The Crown Princess is busy fishing

In the days that followed, the family began packing their bags.

As a local expert, Xie Jingwan led Hua Ruoyan to buy some local specialties, which they planned to distribute to relatives and friends back in Beijing.

Once everything was ready, the group boarded the large ship bound for the capital.

At the bow of the boat, Lin Yuge held An'an in his arms, facing the river breeze, gazing at the receding bay entrance, and whispered:

"An'an, we're heading back to the capital now. There's something exciting waiting for us there."

An'an blinked her big, watery eyes, seemingly understanding but not quite.

The little hand tugged at Lin Yuge's clothes, babbling as if responding to its mother.

The boat sailed steadily on the water, without any disturbance, heading smoothly towards the capital.

After arriving in the capital and resting briefly, the couple went to the palace to meet the emperor the next morning after the morning court session.

After passing through a series of palace gates, the two arrived at the Imperial Study.

At this moment, in the Imperial Study, Emperor Qianyuan was discussing matters with several court officials, and several adult princes were also present.

Upon hearing that it was the couple who had entered the palace, Emperor Qianyuan immediately stopped the conversation:

"Alright, you can go back now. We'll discuss this later."

Our great heroes are back! Quickly, summon them in!

Several court officials hurriedly bowed and took their leave, leaving only Emperor Qianyuan and his sons in the hall.

Soon the couple walked into the main hall with serious expressions, without waiting for them to bow.

"Greetings..." before they could finish their greetings.

Emperor Qian Yuan strode forward, his face full of smiles, and waved his hand, saying:

"No need for formalities! Yunqing! You and your husband have kept me waiting for quite some time."

If you hadn't written to inform me of the joyous birth of your son, which caused the delay, I would have summoned you to the capital immediately.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yunqing quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in apology:

"Your Majesty, I am guilty for failing to report to the capital in time."

Although there were extenuating circumstances, they acknowledged the error of the delay and were willing to accept punishment.

Emperor Qianyuan had not yet spoken.

Crown Prince Xiao Zheng'an snorted coldly and spoke first, reprimanding:

“Yunqing, as a subject, you should respect the emperor’s orders. How can you disregard the emperor’s orders for the sake of your children’s private affairs?”

This is a grave offense of disrespect. If everyone acted like you, what would become of the laws of the court?

Seeing this, the Second Prince Xiao Zhengxuan's eyes flashed, and he spoke with a smile:

"Brother, my cousin Yunqing has been blessed with a son. This is a great joy in his life, and he must be overjoyed."

However, due to the imperial decree, I was ultimately negligent. Fortunately, my father is magnanimous, otherwise…

His words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

The Fifth Prince, Xiao Zhengli, grew up spoiled by everyone. He was impulsive and spoke only out of passion.

Provoked by her second brother's seemingly unintentional words, and relying on her father's usual favor towards her, she blurted out without thinking:

"That's right, Cousin Yunqing is really not considering the bigger picture."

The rules of this imperial court are not to be trifled with. How can one postpone the tasks entrusted by the Emperor just because of the birth of a child in the family?

He continued shouting to himself, completely unaware of the undercurrents in the surrounding situation and the increasingly gloomy expression on Emperor Qian Yuan's face.

Xiao Yunqing and Lin Yuge exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat displeased with the Emperor's sons.

Fortunately, His Majesty is in his prime, with sharp hearing and eyesight, and has absolute control over the court.

Otherwise, who knows what the situation would be like now.

Emperor Qianyuan's face darkened, and he rebuked:

"Zhengli, don't talk nonsense here."

"I have already said that I am aware of and have agreed to Yun Qing's postponement of her return to the capital. How dare you so presumptuously criticize me?"

Xiao Zhengli then realized he had said the wrong thing, shrank back, and dared not utter another word.

Emperor Qianyuan then glared fiercely at the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, and said coldly:

"Zhengli is ignorant, Zheng'an, and Zhengxuan, your words are accusing me of being unfair in handling matters."

Not to mention the great achievements the couple made on their mission to the southeast.

Given the bond between the Prince of Zhenbei and me, what harm is there in making an exception for such special circumstances?

Upon hearing Emperor Qian Yuan's words, Xiao Zheng'an and Xiao Zhengxuan were startled and immediately knelt down.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Zheng'an's forehead as he said in a panic:

“Father, please calm your anger. Your son had no intention of blaming you. I was only concerned about the discipline of the court and misspoke. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me.”

Seeing that the situation was not good, Xiao Zhengxuan hurriedly followed suit and expressed his opinion:

"Your Majesty, I only wish to remind my cousin Yunqing to take the imperial decree seriously. I would never dare to show the slightest disrespect to Your Majesty."

Your humble servant is foolish and has failed to understand Your Majesty's profound meaning; I am willing to accept punishment.

Emperor Qianyuan snorted coldly:

"I am not senile yet. You should all keep your thoughts to yourselves and stop trying to outsmart me."

The Prince of Zhenbei's family has guarded the borders of our dynasty for many years with unwavering loyalty. I have also watched Yunqing grow up, and I trust his character and abilities.

The hardships and dangers they encountered on this mission to the Southeast far exceeded your imagination.

Their successful return and the numerous achievements they brought are already a great accomplishment.

Emperor Qian Yuan paused, his expression softening slightly, and continued:

"Yunqing, you have guarded Lingnan and made many outstanding achievements. This mission has been even more successful."

Today I hereby bestow upon you the title of King of Lingnan, and I hope that you will continue to be loyal and diligent in your duties.

The Lingnan region was a thriving maritime trade area with a diverse ethnic population.

You must govern properly, promote trade and commerce, protect the territory and its people, and make Lingnan a strong bulwark and source of wealth for our dynasty in the south.

I hereby bestow upon you a royal seal, which grants you the authority to appoint and dismiss officials of the third rank and below in Lingnan.

This will allow you to govern flexibly, strengthen the military, develop agriculture and sericulture, and construct water conservancy projects, all at your discretion.

"Lin Yuge, you are gentle and virtuous, with outstanding talent, and you have made great contributions to assisting Yun Qing."

I hereby bestow upon you the title of Princess Consort of Lingnan, and grant you ten bushels of pearls, one hundred pieces of jade, and one thousand bolts of brocade.

The Imperial Household Department was ordered to specially prepare royal attire and ceremonial regalia for you, to highlight your honor.

In the future, you should support Yunqing and work together to manage the affairs of Lingnan, setting an example for the people of Lingnan and serving as a role model for women throughout the land.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunqing and Lin Yuge exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty bestowed upon him the title of Prince this time. He immediately knelt down to express his gratitude.

"Your Majesty's grace is immense. My wife and I will dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to protecting Lingnan for Your Majesty."

"I will do everything in my power to ensure the prosperity of our dynasty, in order to repay Your Majesty's boundless grace."

Others, however, found it hard to accept.

Xiao Zheng'an's face was gloomy, his heart burning with jealousy, but he could only suppress his hatred, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

He knew that if he showed even the slightest dissatisfaction at this moment, it would only provoke his father to become even more furious.

But they could only watch helplessly as Xiao Yunqing was granted the title of king, and his power in Lingnan was almost comparable to that of a regional lord.

How could he be willing to accept that it would become a huge obstacle on his path to the throne?

Xiao Zhengxuan's eyes flickered, and although he still had a humble smile on his lips, he was quickly calculating a countermeasure in his mind.

Now that the matter of bestowing the title of king has been settled, the only option left is to find another way to counterbalance Xiao Yunqing's power.

The Fifth Prince, Xiao Zhengli, looked bewildered. He scratched his head, though he felt somewhat unconvinced.

But he dared not say anything more, only muttering softly:

"This cousin Yunqing is really lucky."

Emperor Qianyuan took in the reactions of his sons, his face dark and lost in thought.

However, he did not reprimand them further.

Then, he turned to Xiao Yunqing and said, "Yunqing, you should go back to your residence and reunite with your family to rest and recuperate."

Three days later, I will summon you again in the Imperial Study to discuss in detail the planning and prospects of Lingnan's political affairs.

You have many things to prepare; do not disappoint my high expectations of you.

Xiao Yunqing bowed again in gratitude: "Your subject obeys the decree and will certainly do his utmost."