Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

After he finished speaking, everyone looked towards the main entrance, where they saw a tall figure slowly walk in.

Everyone fell silent, watching the person walk in.

Many people are curious: with the nine dukes already appointed, who would dare to say that they still have a duke position?

Just as everyone was wondering, they saw the person's face clearly.

Ni Wenjun!
That's right, it was Ni Wenjun, the former second-in-command of the Huangzhou Prefecture military, who was known as a chivalrous hero.

Chen Jie had originally reserved the title of Duke for him, but Ni Wenjun politely declined, saying that he was a man of the martial world and did not like matters of the court, so he did not want the title of Duke. Moreover, he and Hua San Niang only had one daughter, and they did not plan to have any more children in the future.

Therefore, even if they had the title of Duke, there was no need for succession. Hence, Ni Wenjun directly rejected Chen Jie's idea of ​​being granted the title of Duke. Originally, he had refused to attend this meeting today.

He now just wants to live his own life with Hua San Niang. The two have even discussed that after attending Chen Jie's founding ceremony, they will travel the world freely. As for their youngest daughter, Hua San Niang wants Su Yun Jin to help raise her.

Chen Jie found this unbelievable, but Ni Wenjun said, "What's the big deal? Anyway, their daughter is already betrothed to Chen Li since she was a baby, and she will be a member of your Chen family in the future. What's the big deal about letting your Chen family raise her for a few years now?"

This couple really left Chen Jie helpless. They were so irresponsible. However, since his brother and sister-in-law wanted to live their lives in the martial world, Chen Jie couldn't stop them. So he promised them the title of Duke. He would give them official positions when Ni Wenjun and Hua San Niang had had enough fun and came back.

The two didn't care about this. Ni Wenjun said, "Your brother now has the strength of the third level of the Fusion God. All the riches and honors in the world are within my grasp. What is the Duke or not? They are just empty titles."

However, he ultimately accepted Chen Jie's kindness and agreed to keep the title of Duke for the time being.

Today, he and Hua San Niang were supposed to go to the palace to see Su Yun Jin. During their conversation, they heard that a big meeting was going to be held here today to make appointments and confer titles, and the last item on the agenda was to make an empress.

Upon hearing the news of being crowned empress, Hua San Niang was displeased. Ni Wenjun could skip other meetings, but he had to attend this empress coronation meeting; he couldn't refuse.

Hua San Niang said to Ni Wenjun, "Don't you have the title of Duke? Go to the Prince of Han and tell them to use your title of Duke to help Yun Jin get an Empress."

Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin hurriedly stopped Hua San Niang, saying, "Sister Hua, no, you must not let Brother Ni go. The Empress is not important."

"What's not important, girl? You and Chen Jiu Si have suffered so much, and now that we've conquered the world, you're telling me it's not important? Then what is important? What's important? You don't need to worry about this."

“Xiao Hu did a great job. He was willing to risk everything. Your brother Ni and I are even more willing to risk everything. We don’t care about wealth and honor. We are just people from the martial arts world. But you must not become empress. This is absolutely unacceptable.”

"Ni Wenjun, what are you doing? Go now!"

Hua San Niang looked at Ni Wenjun and said, "Sister Hua, please don't make things difficult for your husband!" Su Yun Jin then said, "Sister Hua, please don't make things difficult for your husband!"

Hua San Niang said, "What time is it? You're still only thinking about him. If he cared about you, he wouldn't make things difficult for you. The Empress's position should be yours."

"If you won't fight for it, your sister will!"

Hua San Niang looked at Ni Wenjun. Seeing his wife like this, Ni Wenjun didn't say anything and went straight to the council hall. He happened to hear the heated argument inside from outside.

Only then did he push the door open and enter.

As Ni Wenjun pushed open the door and entered, the guards behind him followed, their faces full of fear. This Master Ni was barging in and they couldn't stop him. He had disturbed such an important meeting. Did they think they were going to live?

The group of people all looked at Chen Jie, who then looked at the guards and said, "What are you doing stopping Commander Ni? Step back."

Ni Wenjun walked in at this moment, and everyone in the room nodded to him. Ni Wenjun's status in the old Huangzhou Prefecture was quite special. He was Chen Jie's elder brother and someone Chen Jie respected.

Therefore, his status was also quite extraordinary. At this moment, Ni Wenjun entered the room.

He bowed to Chen Jie, but personal feelings were one thing, and the laws of the court could not be disregarded. The man before him was the future emperor, and Ni Wenjun knew the importance of the matter.

At this moment, Ni Wenjun said, "King Han, Chen Xiaohu has lost his manners and dignity before the emperor. He must not be tolerated. If he is tolerated, what will become of the laws and regulations of the court? These arrogant soldiers and fierce generals will surely run wild."

"Therefore, I suggest that Chen Xiaohu be stripped of his title of Duke as a warning to others."

Hearing Ni Wenjun's words, Chen Jie looked at the surrounding ministers. Ni Wenjun continued, "However, Chen Xiaohu is also concerned about the affairs of the country. He is also my brother. As the saying goes, if the younger brother makes a mistake, the elder brother also bears the responsibility."

“It just so happens that I also have a Duke position promised by the King of Han, so let me take this punishment in place of Chen Xiaohu.”

Ni Wenjun looked at Chen Jie, then turned to look around and said, "I suppose none of the officials present would have any objections."

Upon hearing this, the people in the room immediately replied, "No objection, no objection, of course we have no objection."

Ni Wenjun nodded and said, "King Han, you see that no one has any objections. What do you think about sparing Chen Xiaohu?"

Chen Jie looked at Ni Wenjun and said, "Brother Ni, you've really given me a difficult problem."

At this point, Chen Jie looked at Chen Xiaohu and asked, "Do you know you're wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu asked, "Is it the Prince of Han asking me, or Brother Jiu Si?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Chen Xiaohu and said, "What will you say when the Prince of Han asks you?"

Chen Xiaohu said, "If the King of Han asks, then that is a matter of great importance to the country. I did indeed misspoke just now and behaved improperly before the King. I should be punished, whether it is stripped of my title of Duke or whatever, I have no objection."

"But if Brother Jiu Si asks me this question, I will still say the same thing: I only recognize Sister-in-law Su Yunjin as Empress. Even if you kill me, I will still say this and I will never admit my mistake."

Seeing Chen Xiaohu like this, Chen Jie went up and kicked Chen Xiaohu, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"You brat, let me tell you, I am the sun, and your sister-in-law is the moon. The sun and moon share the same sky, an unchanging principle since ancient times. When I become emperor, your sister-in-law will surely be empress. Do you even need to argue about this, you worthless wretch."

Chen Jie shouted angrily, and Chen Xiaohu's face immediately lit up with joy upon hearing this.

At this moment, Chen Jie angrily said, "Chen Xiaohu has been disrespectful before the emperor. He is hereby punished with a first-class rank, but his title of Duke will be retained. However, his imperial second-class medal will be downgraded to a third-class medal."

This punishment is quite severe. Chen Xiaohu used to be a second-class duke enjoying a second-class honorary title; now he's on par with Shi Gengming and Ding Pulang. It's quite a sad situation.

However, Chen Xiaohu was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

"Hehe~"

He was laughing loudly with his head tilted back. Seeing him like this, Chen Jie said angrily, "Look at you, you pathetic thing. Get up, you're making a fool of yourself."

Chen Xiaohu immediately got up and said, "It was worth losing face, it was definitely worth losing face."

Chen Jie then looked at Ni Wenjun and said, "Brother Ni, don't cause trouble. Why don't we just grant you the title of Duke now?"

Ni Wenjun said, "Hehe, no, keep it. Who knows, if Xiaohu acts up again in the future, I'll keep it to save his life."

Hearing this, Chen Jie shook his head helplessly. At this moment, seeing the gazes of everyone in the room, especially Wang Baobao's anxious eyes, Chen Jie said, "Alright everyone, I can understand your desire to recommend the two ladies as empresses."

"I understand your thoughts, but please don't mistake me, Chen Jiu Si, for a heartless and ungrateful person."

"Su Yunjin is my first wife. She suffered a lot in Mianshui back then, and she has been my virtuous helper all these years. She is gentle, kind and virtuous. You can say that all the virtues of a woman can be seen in her."

“Over the years, I have been so busy with my campaigns that I haven’t paid much attention to her. I have seen all the hardships she has endured, which is why she deserves to be the empress.”

After saying this, Chen Jie continued, "Of course, Zhao Ya is also my lawfully wedded wife. Just as Marquis Wang Baobao of Wuyang said, when I had nothing, she gave up the position of Empress of Emperor Qianshun for me and even broke with her family. The suffering she endured was no less than that of Yun Jin, so she should also be worthy of the position of Empress."

At this point, everyone looked at Chen Jie. Now that there were two candidates for the position of empress, how should they choose?
At this moment, Chen Jie spoke up: "Therefore, I have decided to establish two palaces, the East Palace and the West Palace, and to appoint two empresses, both of equal rank, who will both be the mothers of the nation."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned. Two empresses? This was unheard of!

In the past, when an emperor had two empresses, one empress would pass away before the other concubines could be promoted to empress. But now it's not like that. Now Chen Jie is planning to establish two empresses at the same time. Isn't that unreasonable?

However, none of the officials dared to voice any doubts at this time.

Wu Hong glanced around and discerned what the ministers wanted to say but dared not. After a moment's thought, he cupped his hands and said, "My lord."

Chen Jie looked at Wu Hong and asked, "Does the Duke of Dingguo have any questions for me?"

Wu Hong said, "My lord, since the Qin and Han dynasties, there has never been a case of one emperor being paired with two empresses. Wouldn't this be contrary to the established rites?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie said, "I have never heard of a man having two wives. I do, so why can't I make history?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Liu Bowen and said, "Mr. Liu, you are the Minister of Rites, surely there are precedents for this kind of thing?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen glanced at Chen Jie and immediately said, "Your Majesty is quite right. Although Your Majesty's actions are rare, they are certainly not unheard of. I know of several such examples."

"For example, Emperor Gao Wei of Northern Qi had two empresses, and Emperor Liu Cong of Former Zhao had also appointed empresses on the left and right. There are many other examples that can prove that this did not violate the rites."

"Furthermore, the Holy Emperor has created a new era. Your Majesty is the founding emperor. The new dynasty will naturally have a new atmosphere. Why should we adhere to the old system of the previous dynasty? I believe that Your Majesty's actions are not inappropriate."

After he finished speaking, Hu Weiyong, Li Shanchang and others echoed his sentiments, and the military officers who reacted quickly also began to chime in, and for a time the court was filled with praise.

Chen Jie looked around after hearing this, and had many thoughts in his mind. That's right. Why did he want to be emperor? Wasn't it so that he could do whatever he wanted?

If you want something, you should do it yourself. Whether it's legal or not doesn't matter, because if you do it, great scholars will defend you.

It seems Liu Bowen has finally seen the light. It looks like he can be given an important position in the future. The title of Earl of Chengyi is still a bit too low. Maybe we should promote him to Marquis when the opportunity arises.

Chen Jie was very satisfied with Liu Bowen's words and actions. He thought, "You see, as long as you are powerful, even a proud minister like Liu Bowen can become a talented singer and dancer. That's the benefit of power."

The system of having two empresses was Chen Jie's explanation to Su Yunjin and Zhao Ya. After all, the two women had sacrificed too much for him, and he couldn't bear to hurt either of them. Moreover, his goal was to unify the world, and with such a vast territory, he could appoint as many emperors as possible.

There's no need to worry about a power struggle for the throne caused by two empresses.

Chen Jie said, "Of course, my establishment of two empresses is not a common practice, and future generations should not follow suit."

Emperor Chen Jie considered many things. If future generations followed his example and established two empresses, it would be dangerous. After all, there has always been the struggle between legitimate and illegitimate children. Having two empresses would be detrimental to the rule of the country, so it cannot be a precedent. Future generations should not follow Chen Jie's example and establish two empresses, as the consequences would be very serious.

Of course, if future generations truly experience love similar to that of Chen Jie, Su Yunjin, and Zhao Ya, Chen Jie would not actually object to them breaking through the established social norms.

However, Chen Jie still ordered that it was forbidden, because if there really were such a loving couple in the future, the emperor would certainly make his own decision. If he didn't even dare to go against the decisions of his ancestors, it would show that he lacked the decisiveness.

Since you lack the decisiveness, you might as well be a good ruler who maintains the status quo.

Thinking this through, Chen Jie looked at everyone in the room and said, "Alright, since that's the case, then it's decided."

"Draft the imperial edict."

Chen Jie said something, and Chen Chun immediately prepared to draft the decree. Chen Jie said, "The universe is established, and the sun and moon shine brightly. The beginning of a marriage is related to the rise and fall of the nation. Today, Su Yunjin is hereby conferred the title of Empress of the Eastern Palace of the Great Han Dynasty. She will inherit the weight of the ancestral temple and take on the responsibility of being the mother of the world."

"Yaya Timur is hereby appointed as the Empress of the Western Palace of the Great Han Dynasty, inheriting the weight of the ancestral temple and fulfilling the responsibility of being the mother of the nation."

So be it!

After declaring the titles of the two empresses, Chen then added, "I hereby bestow upon Huang Wan'er the title of Noble Consort Rong, to assist the inner court, whose virtue is as pure as an orchid."

After explaining this, Chen glanced at everyone present and said, "Do any of you gentlemen have anything else to say? If not, then it's settled. As for the enthronement, the auspicious day will be half a month from now, and the enthronement ceremony will be held."

"Yes, sir!" (End of Chapter)