Chapter 9

His Majesty the Emperor glanced back and forth at Wei Zhen and the Chu siblings with great interest. Wei Zhen looked calm, while Chu Canglang was slightly surprised. Chu Miaomiao's reaction was the biggest. She was shocked at first, then quickly lowered her head.

Hmm, that's interesting.

"Why, do the prince and the crown prince know each other?"

Chu Canglang was a little unsure how to respond. He couldn't just casually tell the Emperor that his sister had forced the Crown Prince to marry him, could he? After a moment's thought, he replied cautiously, "I met the Crown Prince once in Pingzhou."

Wei Zhen raised the corners of his lips and smiled faintly, "Your Highness, you're joking. It's more than just a chance encounter." Then, facing the emperor, he continued, "This son and the Prince of Chu's Palace have quite a connection. First, I was entangled by the Prince of Chu's second son, and then I almost became the Prince's brother-in-law."

The three people from the Chu Palace felt guilty upon hearing this. Chu Canglang was still able to force a smile on his face, but Chu Miaomiao was already wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and escape.

It's over. The prince complained to the emperor in front of them, and this time the emperor will definitely take note of it.

Although Wei Zhen was facing the emperor, his gaze gradually shifted to Chu Miaomiao, who lowered her head. As if sensing his gaze, Chu Miaomiao slowly moved behind the Crown Prince's Consort, trying to hide herself.

"Oh." The emperor noticed Wei Zhen's gaze, and the corner of his eye fell on Chu Miaomiao, who was trying hard to reduce her presence. "I didn't expect there would be such a wonderful fate."

Two pairs of eyes fell on Chu Miaomiao. She felt her body getting hot, and her clenched palms were full of sweat.

On the day when Wei Zhen was set up to take the blame for the scheme against Chu Xinxiu, when he stopped her on the street and asked her if she had considered the consequences, she just thought he was a businessman from another place, so she never thought carefully about whether there was any deeper meaning behind the question.

Now that the businessman has transformed into the noble Crown Prince, Chu Miaomiao reacted immediately.

——He was asking, have you considered the consequences of playing tricks on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?

Not only did she make the Crown Prince take the blame, she also publicly forced him to marry her and insisted on blocking the marriage her mother was planning to arrange. She even brazenly assured him in front of all the ancestors that the marriage would definitely not happen, and after being slapped in the face, she only cared about running away, leaving him at the Prince of Chu's mansion and ignoring him.

Counting all the things that had offended the prince, Chu Miaomiao felt that if he were the prince, he would not easily let go of the bastard who had tricked him.

Oh my God, if she starts to consider the consequences now, is it possible for her to escape this disaster?

"Your Majesty, my grandmother and mother heard that the Prince of Chu and his family had come to the capital, especially Princess Pingyang, and they really wanted to meet them."

Chu Miaomiao felt that Wei Zhen's tone emphasized a lot on the four words "Princess Pingyang", and her heart couldn't help but tremble.

This has completely made His Royal Highness the Crown Prince bear a grudge against me.

"Okay, take them to Changqiu Palace."

"yes."

After they bowed and took their leave, they left the imperial study.

In order to keep a distance from Wei Zhen, Chu Miaomiao always followed closely beside the Crown Princess.

When they walked down the steps of the palace, the sedan chair that had brought them in earlier was still waiting there. However, Wei Zhen had come on foot in the snow and wind, and did not ride in a sedan chair.

Just as Chu Canglang was considering whether to walk to Changqiu Palace with the Crown Prince, he heard Wei Zhen say, "The Crown Prince cannot withstand the wind and snow, so please go with the Crown Princess in the sedan chair. As for Princess Pingyang..."

Wei Zhen's indifferent gaze fell on Chu Miaomiao. When he saw her being called, she subconsciously clenched the fur coat of the Crown Prince's Consort. He secretly sneered in his heart, "You were so brave, weren't you? Why aren't you so arrogant now?"

"My princess is in good health. It shouldn't be a problem for her to walk such a distance with me, right?"

Chu Miaomiao swallowed nervously and said weakly: "Okay, there seems to be, a little problem..."

Wei Zhen pretended not to hear and walked directly in front of Chu Miaomiao and said, "Hmm?"

Chu Miaomiao had no choice but to remain calm and repeated: "There is a problem..."

"No problem, right? Let's go then."

Chu Miaomiao raised her head and looked at Wei Zhen in surprise: "?"

After making his decision, Wei Zhen stepped forward. Chu Canglang and his wife looked at their sister helplessly.

"Hurry up and follow him." Chu Canglang whispered, "I don't think this Crown Prince is a petty person. Just apologize to him sincerely and maybe he won't be upset with you."

Chu Miaomiao let out a long sigh and had to follow dejectedly.

The frigid wind blew the falling snowflakes into disarray, carrying them further afield. Walking against the wind, I felt the wind cutting my skin like a knife, cold and painful.

At this time, Chu Miaomiao, who was following behind Wei Zhen, was feeling uneasy. She didn't care about the sharp wind and was only thinking about how to apologize to the big Buddha.

If the other party simply held a grudge against her, it would be fine, as she would just have to suffer a little more. But if the other party held a grudge against the entire Chu Palace because of her reckless behavior, then it would be just as her father said, and she would become the sinner who implicated the Chu Palace.

Just when Chu Miaomiao was distracted, the palace maid holding an umbrella beside her lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Wei Zhen was quick-witted and pulled Chu Miaomiao around to avoid the fallen palace maid.

The fallen palace maid quickly kowtowed to Wei Zhen and hurriedly confessed her crime, begging for forgiveness from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Chu Miaomiao looked at the palace maid as if she saw herself for a moment, and her heart was filled with infinite sympathy.

Wei Zhen protected Chu Miaomiao behind him and only glanced at the palace maid who had made the mistake. "Go find the housekeeper and receive the five-stick punishment." He then said to the palace maid who was accompanying him, "Leave the umbrella behind. The rest of you don't need to follow."

Everyone agreed, bowed, and retreated respectfully.

At this time, only Wei Zhen and Chu Miaomiao were left in the spacious and deserted palace corridor.

Chu Miaomiao wondered if Wei Zhen was giving her a chance to apologize and make amends, and was also considering her reputation as Princess Pingyang by dismissing the palace servants?

Just as she was struggling with the question of whether to kneel or not when she apologized, she suddenly felt the already dim light being blocked. Looking up, she saw that the distance between her and Wei Zhen had shortened considerably.

Wei Zhen, who was much taller than her, looked down at her, inadvertently creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Feeling a little uneasy, Chu Miaomiao subconsciously took a few steps back. She didn't want to lean directly against the palace wall, where she would have nowhere to hide.

Wei Zhen walked forward again, completely forcing Chu Miaomiao against the wall, leaving her nowhere to escape.

Seeing Chu Miaomiao's eyes wide open with fear, like a frightened deer in the forest, Wei Zhen couldn't help but chuckle, and at the same time took another step closer to her, admiring her bewildered and panicked expression.

"I haven't seen you for several months. Princess Pingyang, do you have anything to say to me?"

Wei Zhen spoke, his voice like the clear snow water flowing down from the mountains, but such a clear and pleasant voice made Chu Miaomiao feel as if she had fallen into bottomless deep water, freezing cold.

Then, she saw the other man's jade-like fingers gently twisting a strand of her black hair, and heard him say slowly, "You cheated me, played tricks on me, abandoned me, and you still want to deny your debt?"

Chu Miaomiao wanted to cry but had no tears, and kept cursing herself in her heart for being so stupid.

"Um?"

Faced with the urging from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Chu Miaomiao had no choice but to apologize repeatedly.

"In the past, I was blind and didn't know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had come to Pingzhou in person. I accidentally offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I hope His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will forgive my fault and not treat me, a country bumpkin who has never seen the world, with the same humility!"

Wei Zhen was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "According to what the princess means, if I really settle accounts with you, I will be a mean person, a country bumpkin."

"..." Chu Miaomiao was stunned. Could this be explained in this way?

Wei Zhen smiled and said, "In that case, I will be a humble man, a country bumpkin, so what?"

"No, Your Highness, you can't understand it that way..."

"Then how does the princess want me to understand?" Wei Zhen asked back.

"This, this means that I did something wrong. I shouldn't have cheated you like that before. I hope you can forgive me." Chu Miaomiao explained anxiously.

Wei Zhen had a warm smile on his face: "Are you serious?"

Chu Miaomiao nodded vigorously: "Real! Realer than real gold!"

"You were sincere when you promised me that day in the ancestral hall, but where was your sincerity when you realized something was wrong and ran away in the blink of an eye?"

These words touched Chu Miaomiao's guilty conscience. She scratched her head and said shamefully, "Then, then I can't explain this to you, right?"

"You left me without even saying a word. How can you be so sincere, my princess?" Wei Zhen sneered. "I dare not believe it."

Chu Miaomiao felt wronged: "Then what should I do so that His Highness will forgive me?"

Wei Zhen raised his eyebrows: "Then it depends on the princess's performance."

"Ah?" How to express?

Chu Miaomiao glanced at Wei Zhen, then followed his gaze to the red umbrella on the ground. Suddenly, she understood. She rushed forward, grabbed the umbrella handle, and opened it high. She stood beside Wei Zhen respectfully, wanting to hold the umbrella for him.

However--

"Your Highness, would you mind bending down?"

Chu Miaomiao stood on tiptoe, trying to raise the umbrella high enough to shield the Crown Prince from the falling snow. However, Wei Zhen was much taller than her, and no matter how high she raised it, it would easily hit the distinguished Crown Prince.

If something bad happens, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince might not forgive her at all.

"I am the crown prince of the dynasty. Do you want me to bow down?"

"...What should I do? This is my limit."

Wei Zhen was speechless: "It's really hard to ask Princess Pingyang to do something for me."

"...It's not that I don't want to do it, it's just that my height is limited. How about you change into something else?"

Wei Zhen was silent, then took the umbrella handle from Chu Miaomiao: "Let's go."

Chu Miaomiao, whose arms and toes were finally freed, breathed a sigh of relief and followed Wei Zhen obediently.

Unexpectedly, Wei Zhen stopped suddenly and turned to look at Chu Miaomiao: "Follow."

I’ve clearly caught up! Chu Miaomiao complained inwardly and took a small step forward.

Wei Zhen frowned, wondering how the person in front of him could be so stupid that he couldn't communicate.

So he didn't say anything more, but walked straight to Miaomiao, stood side by side with her, and the umbrella above his head also shielded her from the falling snow.

"Go wash your face before you greet me."

"ah?"

"You have a rash."

“…”

This is completely seen through!