The Emperor of Xiyun nodded kindly and said, "So you are An Jing, right? From now on, I will call you Jing Er."
Before An Jing could speak, Xiao Changyi immediately objected, "No!"
Curious, the Emperor of Xiyun asked, "Why not?"
Xiao Changyi declared, "Only I can call her Jing Er."
An Jing felt an instant sweetness in her heart.
Amused, the Emperor of Xiyun took the opportunity to propose, "If you accompany me in a game of chess and let me win, I will not address your wife as Jing Er."
Without a second thought, Xiao Changyi agreed, "It’s a deal!"
Hearing this, the Emperor of Xiyun immediately turned to An Jing with a smile and said, "Jingjing. From hereby on, I shall address you as Jingjing, my daughter-in-law."
An Jing: "..." I just want some peace and quiet...
"What, you aren’t willing?" Seeing that An Jing was silent for quite a while, the Emperor of Xiyun finally spoke up and asked.
An Jing quickly said disingenuously, "I am willing."
"Good, from now on I shall call you Jingjing, and you needn’t call yourself by humble titles anymore. Even though Yi Er married into your family, his royal status cannot be stripped away. You are now the Changsheng Princess of Xiyun."
Despite Xiyun’s people believing that no titled man would marry into a woman’s family, it was still explicitly stipulated in Xiyun that if a titled man did marry in, and if his title was higher than his wife’s status, his wife would enjoy the treatment due to the primary wife of his rank, and their children would also receive the treatments of his rank’s offspring.
If the title was hereditary, their descendants could inherit it as well.
And the title of King of Eternal Victory was a hereditary one.
Naturally, marrying into a family as a man had the same restrictions as for common people: no remarrying, and you could only be divorced by your wife; if the wife did not divorce, then he would have only this wife for life, and the wife would also have only him.
Whether a woman married into a family or took a husband into hers, she could only have one spouse.
The inequality between men and women was indeed extremely stark.
Another point that demonstrated the male-dominated era was that even after marrying into the wife’s family, men could retain their own surnames and names, but women who married into their husband’s family could only take their husband’s surname.
Reflecting on this, An Jing sighed softly in her heart before responding, "Yes."
The Emperor of Xiyun then happily turned to Xiao Changyi, "Yi Er, you must stay for a longer visit this time."
Xiao Changyi did not respond, but he had already made up his mind that as soon as the old man’s birthday was over, he would take his wife and return home.
The Emperor of Xiyun didn’t wait for Xiao Changyi to speak and went on with a smile, "You must be weary from your journey. Fenghua Palace has already been prepared for you. Go to Fenghua Palace first to rest and relieve your fatigue. We can discuss everything else after you’ve had a chance to rest."
Xiao Changyi had once stayed in the palace for a year, residing in Fenghua Palace. Since Xiao Changyi’s departure, the Emperor of Xiyun had not allowed anyone else to stay there, obviously keeping it reserved for Xiao Changyi, his foster son, all this time.
Now that Xiao Changyi had returned, he naturally would stay at Fenghua Palace.
Xiao Changyi didn’t immediately take An Jing to Fenghua Palace but instead made a request, "Do not disturb me for four hours."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Xiyun immediately put up a finger silently, trying to bargain in a pleasing manner, "How about an hour, is that okay?"
Xiao Changyi had initially planned to say an hour, but knowing the Emperor of Xiyun’s fondness for haggling, he had started with four hours instead. If he had said an hour, he worried the old man might come to Fenghua Palace to bother him after just half an hour.
At the unexpected easy agreement from Xiao Changyi, the Emperor of Xiyun realized he had been outwitted and was instantly filled with regret: If only I had known, I would have proposed half an hour!