They all said that the girl from the Fang family had something wrong with her brain and her eyes were blurred by something.
Especially the woman who had good conditions and intended to marry the King of Dingbei, but finally lost to the daughter of a fourth-rank official. They were so angry. They didn't care that the Fang family was the choice of the Dingbei County Prince's Mansion after careful consideration. They just wanted to see what was so special about this woman with the surname Fang. However, Miss Fang basically didn't go out in the first few months of the engagement, and even the roundabout invitations were rejected. At that time, some people scolded her for getting so cocky after marrying into a rich family.
If she doesn't go out, there's nothing others can do. They can't just block the door.
Later, she went out occasionally, but the initial embarrassment had passed. As a lady of a noble family, she also had her own pride, and no one deliberately looked for Miss Fang anymore. However, when Mu Bei proposed to her the day before yesterday, someone couldn't help but say a few sarcastic remarks about the girl from the Fang family being so lucky.
As a result, in just two days, there was a 180-degree reversal. Many people were so surprised that their jaws dropped. However, no matter who they were, anyone who knew what Miss Fang had done would shake their heads. Any family that had such an evil girl who harmed the entire family would be unlucky for eight lifetimes.
Of course, there were also people who mocked Mu Bei. What's the use of being in a high position and having great power? He was tricked by a little woman. People would rather choose a nobody than you. It was obvious that you, the King of Dingbei, were nothing special.
Of course, when it comes to the Fang family, everyone even dares to point at their noses and laugh at them in person, but King Dingbei is not like that. Even if you are mocking them, you have to express it in a tactful way to comfort them. However, Mu Bei is not one to fall for it at all. He just doesn't restrain his aura and looks at you expressionlessly, and few people can say what is on their lips.
Since Mu Bei did not try to hide anything, he did not worry about whether he would be embarrassed or not. It was not him who did anything wrong. He acted upright and honestly, and he had no obligation to pay for other people's mistakes or clean up for them.
There was neither a grand court nor a minor court today. When Emperor Xuanren had something to do, he would name the people and then summon them. Mu Bei asked for an audience and did not have to wait long. Yesterday, Mu Bei not only mobilized the people from the capital guards, but also informed the Nine Cities Military Department. Naturally, all these things would be reported to Emperor Xuanren, so Emperor Xuanren knew what happened yesterday earlier than people outside.
Mu Bei went to see Emperor Xuanren. There was a man kneeling outside the imperial study. He was Lord Fang, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department.
This Lord Fang was walking with great pride yesterday, but he went to the palace in a depressed mood early this morning to ask for forgiveness from Emperor Xuanren. Naturally, he didn't see anyone there. When Mu Bei arrived, he had already been kneeling for an hour and a half.
Qi Chao, even in front of the emperor, did not kneel down at every turn. Being punished to kneel was considered an extremely humiliating thing. What's more, the "future son-in-law" who had been respectful to him two days ago now walked past him without even looking at him. He really wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. He was ashamed and embarrassed, and his face was burning. Sometimes, the most uncomfortable thing is not the harsh words or the burning anger, but the ignoring.
Originally, there was a huge gap in their status, and it was normal for Mu Bei to ignore him. However, there had been a change before, and their status had been swapped. When they returned to their original positions, the psychological gap was too great, and naturally he couldn't bear it.
Lord Fang's mind was distracted by random thoughts, and his knee didn't hurt as much anymore.
In the imperial study, Emperor Xuanren asked someone to bring a stool for Mu Bei.
The Mu family had paid a lot for Qi Chao, and Emperor Xuanren was never a person who would just abandon a donkey after it had done its work. He felt guilty for letting Mu Bei get married early, so he intervened a little to show his favor. But the Fang family was not up to the task, not only did they not give him face, but they also did such a shameful thing. Now facing Mu Bei, he was trying to be friendly.
According to Emperor Xuanren's intention, he wanted to grant Mu Bei a marriage directly, and choose a noble lady from a rich family, and get married immediately. According to Emperor Xuanren's idea, not to mention Guangsi in the past, the girl from the Fang family was indeed of a low birth when she was paired with Mu Bei. He didn't care much about it, but his ministers noticed it themselves, so Emperor Xuanren naturally couldn't say anything. Now it's different. He directly granted the marriage, and no one dared to say anything.
Mu Bei refused. No matter who rushed to marry him at this time, they would have to take the blame and clean up the mess. Even if the emperor granted the marriage, they would not say anything on the surface, but they would probably feel aggrieved in their hearts. If he hurried to the northern border again, the future was unknown. If he could not come back, he would let the noble lady in her prime become a widow for nothing. Even if he came back, there would be many problems between husband and wife.
Then Mu Bei talked about adopting Princess Changning's child if anything happened.
Emperor Xuanren was silent for a moment, "Have you decided?"
"Your Majesty, please grant me your blessing."
"I agree."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Xuanren sighed silently, not knowing what to say.
In comparison, Mu Bei didn't have so many thoughts. Since the marriage didn't go through, he proposed to go to Northern Xinjiang early.
However, when Mu Bei went to Northern Xinjiang, the placement of Pingjin Hou became a problem. Should he be allowed to come back or be made the deputy commander? In fact, no matter how it was arranged, there was a lack of trust in Pingjin Hou, which would be a blow to Pingjin Hou. In fact, those who guessed Mu Bei's next move had already started to spread rumors.
However, when it comes to the safety of the country, personal gains and losses will not be considered at this time, and it is only in terms of reputation.
Mu Bei wanted to go to Northern Frontier in advance, and Emperor Xuanren agreed. He issued an imperial decree, appointing Mu Bei as the commander-in-chief and Marquis Pingjin as the deputy commander-in-chief.
After Mu Bei returned to the Prince's Mansion, he packed up his things in preparation for the imperial edict and set off the next day.
At the palace, Emperor Xuanren had left Lord Fang alone for so long, and finally mercifully called him in. Lord Fang could barely stand, and still had no place to sit in front of Emperor Xuanren.
After kneeling for so long, Lord Fang did not dare to complain at all. He cried and pleaded guilty, saying that it was all his fault and that he had not taught his daughter well, which led to her doing such a treasonous thing. He asked the emperor to punish him.
Emperor Xuanren blinked and said, "Since you know your crime, you should be dismissed from your post and go home to teach your children."
"Your Majesty—" He took the initiative to ask for forgiveness, naturally hoping to escape punishment. As a result, Emperor Xuanren really dismissed him from office.
Emperor Xuanren glanced at him lightly, and Lord Fang subconsciously closed his mouth, and then his heart was filled with coptis, "... Thank you, Your Majesty." At the same time, anger grew in his heart, and he wanted to go back and beat the evil girl to death.
However, after Emperor Xuanren dealt with Lord Fang, he would not turn a blind eye to the cousins who eloped. The law was there, but they dared to go against the law. Although their elopement failed, let alone the marriage, the matter was special and they should be punished by killing a chicken to scare the monkey. It wouldn't be too serious, but they would have to be locked up in jail for a while.
So, when Lord Fang wanted to go back, Miss Fang had already been captured.
Her reputation was already bad, and after this, she would be completely ruined without anyone cursing her. If she had a strong character, she could probably live a few more years. If she was fragile, she could die at any time.
Emperor Xuanren dealt with the matter swiftly and decisively, and at the same time issued an order prohibiting any further discussion of the matter. His trusted ministers would not allow anyone to discuss the matter casually, so the matter arose quickly and dissipated just as quickly.