Chapter 290 - Clearance

The Emperor continued on to say, "As the head seer said other creatures cannot share the same sky as the dragon and the phoenix. While the practice of a full harem may have been alright with other Emperors, yesterday was a clear sign that it cannot be the case for my rule. And so, for the sake of the prosperity of the nation, I shall adhere to the will of the heavens and the harem will be cleared out today -"

Prime minister Zhao frowned, "Your majesty, this is -!" 

"Silence!" The Emperor ordered, glaring down at Prime minister Zhao and then he continued, "The records will be amended today to accord them all the statuses of titular Princesses and they will be given the respect and all that comes with that new status. And within the next three days they shall be relocated to the Imperial residences outside the palace. Alternatively, they may return to their family home if they choos-"

"Your majesty!" Prime minister Zhao exclaimed again. This was not what he wanted.

{...What am I supposed to do with a stupid adopted Princess?!...}

"Would you have me go against the will of the heavens?!" The Emperor shouted back in annoyance, he had been tolerating Prime minister Zhao's nonsense long enough. 

Prime minister knit his brows and hesitantly, "Well, not that...but...Your majesty!" he wailed in a greatly aggrieved tone.

The Emperor then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Or would you prefer I sent them all to Fenli temple live out the rest of their days as nuns? Would that be better?" Prime minister Zhao promptly and quietly lowered his head with a frown.

Obviously, a Princess was the better choice. In normal circ.u.mstances, it would be considered a great honor for one's child to be adopted into the royal family but a princess was really not what he wanted. 

{...It obviously cannot compare to the seat of Empress, to being the mother of the next Emperor...What is a stupid princess compared to ruling an empire?!...}

"I will take this silence to mean we are in agreement...They may return home if they choose or go wherever they please with royal sanction and protection. They are free to marry whoever pleases them and their dowries will come from the royal family. Their weddings will also naturally be as grand as is deserving of their statuses as Princesses. That is my decision and it is final."

The ministers silently bowed, all of them in questionable moods while Lei Xing stared at the Emperor with an incredulous expression, unbelieving. She honestly could not describe her current feelings right now, she was not even sure what these feelings were herself. She was drawing a blank.

"Minister of Rites..." The Emperor called and the Minister of Rites promptly stepped out and bowed, "Your majesty..."

"Make the required preparations for their crowning, the edicts shall be sent over later today..." The Emperor calmly said and the Minister of Rites bowed, "I will prepare accordingly Your majesty..."

"Good, then that is all for today... As for the other realizations, they will come with time. You may all leave." The Emperor said and the ministers bowed, although some begrudgingly so and then withdrew from the hall along with the seers. 

As they withdrew, Defense minister Lei cast one last glance at the royal couple on the throne to see the Emperor turning to what looked to be a confused and conflicted Lei Xing with a little smile. Defense Minister Lei inwardly sighed in relief, it seemed sending her to the palace was the right decision after all. 

Lei Xing watched the departing figures of the men and remained staring through the huge doors of the main hall at the open sky even after the top of their heads disappeared down the steps. 

"Xing er'..." The Emperor called but Lei Xing did not seem to hear him. So he lightly pulled her hand to get her attention and called again, "Xing er'...?"

Lei Xing finally reacted and turned to him wide-eyed and then she frowned and went, "What are yo- why did you do that?"

The Emperor blinked and knit his brows, this was not the reaction he was expecting. He glanced at his eunuchs and they promptly bowed and scurried out of the hall to give the couple complete privacy. 

The Emperor then sighed and wrapped his arms around her, "For our peace of mind..."

"Peace of - This is ostracizing your ministers, look how disgruntled the Prime minister was..." Before the Emperor could talk, Lei Xing put a hand up and went, "Sure, you might think you have him in your palm, but when you combine him, along with the other ministers you have upset today, then they can become a whole that will be troublesome for you..." Lei Xing paused and let out an exasperated breath and went, "Why would you suddenly wake up and do this?" 

The Emperor sighed, "It's not sudden. I have been wanting to get rid of them for a while now, I just lacked the proper justification to. After all, they serve no purpose here, and honestly, normally I would not have cared but even if you don't say it, they bother you and that bothers me... So I saw an opportunity with yesterday's event and took advantage of it. I thought you would be happy about this?" The Emperor asked with a frown. 

{...Of course, he noticed...Then again, I wasn't exactly being secretive about it -_-)'...}

Lei Xing lowered her eyes and held his arm, then sighed as she stroked it and said, "Thank you, but even if they bother me, I can live with them - I would have... I'm not unreasonable so I understand that the concept of a harem is about more than just you having women. It's a political structure, a way to pacify and control the ministers and you just relinquished that control. I can't help thinking it might have been easier to have just lived with them..." Lei Xing finished with a worried sigh. 

The Emperor also sighed and hugged Lei Xing and said, "Xing er', you think too much. While they all might have sent their daughters here hoping I would come to favor them, most are satisfied with simply having a connection to the royal family and so, the status of a princess is more than sufficient and is more than what most royal "wives" would even get during their lifetime here...So it's fine. Trust me and be happy, please. I can handle this." 

Lei Xing lightly sighed and hugged him back, "I am happy...I already was very happy."

They silently hugged for a while and then the Emperor quietly asked, "So you'll stay?"

Lei Xing blinked and then knit her brows and then mumbled, "Well...I wasn't planning on leaving in the first place...Where would I even go?" She jokingly said as she straightened up and smiled at the Emperor.

The Emperor returned her smile, but Lei Xing noticed there the smile was a bit forced. Even though he said all that nonsense about following the will of the heavens, she knew he obviously did not actually believe that and did not need to be told that he was doing this for her. He always did everything to make her secure in their relationship, and she...Well, she - Lei Xing inwardly sighed.

{...I am a selfish brat is what I am! >_

And with that, Lei Xing went ahead to correct things and put her arms around his neck and happily gave a long deep kiss and then said, "Thank you~..." The Emperor's smiled at her, at it was the bright she loved. She smiled back and then playfully glared at him and went, "But it seems you're misunderstanding something..."

"Am I?" The Emperor asked with an amused raised eyebrow. 

Lei Xing vehemently nodded, "You are, very much so. But don't worry I shall enlightenment you~..." She sweetly said and then kissed him again, "I never planned on leaving you...What I said was that I would leave IF, that is IF you left me. It's a conditional vacation...Therefore, if you don't leave me, then naturally I wouldn't leave you either~...Are we clear?" 

The Emperor blinked at her and slightly knit his brows, feeling a bit foolish for misunderstanding.

"Clear?" Lei Xing asked again, lightly shaking him when he did not respond and he smiled and nodded, "My mistake..." He said as he caressed her face and kissed her. 

{...I'm not going anywhere either...}