5: Conspiracy? Dream on!

"No, why do I keep feeling like this whole thing... is wrong!"

"Stop it already, you've muttered that a dozen times!"

The Smiling Yaksha, who was usually decisive, smiling on the surface but ruthless in action, now seemed utterly lost. Although Fang Wenbo was complaining about him, he was equally confused.

Word had long spread from the palace that the two Legitimate Princesses, who were showered with affection, were going to be married to one husband. Everyone was guessing which young Master could possibly be worthy of these two peerlessly beautiful and stunning women.

Although Mo Yingqi's appearance was indeed a match for the two princesses, looks couldn't pay the bills. Even if Mo Yingqi hadn't had that incident with his family, his status wouldn't be high enough for a princess.

But now that the Imperial Decree had been issued, no matter how ridiculous... this matter was set in stone.

"Hey, hey, are you dumbstruck?" Fang Wenbo waved his hand in front of Mo Yingqi's eyes. "I originally thought The Emperor valued your capabilities and was going to transfer you. I never expected... tsk tsk tsk. Even if it was just for your good looks, it wouldn't make sense for two princesses to marry you alone, would it?"

"Why do I keep feeling like this whole thing... is wrong?"

"Are you sick? You keep repeating the same line!" Fang Wenbo laughed, exasperated. "Have you met the princesses before?"

"How is that possible? When my family had trouble, my mother sent me away to learn skills," Mo Yingqi shook his head. "I grew up in the Northern Territory since childhood, and only came to Jingzhong a year and a half ago. When The Emperor was still a prince, I had absolutely no connection to him..."

Mo Yingqi suddenly thought of something as he spoke, but then he shook his head. Tang Jingzhong, seeing this, quietly asked, "Captain, did something come to mind?"

"Something did come to mind, but it definitely wouldn't be..." Mo Yingqi pondered for a moment. "When I was apprenticed years ago, I had two Senior Sisters who were indeed sisters, but it couldn't be them."

"That might not be true. I heard these two Legitimate Princesses are skilled in martial arts. Maybe they studied under the same Master as you?" Fang Wenbo lightly slapped the table. "Who is your Master? If you find a way to ask him, you'll know, right?"

"They are called Senior Sisters, but they are actually the two granddaughters of my Master's Senior Sister. Besides, my Master is dead, where am I supposed to ask?" Mo Yingqi smiled helplessly. "Furthermore, they also grew up in the Northern Territory since childhood. I heard those two Legitimate Princesses never left the capital, and besides, my Martial Aunt later took them to Jiangnan, didn't she?"

Fang Wenbo had also always been in the capital. Although he had never seen them, he had heard that the two Legitimate Princesses lived in the Princely Estate since childhood, but were often ill and recuperated within the residence.

Although it wasn't impossible that this was a cover, The late Emperor was extremely fond of these two granddaughters. It was often said that The late Emperor personally visited the Princely Estate and gave them rewards frequently.

If they weren't in the Princely Estate, it couldn't be that The late Emperor was in on the deception, could it? It was already absurd enough that their Captain suddenly became the Imperial Son-in-Law, and the Imperial Son-in-Law of two princesses at that. There couldn't possibly be anything more absurd happening, right?

"Stop overthinking it. If it's fortune, it's not calamity; if it's calamity, you can't avoid it. I think it's fortune."

Fang Wenbo pondered for a moment. Although he couldn't tell him that the palace had sent word the day he entered the Pacification Bureau, he still felt this matter definitely wasn't a bad thing.

Are you kidding? What more do you want? For ordinary people, marrying a princess—especially the two Legitimate Princesses most favored by The Emperor and Empress—was simply a pipe dream. Now, he married two!

The Censor Officials and Censors, besides impeaching the Pacification Bureau, were mostly talking about this matter. One moment they cited violation of ancestral laws, the next violation of propriety. But The Emperor insisted on going all the way this time, directly confronting the Censorate.

Furthermore, in the imperial court, The Emperor was so enraged by the memorials submitted by the Censorate that he immediately lost his temper: "When I marry off my daughters, why must you, my Beloved Ministers, interfere? When you take three wives and four Concubines, it's perfectly reasonable? Each of you is terrified of missing out on a beautiful girl to take as a Concubine, but when my daughters serve one husband, suddenly it violates ancestral laws and propriety?"

"Cut the rhetoric. Should I bring out the ledgers of the Bureau of Music and Dance for a good look? Those of you lecturing Me about ancestral laws and propriety today are the same ones keeping Concubines and drinking in brothels. When you criticize Me, you claim I am the ruler of the world, and My every word and action represents the realm?"

"Pah, disgusting! Is this realm only Mine, and not yours, and not the common people's? Go ask the common people what the Imperial Court is in their eyes! The Imperial Court is just you, the high and low officials wearing official robes and Black Gauze Caps!"

"You allow the common people to watch you drinking in brothels and consorting with prostitutes. Why don't you talk about the face of the Imperial Court then? Why don't you mention ancestral laws, propriety, or the Teachings of the Sages?"

"Which ancestral law, which rule of propriety, which Sage told you that you could have three wives and four Concubines at home, yet still frequent the Bureau of Music and Dance and linger in the Pleasure Quarters? Speak up, and let Me be enlightened!"

"To the gentlemen of the Censorate, the Pacification Bureau has plenty of documents. Do I need to personally bring them out and let the hundreds of officials see your private faces? You bark happily in front of Me, pretending to be Righteous Officials in public, but you hypocrites who put on a false front are the ones who disgrace the Sages the most!"

So, after that, the Censor Officials and Censors dared not say anything more, but... they became even more zealous in impeaching the Pacification Bureau.

It's understandable; they were triggered. Since The Emperor's words were utterly damning and they dared not refute them, they had no choice but to vent their frustration on the Pacification Bureau. After all, the Pacification Bureau was the one who uncovered all their rotten affairs.

"Tell me, there's not some conspiracy waiting for me, is there?" Mo Yingqi suddenly blurted out. "I truly can't figure this out. How is this possible?"

"A conspiracy? Dream on!"

"Captain, you're overthinking things..."

Almost simultaneously, Fang Wenbo and Tang Jingzhong spoke with helpless tones. Mo Yingqi knew his question was foolish, but the problem was, he just couldn't believe such good fortune would fall to him.

"You'll understand when you enter the palace three days from now. Honestly, not just you, I feel like I'm dreaming right now." Fang Wenbo said, pinching his own cheek hard. "Don't panic. My Paternal Uncle has a residence outside the palace. I usually go there. He shouldn't be on duty tonight, so I'll go ask him for you."

Mo Yingqi didn't reply, only looking at the Imperial Decree in his hand, feeling an inexplicable sense of oppression in his heart.

He kept feeling something was wrong, yet he couldn't pinpoint the issue. Yesterday, he was leading the Flying Fish Guard to arrest people in the dark, and today he became the Imperial Son-in-Law... Suddenly, he remembered something his Master once said: "You never know which will arrive first: tomorrow or the unexpected."

Well, tomorrow arrived, and the unexpected... arrived too!