Chapter 337: Shouting "Good Riddance to the Dead!

The eunuch’s sharp voice pierced through the eardrums painfully.

“Immediately cancel the marriage alliance with the Turkic, properly accommodate the envoy at Honglu Temple, may they come and go as they please, without any mistakes!”

Officials from Honglu Temple and the palace staff all knelt down to accept the decree, while Princess Yujia and the Turkic envoy stood stunned.

She saw Mr. Cui’s hand trembling within his sleeve and saw the shoulders of the teaching nanny unexpectedly relax.

After announcing the decree, the eunuch was about to leave, but Mr. Cui hurriedly stepped forward, letting a heavy silver ingot slip from his sleeve.

“Wait, may I inquire what has happened to His Majesty…”

Mr. Cui wanted to ask what happened to the Emperor, and why the imperial consort issued the decree.

The eunuch took the silver, but his gaze drifted toward Princess Yujia, “Mr. Cui, you should enter the palace and see for yourself! We know nothing.”

The older Turkic tribal leader, He Shu, also hastened forward to ask, “Sir eunuch, what is the reason for canceling the marriage alliance?”

The eunuch shook his head solemnly, “We do not know.”

He Shu urgently pressed, “Then… does the Turkic peace proposal still stand?”

This was the matter concerning He Shu the most because he was not keen on marrying Princess Yujia; the cancellation was to his favor.

But the gifts for peace from the Turkic had already been sent to the Da Jing court; if the peace proposal no longer stood, he would need to find a way to retrieve the gifts.

The eunuch still shook his head, “I do not know.”

“Sir eunuch, what about the grains and cloth being sent to the Turkic?” Princess Yujia also inquired.

Facing Princess Yujia, the eunuch courteously replied, “Returning to the princess, those should also be canceled.”

Princess Yujia was suddenly taken aback. In an instant, she transformed from a princess about to wed into an alien person lost with no direction.

Beside her, the teaching nanny and palace maids packed their boxes with surprising speed, with one young maid even accidentally knocking over a box of rouge.

The officials from Honglu Temple, who had been busy the whole night, were now preoccupied with finding out what had occurred in the palace. No one paid attention to her anymore, as if she and the Turkic envoy had ceased to exist.

Princess Yujia gazed at the suddenly empty Honglu Temple, feeling a vast emptiness within her heart. She slumped back into her chair, feeling like an abandoned object, with no one caring for her.

The decree stated that they may come and go freely.

She was free, but the grains, cloth, and loom she had secured for the Turkic turned into illusions.

The tribesmen on the plains would continue to huddle in the wind and snow, longing for days of warmth and nourishment.

Now that hope is shattered, it seems they have no choice but to pick up their swords and bows and raid Da Jing’s border once more.

But she distinctly remembered, outside Yong’an City on her way there, those bastions stood tall like bared jagged teeth, and the city walls glistened coldly in the sunlight.

Moreover, Da Jing now possessed mysterious and powerful weapons like “peanuts,” making any Turkic raid on Yong’an City hopelessly futile.

Staring into the copper mirror, Princess Yujia woodenly removed the pearls and jewels from her head, then took off her bright red bridal gown.

“Princess, what should we do now?” He Shu quietly asked as he approached.

Princess Yujia turned her head to glimpse at the weathered face of He Shu, yet said nothing.

Indeed, clearly something major had occurred in the Da Jing imperial palace. What should they do now? And what should the Turkic decide?

While Princess Yujia was in a stupor, they did not see several carrier pigeons fly out from the depths of the palace, heading straight for the mansions of the Da Jing vassal kings across various states.

The Emperor and Empress both died abruptly in the palace, and it was under unnatural circumstances; the shock is no less than the explosion at the Champion Marquis Mansion.

If this matter were to spread, it would surely ignite an uproar throughout the court and the populace.

Upon hearing the news, civil and military officials rushed into the palace overnight, reaching a consensus with the imperial consort under the mediation of Mr. Wei.

This consensus meant suppressing the matter temporarily, not announcing the deaths. Firstly, to prevent chaos in the administration, secondly, to guard against schemers exploiting the situation.

Emperor Jing passed away early, leaving behind young offspring not fit to undertake great responsibility.

However, the nation cannot be without a ruler even for a day. The imperial consort and Mr. Wei decisively summoned the vassal kings to return to the capital immediately, intending to select a worthy successor from Emperor Jing’s brothers to uphold the state.

With the old minister Mr. Wei present, the situation in the palace was quickly under control. Yet outside, the city’s bustling outdid even the day of the Champion Marquis Mansion explosion.

Along the streets, Jingzhao Mansion’s government officials and the Imperial Army were patrolling and inspecting strictly. But the hotels, tea houses, noodle stalls, and small eateries remained packed.

As the matter originated in the palace, what people discussed was vague, but it far surpassed the allure of the dishes on the table.