Chapter 114: Granting Titles to All

A month later, Li Yanhe was enfeoffed as a prince. Lin Miaomiao stood to the side, watching in a daze as he donned his crimson ceremonial robes. She thought he looked truly magnificent, and his presence stirred a strange feeling within her.

Looking up at the sky and then back at the man standing there, she murmured to herself, "As expected, Li Yanhe is an extraordinary person."

Just as she was feeling like a mere bystander, a young palace maid approached her. For some reason, the sight of the girl made Lin Miaomiao feel a sudden surge of nervousness. After bowing, the maid said, "County Princess, Consort Xian requests your presence."

Lin Miaomiao was taken aback. "To see me?" she asked, her tone filled with confusion. The maid nodded firmly. "Yes, Your Ladyship. You."

Lin Miaomiao thought to herself, *I'm not very close with Consort Xian; can I just not go?*

Before she could react, Li Yanhe—a very busy man—walked over. He glanced at the maid and asked coldly, "Which palace are you from to be so lacking in manners?"

The maid’s face flushed red upon seeing him. She hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, stammering, "Your Highness, this servant is from the Changchun Palace. Consort Xian noticed that County Princess Anping was alone and bored, so she wished for her to come and chat."

Lin Miaomiao raised an eyebrow at the maid. "That’s not what you said a moment ago. Are you bullying me because I’m young?"

Li Yanhe looked at Lin Miaomiao and asked, "What is going on?"

"She told me to come, but didn't give me any reason at all," Lin Miaomiao replied.

A handsome curve formed on Li Yanhe’s lips. "In that case, it is her fault for deceiving her superiors."

"What do you mean?" Lin Miaomiao asked.

"Nothing of importance," he replied with a smile. "By the way, the Emperor is looking for you. Let us go." After saying this, he caught the eye of Nanny Zhao, who stood behind them. She nodded, and the moment they departed, she gestured to the eunuchs at the door: "Someone, drag this person who dared to deceive her superiors away and execute her with the rod."

The maid did not even have a chance to speak before her mouth was covered. She had never realized that the great general and god of war of the Dayong Dynasty was also one of the Emperor's sons. She had gone to her death to prove exactly what kind of man Li Yanhe was.

Standing nearby were the Crown Prince, Li Hanwen, and the Fourth Prince, Li Deren, while the Ninth Prince, Li Yonghe, stood silently watching the others drink.

Lin Miaomiao followed Li Yanhe to Emperor Yongchang and the Noble Consort Xianrou, Yuan Chuxia. She offered a somewhat unpolished salute: "Your Majesty, may you have ten thousand years of peace."

The Emperor waved his hand. "From today on, Lady Lin Miaomiao is the wife of Prince Shengxuan. Have the Imperial Observatory select an auspicious date for their marriage."

Lin Miaomiao’s face turned bright red. She wanted to express her gratitude but didn't know what to say, so she looked up at Li Yanhe. He shook his head slightly, prompting, "Are you not going to thank the Emperor?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the marriage blessing," she stammered. As she stood up, Li Yanhe found her directness rather amusing. The Emperor ordered a seat to be brought for her, and just like that, thanks to Li Yanhe, Lin Miaomiao moved from the shadows to the front row.

She looked at Crown Prince Li Hanwen, who was chatting with officials, and the Fourth Prince, Li Deren, by his side, as well as the clearly delighted Ninth Prince. *If it is Li Yanhe being enfeoffed as a prince,* she wondered, *why are they all so happy?*

Li Yanhe seemed to read her thoughts. With a sarcastic curl of his lip, he whispered, "Because I am not the only one being enfeoffed today. The Fourth and Ninth Princes are also being granted titles, and their ranks have been raised, so naturally, they are pleased. Consort Xian calling for you earlier was surely because of the Seventh Prince; he is the only one who did not receive an honor today."

Lin Miaomiao shook her head. "Not just the Seventh Prince; the Third Prince was also left out."

Li Yanhe paused, then nodded with a smile. "Indeed, not just the Seventh."

That evening, as they left the palace after the banquet, they ran into the high-spirited Ninth Prince. "I can no longer call you County Princess," he said with a smirk. "I should call you Imperial Sister-in-law."

"I suppose so," Lin Miaomiao replied. "But rules are rigid, while people are flexible. You may call me whatever you wish. After all, the mouth is on your face; what can I do to stop you from speaking?"

Li Yanhe chuckled and turned to the Ninth Prince. "Since you know, try to be more serious. You have had too much to drink tonight; you are being quite impudent."

Once they were inside their carriage, Lin Miaomiao said, "I don't know why, but seeing the Ninth Prince just now made me think of an idiom."

"Oh? Which one?" Li Yanhe asked, curious.

"The petty man who gets his way," she replied.

Li Yanhe shook his head. "The Seventh and Ninth Princes have always been allies, but this time, the Ninth has dealt the Seventh a blow. It remains to be seen how they will settle their rivalry."

Lin Miaomiao sighed heavily. "Yes, a winner must eventually emerge."

Meanwhile, the Seventh Prince, Li Yankang, sat at his desk, listening to the jubilant sounds outside. A mocking smile touched his lips. "How wonderful. Only he was not enfeoffed—well, and the Third, away at the border."

Playing with a chess piece, he stared at the board. His vast manor was now devoid of any female consorts. He was truly alone, save for the servants sent from the palace—servants who could never leave. As he played, he realized the game had reached a stalemate. He rubbed his brow and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, a pigeon flew in through the window. He grabbed it and retrieved the note from its leg. "The plan has been successfully implemented." A cold, thin smile appeared on his face—in the darkness, he looked like a viper poised to strike.

Spring came early that year, and the ice had already melted. Lin Miaomiao stood under the eaves, watching the torrential rain. She had already received the imperial decree for her marriage to Li Yanhe. In the capital, everyone knew that Prince Shengxuan was marrying a merchant’s daughter, and that all the prestige she would now enjoy was owed entirely to him.

Rumors in the streets claimed that Lin Miaomiao was a beauty who had captured the heart of the cold prince at first sight. Others said Li Yanhe was a man of deep loyalty who had chosen to marry her because she had once saved his life. In short, the gossip of the capital was ablaze, and every girl in the city harbored a dream of marrying a handsome prince.

When Lin Miaomiao read these tales, she burst into laughter. She showed the book to Li Yanhe. "The people who print these books really will write anything, won't they?"

Li Yanhe smiled. "If that is the case, why are your eyes glued to the book without blinking?"

"I am curious about these folk rumors," she teased, "but I am even more curious about what else is inside. Look at this passage: 'It is said that Lady Lin was a nine-tailed fox in a past life, and because she perished for Prince Shengxuan, he has taken her as his wife in this life.' And here is another: 'He married her out of gratitude, but she is incredibly ugly and a jealous shrew.'"

Lin Miaomiao pulled two more books from her side and handed them to him. Li Yanhe looked at the absurd titles and sighed. "How boring." Yet, his hand moved on its own to pick up the book, flipping through the pages. When he reached a particularly explicit scene, he frowned. "As a lady, how can you read such things?"

Lin Miaomiao rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, *In the modern era, when reading romance, this would just be considered a 'clean' story.*

She continued munching on snacks, her pace slowing as the story reached a climax. Li Yanhe, uninterested in these tales of love, watched her instead. He noticed how she focused intensely on the book, occasionally smacking her lips at the high points, looking utterly adorable.