“The wedding date is so soon?” Qiao Jinniang asked in surprise, “I thought it would be in autumn.”


  Pushing the door open, Qiao Jinniang saw a lot of rabbit lanterns hanging on the trees of the courtyard.

  Under the eaves of the corridor, and on the ground, there were also all kinds of little rabbit lanterns, which showed how much thought Lu Chen had put into it.

  Lu Chen pulled Qiao Jinniang into the room.

  “There is also a little rabbit glazed-glass lamp beside the bed. It’s not easy to make. I don’t know how many were destroyed before I finally got a good one.”


  Glazed glass was rare, so lamps made of glazed glass were extremely expensive.

  Qiao Jinniang entered the room only to see that the candlelight in the glazed-glass lamp reflected onto the bed, which looked like a rainbow.

  The sixteenth of the first lunar month.

  Lu Chen said to her with a happy smile, “Get up quickly. Maybe the imperial decree has already arrived at the Qiao Mansion.”


  Qiao Jinniang glanced at the sky outside, only to realize that it was almost noon. She rolled her eyes at Lu Chen. “It’s all your fault that I got up so late…”


  Lu Chen chuckled but Qiao Jinniang was very anxious.

  It would be a big sin to keep the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree waiting.

  Qiao Jinniang hurriedly searched for her clothes among the clothes scattered all over the ground and became even more annoyed at Lu Chen.

  “Get me a set of clean clothes from my home. Now!”


  Lu Chen stopped teasing her and said, “Don’t worry. My father will not issue an imperial decree before I return to the imperial palace, and I have already prepared the clothes for

  you.”


  Qiao Jinniang breathed a sigh of relief when she heard his words.

  Qiao Jinniang didn’t return home last night and didn’t take any maids. Zheng Xiao was very worried about her.

  As soon as she heard the news of Jinniang’s return, she rushed to her courtyard.

  Seeing the mottled marks on Jinniang’s neck, Zheng Xiao said, “His Royal Highness should have been gentler to you.”


  Even when Qiao Jinniang faced her mother, she was still a little ashamed.

  But hearing her words, she immediately echoed.

  “Exactly. He’s like a piece of wood and doesn’t know how to treat a lady at all.”


  Zheng Xiao said, “Jinniang, although you were husband and wife before, like I told you, the royal family attaches great importance to ethical code. Since you are going to get married again, you should persuade His Royal Highness to observe the rules.”


  Qiao Jinniang said, “Mother, we know what we shouldn’t do.”


  Zheng Xiao looked at Qiao Jinniang’s clothes, which were obviously made by the Shanggong Bureau in the imperial palace.

  It seemed that the Crown Prince treated her very well, except that he wasn’t gentle enough to her in bed.

  After lunch, Qiao Jinniang heard a noise from outside.

  She walked out of the courtyard only to know that an imperial decree was delivered to her.

  Today, the imperial decree was declared with great solemnity. The officials who came to proclaim the imperial decree were from the Ministry of Rites, even accompanied by a historiographer.

  The official read aloud, “The only daughter of the Qiao family in Lin’an is pretty and virtuous,…”


  The Qiao family were all surprised to hear this. “The only daughter of the Qiao family in Lin’an”?

  The official panicked too. Although he was reading the imperial decree word by word, he could see the latter part of the imperial decree.

  After he saw the last two words, his first thought was if the imperial edict was wrong.

  But he received it from the Ministry of Rites. How could it be wrong?

  He could only bite the bullet and read on.

  “She has performed meritorious service in raising the imperial grandson, so I hereby allow Qiao Jinniang to be the second concubine of the Crown Prince.”


  Even Duke Anyuan who was in awe of imperial power and never hesitated to apple-polish the Emperor didn’t immediately receive the imperial decree. Instead, he cupped his hands and asked, “Sir, are you sure this is the right imperial decree?”


  If it was just an imperial decree for the Crown Prince’s second concubine, why did they have to proclaim it so grandly and even take a historiographer with them?

  The official wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Your Excellency, please wait a moment. Let me go back and check it.”


  Qiao Jinniang remembered that Lu Chen had once said that His Majesty had already issued an imperial decree to make her his second concubine.

  Once the imperial decree was issued, it wouldn’t be destroyed and would be archived in the Ministry of Rites.

  The two imperial edicts were both for her.

  The officials of the Ministry of Rites must have mixed up the two imperial decrees.

  There were many servants and mammies from other families who waited at the door of Qiao Mansion and surreptitiously inquired about news.

  After hearing that Qiao Jinniang would only become the Crown Prince’s second concubine, they all rushed back home.

  In the house of Governor Zhong.

  When Qiu Su heard the news from her mammy, she couldn’t tell whether she was happy or felt indignant for her former classmate.

  Qiu Sudao: “I thought that she would be the crown princess, but she turns out only to be the second concubine of the Crown Prince…”


  Zhong Wu’er was very happy. “Even if she is a duke’s daughter, she used to be a merchant, and she still doesn’t give up the menial merchant jobs. She should be thankful to be able to be the Crown Prince’s second concubine.”


  In the Qin Duke Mansion.

  When Old Madam Qin heard the news, she laughed out loud. “She’s just the second concubine of the Crown Prince. How dare she run amuck like that?!”


  Qin Miaomiao covered her ears and said angrily. “But she is still the second concubine of the Crown Prince, and you’ll have to salute her when you meet her in the future.”


  “Miaomiao, how can you talk to me like that? I’m your grandmother!” Old Madam Qin said, “Come, call Qiao Ruoyun over, and let’s go to the Qiao Mansion to watch the show.”


  Qin Miaomiao: “…”


  In the Imperial Censor Tong’s mansion.

  Tong Yingying smiled confidently when she heard the news.

  “Qiao Jinniang doesn’t even deserve to be the second concubine. If I were His Majesty, I would have made her the lowest-rank concubine of the Crown Prince.”


  His maid laughed. “It’s actually not bad to be the Crown Prince’s second concubine, but Qiao Jinniang acted as if she was going to be the crown princess. What a joke.

  “Many people went to the Qiao Mansion to “congratulate” Qiao Jinniang. Miss, are you going too?”


  Tong Yingying said, “I’m not a snob. Although Qiao Jinniang is not a good person, I don’t have to ridicule her at this moment. Otherwise, my own reputation will be damaged.”


  Before the officials of the Ministry of Rites came to the Qiao Mansion from the imperial palace, many people had come at the gate of Qiao Mansion to congratulate Qiao Jinniang.

  Most people’s congratulations were sincere, but some just came to laugh at Qiao Jinniang.

  Old Madam Qin said to Old Madam Qiao sarcastically,

  “My old in-laws, congratulations! Being the second concubine of the Crown Prince is so glorious. No wonder County Mistress pointed at my nose and scolded me that day.”


  Old Madam Qiao simply said, “Our family’s daughter will never be a concubine, not even a royal concubine.”


  Old Madam Qiao could accept Jinniang to be the second concubine of the Crown Prince.

  But His Royal Highness and Her Majesty had both assured her that Jinniang would become the crown princess, but now she was only a second concubine. If the Qiao family just swallowed it, they would become the butt of jokes in Chang’an.

  In Chang’an, there were many people like Old Madam Qin who liked to watch jokes of the Qiao family.

  Old Madam Qin said, “Old in-laws, it’s a serious sin to disobey the imperial decree.

  “If your Qiao family wants to disobey the imperial decree, take Qiao Ruoyun back first. Otherwise, our family may be implicated by you. ‘1