As soon as these words were uttered.
Inside the main hall, discussions arose.
Silver Robe Inspector?
This is a high-ranking official of the Demon Suppression Division.
But even a Silver Robe shouldn't beat someone half to death without reason, right?
Some uninformed officials began to whisper among themselves.
Those who were informed, however, kept their eyes downcast and remained silent.
Being well-informed, they naturally knew what happened later at Prince Jings Estate last night.
Moreover, with such a commotion in the palace last night, and the Golden Jade Palace lit up brightly... anyone with a bit of sense had already figured out a few things.
On the Dragon Throne.
The Emperor's expression instantly became strange.
He straightened his body, the corner of his mouth curving upwards uncontrollably.
"Minister Su, please rise first. This matter, I know about it."
Su Wenbing was stunned.
He knows?
Is that all?
Shouldn't he be furious and immediately issue an edict to arrest the person?
"Your Majesty..."
Su Wenbing was somewhat unwilling. "That assailant..."
"Assailant?"
The Emperor interrupted him, his gaze sweeping across the hall, his voice suddenly rising.
"What assailant?"
Su Wenbing was dumbfounded.
The entire court of civil and military officials was also dumbfounded.
The Emperor rose from the Dragon Throne, standing with his hands behind his back, looking down at his ministers.
"Minister Su, I also know your son, Su Qingzhou. He is known as the capital's foremost talent, but he only ever recites poetry, admires the moon, and writes sentimental verses and lewd songs."
"I remember, a few months ago, he was at a brothel, fighting over a courtesan, and had his head broken. You also came to me crying, saying someone assaulted him?"
Su Wenbing's old face flushed red, and he stammered, "This... those were ruffians from the marketplace..."
"Ruffians from the marketplace?"
The Emperor's voice suddenly turned cold.
"Then do you know who beat your son like that last night?"
Su Wenbing was startled: "It was... it was that Silver Robe from the Demon Suppression Division..."
"That is My own sister!"
A thunderous roar exploded in the hall.
Su Wenbing's body stiffened, his head buzzed, and he nearly lost control of his bladder on the spot.
The entire court, whether bowing their heads like quails or perking up their ears for gossip, all trembled violently.
Sister?!
His Majesty's sister... wouldn't that be... "Sixteen years ago, on the Lantern Festival night, Consort Ming met with misfortune, and the Princess was lost."
The Emperor walked down the imperial steps, one by one.
"I have searched for her for sixteen years."
"Heaven has eyes! Last night, the Nine Dragons of the Imperial Ancestral Temple's Spirit Wall emerged together, and our Bloodline merged!"
The Emperor walked in front of Su Wenbing, who was already slumped on the ground, looking down at him with a disdainful gaze.
"Your... Your Majesty... this old subject... this old subject did not know..."
"Of course you didn't know!"
The Emperor snorted coldly and waved his large sleeve.
"My sister not only beat your son but also scolded your son. What does this show?"
"It shows that My sister is skilled in both literary and martial arts!"
"..."
The civil and military officials exchanged glances.
This... what kind of logic is this?
But looking at the Emperor's fanatical expression of 'my sister is the best in the world,' who dared to incur his displeasure?
The Emperor looked around, his voice clear and resonant.
"Moreover, your son, who fancies himself extremely talented, is merely a useless cripple with no strength to bind a chicken."
"My sister, at seventeen, in the Ink Dot Realm, slew a Seed Lotus expert in Taihu Lake, and has now even entered the Seed Lotus Realm. She is a Prodigy of this era!"
"To be personally disciplined by the Grand Princess, that is a blessing Su Qingzhou accumulated over several lifetimes!"
"Instead of going home to burn incense and offer thanks, you actually dared to come and file an imperial complaint?"
"Su Wenbing, what is your crime?!"
"..."
"This old subject... admits his guilt. Thank... thank you, Grand Princess Your Highness... for your guidance."
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction and resumed his seat on the Dragon Throne.
"We, your subjects... congratulate Your Majesty! Congratulate the Grand Princess on her return to the court!"
One person reacted quickly, immediately kneeling and shouting "Long live!"
The other officials, as if waking from a dream, knelt down in a flurry.
"Congratulate Your Majesty! Congratulate Grand Princess Your Highness—!!!"
A thunderous roar.
Listening to the deafening congratulations, the Emperor felt completely at ease.
"Issue My imperial decree!"
"Former vice minister of rites Jiang Xun, for his meritorious service in raising the Princess and protecting the imperial heir, has rendered great service."
"The case of colluding with demons was entirely fabricated, a malicious frame-up by villains!"
"Effective immediately, restore Jiang Xun's innocence, reinstate him to his original post, and confer upon him the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince!"
"Li Guyue is My blood sister, of the direct Li Bloodline."
The Emperor pondered for a moment.
Since it is Yue.
Then it must be the coldest, purest, and most unapproachable moon in this world.
"Enfeoff her as Zhaoyue."
"Furthermore, bestow ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand qing of fertile land, and command the Ministry of Works to immediately select an auspicious site and construct the Zhaoyue Princess's Estate according to the regulations for imperial princes! All items required for the Princess's Estate shall be allocated from the Imperial Treasury, without limit!"
The Old Eunuch meticulously took notes beside him, fearing he might forget anything.
In his heart, however, he clicked his tongue in wonder.
Such favor was unprecedented since the founding of the Great Tang... With the imperial decree issued, Chang'an was shaken.
Su Wenbing was carried out of the imperial palace by his family's servants.
It is said that when he was carried back, his trousers were still wet, and he kept muttering "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace" along the way.
This caused passersby to turn their heads, wondering what misfortune had befallen this Minister of Personnel, who was usually so imposing.
And as the bell for the end of court rang.
A piece of news even more shocking than demons entering the city instantly spread to every corner of Chang'an.
"Did you hear? Last night at Prince Jing's Estate's Liushang Banquet, Inspector Jiang beat the great talent Su half to death!"
"Hah! What's that? It's already spread! The real bombshell is yet to come!"
"What bombshell?"
"That Inspector Jiang... is not a daughter of the Jiang Family at all! She is the Grand Princess Your Highness, lost sixteen years ago! She is the current Emperor's own sister!"
"Hiss—!!!"
In the teahouses and taverns, there was a collective gasp.
"This... how is this possible? How did she transform into a princess?"
"The imperial decree has been issued! Princess Zhaoyue! Listen to that title, Zhaoyue! The sun and moon shining in the sky!"
"My goodness... no wonder she's so fierce at such a young age, Ink Dot at seventeen, slaying a Seed Lotus expert in Taihu Lake, turns out she's a Dragon Bloodline!"
"I knew it! How could an ordinary person give birth to such a Prodigy? It turns out she's of imperial Bloodline!"
The common people's discussions were the most straightforward.
In their eyes, all irrationalities.
As long as the four words "imperial Bloodline" were applied, everything became logical.
Many even began to vividly describe the strange phenomena when Jiang Yuechu was born.
Such as golden light filling the sky, or true Dragons protecting her body... they spoke as if they had been there to witness it themselves... Wei Residence, backyard.
"Clang—"
Wei Qing sat blankly on the embroidered stool, looking at the breathless young maid who had run to deliver the news, feeling as if her soul had been lost.
"You... what did you say?"
"Young Miss... everyone outside is going crazy, saying that Lord Jiang... no, Princess Zhaoyue, stayed in the Golden Jade Palace last night, and at today's morning court, His Majesty publicly enfeoffed her and is even going to clear Jiang Xun's name!"
Wei Qing blinked.
She still couldn't accept it.
She had worried all night after seeing Jiang Yuechu taken away by the Emperor last night.
She had even imagined a melodramatic drama of a tyrannical emperor forcibly taking someone.
She was just thinking about how to ask her father to get her out.
But then... she woke up.
Her good friend became a princess?
And a Grand Princess at that!
"This... this is too..."
She suddenly remembered that she had pulled Jiang Yuechu to try on clothes in her boudoir, and even pinched her face, and even...
"It's over, it's over..."
Wei Qing covered her face, letting out a wail. "I actually pinched the Grand Princess's face... This is a great disrespect! Will I be beheaded?"
The maid beside her cautiously advised, "Young Miss, you and Her Highness the Princess have such a good relationship, how could Her Highness blame you? This is a good thing!"
"Good thing..."
Wei Qing lowered her hands, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes.
Her identity had changed.
Could they still be like before?