Chapter 50

Chu Miaomiao was taken into the Eastern Palace by the Eastern Palace family steward.

Wei Zhen had no intention of hiding this matter from anyone. He just wanted everyone to know that Princess Pingyang had entered the palace.

The King of Chu hadn't confessed his crime and yet, so Princess Pingyang hadn't yet died. If Chu Miaomiao had any accident in the palace, the Saint would be the biggest suspect.

In front of the people of the world, even a saint has to consider his reputation.

So when the sage learned about this, he was furious and laughed. He never thought that one day Wei Zhen would plot against him for a woman.

Is Chu Miaomiao really that good?

It was then that Chu Miaomiao realized that she had not entered the palace as a criminal. A comfortable room, servants waiting on her, and Wei Zhen came to visit her in person.

"I'm going to lead the troops to quell the rebellion."

Without a single word of warning, Wei Zhen's words struck Chu Miaomiao's heart hard. She lowered her brows, not looking at Wei Zhen, nor saying a word.

"You will stay in the Eastern Palace for the time being. If you need anything, tell the Housekeeper and he will arrange it for you. If you get bored, you can go to the courtyard, the study, or anywhere else within the Eastern Palace. But one thing is for you, never leave the Eastern Palace."

Wei Zhen looked worried: "At least in the East Palace, I can guarantee that you will be safe."

silence.

"I..." Wei Zhen was the first to break the silence. "I'm about to go to war. Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Wei Zhen waited for a long time, but Chu Miaomiao didn't say a word. He was disappointed, but he had to leave first.

"Anyway, take care of yourself."

Wei Zhen was about to turn around and leave when he felt his sleeve being grabbed and heard Chu Miaomiao's muffled voice coming from behind him.

"Take me with you."

Chu Miaomiao paused and tried her best to control her trembling voice.

“…Please.”

*

Since ascending the throne, the Saint had rarely set foot in the Eastern Palace. Now, he strolled there, observing the present Eastern Palace and reminiscing about his past life there.

The housekeeper respectfully served beside him, trying his best to answer the questions that the sage asked casually, for fear that he would get any of them wrong and bring disaster to the prince.

The sage walked around the courtyard with great interest for a while before stopping in front of a palace with its gates tightly shut. He smiled and looked at the household official: "Is Princess Pingyang here?"

The housekeeper broke out in a cold sweat: "...Yes."

"Since you know I've come to the Eastern Palace, why didn't you come to see me?"

The housekeeper didn't dare answer rashly. He couldn't say that it was because the prince had instructed before leaving that the princess should not be seen by anyone, especially not by the person in front of her.

"His Royal Highness has imprisoned the princess here, so the princess was unable to pay her respects in time." The housekeeper carefully considered her words, "I will go and inform you right away."

With a "creak", the door was pushed open from the inside.

Chu Miaomiao walked out of the palace door woodenly and knelt before the saint: "Your Majesty, I, the guilty minister Chu Miaomiao, pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be well and safe."

The saint walked around her into the hall, sat down on the couch in the middle hall, dismissed the palace maids, and ordered Chu Miaomiao to stand up and kneel on the ground.

"Look up."

The cold eyes looked Chu Miaomiao up and down, and she accepted the saint's gaze very calmly.

She was going to die anyway, so even if the saint's gaze could cut her to pieces, what was there to be afraid of?

"In terms of appearance, you can barely be considered above average; in terms of talent—" the sage sneered, "you have none. In terms of temperament, you are not gentle and quiet. As for your deeds, I have heard quite a bit about your deeds in Pingzhou."

The sage pointedly summarized his doubts, asking: "Gold and jade may not be seen on the outside, but on the inside they are all rotten rags. What on earth does the prince see in you?"

"I didn't know. If I had known earlier, I would have corrected it."

The saint's eyes suddenly sharpened: "Do you think the prince is not worthy of you?"

"I am unworthy of His Royal Highness. I have made this clear to His Royal Highness many times—"

"Princess, please be careful with your words. The prince is not the kind of person who would pester you with any means." The saint's faint voice interrupted Chu Miaomiao.

Chu Miaomiao smiled bitterly: "Yes, just as your majesty said."

"The King of Chu is doomed to fail. When he is escorted back to the capital and confesses his crimes, you and the Crown Prince will die. I cannot bear the thought of you dying at such a young age. Before you die, I can grant you one wish. Tell me."

Upon hearing this, Chu Miaomiao, who had been looking down, finally raised her eyes and looked directly at the sage: "Your Majesty, are you serious?"

"Of course." Although the saint had a smile on his lips, the smile did not reach his eyes, and his expression even revealed a bit of grimness.

At this time, the saint had made up his mind. If Chu Miaomiao's wish was Wei Zhen, then she couldn't stay no matter what.

"I, a criminal...want to go to Pingzhou."

This was an unexpected answer for the sage, but he quickly suppressed his surprise and asked, "Why, does the princess want to kill her father and brother to mitigate her guilt?"

"Although I am a fool, I have my limits. I cannot kill my father and brother with my own hands."

"If you don't intend to surrender to the imperial court, then why did you go to Pingzhou?"

"I have a question and would like an answer."

*

After learning the direction in which the Prince of Chu and his wife had fled, it didn't take long for General Ma to apprehend the criminals. Before leaving, he had received instructions from the Crown Prince to take good care of the two, so he didn't deliberately make things difficult for them, and simply escorted them back to the capital and sent them to the Heavenly Prison.

As soon as Wei Zhen learned that the prince and his wife were imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, he went to visit them in person.

After days of traveling and worrying, the prince and his wife were not in good condition. Wei Zhen even invited a doctor to the prison to treat them, which was a very dedicated act.

Chu Canglang smiled bitterly: "Thank you for your kindness, Prince, but it would be useless even if my wife and I were cured."

The body that he had finally managed to maintain became much weaker again. In just one short sentence, Chu Canglang coughed three or four times.

The Crown Prince's wife also stayed beside her husband with a haggard look on her face, stroking his back to help him calm down.

"Please don't give up, my lord," Wei Zhen encouraged. "As long as you're still breathing, there's still a chance of survival."

Chu Canglang simply smiled, remaining silent. He held his wife's hand, indicating that he was feeling much better, and then asked Wei Zhen, "I didn't see Miaomiao when I came in just now. Where is she being held now? If possible, I'd like to ask Your Highness for a favor, so that we can stay together. Don't let her be alone. She's still young and will be scared."

Wei Zhen said: "Don't worry, Prince, she is now in the East Palace and is very safe."

Chu Canglang's eyes lit up, and he thought that perhaps Miaomiao could survive under the Crown Prince's protection. He looked at Wei Zhen again with a hint of gratitude in his eyes: "Thank you, Your Highness."

After instructing the jailer to take good care of the Prince of Chu and his wife, Wei Zhen hurried away. Just now, someone came to announce that the Saint had personally gone to the East Palace to meet Chu Miaomiao. He was extremely anxious along the way, truly worried that the Saint would harm Chu Miaomiao.

However, when Wei Zhen returned to the Eastern Palace, he saw that the housekeeper looked very embarrassed. The look of wanting to say something but not saying it made Wei Zhen understand most of it.

"Is the princess... still here?" Wei Zhen's voice was hoarse, but contained a glimmer of hope.

The family leader shook his head gravely: "The princess was taken away by the saint."

"Where did you take it?"

"After the Saint had a private conversation with the princess, he took her away. I don't know where they went."

Wei Zhen laughed at himself.

Yes. Although he was the master of the Eastern Palace, the Sage was the master of the world. No one had the right to ask who he wanted to take out of the Eastern Palace, and no one had the right to stop him.

He didn't ask any more questions, but turned and rushed towards the imperial study. As long as he was there, he would definitely wait for the saint. He wanted to find the saint and ask the saint to forgive Chu Miaomiao, no matter what the cost.

When Wei Zhen stopped breathlessly in front of the imperial study, the chief eunuch who always served the emperor had been waiting for the prince in front of the hall for a long time.

"Your Highness, the Sage has ordered this servant to convey a message to you and give you something."

Wei Zhen didn't want to listen any more. He walked around the chief eunuch and was about to rush in. All the eunuchs and guards waiting outside the hall quickly surrounded Wei Zhen and prevented him from moving forward.

It was forbidden to carry a sword when meeting the emperor. The unarmed Wei Zhen glanced coldly at the group of people in front of him.

The eunuch turned to Wei Zhen, his expression unchanged: "The Saint orders Your Highness to think carefully about what is most important right now. Don't try to get everything, or you will end up with nothing."

This is a warning.

Wei Zhen's expression grew even darker. "Saint, do you really not want to see me?"

The chief eunuch sighed, "Your Highness, why do you have to trouble us? We are acting according to the will of the sage." He paused and looked at Wei Zhen meaningfully. "In fact, it's not just us, the subjects of the world must obey the will of the sage. Please reconsider your decision."

"..." Wei Zhen was silent for a long time, then asked in a deep voice, "You just said there was something else you wanted to give me."

The general manager waved his hand, and the eunuchs and guards surrounding Wei Zhen retreated. A young eunuch holding a brocade box stepped forward and handed it to Wei Zhen.

Wei Zhen opened it and took a look. He suddenly exerted force on his hands, and the bent joints turned faintly white. His expression was also gloomy, but the steward could clearly feel the heavy anger in him.

The brocade box contained nothing else but the ink seal he gave to Chu Miaomiao.

Is Chu Miaomiao going to completely break off all ties with him? How could she, how could she be so heartless! No matter how many times he confessed his feelings, no matter how many times he asked for her trust, why didn't she believe him? Is he someone who is untrustworthy?

Wei Zhen's emotions were in turmoil, but a smile appeared on his face. He politely thanked the chief eunuch, then turned around and left neatly, striding forward with a sense of determination.

At this moment, Wei Zhen pondered the sage's words again and found them quite interesting. The sage's words were quite true. What he needed to do now was to resolve the King of Chu's rebellion beautifully. As for Chu Miaomiao—

Wei Zhen's face was solemn and his eyes were fierce, without any trace of his usual gentleness.