Lady Meilin is seduced by her green tea brother-in-law everyday-Chapter 430: Epilogue..

The Mighty Little Peepstar: [Oh how quick time flies! At this time last year, Jun Meilin was fresh out of a divorce and this year, a little birdie told me that she has been visiting jewelry counters more than usual.

What is she cooking up?

Speaking of things being cooked, the Emperor Junjie is cooking something too. Not on gas and not on wood. In the oven.

But shush....keep the secret.

More importantly, who will win the battle of the crowns this year?]

The silent warfare of crowns was back. A full year had already passed and the National Liberation Day celebration had visited the empire once again. This year, a theme had been declared: Valor and courage.

So, the nobles and elite got to work, pulling out clothes and crowns of steel. Donning robes and gowns with ties to dragons and phoenixes. It should have ended there but it became a battle of feathers. Peacock, eagle, ostrich...most artificial and all exaggerated.

The crowns as always were works of art that were worth sitting in a museum. Gold, pearl, floral, feather, gem. And the air...it buzzed with anticipation and perfume.

It was the same old program and the guests prepared to yawn as Emperor Junjie stepped up on the grand stage to give his speech. The black mourning clothes were gone, replaced with a red and yellow dragon robe whose shine competed with the sun.

"Every year I begin my speech with the same words, today I will not be doing that." He started.

Those preparing to sleep opened their eyes and the press showed more interest.

"I will not bore you all by repeating the same old things. Instead, let me start by commending Viscount Huang on his stunning cape whose trail is so long that he required twenty attendants and an entire column to himself."

The crowd laughed. Every eye turned to the Viscount who owned the column. All the chairs behind him had been removed to accommodate his exaggerated silver knight cape that had an image of a snake.

"And Princess Chi," Emperor Junjie continued. "A full green sapphire and gold meteor stone gown with a matching crown. I don’t know how this is related to valor but my eyes have been blinded."

The crowd laughed.

Junjie looked at the prompter and then the cameras. "Let us go directly to the ceremony of rewarding and changing the ancestry of the people that have contributed the most to the development of the empire.

Zhao Rui, the surgeon who saved thousands of lives during the earthquake in Nanjing.

Sun Yara, the poet whose five decade long works have been compared to those of the greats and spread beyond the boarders of our empire.

Feng Jingzhe, royal advisor and restoration expert who has discovered and returned many lost artifacts. He also restored the sacred Lotus of the lost underwater temple which has become a world sensation.

Peter Min, the robotics engineer who dedicated his life to designing and creating smart disaster relief drones which have saved many lives for twenty five years."

The four people stepped forward and bowed before the emperor, their faces solemn but radiant. The crowd erupted in applause.

The Emperor started handing them their proof of nobility. "This is a reminder that nobility is not just inherited, it is earned. Your lives have been changed from this day going forward."

The four stepped back. The crowd applauded them again as they returned to their seats.

As soon as Jingzhe sat down, Mei Mei unfurled the proof of nobility, a scroll which had his name and title.

She gasped. "Earl, you have been named an Earl." She squealed.

The family members sitting around them were shocked. It was rare for the royal family to raise commoners into higher ranks.

Jingzhe received more slaps on the back than he expected as they congratulated him on his achievement.

His smiling eyes did not once leave Mei Mei’s for a single second. One year down the road and he continued to make her proud.

"Are you happy?" he asked her.

She pulled him down and kissed him on the lips, in everyone’s presence. "Most definitely."

Everyone laughed or told them to take it elsewhere.

"Junjie is doing something." Rose gasped.

"Oh no!" Grandma Jun looked down.

Junjie had brought Kang Zhenzhen out. A hush fell. For months rumors had been swirling about their potential relationship. Zhenzhen had been guarded like an Empress and nobody had managed to come close enough to question or confront her.

"The Empress Mother looks like she wants to kill him." Mei Mei whispered to Jingzhe.

"Because she told him to wait for the mourning period to end before introducing her to the world. The wait is almost over." Jingzhe groaned. "This is a scandal that is going to keep us all busy tomorrow."

On stage, with a smile that sent ripples through the crowd, Junjie said, "I would like to introduce you all to this great woman. Her name is Kang Zhenzhen."

Murmurs. Gasps. The nobles were definitely not sleepy and the empire was boiling.

Zhenzhen stood there with a soft smile on her face, hand in hand with Junjie, showing her support for his decision. She was wearing a while silk dress with a single crimson lotus embroidered at the hem. Her crown was modest, polished wood and pearls. A white flower was tucked behind her ear.

In her simplicity was beauty and an aura of grace and elegance. Her presence was undeniable. Standing next to Junjie, she looked like his perfect match. The gentle caring Empress and mother of a nation.

"Who dressed her?" Mei Mei asked him.

"Your mother." He answered.

Mei Mei gasped. Would her mother’s barrel of secrets ever be truly uncovered?

Junjie did not say who she was, but everyone got the message. And when she walked back, it was not to her family but the empty chair besides Princess Rize.

The Emperor then moved on to a usual tradition of unveiling never before seen artifacts from the royal vault. It was interesting and they all watched in reverence but their minds were stuck on Zhenzhen’s unveiling.

She was more interesting than the artifacts.

"Finally, we have one more artifact to unveil." Junjie announced.

People were curious. It was usually three, why was there a fourth?

"As a best friend, I have been given the honor of presenting this wonderful and bold declaration of love to the new Earl Feng Jingzhe." He said.

Jingzhe was confused and he looked at Mei Mei. Murmurs of confused swirled in the crowd.

The Emperor reached on the table and lifted a silk cloth. Inside a glass case was a ring--blue diamond, large and luminous.

"Earl Feng Jingzhe, Lady Jun Meilin is officially requesting you to stop accidentally showing her images of large diamond rings and accept this one." Junjie said into a microphone.

Some nobles gasped and others looked on, aghast. Surely, there was a better occasion than this one!

Jingzhe was already covering his mouth with one hand while blinking, staring at Mei Mei in shock.

"What do you say? Will you marry me vixen?" she asked.

"Yes." Mingzhu replied.

Others laughed.

Jingzhe took his hand down, his eyes had filled with tears. "Yes. A thousand times, yes."

He had waited for what felt like a thousand years for this day. The long wait was over.

Everyone erupted--not out of politeness but genuine joy. The fireworks which should have exploded in the night, started a little early.

*****

The Mighty Little Peepstar: [Love is in the air.

Not because Jun Meilin asked Feng Jingzhe to marry her.

That is the name of the show Si Tangning has signed up for. Filming is set for beyond the sky on Second Earth.

A little birdie tells me, Imperial Commander Jun Mingzhe might be a guest on the show or the captain of the space ship flying the crew out there.

Both have denied any involvement but some fans continue to put them together.

This peepstar will be in the stars, finding out the truth. Just because she can.]

The End...