was going to the border to seize military power, he would surely have me killed!
Mu Shun replied with a smile, "His Majesty ordered that Your Highness the Sixth Prince should follow this old servant to the Shen family to deliver the imperial decree and also meet Your Highness's future princess along the way."
"Alright!"
Yun Zheng agreed and followed Mu Shun to set off in a carriage.
On the way, Yun Zheng didn't say anything and just buried himself in thinking about his own affairs.
But in Mu Shun's eyes, this was a sign of his timidity and submissiveness.
"Your Highness, do you know the situation of the Shen family?"
Mu Shun took the initiative to break the silence.
"Well..."
Yun Zheng smiled awkwardly and shook his head to indicate that he didn't know.
He really didn't know.
He had lived in the deep palace for a long time and was quite like someone who paid no attention to what was going on outside. He knew very little about the affairs inside and outside the palace.
Mu Shun chuckled and then said, "The Shen family is truly a family of martyrs..."
Five years ago, Emperor Wen led a personal expedition against the Northern Huan Kingdom.
Shen Nanzheng served as the general of the vanguard army and led the young men of the Shen family to go on the expedition with Emperor Wen.
After two months of fierce fighting between the two sides, Emperor Wen misjudged the situation and fell into the trap set by the Northern Huan Kingdom and was heavily surrounded by the troops of the Northern Huan Kingdom.
In order to rescue Emperor Wen, Shen Nanzheng led ten thousand elite soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the court of the Northern Huan Kingdom, forcing the troops of the Northern Huan Kingdom to turn back to reinforce.
In the end, although Emperor Wen was rescued from the siege, the ten thousand elite soldiers led by Shen Nanzheng were surrounded by the troops of the Northern Huan Kingdom and finally wiped out.
In this battle, Shen Nanzheng and his two sons all died in battle, leaving behind a family of widows and orphans.
And Shen Luoyan was the youngest daughter of Shen Nanzheng and had just turned twenty years old this year.
After hearing Mu Shun's words, Yun Zheng couldn't help but complain in his heart.
Emperor Wen was a bit unkind!
The Shen family had sacrificed so much to save him, but now he was betrothing Shen Nanzheng's only daughter to himself, who was determined to die.
This was clearly bullying the Shen family, which was mostly women and children!
...
The Shen Residence.
Madam Shen and the female relatives of the Shen family were enjoying the flowers and drinking tea in the back garden.
A maid rushed in hurriedly, bowed and said, "Madam, people from the palace have come. It's the Sixth Prince and Chief Eunuch Mu!"
"Oh?"
Madam Shen was slightly stunned and quickly called everyone to rush to the main hall.
"The Sixth Prince? Is there a Sixth Prince in our dynasty?"
"Yes, who is the Sixth Prince? I've never heard of him."
"He's that useless prince of the current emperor. He's neither good at literature nor martial arts, and he's timid and cowardly. Every time there's a banquet or something in the palace, he either pretends to be sick and doesn't participate or hides in a corner..."
Several female relatives were talking among themselves.
"Cough cough..."
Madam Shen turned around and glared at them, "Watch your words!"
These girls were really something!
Was it their place to discuss the affairs of the royal family?
The girls stuck out their tongues and quickly shut up.
Soon, they arrived at the main hall.
Everyone was looking at Yun Zheng curiously, thinking to themselves, Is this the useless prince?
He looked quite good.
It's just that he didn't seem to have any masculinity at all.
"Greetings, Chief Eunuch Mu. Greetings, Your Highness the Sixth Prince!"
Madam Shen led the female relatives to salute the two.
Yun Zheng heard this and shook his head with a smile in his heart.
How much they looked down on me!
They even got the order of precedence wrong!
I don't know if they did it on purpose or by accident.
Mu Shun smiled and then looked at Yun Zheng.
"Be excused!"
Yun Zheng gently raised his hand, thinking that Mu Shun was quite sensible.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Only then did everyone straighten up.
"Madam Shen, congratulations, congratulations!"
Upon seeing Madam Shen, Mu Shun immediately offered his congratulations.
Madam Shen was delighted and quickly asked, "Chief Eunuch Mu, what's the good news?"
Mu Shun kept them in suspense and then asked, "Is Miss Shen Luoyan here?"
Hearing this, Shen Luoyan immediately stepped forward, "This humble girl pays her respects to Chief Eunuch Mu."
Yun Zheng carefully looked at Shen Luoyan.
She had bright eyes and white teeth and was tall and slender.
There was also a heroic air between her brows.
She was indeed a beautiful and valiant woman!
Mu Shun took a look at Shen Luoyan and suddenly shouted, "Shen Luoyan, listen to the imperial decree!"
Shen Luoyan was slightly stunned and quickly knelt down to listen to the decree.
"His Majesty decrees: The Shen family is a family of martyrs with a strict family style and is an exemplary family for our dynasty! Now, Shen Luoyan is bestowed as the legitimate wife of the Sixth Prince, and the wedding will be held on a chosen day..."
Boom!
As Mu Shun's voice rang out, the heads of the Shen family members buzzed.
Emperor Wen bestowed a marriage on Shen Luoyan?
And it was to the Sixth Prince, this useless wretch?
Shen Luoyan was even more indignant and her face was full of anger.
She had just been mocking the Sixth Prince as a useless wretch in the back garden, but in the blink of an eye, the Sixth Prince had become her husband?
Even after Mu Shun finished reading the imperial decree, none of them had come to their senses yet.
"Princess of the Sixth Prince, receive the decree and express your gratitude!"
Mu Shun looked at Shen Luoyan with a smile.
Shen Luoyan slightly raised her head, looked at the imperial decree that Mu Shun handed over, and suddenly stood up, full of anger, and said, "Please ask Chief Eunuch Mu to tell His Majesty that this humble girl cannot accept the decree!"
"How dare you!"
Mu Shun's face suddenly turned cold, "Shen Luoyan, are you going to disobey the imperial decree?"
"Yes! I'm going to disobey the imperial decree!" Shen Luoyan shouted angrily.
"How presumptuous!"
Mu Shun's face was covered with frost, "Do you know what the crime is for disobeying the imperial decree?"
"Isn't it just death?"
Shen Luoyan's eyes were red, and she held her head high, gritting her teeth and said, "You can go back and tell His Majesty now that this humble girl will wait at home for His Majesty to bestow poisoned wine or white silk!"
Hearing Shen Luoyan's words, Yun Zheng couldn't help but be secretly surprised.
Is this woman so tough?
Disobeying the imperial decree in public and even asking the emperor to sentence her to death?
Damn it! She's just like me!
However, I asked for death because I wanted to live.
But it seems that she really wants to die when she asks for death!
Come to think of it, am I that bad? She'd rather die than marry me?
Disobeying the imperial decree in public, does she want to play a game of "family elimination"?
"Do you think that if you disobey the imperial decree and are sentenced to death, that'll be the end of it?"
Mu Shun stared coldly at Shen Luoyan, "According to the laws of our dynasty, those who disobey the imperial decree will have their three clans... wiped out!"
The three clans wiped out?
Hearing Mu Shun's words, Shen Luoyan was immediately stunned, and her momentum weakened a bit.
It was only then that the members of the Shen family finally came to their senses.
Sister-in-law Wei Shuang took a look at her daughter who was less than six years old and quickly stepped forward to pull Shen Luoyan, whispering in a pleading tone, "Don't be so headstrong. If you don't think about yourself, think about the Shen family!"
As she spoke, Wei Shuang quickly looked at her mother-in-law.
Madam Shen's chest was heaving violently as she tried hard to suppress her anger.
After a long while, Madam Shen clenched her fists tightly and gritted her teeth to question, "Chief Eunuch Mu, what crime has the Shen family committed? Why does His Majesty treat the Shen family like this?"
Mu Shun stared at Madam Shen indifferently, "Madam Shen, this is because His Majesty takes into account the outstanding merits of the generals of the Shen family and specially bestows this marriage as a sign of favor!"
"Favor?"
Madam Shen glared angrily, "This is clearly bullying our Shen family, which is mostly women and children!"
"Madam Shen, watch your words!"
Mu Shun's face suddenly turned cold, and he said sternly, "From now on, the Shen family will be relatives of the imperial family! Isn't this the emperor's favor?"
As Mu Shun spoke, he also looked at Shen Luoyan with a cold and gloomy gaze, "Miss Shen, considering the outstanding merits of your father and brothers, this old servant will give you one more chance! If you still don't accept the decree, you will really be disobeying the imperial decree!"
As Mu Shun's voice fell, several Imperial Guards had already put their hands on their weapons.
For a moment, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
"Wow..."
Suddenly, the cry of a little girl broke the压抑 atmosphere at the scene.