He couldn't wrap his head around it. His imperial parents were both legends among men, and he was a genius in his own right. Even his half-brothers were sharp and capable. Only his younger brother, born of the same mother, was hopelessly stupid.
Throughout their lives, the Emperor had cleaned up more of his brother's messes than he had read holy scriptures.
The Emperor watched the father and daughter argue until they started insulting their own ancestors. Furious, he grabbed a nearby inkstone and hurled it at them.
"Enough!"
With practiced ease, the pair dodged the flying inkstone and dropped to their knees. With eyes glued to the floor, their movements were perfectly synchronized.
The Emperor regretted the throw the moment it left his hand, but he felt a wave of relief when he saw the two troublemakers dodge it safely. Then, seeing their lack of remorse, his anger flared again.
"I see neither of you has any idea what you've done wrong. I've tried every punishment since you were kids. You forget them the moment they're over and go right back to causing trouble."
He paused, his look falling on the cowering Prince Duan. "You're getting on in years, yet you're still so flighty! You don't care about court affairs, you're a terrible influence on your daughter, and you cause trouble for me every single day. I think you just have too much free time. From today on, I'm giving you a job. You'll stay at the office and actually work for me."
He then turned his attention to Ye Qiong, looking disappointed. "And you! You're a young woman, yet you act so recklessly. How will you ever get married with a reputation like this? Since you've insisted you won't marry anyone but Lord Gu, I'll grant your wish. I'm issuing a decree for your marriage. The Gu family comes from a long line of scholars. Maybe living with them will help you settle down and stop following your father's ridiculous example."
This news hit the pair like a bolt of lightning.
With a quick slide forward on her knees, Ye Qiong was the first to react. "Uncle, I was wrong! I don't want to get married. I'll stay in Prince Duan's Manor and never go out again!"
Prince Duan followed suit, sliding right up to the Emperor. He looked ready to grab the imperial robes and sob. "Brother, I was wrong too! I don't want a job. I'll stay in the Imperial Clan Court and never leave!"
One didn't want a husband, the other didn't want to work. They both looked devastated.
The Emperor ignored Prince Duan's wailing and frowned at Ye Qiong. "Weren't you the one shouting every day that you'd only marry Lord Gu? Now that I'm giving you what you want, why are you refusing?"
A confused Ye Qiong asked, "Uncle, when did I say I had to marry Lord Gu?"
With a sour tone, Prince Duan chimed in, "Daughter, before you hit your head, you chased that Lord Gu every single day. You even put him ahead of your own father."
Ye Qiong pointed at herself. "Me?"
Prince Duan nodded firmly.
With a look of shock, Ye Qiong turned back to the Emperor. "Uncle, my tastes have changed. I don't like Lord Gu anymore. I don't want to marry him."
The Emperor didn't push it. He wasn't actually keen on sending the only child of Prince Duan's Manor into the strict Gu family. Besides, Lord Gu clearly wasn't interested in her, and Princess Zhaohua would surely cause a scene if the marriage went through. Those two girls were the same age and held similar titles; they had been fighting over everything since they were children. Over the last few years, they had turned the palace upside down over Lord Gu. They were the two black sheep of the imperial family.
He had only suggested the marriage out of frustration, thinking that separating the father and daughter might make the girl behave. He realized now that they were only causing trouble because they were bored.
"If you don't want to marry him, I won't force you."
Ye Qiong thanked him immediately, showering him with flattery.
"However," the Emperor continued, "I've decided that since you two have nothing better to do than cause trouble, I'm creating a new City Patrol Office in The Capital. You two will serve as the Left and Right Patrol Envoys to maintain order in the city."
It sounded fancy, but it was really just handling petty squabbles between citizens.
Ye Qiong tried to decline. "Uncle, I'm a woman. If I become an official, the censors will complain. Just let my dad do it; he has nothing to do anyway."
Working a job? Not a chance.
The Emperor brushed it off. "Our ancestors had women in high positions who achieved great things. It's only become rare lately. Rare doesn't mean impossible." Besides, it was just a minor title. No official would actually make a fuss about it.
Prince Duan tried to argue, "Brother, I'm not going. I'm busy. Give the job to—"
"Shut up!" The Emperor had reached his limit. "I don't care what you think. You start tomorrow, or I'm marrying both of you off!"
"I'll go!" Ye Qiong shouted. "Uncle, I'm going right now. I love maintaining order. I'm basically a champion of justice."
"Brother, I... I'll go too," Prince Duan added. "I'll do a great job!"
The two of them bolted before the Emperor could change his mind and issue a marriage decree.
Back at Prince Duan's Manor, Ye Qiong didn't even have time to catch her breath before the butler arrived. He told her the Gu family was at the door demanding someone back.
"What person?" she asked, confused.
"The man you brought back yesterday, Princess," the butler reminded her. "The Gu family says he's a runaway slave from their manor."
A Nu? She had forgotten about him the moment her quest was completed. "Bring him here."
The butler hesitated. "Should I bring the Gu family people in?" Usually, the Princess would be overjoyed to hear the Gu family was visiting and would rush to serve them herself. But since she lost her memory, she hadn't mentioned Lord Gu once.
Ye Qiong glared at him. "I meant the man I brought back. Is Uncle Wang working for the Gu family now?"
Seeing that she didn't react to the name, the butler felt relieved and sent for the man.
A Nu was carried in on a stretcher. Ye Qiong winced. "What happened to him?" She knew he was hurt when she carried him home, but she hadn't realized it was this bad.
With a struggle to sit up, A Nu looked at his savior, but Ye Qiong pressed him back down. "Are you a runaway slave from the Gu family?"
A Nu nodded.
"Do they have your contract?"
He nodded again.
"What about your registration papers?"
A Nu looked confused, then shook his head. Slaves belonged to their masters and didn't have their own papers.
"Do we have to give him back?" the butler asked.
"I kidnapped him fair and square," Ye Qiong said. "Why should I give him back? I have a reputation to uphold."
She turned to A Nu. "Do you want to go back to the Gu family?"
He shook his head vigorously.
"Do you want to stay here?"
He nodded quickly.
With a frown, Ye Qiong watched him. Was he mute?