72: Because I am in the Garrison Command, because I am a Marquis

Although he knew that anything specifically commissioned by the Empress would certainly not be an ordinary item, Mo Yingqi was still stunned when he actually saw this bow.

It was made entirely of pitch-black metal, and even the bowstring was black. When held in the palm, one could feel a certain weight, and the body of the bow was ice-cold.

"This is forged from profound iron. It looks like the standard issue used by cavalry, but it is quite heavy," Qingzhu explained patiently from the side. "Her Majesty the Empress heard that the Imperial Son-in-Law is skilled in archery and often hunted alone in the mountains back in the Northern Territory. She also heard that the Imperial Son-in-Law already possesses a precious blade, so she specially commissioned this bow. Although it was not finished before the wedding, it has finally been delivered."

"Auntie, please thank the Empress Mother for me, and thank you for your hard work." Mo Yingqi felt warmth in his heart. Although his parents-in-law were the Sovereign and the Mother of the Daxing Dynasty, they treated him extremely well. "By the way, Auntie Qingzhu, although I married Sister Yongan and... *cough, cough*, although I..."

"Imperial Son-in-Law, it is fine; you do not need to be reserved in front of me," Qingzhu smiled. "I have heard a little about the twists and turns of the relationship between you and The Two Highnesses. To you, The Two Highnesses are not only your wives but also your sisters, so there is nothing improper about you addressing them that way."

"My apologies, I am just used to being with them daily," Mo Yingqi rubbed his nose in embarrassment. "According to the rules, since I have married Sister Yongan and Yongning, do I still need to pay respects to the other imperial concubines?"

Such were the rules of the Daxing Dynasty's inner palace. After the wedding, when returning to pay respects, one must first visit the legitimate mother, which is the Empress of the main palace. This protocol applies even to children who are not the Empress's own.

After that, one must pay respects to the concubines of various palaces. If an imperial prince marries, he only needs to visit his legitimate mother and his birth mother, but it is different for a princess. After all, in terms of generation, these concubines are considered the princess's stepmothers, so when a daughter returns to pay respects, it is naturally necessary to go through the motions.

Even though Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning are Legitimate Princesses with noble status, the etiquette remains the same. Furthermore, although The Emperor arranged for them to marry and bear children according to the wishes of the Late Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager, and he did not love these women, he still treated them with courtesy.

"You do not need to worry about this. The Empress is holding a banquet today precisely to invite the concubines of the inner palace over, so as to save The Two Highnesses and yourself the trouble of visiting them one by one," Qingzhu thought for a moment. "As for the Grand Empress Dowager, you should have gone to see her after paying respects to the Empress, but she is currently outside the palace at a temple praying for blessings. However, she specifically left word that she wants to see you, her grandson-in-law, as soon as she returns to the palace."

Regarding this Grand Empress Dowager, Mo Yingqi had only occasionally heard of her. She had no children of her own, had been married to the Late Emperor for decades, and had single-handedly supported the Late Emperor's ascent to the throne, and then supported The Emperor's ascent as well.

During the Struggle for succession among the seven sons, it was she who finally told The Emperor: "If you hesitate when you should act, you will suffer from the chaos. Do... what must be done."

Many people gossiped behind the Grand Empress Dowager's back, saying she was an opportunist who saw that The Emperor had gained the throne and, since those princes were not her own, naturally did not care about them.

But Mo Yingqi did not think so. The Grand Empress Dowager had a great reputation even when she was still the Empress. During the Struggle for succession among the seven sons, she had personally traveled around, hoping only to quell the farce.

Although these were not her own children, she had watched them grow up since they were small. No matter who the final winner of the Struggle for succession among the seven sons was, they would not spare the other brothers. In the end, if not for being forced by circumstance, who would truly be willing to watch siblings slaughter each other, and watch the children they had watched grow up be beheaded?

"Nowadays, the Grand Empress Dowager lives in seclusion. This time, she wanted to go to a temple to practice asceticism for a period of time to calm her mind, which is why she is not in the palace," Qingzhu said, ordering someone to take the black bow from Mo Yingqi's hand. "Imperial Son-in-Law, I will wrap this bow up for you, and later I will instruct Ying Hong to bring it back with you."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Mo Yingqi did not mind; after all, he would soon return to the Empress's palace, and it was indeed inappropriate to carry the bow. Just as he followed Qingzhu back to the gate of Kunning Palace, he ran into several richly dressed women who were waiting to be summoned by the Empress while discussing something.

"Heh, it's really something. Nowadays, he has married a princess, become an Imperial Son-in-Law, and has even been conferred the title of Marquis, tsk tsk tsk," a plump, gorgeously dressed middle-aged woman said with a trace of disdain on her face. "You say we all give birth to sons, but none of us know how to give birth like her, birthing such a male fox, tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk!"

"Sister, please say less," the woman beside her hurriedly pulled her back. "We are at the gate of the Empress's palace, after all. Besides, marriage between a man and a woman is only natural and right. The Two Highnesses like the Imperial Son-in-Law, so what is the harm in that?"

"You don't know, do you really think I don't know the background of that Imperial Son-in-Law?" The plump woman snorted disdainfully. "Let me tell you, this 'Smiling Yaksha' is the son of the second wife of the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, Zhang Jiawen. Do you know who that second wife is? A merchant's daughter! Who knows how much silver she had to add to her dowry just to enter the door of an official's family!"

Qingzhu's expression turned gloomy instantly. Just as she was about to speak, Mo Yingqi reached out and stopped her, smiling at Qingzhu as he said: "I left the house in a hurry, could I trouble you, Auntie, to prepare some brush and ink?"

Qingzhu was a bit confused, but she nodded anyway and immediately ordered an attendant to bring a brush and walk over carrying an inkstone filled with ink.

Mo Yingqi was not angry. He simply let the attendant follow him as he walked forward while taking out the wuchang register. The woman was still talking incessantly, but Mo Yingqi had already opened the register. Standing not far behind her, he smiled slightly and interrupted her: "This lady... let me think... oh, that's right, you must be the wife of the Vice Minister of Revenue, right?"

With just one sentence, all these women fell silent, especially the plump woman, whose face turned pale the moment she saw Mo Yingqi!

"I am untalented. Although I am still only a seventh-rank Captain in the Pacification Bureau, The Emperor has personally spoken and conferred the title of Marquis upon me, and now I am also an Imperial Son-in-Law, so I count as an Imperial Relative, don't I?" Mo Yingqi said, revealing a smile that made one's scalp numb, while taking the brush from the attendant and recording something in the wuchang register. "Madam, to discuss me like this within the Imperial Palace, and to speak rudely and maliciously slander my mother..."

"You must know that disaster comes from the mouth, just as illness enters through the mouth. I am currently on leave, so Madam, you need not panic. But when I return to the yamen to report for duty... I will inevitably have to visit your residence and properly disturb the Vice Minister of Revenue for a while."

After saying this, Mo Yingqi stopped for a moment, then turned and handed the wuchang register to the attendant, instructing: "Please, Eunuch, deliver this to the Pacification Bureau and give it to the Clerk, Tang Jingzhong. The Madam was discussing the Imperial Son-in-Law of the current dynasty outside Kunning Palace; I fear the Vice Minister of Revenue may have similar remarks at home, so we must invite him back to the yamen to properly inquire about it."

"You, Imperial Son-in-Law, you, you are abusing your power!" The plump woman, though trembling like a sieve, still stiffened her neck. "I, I was just making some idle chatter..."

"Madam, I said, disaster comes from the mouth," Mo Yingqi replied without looking up. "This is the job we do. Once your husband has been interrogated, everything will be clear."

"By what right?"

"By the right that I take the salary of the Pacification Bureau, by the right that I am the son of that merchant's daughter you spoke of," Mo Yingqi looked at her, still smiling. "By the right that I am now the male fox Imperial Son-in-Law you spoke of, and even more so... by the right that I am the Marquis Yongding personally conferred by The Emperor."

"Madam, have you... understood?"