Chapter 5 Cancellation "People of the Ma family, you shall speak first. Tell me what injustice forced you to carry the late Mr. Ma's memorial tablet before me?" The Emperor's gaze fell on Ma Ting, and a heavy ache pressed against his temple. Yet when he noticed the tablets before and behind her, his anger dimmed, replaced by pity. Ma Ting lifted the memorial tablet high and bowed deeply before him. "By Your Majesty's grace, I should have been wed today into Marquis Sunfair's household. Yet Li Han fell in love with his servant girl and wanted her as a secondary wife. "I am an official of second rank. To be married to a man on the same day as a servant-born girl already disgraces my family. "But Li Han went further. He gave He Xinying an eight-man carriage, while my family received only a four-man carriage. It is half the number and a clear insult that says my family has no strength to protect itself." Each word from her lips cut deep. Marquis Sunfair's chest went cold. Li Han stood in his wedding robes, his thoughts unraveling. He had chosen the four-man carriage to put Ma Ting in her place, so she would not trouble Xinying again. But now she had rushed to the Emperor with her grievance. "Your Majesty, I swear, I never meant to slight the Ma family. Xinying's parents died protecting my father, and I could not allow her to be shamed. "And Ma Ting... our household is nearly destitute. We truly had no money for an eight-man carriage. Even the four-man carriage emptied our treasury." His words shook with fear. Marquis Sunfair shut his eyes, despair consuming him. You fool , he thought. Ma Ting's eyes brimmed with tears, her lids swollen and red. "You would give a servant-born girl an eight-man carriage so she would not suffer indignity. "I am a second-rank official and married to you by His Majesty's decree, yet you only gave me a four-man carriage. "You have not only humiliated my family; you have mocked the Emperor's grace." When her voice faded, even the emperor laughed in fury. "Very well. I see your family has grown bolder over the years. You'd spare a servant-born girl from indignity but not a marriage borne from my decision?" His palm struck the imperial desk with thunderous force, and the great hall fell silent. Out of that silence, Qi Rong strolled forward, his hands folded in his sleeves. He walked up to the emperor and stopped at his side. "Your Majesty, the heir of Marquis Sunfair has astonishing talent. He not only insults an imperial marriage but even harbors thoughts of rebellion." Marquis Sunfair and Li Han's heads jerked up, their faces pale with disbelief. "Lord Zhu, you cannot speak such slander! Treason will doom whole clans! My family has no thoughts of rebelling!" The marquis stammered in panic. He had spent his life in safe service, yet disaster had struck on his son's wedding day. Li Han's gaze fixed on Qi Rong, his heart sinking. He could sense what was coming. Qi Rong stood tall beside the emperor, his cold eyes bent with a smile. He raised one long finger and pointed toward He Xinying, who crouched on the floor, shrunken beside Li Han. "Just days ago, at the princess' residence, this girl claimed Li Han promised her the right to a twelve-man carriage. That statement, in itself, is treasonous! There were many witnesses. Ask them, and you shall know, Your Majesty." He spoke like a cunning official, eager to fan the fire and see his enemies fall. Ma Ting froze, her tears caught in her throat. Wait. Is he helping me? she wondered. The emperor's rage burst out. He rose, his finger stabbing at Li Han's trembling face, and his curse cut sharp as a blade. "A servant-born wench dreams of riding in my twelve-man carriage? "What will she dream of next? My throne?" Li Han quivered like a leaf in the wind. He Xinying pressed her head to the floor, bowing again and again, too afraid to look up. "Xinying has never received much education. She did not know the rules of the imperial house and spoke rashly. I will punish her myself, but I swear, my family has never plotted rebellion." Regret twisted in Li Han's gut. He cursed the moment of passion when he had promised her a twelve-man carriage. Now that foolish promise had become treason. The solemn hall lay in heavy silence, broken only by Qi Rong's unhurried pacing. He himself held the right to the imperial heir's twelve-man carriage. Apart from the throne, little stood beyond his reach. "Your Majesty, even if the Li family holds no rebellious intent, their insult to the orphaned child of a loyal official and their disdain for an imperial-decreed marriage cannot be denied. "Ma Ting's parents gave their lives for the empire. Your Majesty, if you do not uphold their honor, I'm afraid the civil officials might lose some of their confidence in you." Qi Rong spoke aloud the very plea Ma Ting had buried in her chest. Her grip tightened on the memorial tablet until her knuckles whitened, but no words came. The Ma family had once commanded the civil officials. To mistreat the orphan of such officials would wound the loyalty of every single one of them. Yet if she had spoken it herself, she would have been accused of overstepping. She never would have used that card unless driven to desperation. But Qi Rong had said it for her. The emperor's expression darkened like a storm as he looked down at the stricken household of Marquis Sunfair. Ma Lin was long dead, and no one at court spoke his name anymore. If Ma Ting stayed silent about her mistreatment, he could've pretended to know nothing about it. But she carried a memorial tablet through the streets for everyone to see. If Marquis Sunfair got away with it unscathed, the civil officials would riot. "Do you still have any children besides this one, Marquis Sunfair?" The Marquis Sunfair had no idea what the emperor was implying, but he answered honestly. "Yes, Li Guan. He's the eldest of illegitimate children." The emperor gave a sharp laugh. "Fine. Strip Li Han of his title of heir and pass it to Li Guan. "Lady He's behavior is disgraceful, and her words are shameful. She is not fit to be a wife and can only remain a concubine." The emperor frowned, thinking the punishment too light. His tone hardened. "She will live as a lowly concubine for life." A low concubine stood beneath even a bedwarming maidservant. She ranked below household staff. By day, she did hard labor. By night, she served her master. Her children would be born as slaves. However, Li Han felt no pity for He Xinying as he had lost his heir's title. And Li Guan, the illegitimate son who had always opposed him, now rose above his head. Ma Ting clutched the memorial tablet tightly and bent forward, her body trembling with delight as she watched Li Han's face sink into despair. Only after punishing the Li family did the emperor finally turn to Ma Ting with a softer voice. "Does this punishment satisfy you?" Ma Ting bowed her head. "Your Majesty, I beg permission to break my betrothal with Li Han." Li Han froze. His chest went cold. His eyes locked on Ma Ting, filled with disbelief. End the engagement? he thought. He Xinying was condemned to remain a low concubine forever. No one could challenge her place as secondary wife now. Why cancel the marriage? He had always believed Ma Ting fought only to rival He Xinying. The emperor's face grew unreadable. He hesitated. "You are nearly seventeen. If you break the engagement now, you may never marry at all." In Cloud Nation, a girl of seventeen was already of age. If she remained unmarried, people assumed she was sickly or immoral. Even widowers turned away from women like that, and most such girls were forced to cut their hair and live as nuns. Ma Ting had only a few months until her seventeenth birthday. The emperor wondered if she was not worried about never getting married.