Chapter Thirty: A Royal Marriage Decree

The banquet unfolded joyfully after Feng Yewu’s opening. First came the song and dance—a troupe of palace maids swayed gracefully, their movements accompanied by the faint fragrance of peach blossoms permeating the imperial palace. As time passed, the scent seemed only to grow richer and more intoxicating.

The ministers listened, entranced, to melodious songs and the performances of court musicians, gradually losing themselves amidst the dazzling spectacle. The atmosphere brimmed with happiness.

Yet, above the ministers sat the seven princes of the realm, their demeanor starkly cold in contrast to the laughter and merriment below. Silent and expressionless, they showed not a hint of joy. Feng Yewu’s maneuver had thrown them into disarray, and now all seven only wished to return home swiftly and make arrangements for their next moves.

Feng Yewu, however, was in no hurry. He sipped his wine leisurely, observing the myriad expressions and intrigues of those below, everything falling beneath his gaze.

Just as all were lost in their own thoughts, a sudden cry broke the reverie of Feng Yewu and the seven princes. Amid the revelry, the Grand Chancellor, keenly aware of the icy atmosphere on the dais, quietly signaled his daughter to offer wine to the guests as a gesture to curry favor with Feng Yewu.

The Chancellor’s daughter, clever and demure, took up a cup and walked to the stage, her steps graceful as she toasted each dignitary in turn. Though the princes were all disgruntled and hardly in the mood for celebration, they could not refuse the Chancellor’s gesture. Now, more than ever, every alliance in court was crucial.

With little choice, the princes cooperated, accepting and returning her toasts. But when the Chancellor’s daughter approached the Prince of Pingyi, fate intervened—she stumbled and fell into the arms of Prince Pingyi, Wang Changgen.

Her cry drew the attention of all. Prince Pingyi, caught off guard, could only feign amiability under so many watchful eyes, gently helping the Chancellor’s daughter to her feet.

“Who would have thought the Prince of Pingyi so eager? If you truly fancy the Chancellor’s daughter, I shall act as your matchmaker and grant her to you as your princess consort,” Feng Yewu declared, delighted by the commotion and seized by a sudden inspiration.

From the outset, Feng Yewu had been searching for a pretext to keep Prince Pingyi close, hoping for an opportunity to investigate Wang Changgen and the mysteries surrounding the Pavilion of Penglai.

This fortuitous scene was too good to pass up. Feng Yewu, under the guise of jest, broached the subject of a royal marriage.

The Chancellor, hearing Feng Yewu’s offer, was overjoyed. He knew that Wang Changgen already had a primary consort, and his daughter, if wed to a prince, would likely be relegated to a secondary status. But a royal decree from Feng Yewu would ensure she became the legitimate princess consort.

Prince Pingyi, who had been quietly enduring the situation, turned ashen at Feng Yewu’s words. If anyone else had spoken, it might have been a joke, but for Feng Yewu to declare it before the whole court, it was no trivial matter.

Moreover, Wang Changgen understood all too well—Feng Yewu sought only to keep him at court. Yet, seeing through the scheme did not grant him any means to refuse.

If he accepted, he would have to dismiss his current consort and install the Chancellor’s daughter as his new princess. Changing consorts was not a matter to be taken lightly for a prince. The more he thought, the angrier he became.

Feng Yewu watched Wang Changgen’s darkening expression with delight. To have kept the Prince of Pingyi here and tease him so thoroughly was a balm to his own frustrations.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this marriage,” the Chancellor exclaimed, rushing to the stage in gratitude.

The Chancellor, a powerful figure in court, seized the moment. Before Prince Pingyi could respond, the Chancellor and Feng Yewu harmonized their words, leaving Prince Pingyi with no space to object. To refuse Feng Yewu publicly would not only defy imperial will but also offend the Chancellor.

Cornered, Prince Pingyi had no choice but to accept. “I thank Your Majesty for the marriage,” he said, his face contorted as though he had swallowed a rotten egg, much to Feng Yewu’s delight.

Feng Yewu’s decree had astonished everyone present. The other princes, witnessing the scene, became wary, keeping their distance from anyone offering wine. Who could predict whether another palace maid or official’s daughter might become their princess consort next?

“Since Prince Pingyi has agreed, there’s no need to wait. After the banquet, you two shall be wed,” Feng Yewu announced, settling the matter without hesitation.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty! Today brings double happiness,” the ministers cried, kneeling to offer their felicitations.

But Prince Pingyi felt no joy, only that the din of the banquet grated on his nerves. Thus, the banquet concluded with the princes uneasy, each guarding against further surprises.

That evening, Prince Pingyi sat in his own manor, his princess consort weeping bitterly beside him, full of resentment.

“Enough of your tears. Today’s events were beyond my expectations—I never imagined His Majesty would resort to such tactics,” he said impatiently, casting an irritated glance at his crying consort.

“Since the day I married you, have I ever failed in my duty? If you wish to dismiss me, do so; there is no need to use His Majesty as an excuse,” she replied, her sorrow deepening.

Prince Pingyi had only brought a maid to the banquet, preferring to leave himself an escape route. If Feng Yewu truly acted, he wanted his consort at home to arrange matters and depart swiftly.

But his actions, observed by his princess consort, seemed to her a deliberate snub, a sign he wished to meet someone else alone.

The maid, witnessing the scene, remained silent. With the princess consort in such distress, there was no place for servants to interject.

“Don’t just stand there. Explain what happened to the princess consort. I’ll retire to the study to clear my head,” Prince Pingyi said, casting a glare at the timid maid before leaving for his study.

Behind him, the maid’s explanations fell on deaf ears, doing little to ease the princess consort’s anguish.