PNB Chapter 186, Question 3
Chapter 186, Question 3
The Ninth Prince, Nangong Jing, dressed in magnificent wedding attire, rode a tall horse with great pride and went to the Prince of Jin's residence to fetch his bride.
The sound of horses' hooves clattered as the wedding procession moved in a grand and imposing manner, accompanied by the deafening sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas. Wherever they went, people stopped to watch, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
Upon arriving at the Prince of Jin's residence, he saw the Xia brothers, Jingyuan and Jingyuan, guarding the main gate. They called out to him, "Ninth Prince, Zhao Jihua is also our sister. If you want to enter this gate today, you must first pass our test. The first test is to have a martial arts contest with me."
The Ninth Prince immediately dismounted and compared himself to his brother-in-law.
After less than thirty rounds, Xia Jingyuan stepped back and bowed, saying, "The Ninth Prince is quite strong. I believe you can protect Ahua."
The Ninth Prince laughed heartily: "Of course I will protect Ji Hua."
Xia Li quietly nudged Yu Yang: "Tell me, why is it so obvious that Big Brother is going easy on us?"
Yu Yang smiled gently and said, "Well, Jiu Huangzhi has to go to the coronation ceremony later, so we can't make things too difficult for him."
Xia Li: "That won't do! I don't care about those things. I'm going to make things difficult for him later! Family and country come first."
"So what did you prepare?"
"I'm not telling you," Xia Li said haughtily.
At the door, Xia Jingwen said with a grin, "Don't worry, there's still some for me!"
The Ninth Prince raised his voice and said, "Oh? What advice does my brother-in-law have now?"
Xia Jingwen chuckled and said, "I'm not as good as my older brother, but I love business just like my little sister, so I'll have to compete with you in terms of wealth..."
The Ninth Prince waved his hand dismissively, “No need to compare. My money comes from the collective resources of the entire nation and cannot be misappropriated.” But he smiled like a cunning businessman, “However, I can give my brother-in-law the title of the world’s number one and only imperial merchant.”
"Well... okay, okay, go in quickly, go in quickly."
Xia Jingwen was about to say something, but upon hearing the second half of the sentence, he immediately stepped aside, his face beaming with smiles.
Thus, Nangong Jing easily passed the gate-blocking hurdle and arrived at Zhao Jihua's gate.
Xia Li and Zhou Xianya stood at the door, arms crossed, looking at him with half-smiles.
Zhou Xianya said: "The first line of the couplet is: Qin, Se, Pipa, and eight kings above."
This is an absolute masterpiece she found after consulting countless classic texts; it's sure to stump the Ninth Prince.
Nangong Jing remained silent as expected.
Seeing this, Zhou Xianya couldn't hide her smugness.
However, before he could even rejoice for two seconds, the Ninth Prince wrote his reply: "Longing and gratitude, four hearts under my feet. I want to be heart to heart with my Empress."
Zhou Xianya was still not giving up and immediately said, "Drawing dragons and phoenixes brings good fortune."
"Born together, dying together, inseparable in life and death."
Zhou Xianya burst out, "Are you blinded by love? 'We'll be together through thick and thin,' I can't argue with you!"
The Ninth Prince quickly responded to Zhou Xianya's three pairs of poems and walked excitedly into the room, saying as he went, "You guys can't stop me at all during the poetry competition."
"Wait a minute! I have something to say too."
Xia Li leaned against the door frame: "I have three more questions."
He shouted impatiently into the room, "Jihua, I'm coming to pick you up right away!"
Then he looked at Xia Li.
Xia Li said seriously, "First question: As an emperor, you will inevitably have three thousand beauties in your harem in the future. How can you guarantee that my sister will always be in the highest and most authoritative position?"
"Second question: There are many disputes among the sisters in the harem. If there is any incriminating evidence pointing to my sister, such as her harming other concubines' unborn children, how would you handle it?"
"Third question: If my sister violates palace rules because she is sincere to you and plans things for you, how will you weigh the feelings and the law? Will you uphold the palace rules and punish her severely, or will you consider the relationship between husband and wife and give her a lighter punishment?"
Xia Li's gaze was fixed on Nangong Jing, her expression filled with unwavering determination, and every word she spoke resounded with conviction.
Nangong Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "Regarding the first question, your sister is the Empress, and she is in charge of all matters concerning the six palaces. Her position is highly respected, and no one else may overstep their bounds. I will support her in both the court and the harem, so that she can rule the world as the Empress, hold the Phoenix Seal, and command the harem."
Secondly, upon my ascension to the throne, I will immediately issue an edict that the emperor and empress will jointly govern the country, and I will never depose the empress unless she crosses the bottom line of the nation.
"Of course, if you want her to have a prestigious status, you family members will have to step up your game."
"As for the second question, firstly, I believe that your sister is a kind, well-mannered, and ambitious person who values rules even more than I do. She would never do anything out of line."
Xia Li interrupted him: "But after all, you have so many concubines in your harem. There will always be new and old favorites who break the rules and cause trouble in front of her, or frame her. Even worse, she might not be able to stand your decades of changing of the guard and change her mind..."
“No, she won’t.” Nangong Jing interrupted her. He knew in his heart that Zhao Jihua only took a liking to him because of his power. Love was just an embellishment to her, something dispensable. Therefore, she would never change for the sake of the other women in the harem.
Swallowing the bitterness in his heart, Nangong Jing raised his head: "Even if such a thing really happened, your sister will not be convicted based on just one-sided words and so-called evidence. I will send people to investigate thoroughly, and if anyone is found to have deliberately framed her, they will not be let off lightly. If there is a misunderstanding, I will also clear her name."
At this point, the emperor paused, looked directly into Xia Li's eyes, and solemnly said, "Third question: Your sister values this country more than I do, even if I am more likely to have violated palace rules. If this is true, I will first investigate the whole story. If your sister has indeed violated palace rules, I will take all the blame for her without violating national laws or palace rules. This will be fair and won't hurt her too much."
Xia Li fell silent. She had always been able to see that Nangong Jing loved Zhao Jihua much more deeply.
"Alright, you can go in now. But let me make this clear: if you betray my sister, may you be struck by lightning and die a horrible death. Anyone who betrays my sister, no matter how far away, will be punished!" Xia Li stood aside, not forgetting to make a fierce threat.
Yu Yang teased from the side, "It's a pearl! You're probably going to be busy tonight."
The Ninth Prince thought the other party really meant to kill him, and he was so angry that his nostrils were practically steaming: "Are you jealous of me and can't stand seeing us being affectionate?"
Some people live their whole lives without ever finding a wife.
"..."
Yu Yang chuckled when he heard this.
Yu Yang cried, feeling wronged.
Heartbroken, old iron!
He pursued his wife for two lifetimes.
“Honey, I tried to explain puns to him, but he didn’t understand.”
He cursed at me, and I heard it very clearly.
Xia Li: I suffered because of my high level of education.
Regardless of their inner thoughts, the groom and his entourage excitedly headed into the room.
However, when the door opened, everyone was dumbfounded.
Zhao Jihua is nowhere to be found in the room!