Chapter 255 The Prince of Nanyang Requests an Imperial Decree

Chapter 255 The Prince of Nanyang Requests an Imperial Decree

Ms. Hu was a dignified, elegant, and gentle middle-aged woman. Even though the journey had made her somewhat tired, her demeanor remained impeccable.

Unlike Xie Jingshu, she didn't initially view Jiang Yuan with a critical attitude.

Both sides are keen to improve the situation, so the relationship is unlikely to become strained.

In particular, Madam Hu did not stay here for long. After the things were delivered and she stayed for three more days, she took the two cartloads of things prepared by Xie Wanniang and went home, citing family matters that prevented her from leaving.

Xie Wanniang was worried about her, so she sent her another twenty guards.

Hu hadn't told her before she came, so she couldn't send someone to pick her up in advance. But now that Hu was leaving, she couldn't let her leave just like that.

Anyway, she is currently staying in Zijing Pass, which has strict checks and a large garrison, so her safety level is very high and the guards are mostly unnecessary.

Sending them to deliver the Hu family's belongings is a way of giving them something worthwhile to do.

About twenty days after Hu left, Xie Wanniang gave birth smoothly to a little girl named Honghong, who looked adorably ugly.

She gave her child the nickname An'an because the child was not only very well-behaved in her womb, but also unlike other babies, he didn't cry or fuss after birth.

When she's thirsty, hungry, needs to poop or pee, is cold or hot, or just doesn't feel comfortable lying down, she'll only whimper a couple of times. Once an adult hears her and comes to take care of her, she'll obediently let them do as they please and won't make a sound.

The only time she cried loudly was right after she was born.

Such an honest child was something that even Xie Wanniang, a new mother, had never seen before, let alone the women in the household who had raised and seen many children.

Although Xie Wanniang had confirmed many times that the child was perfectly healthy, she still couldn't help but feel a little worried. That's why she gave her this nickname, hoping that she would be safe and healthy.

The people around her took very good care of her and her child, and Xie Wanniang lived a life without any major problems. However, there are always some people in this world who are not so sensible.

She's currently in her postpartum confinement period, and her scumbag father has suddenly jumped out to make his presence known.

Taking advantage of the opportunity during the New Year period when the princes were ordered to come to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, the Prince of Nanyang played the victim in front of the emperor.

At first, the emperor thought he was going to plead for the Princess of Nanyang. After all, it was the New Year season, and the Princess of Nanyang had already been punished and suffered in the past. If the Prince of Nanyang chose this time to plead for her, it would be considered that he had chosen a good time.

When this guy finally revealed his true intentions, he wasn't talking about the Princess of Nanyang at all, but rather about his desire to reunite with Xie Wanniang.

Unlike before, when he wanted Xie Wanniang to return to the Nanyang Prince's Mansion, marry into his family according to his wishes, and be completely under his control, this time the Nanyang Prince took a step back.

He stated that he would not force Xie Wanniang to return to the Nanyang Prince's Mansion, nor would he separate her from Jiang Yuan. He simply hoped that the child who inherited their bloodline would inherit the Nanyang Prince's Mansion.

Therefore, he hoped that the emperor would allow him to bring Xie Wanniang's first son back to the palace.

This time, the Prince of Nanyang was clearly well-prepared. He not only performed a series of dramatic acts to play the victim, but also bribed several old men who held some position in the imperial clan.

With their support, many of the old men who were qualified to attend the royal family banquet at the palace felt that the Prince of Nanyang's request was reasonable and that the emperor could grant it.

The remaining members of the imperial clan, though they disagreed, did not voice their opposition. After all, it was none of their business; the emperor's decision was his prerogative.

Only one of them, after being tugged at the sleeve by his young wife, slowly began to sing a dissenting tune.

This person was none other than the emperor's uncle, who preferred to be a duke rather than a prince in order to avoid being enfeoffed.

Previously, he not only used the guise of an imperial inspector to go out and have fun, but also went quite absurdly by finding himself a wife from a merchant family in the northern border.

Although he was only a duke and his blood relation to the emperor was quite distant, more than 90% of those present did not receive the emperor's favor as much as he did.

"You can even portray snatching someone else's child as a compromise or a great favor. You have no shame."

As soon as he opened his mouth, the few relatives who had been enthusiastically urging the emperor to issue the decree suddenly became like chickens with their necks being choked, their mouths agape and their faces turning purple, but they were no longer able to continue their clamor.

The Prince of Nanyang was surprised that this person would jump out and cause trouble, and his expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

He tried to suppress his anger, keeping a bitter expression on his face. "Uncle, what are you saying? That's not someone else's child, he's my own grandson. I don't mean to do anything bad to him. I just want to keep him under my wing so he can inherit our branch's title and wealth."

Upon hearing this, many people present immediately began to envy the child.

Those who valued wealth and status more than the feelings of their juniors quickly began to consider whether they were suitable to be adopted by the son or grandson of the Prince of Nanyang.

However, the notoriously reckless Duke was not fooled by the Prince of Nanyang at all. He scoffed, "You say that's your grandson, so he's your grandson? Has the mother of that nowhere-to-be recognized you as her biological father?"

The Prince of Nanyang's expression shifted, becoming extremely unpleasant.

However, the other party still felt it wasn't enough.

"You feel that the Xie family has completely fallen and that Xie's daughter is no longer good enough for you, so you can't wait to break off the engagement and marry someone else, without caring about the other person's life or death at all."

"That woman was so frail, she must have suffered so much to give birth to that girl."

"Now that the Xie family has raised that girl, you realize that you have no male heir and need that girl to carry on your bloodline, so you jump out and claim to be her biological father."

"So you only call that girl your biological daughter when she's useful to you?"

"You haven't spent a single penny on them, yet you have the audacity to try and steal their son. Tsk tsk, how can you be so shameless?"

"You want the Emperor to issue an edict? Are you afraid the Emperor's reputation is too good or what? So you think the Nanyang Prince's Mansion deserves to take all the advantages in this world?"

"Tsk tsk, it seems that the most shameless person in our Yuan clan will no longer be your royal uncle who married a young wife, but my good nephew who wants to take advantage of everything in the world."

He rattled off a string of words, speaking slowly but with such sharp and direct language that the Prince of Nanyang was left speechless for a moment.