Chapter 938: The Emperor’s Order Can’t Be Disobeyed

Translator: Atlas Studios    Editor: Atlas Studios

Yu Youyao only knew a little about marriage, but that did not mean that she did not understand the implications behind it.

The collapse of the Han Clan was still in progress. If the engagement was exposed now, her motive for coming to Liaodong would seem impure. One would not be afraid to speculate about others with the greatest malice, but others would definitely guess that she had selfish motives.

Meanwhile, the private contact between King Yue Fei and the Yu Clan was certain. A clique forming between court officials and vassal lords was a huge tabo, and it would arouse the suspicion of the Imperial Court.

Only after the collapse of the Han Clan would Yin Huaixi completely control the North. In order to prevent King Yue Fei from leading his troops and shocking the lord, the Imperial Court would think of ways to restrain the vassal lords.

The most convenient and effective way was to arrange a marriage.

At this moment, Yin Huaixi’s marriage with her was what the royal family was happy to see.

Princess Shaoyi had received the emperor’s vast grace, which was why she had been conferred the title of the Eldest Princess. She had to thank the emperor for his kindness. The Yu Clan’s foundation in the royal court was still shallow, and it was not as deep-rooted as the other old nobles. Furthermore, they were under the protection of the emperor and were restrained by the Imperial Court. With the word “filial piety” in mind, it was impossible for Yu Youyao not to care about her family.

The Yu Clan was both loyal and ready to die to preserve their chastity. The daughters of the Yu Clan could not betray their ancestors and forget their sect. They had been attacked by the world for hundreds of years and relied on the blood and tears of the Yu Clan to support themselves.

King Yue Fei wanted to make use of the Yu Clan behind Princess Shaoyi to have some thoughts that they shouldn’t have. That was definitely impossible.

Instead, he would be restrained by his wife’s family.

Yu Youyao frowned. “The Empress has given me such a generous reward on such a grand scale. Doesn’t that mean I don’t even have an excuse to refuse? Is this a forced sale?!”

How noble was the position of the Empress?!

If it were anyone else, they would inevitably be tempted. However, Yu Youyao knew very well what she wanted and did not want. She only felt disgusted by the Empress’s scheme.

Old Master Xie could clearly see the disgust on her face and felt relieved. However, he said, “You have a noble title, so your marriage will most likely be decided by the Empress Dowager and the emperor. The Yu Clan has no right to make decisions on its own. You have a noble status and a huge father clan behind you. There are too many interests involved. The palace will be more cautious about your marriage. The Empress can’t make a rash decision.”

From the looks of it, the Empress’s scheme was not so terrifying.

Yu Youyao’s mood did not relax. “Although that’s the case, since ancient times, marriage has always been decided by my parents. Although my marriage is decided by the palace, I still have to ask my elders. The elders can still help to encourage me. The Empress rewarded me generously for the Yu Clan to see.”

The Han family of Xian was deeply rooted in the North. They were intertwined and involved a lot of matters. These things had to be investigated one by one before they could make a decision.

This case would take at least three to five months. Furthermore, behind it was the Deputy Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Elder Han. In the end, the case still had to be handed over to the Imperial Court and to the capital for a second trial. After confirming that there were no mistakes in the case, it had to be handed over to the Court of Justice for a third trial.

After three trials, the Ministry of Justice would determine the sentence and close the case.

No one knew how long this would take because the case involved too many things and there were too many variables.

However, if Yin Huaixi wanted to completely control the North, he had to at least wait until the Han family’s case in Xi’an and the related people involved were transferred to the capital. This period of time was a little tricky.

The emperor and the Empress Dowager were seriously ill. One of them was sealed in the palace and the other was lying in bed. Meanwhile, Yin Huaixi did not control the North. As the Eldest Princess, she did not have any autonomy over her marriage.

In the end, the Empress still needed to step in for her marriage. The Empress could not make a hasty decision, but what if she reached a consensus with the Yu Clan, which was her father’s clan?

Marriage was a big deal. It involved her parents’ orders, the matchmaker’s words, and the palace’s betrothal.

Wouldn’t that be logical?!

Although it had been less than a year since her grandmother had passed away, and it was not convenient to discuss marriage at this time, as long as the royal family took a fancy to someone, they only needed to say a few words and it would be done.

In addition, loyalty came before filial piety. The Empress was the ruler, and Yu Youyao was a minister. If the Empress really had such intentions, she would first exchange the engagement token. A child in mourning had to mourn for three years, while a grandchild in mourning only had to mourn for a year. After she observed filial piety for her grandmother for a year, it would be more logical for them to exchange invitations.

The emperor’s order could not be disobeyed.

Unless the emperor annulled the marriage that the royal family had given her, it would be decided. Even if the Fourth Prince died, she had to be a widow and grow old alone until she died in the name of being loyal. Otherwise, it would be considered disrespectful and unchaste to the royal family.

Ordinary families did not dare to marry women that the royal family had taken a fancy to in the past.

For the sake of the family’s reputation and dignity, no matter how noble her status was, a noble family would definitely not marry her.

However, compared to other women, Yu Youyao’s situation would be even more difficult.

Back then, at the Marquis of Changxings Flower Festival, Seventh Miss Cao and the Marquis of Changxings wife had planned to ruin her reputation. At that time, she had used her grandmother’s reputation to build a good reputation for herself.

Everyone knew that she had been raised by her grandmother since she was young, and her morals had also taken after her grandmother.

Her grandmother was a chaste woman, and the Imperial Court had even established a memorial arch. Not only did she bear her grandmother’s name, but that memorial arch also reflected her grandmother.

If she married Yin Huaixi, not only would she lose her reputation as an indecent person, but she would also implicate her grandmother’s reputation. The entire Yu Clan would be criticized.

If Yin Huaixi dared to marry her, it was inevitable that he would be known as

“forcefully snatching his brother’s wife”, “inhumane”, and “incestuous.”

In ancient times, there were people who forcibly snatched other people’s wives, although they were criticized.

However, if the person he had snatched was his brother’s wife, it would be a mess. The stakes were different, and Yu Youyao would only meet a dead end.

This was not Yu Youyao letting her imagination run wild, but the Empress’s true plan.

The Yu Clan’s foundation in the court was still shallow, and now that they were in hot water, they urgently needed to stabilize their foundation in the court. If the Yu Clan could produce an empress, it would be beneficial to the Yu Clan.

The Yu Clan had no reason to refuse.

Recently, there had also been some rumors in the court that the Fourth

Prince’s reputation for being benevolent, filial, and virtuous had to be established. How much did the Fourth Prince have to achieve?

On the surface, the royal faction did not participate in the battle for the throne, but if they really did not have any thoughts about the battle for the throne, why would they let the Empress use the fact that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill to join the royal faction and cause trouble in the palace?

Wasn’t it just a gamble?

If the Empress could defeat Concubine Lan and Imperial Concubine Xu, it was not impossible for her to support the Fourth Prince to ascend the throne. In the future, they would be able to obtain wealth easily.

Everyone had selfish motives.

Even if it didn’t work, the Empress could still be accused of disobeying the Empress Dowager and having exclusive power to do political work, causing chaos in the court. Previously, the Ning Residence had been punished, and the eldest son of the Emperor had died prematurely. The old and the new were dealt with, and several crimes were committed at the same time. The Empress could also be suppressed..