Chapter Sixty-Three: Imperial Edict of Marriage

Qin Yong immediately issued an imperial decree bestowing Xie Renfeng the grace to enter the court and pay homage during the morning audience the following day. He promoted Xie Mu, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, to the post of Libationer in the Imperial Academy, elevating him in a single bound from a minor official of the junior sixth rank to the junior fourth rank, thereby granting him the privilege to attend court and deliberate on state affairs.

When coercing Xie Renfeng, Xiao Zhi had not thought things through thoroughly. In his mind, the donation of land simply meant handing the property over to local officials, who would then report it to the imperial court.

Instead, that old fox Xie Renfeng had traveled all the way to the capital to present the land directly to the Emperor.

Since the Emperor possessed all lands within the seas, how could he accept your property for nothing?

He would undoubtedly bestow counter-gifts, such as noble titles, official ranks, and even posthumous or living honorific titles for the women of the family.

Fortunately, for many years Great Chu had been paying tribute to the Northern Barbarians, leaving the treasury so depleted it was practically bleeding; titles and honorific ranks were mere empty names without any accompanying stipends. The only tangible benefit was that the recipient did not have to kneel when meeting officials.

Even so, if Xiao Zhi were to calculate this ledger, he would certainly feel he had suffered a huge loss and would fiercely curse Xie Renfeng as an old, cunning scoundrel.

At the grand morning assembly, Xie Renfeng, supported by the Imperial Academy Libationer Xie Mu, knelt outside the great hall from the early hours.

The assembled ministers arriving for the court session were baffled; most of them neither recognized this person wearing the attire of a junior fourth-rank official nor knew who Xie Renfeng was.

As the court session commenced, after two trivial matters were settled, Qin Yong cast his gaze upon Xie Mu, who stood below with drooping shoulders and a lowered head.

Attending court for the very first time, Xie Mu had no idea when he was supposed to speak.

Unable to wait any longer, Qin Yong cleared his throat and glanced at Hu Bao standing nearby.

Hu Bao pitched his voice high and cried out, "Xie Mu, Libationer of the Imperial Academy, do you have a memorial to present?"

Qin Yong's expression turned exceedingly unsightly. You should have offered the land voluntarily; handling it in this manner made it look as though We were extorting it from you.

Xie Mu hurriedly stepped out of the ranks, dropped heavily to his knees, and tremulously pulled a memorial from his sleeve, saying, "Your subject has a memorial to present."

The assembled ministers exchanged glances.

They could not comprehend what play was being performed here.

Clearly lacking proper rehearsal, this actor Xie Mu was practically slapping the Emperor in the face.

"Is he not a compiler in the Hanlin Academy? When was he promoted to Libationer of the Imperial Academy?"

The Imperial Academy was the department in charge of education, with the Chancellor as its head and the Libationer as second-in-command.

In one sudden leap, Xie Mu had gone from a minor staff member to the second-in-command of a major branch.

Hu Bao presented the memorial upward, and Xie Mu then laid out the matter of the land donation.

The expressions among the civil and military officials varied widely.

Everyone assumed this fellow must have gone mad with a desire for promotion.

Nearly twenty thousand mu of land traded merely for the post of Libationer—how many years of corruption would it take to recoup such a cost?

They had seen people bribe their superiors, but never before had they seen anyone bribe the Emperor.

The civil and military officials of the entire court watched their performance as if observing monkeys entertaining in the market.

Immediately afterward, Qin Yong issued an imperial decree summoning Xie Renfeng into the hall.

Xie Renfeng entered making three bows and nine prostrations, and after shouting "Long live the Emperor," he stuck his rear in the air and waited there.

The Emperor bestowed upon him the loose official rank of Grand Master of Golden Harvest of the Quasi-Third Rank, granting him the special privilege of submitting memorials. In reality, this amounted to little more than presenting memorials and offering seasonal greetings—such documents would be intercepted before ever reaching Qin Yong's hands because there were simply far too many of them. Meanwhile, Xie Renfeng's deceased first wife was granted a third-rank noble title.

Since the founding of Great Chu, there had never been a loose official title prefixed with the word "Quasi."

What did "Quasi" signify? For example, the title of Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat and the Chancellery used "Quasi" to denote a temporary assignment without an inherent rank; holders of such titles generally held other concurrent posts, meaning they possessed powers equivalent to those of a Manager of Affairs without the corresponding official grade.

Truth be told, Xie Renfeng's official rank was not even as valuable as the third-rank noble title conferred upon his deceased wife.

The truth was that slightly over ten thousand mu of land was not a massive amount, and the Emperor well knew that this was not Xie Renfeng's voluntary initiative, but rather the result of Xiao Zhi pressing a blade against his throat to force him into it.

At last, Qin Yong asked, "Do you have any other matters to report?"

This was a polite way of saying your business is concluded, so express your gratitude and return home.

Xie Renfeng bowed once more, and just when Qin Yong expected him to retire of his own accord, Xie Renfeng spoke in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, this humble subject has a matter, and earnestly prays that Your Majesty will make a ruling."

Qin Yong frowned, and Hu Bao, standing nearby, felt his nerves twitch.

If Xie Renfeng were to declare at this moment that his donation of land was entirely coerced by Xiao Zhi, the imperial court's dignity would be shattered into pieces.

Hu Bao had already resolved that if Xie Renfeng dared utter such words, he would immediately summon the imperial guards, drag the fellow away, and throw him straight into the Imperial City Directorate.

Given the circumstances, Qin Yong felt a measure of apprehension in his heart.

Yet he had no choice but to follow along and ask, "What matter is it that requires Our ruling?"

Xie Renfeng replied, "This humble subject has a granddaughter, eighteen years of age, who remains unmarried to this day solely because she admires a certain man and vows to marry no other. This humble subject hopes Your Majesty will grant a decree of marriage for them."

Inside the grand hall, a buzzing wave of commotion erupted. How audacious of this Xie Renfeng to speak of such private matters in the imperial court!

Qin Yong, after all, was the Emperor and had to maintain his dignity; remaining silent, he simply watched Xie Renfeng quietly.

Minister of War Song Qi spoke up, "The Xie family is also a prominent clan of Shandong. Why has she not received marriage proposals at eighteen?"

That was the crux of the matter. Who knew if the other party disdained your granddaughter or what?

An imperial marriage edict could not be used to ruin someone's life. If the Emperor consented, yet the other party resisted unto death, would that not be a direct slap to the Emperor's face?

Xie Renfeng answered, "This humble subject's granddaughter has met this man only once. Moreover, this man has neither a betrothed nor a wife, and he is entirely unaware that my granddaughter has long held deep affection for him."

That being the case, Qin Yong had nothing further to worry about. With parents' commands and matchmakers' words, countless people in those days never laid eyes on each other until their wedding day.

"Very well." Growing somewhat impatient, Qin Yong said, "We shall grant them a marriage edict. Which distinguished young gentleman has your granddaughter set her sights upon?"

Overjoyed, Xie Renfeng knocked his head against the floor repeatedly, first expressing profuse gratitude for the Emperor's benevolence.

After kowtowing a few more times, he declared, "This man is none of other than Xiao Zhi, Halberd-Wielding Officer of the Imperial City Directorate and Viscount of Loyalty and Righteousness."

Before Xie Renfeng's voice had even faded, another buzzing uproar exploded across the court.

The civil and military officials reacted in various ways: some were astonished, some watched with amusement, some fell into deep thought, and others furrowed their brows tightly.

Qin Yong had already agreed to grant the marriage, and he knew Xiao Zhi well enough to confirm that the young man indeed had no betrothal or wife.

It was likely that while executing official duties in Shandong, Xiao Zhi had visited the Xie family estate and captured the heart of the Xie maiden.

A beauty falling for a hero—this was a classic trope.

For Xiao Zhi, this was hardly a bad thing. At twenty years of age, by the standards of this era, he could be considered a late-blooming bachelor.

Qin Yong saw no problem with the match, but just as he was about to open his mouth, Minister of Works Geng Wenshi suddenly stepped forward and announced, "Your Majesty, this subject believes this arrangement is improper."

Qin Yong: "???"

Xie Renfeng: "???"

All the civil and military officials: "???"

Hu Bao wished he could applaud Geng Wenshi on the spot; he had been anxious to the point of desperation—after all, a eunuch could hardly interrupt the Emperor in the middle of court.

If Xiao Zhi married the Xie maiden, what was to become of Princess Changping?

Qin Yong demanded, "What is improper about it?"

Geng Wenshi had not yet thought of a proper refutation, but if he did not step forward right then, Qin Yong would issue the decree.

Once the Emperor uttered his golden words and issued the decree, there would be no room for retraction.

Frowning as he raced through his thoughts, Geng Wenshi said, "Xiao Zhi is a pillar of strength among Your Majesty's trusted officials and requires a virtuous helper to assist him. Although the Xie family is a regional clan, their social standing does not match, and their ranks are unequal. Furthermore, Lord Xiao..."

Geng Wenshi rapidly organized his thoughts, feeling as though his brain was completely failing him at that very moment.

After a long pause, he continued, "Furthermore, Lord Xiao once confided in this subject that his heart already belongs to another, and he vows to marry no one else."

"If Your Majesty rashly bestows this marriage, Lord Xiao will find himself in a dilemma of advancement and retreat. Why does Your Majesty not wait until Lord Xiao returns to the capital before making a final decision?"