I made the villain right.

Early the next morning.

The sun was still shining brightly in the clouds, revealing a little clear glow, when the general's mansion welcomed an unexpected guest, Eunuch Hong. He came with an imperial edict, and the content of the edict was self-evident.

What is coming will come, and she has prepared herself mentally.

Shi Jin and Shi Wei went to the front hall to receive Eunuch Hong.

Aunt Zhao glanced at the imperial edict in Eunuch Hong's hand, and a strange look flashed across her eyes, as if she was smiling but not smiling, but Shi Jin saw all of this.

There was a hint of scrutiny in Shi Jin's eyes, and he became suspicious. Why did she have that expression? Did she also know the inside story?

Shi Jin had previously suspected that Aunt Zhao was Xu Wuchen's spy, and now her suspicion of Aunt Zhao was even more certain.

When Eunuch Hong saw Shi Wei, he smiled and said, "General Shi has issued an imperial decree. Please accept it."

When Shi Wei heard this, his eyes were somewhat gloomy. Shi Sheng also frowned and glanced at Shi Jin subconsciously, feeling a little worried.

Suddenly, everyone knelt down to receive the decree. Eunuch Hong read out, "The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: I have heard that General Weiyuan's daughter Shi Jin is skilled, generous, kind, honest, and of outstanding character and appearance. I am very pleased to hear this. I hereby grant her marriage to the Second Prince as his princess, and choose an auspicious date for the wedding. I decree this."

Shi Wei was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "My daughter has already been betrothed to someone else. I am afraid that I cannot accept this imperial decree."

When these words were spoken, Aunt Zhao's face showed a trace of surprise. She had just come of age yesterday and was betrothed to someone, so why didn't she know about it!

Shi Jin glanced at Aunt Zhao and found that her face looked a little ugly. She was in a trance and had not come back to her senses. She felt distraught.

Seeing this, she curled her lips, thinking it was too early to be happy.

Eunuch Hong looked embarrassed, his brows slightly lowered, and he said in surprise: "This... General Shi is going to disobey the order!"

Shi Wei stood up, and everyone else followed suit. He had already made up his mind and had made sufficient preparations. Shi Wei's eyes were firm, and he said, "I will bring my daughter and the eunuch to the palace to meet His Majesty and apologize in person."

Before leaving, Wei returned to his room, and then they entered the palace with Eunuch Hong.

After a while, the carriage stopped.

They got off the carriage, and what came into Shi Jin's sight were magnificent and majestic palaces and towers rising from the ground, with golden roofs and red doors. The antique style exuded a solemn and quiet atmosphere that was daunting, and there was a heavy, oppressive atmosphere that made people feel nervous and depressed.

Shi Jin stepped into the palace gate, looked up at the buildings, the thick high walls, the golden bricks and tiles, and felt a sense of sadness in his heart.

She suddenly remembered a line of poetry: The lonely empty courtyard is about to end in spring, and the pear blossoms cover the ground but the door is not open.

There are countless innocent souls buried beneath this magnificent palace, carrying heavy melancholy and sadness; within the palace walls and behind the bright red lacquered gate, the freedom and youth of countless people are locked up.

Whose tears wet the silk handkerchief, whose face has not aged yet the kindness has ended, who was favored in the past but is now ignored, and who sits by the incense lamp until dawn.

She didn't like the strong cage atmosphere here, which was one of the reasons why she was determined not to marry into the royal family.

Shi Jin came to his senses and found that he had fallen behind the team, so he took small steps forward and followed.

Eunuch Hong led them through a series of long corridors, and soon they were brought to the entrance of Ganlu Hall.

Then Eunuch Hong said to them, "General Shi is waiting here. I will go in and tell them."

"Thank you," Wei said politely and slipped a silver note to Eunuch Hong.

After Eunuch Hong half-heartedly pretended to refuse several times, he finally accepted it with confidence. Then Eunuch Hong politely said, "General Shi, you are too polite. This is what I should do."

After saying that, he entered the hall, and Shi Jin looked inside with some curiosity.

She will be meeting His Majesty soon, and to be honest, she is still a little nervous.

Seeing this, Shi Wei warned: "Jin'er, remember to be careful with your words and actions when you go in later."

"clear"

Not long after, Eunuch Hong came quickly and when he saw them, he said, "Your Majesty, please come in."

Just as they were about to go in, Eunuch Hong suddenly thought of something and added, "The Second Prince and Prime Minister Qin are also in there."

Hearing this, Shi Jin frowned slightly, then smiled at Eunuch Hong to show his politeness and gratitude, "Thank you, Eunuch," and then they strode in.

When Xu Wuchen saw Shi Jin, he looked very proud and satisfied.

Qin Yixian looked at the father and daughter with a half-smile, a look of triumph on his face.

When Jin took a look and saw Xu Wuchen and Qin Yixian, his eyes were instantly filled with disgust.

She turned her gaze to His Majesty and the disgust in her eyes disappeared completely, replaced by a respectful expression.

His Majesty sat on the main throne, looking elegant. He was wearing a bright yellow robe embroidered with a pattern of a soaring dragon over the sea. His ink-black hair was tied up with a golden jade crown. His sword-like eyebrows were deep in his temples, his face was angular, with strong lines, and his complexion was a little pale. His cold eyes were stern, and he had the aura of a king dominating the world.

Although he is already middle-aged, his face is still handsome and extraordinary. No wonder he has such a handsome appearance as Xu Wusheng.

Afterwards, Shi Wei and Shi Jin paid their respects successively.

Shi Wei: "This old minister greets your majesty."

Shi Jin: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

"No need to be polite," His Majesty said, and then glanced at Shi Jin and asked, "My dear Shi, why are you here to see me in the palace today?"

Shi Wei knelt down upon hearing the voice. Seeing this, Shi Jin also had an idea and quickly knelt down. Shi Wei said in a deep voice: "I brought my daughter here today to apologize to Your Majesty. Your Majesty had the good intention to grant my daughter a marriage with the Second Prince, but my daughter is not worthy of it. Please withdraw the decree."

The General's Mansion is highly valued by His Majesty and is considered a hot commodity by the people. Anyone with a discerning eye can see the real purpose of Xu Wuchen's proposal to marry Shi Jin.

After saying this, Xu Wuchen clenched his fists. He was a noble prince, but he was repeatedly frustrated in the Shi family. Qin Yixian, who was standing next to him, noticed Xu Wuchen's anger and gave him a look, indicating that he should be patient.

His Majesty raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. He asked, "Oh, why are you not blessed enough to enjoy it? Is there any difficulty? My dear, can you explain it more clearly?"

"My daughter has already been betrothed to someone else. She cannot but marry the Second Prince."

Hearing this, Xu Wuchen's head buzzed, his eyes suddenly spit fire, his face flushed, and he said, "Father, I think General Shi deliberately lied to deceive the emperor in order to reject this marriage."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jin immediately sought His Majesty's consent and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"Okay," His Majesty said loudly.

Shi Jin pulled out an engagement letter from his bosom and said confidently: "I am indeed betrothed to someone else. The engagement letter is proof that my father and I have not deceived the emperor, but are stating the facts."

Seeing Shi Jin doing this, Xu Wuchen's eyes became even angrier. It was obvious that he came prepared.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Hong immediately understood, took the engagement letter from Shi Jin's hand and presented it to His Majesty.

His Majesty took it and looked at it, his eyes were obscure and unclear. After a moment, he asked, "Who is this Fan Hua? How could he win the beauty faster than Chen Er?"

"Your Majesty, Fan Hua is just an ordinary businessman," Shi Jin replied.

At this time, Qin Yixian, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, "Since you have been betrothed to her, why did you hide the news? Who is General Shi guarding against?" He spoke sternly.

Shi Wei glanced at Qin Yixian, and then said: "Prime Minister Qin is worrying too much. This marriage was only decided yesterday. I received the imperial decree granting the marriage this morning. The Minister of Time has no time to announce this news."

For His Majesty, it is a taboo for his close ministers to be close to the prince, because the ministers may plot together with his own son to take his position, which will pose a threat to him.

Your Majesty originally did not agree to this marriage, but he agreed under pressure from Qin Yixian. Why was he controlled by Qin Yixian? This story dates back many years ago. Many years ago, he was just an ordinary prince, and he sat on this position because of Qin Yixian.

From then on, Qin Yixian kept holding on to this braid and refused to let go. Not only did he have great power in the court, but he also suppressed him everywhere. It was unknown how many of his spies were intertwined in the palace.

He seemed to be a king with unlimited glory and dominance over the world, but in fact he was just a puppet king.

Now that Shi Weilai had done this, it was exactly what he had wanted, so he naturally had to go with the flow.

"Since this is a huge blunder caused by a blockage of information, I think we should just cancel this marriage."

Hearing this, Qin Yixian's eyebrows turned cold, and his face was gloomy. He said: "Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, once you have spoken, you cannot take back the imperial edict easily."

Xu Wuchen saw the opportunity and agreed: "Yes, father, it would be detrimental to your dignity to take back the imperial edict casually."

Then, Qin Yixian bombarded him with words again: "If the reason for His Majesty to withdraw the imperial edict is that the emperor cannot be compared with a lowly businessman, it will damage the reputation of the royal family. Please be gentle, Your Majesty. I think Your Majesty should issue an edict to cancel the marriage between Fan Hua and Miss Shi and make the Second Prince happy."

Hearing this, Shi Jin glared at Qin Yixian fiercely, with a look as if he wanted to eat him up.

Your Majesty suddenly found himself in a desperate situation.

His eyes grew darker, his fists clenched tightly under his sleeves, making a clattering sound, and there was a hint of murderous intent hidden in his eyes.

Qin Yixian's words were sharp and aggressive, not giving him any chance to breathe. On the surface, his high-sounding words were to protect the face of His Majesty and the royal family, but in reality he was just forcing him to agree to the marriage.

"This..." His Majesty was speechless and reluctant to speak.

When Shi Wei saw the emperor's dilemma, his heart tightened and he felt something was wrong.

Shi Wei thought for a moment, then took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and said, "This is the jade pendant given to me by the late emperor. He promised that this jade pendant could grant me a wish. I want to redeem this promise today and pray that your majesty will approve the marriage between my daughter and Fan Hua."

He had taken the jade pendant before he set out, originally intending it to be a last resort. But now that he was in a desperate situation, he had no choice but to take it out to get out of the way.

"Since it belongs to the late emperor, how can Your Majesty use it?" Qin Yixian said in a deep voice.

This sentence aroused the anger burning in His Majesty's heart. He stood up in anger, veins popping out on his hands, and shouted: "Bold Qin Yixian, are you disrespecting the late emperor or me?"

Hearing this, Qin Yixian restrained himself a little, lowered his eyebrows and said, "I dare not."

His Majesty snorted coldly, threw his sleeves vigorously, and said thoughtfully: "Ji State advocates filial piety. Do you want me to bear the crime of being unfilial by saying this? Since it is the promise of the late emperor, it is still valid for me. Today I will agree to your wish. If you still have objections, you will be killed without mercy."

After saying this, His Majesty glanced at Qin Yixian and Xu Wuchen with a domineering and cold look, and the two of them dared not speak immediately.

Shi Jin breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, but what was annoying was that just when he had caught his breath, Qin Yixian came back again.

"Your Majesty has granted General Shi's wish. I have nothing to say. However, one thing is another. It is a fact that Miss Shi disobeyed the order. According to the laws of the Ji Dynasty, those who disobey the order will be punished with sixty lashes."

Qin Yixian narrowed his eyes and looked at Shi Jin with eyes full of malice.

If they make life difficult for him today, he will also skin them alive.