Chapter 98 I Don't Want You Anymore

Tang Xinuan is beautiful, and when her tears fall in pairs, there is a kind of broken, incomplete beauty.

Zhou Chuanxing never expected her to cry so easily, which broke his heart.

“Nuan Nuan,” he leaned down and stared at his new wife, “How could I have such thoughts? You’ve misunderstood me.”

Tang Xinuan didn't think she had misunderstood. "You just despise me, you despise me because I'm stupid and I'll give birth to a stupid child, so you never thought about having a baby with me, and you won't allow me to have a baby..."

The more she talked, the more she realized it made sense. Suddenly, she got up and walked out, saying, "I'm not going to stay with you anymore. You're a liar, a bad person. I don't want you anymore."

On the second day of his marriage, Zhou Chuanxing was abandoned by his wife, and his heart ached more than if Chu Yannuo had been stabbed with thirty-five bloody holes.

"Nuan Nuan, stop right there!" He took a few quick steps to catch up with her and pulled her back.

"Even if I was wrong, you can't just say you don't want to be with me anymore. We were betrothed by the Emperor, we've already had our wedding ceremony and entered the bridal chamber. How can you just say you don't want to be with me anymore?"

Tang Xinuan sobbed and refused to look at him. "The Emperor bestowed this marriage upon you. He is your Emperor, not mine. He is a bad person for not clearing the name of our Tang family."

You should ask him to bestow upon you another clever girl to be your queen.

I'm an idiot, I'm not good enough for you... um..."

Zhou Chuanxing was about to be driven mad by his new wife.

She got angry over a disagreement, and then she actually wanted to break up with him and tell him to marry someone else.

But she just couldn't understand it.

The kiss started off quite intensely, but Zhou Chuanxing felt the girl gradually calm down, and the kiss became gentle and lingering.

When he released her, the lady had calmed down considerably.

"Nuan Nuan, let me explain. I really didn't have those feelings for you, I just didn't want you to..."

Seeing that the little girl was about to get angry again, he had a sudden inspiration and blurted out, "I was wounded on the battlefield, and the imperial physician said that I will never be able to have children in my life..."

"Warm and cozy, you won't dislike me, will you?"

Tang Xinu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, looking at him with disbelief, "Really?"

Zhou Chuanxing nodded: "I was worried that you would dislike me because of this, so I didn't dare to say it..."

People who are usually domineering and authoritative are especially pitiful when they pretend to be wronged.

Tang Xinuan was fooled by his superb skills.

She hugged the man with great tenderness, "Erlang, I will never despise you. Actually, children are very troublesome, and I don't know how to take care of them. If you don't want them, then don't. From now on, it's just the two of us."

“Okay,” Zhou Chuanxing knew his little girl wouldn’t want to part with him, “just the two of us.”

Prince Duan was worried about Prince Qin, so on his way to the palace to see the emperor and carry out his business, he detoured to Prince Qin's residence.

He called over Bai Zhi, who was serving in the bridal chamber, and asked, "Did Second Brother consummate the marriage last night?"

Bai Zhi, being a young woman, was a little embarrassed and said, "It's round."

Prince Duan asked curiously, "My second brother is wearing that on his wrist..."

He waved his hands, "How did it get round?"

Bai Zhi said speechlessly, "Your Highness, if you're so curious, why don't you ask the Prince of Qin yourself?"

Prince Duan didn't want to be scolded.

"Perhaps my second brother is exceptionally talented, so being chained up doesn't hinder him."

He had something to say to his second brother.

"I just went into the palace and heard that the Empress went to my brother yesterday to stop the arranged marriage, but he sent her away."

Zhou Chuanxing had just gotten married and was in the throes of sweet bliss, so he didn't want to care about anything else.

"Let her be."

Prince Duan added, "Five or six people have died in the Fourth Prince's residence. I heard that Second Sister-in-law is Li Ce's adopted daughter. The matter has been reported to the Dali Temple, forcing Li Ce to arrest her."

Zhou Chuanxing: "Li Ce will definitely be able to handle it, there's no need to worry."

Prince Duan wanted to persuade his second brother again, but he could tell that his second brother was in high spirits and beaming with joy, and his mind was not on politics at all, so there was no point in saying anything more.

"Then you and your second sister-in-law enjoy your honeymoon. I have to go now."

Yesterday, the Empress's attempt to stop the arranged marriage failed. Considering that Tang Xinuan is a fool, she couldn't cause any big trouble.

But today, Prince Rui came to the palace and told her, "I went to see the Grand Tutor's body. In addition to the sword that slit his throat, there was also a deadly hidden weapon in his back."

The Empress was furious: "Who is it?"

Prince Rui: "Judging from the wound, it looks like the hidden weapon that Tang Xinuan was wearing around her waist."

The Empress was so angry she nearly ground her teeth to powder. "She dared to hurt my father! I'll make her pay with her blood!"

Prince Rui added, "I heard some news today: Tang Xinuan is not stupid at all; she is Han Xi, who won first place in the Caiyue Tower's Smart Person Contest."

The Empress was thunderstruck. "How is this possible?"

Prince Rui hated her even more than the Empress.

With two unborn children and another 500,000 taels of silver, he and Tang Xinuan would be sworn enemies.

"I just got the news too. No wonder there have been rumors that my second brother keeps male lovers. What male lovers? It's always been that bitch Tang Xinuan."

The Empress was furious, her body trembling uncontrollably. "Guards, convey my imperial decree, ordering Princess Qin to enter the palace immediately."

As long as she sees someone, she must not have any chance to escape.

Prince Rui disagreed: "Second Brother will definitely not let her out."

The Empress was at a loss. "Let's try it first."

However, she remembered two people: Eunuch Wei and Physician Zhang.

She initially believed that the King of Qin preferred men only because of a hint from Physician Zhang.

Since he likes Tang Xinuan, then his claim that he likes Miss Chu is probably just him deliberately misleading everyone.

I never expected that Zhou Chuanxing, a mere martial artist, would have such thoughts.

If he really becomes emperor, how will I survive?

"Someone, summon Physician Zhang. Tell him that I have a pain in my chest."

Prince Rui and the Empress had the same idea; he even brought a child into the palace today.

He is the seven-year-old grandson of Physician Zhang.

Zhou Chuanxing had sent people to protect Physician Zhang's family, but even the best-laid plans can go awry. The child went out to buy candied hawthorns and was caught red-handed by Prince Rui.

About half an hour later, Physician Zhang arrived at Fengzao Palace.

Having watched his grandson fall into Prince Rui's hands, he had no other choice.

He answered whatever the other person asked.

"Why did you deceive me, Zhou Chuanxing, into believing that you like men?"

Physician Zhang kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "It was the King of Qin who instructed me to say this."

Empress: "What is his purpose?"

Physician Zhang said, "Tang Xinuan is the cousin of the Crown Prince of Chu. She ran away from home. He made up this lie because he was grateful to the Chu family for saving his life."

The Empress suspected he wasn't telling the truth. "Are you still deceiving me? Don't you want your grandson to live?"

Physician Zhang could only tell the truth, "She probably wanted to keep it from Your Majesty, after all, she is the descendant of a disgraced official."

This explanation was understandable, but the Queen asked again, "What other secrets do those two have?"

Physician Zhang racked his brains to recall what else could move the Empress. "That's right, Tang Xinuan and Prince Chu have been in a relationship for a long time. Tang Xinuan has been drinking too much contraceptive soup, which has severely damaged her health, to the point that she is even unable to conceive. But the Prince doesn't mind and has ordered me to keep this news a secret. He said that he will only marry Tang Xinuan in this life and doesn't care about having children."

Therefore, they pressured Prince Duan to get married early, just so he would have a child sooner.

This news held different meanings for the Empress and Prince Rui.

The Empress didn't care whether Tang Xinuan could give birth or not; she only wanted Tang Xinuan dead.

But King Rui thought differently.

The second brother was devoted to one woman for life, but his wife was unable to have children. If they wanted the throne to be passed on, they could only adopt someone from the same clan.

It's a pity about his two unborn children.

However, he is fertile, so it's not too late for him to go back and have another child.

Even if we take a step back and assume that I fail in my bid for the throne and my second brother becomes emperor, won't the great empire still end up in someone else's hands?

That idiot Prince Duan is much easier to deal with.

The Empress was filled with hatred. She gestured to the old nanny and handed a packet of arsenic to Physician Zhang.

"Imperial Physician Zhang, if you want your grandson to live, you should know how to handle this packet of medicine. I hope to hear the news of the deaths of both the King of Qin and the Queen of Qin within three days."

"Your Majesty the Empress..." Physician Zhang dared not murder the prince, "This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family."

The Empress told him to do as he pleased, "What are you afraid of with me here? The Emperor is in poor health and only wakes up for a few hours each day. Even if he finds out that the Second Prince was murdered, it will still be up to Prince Rui to investigate. Prince Rui can just find a scapegoat. What does it have to do with you?"

Physician Zhang trembled as he accepted the poison. In the freezing winter, his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

It's either the grandson or the entire clan.

Even if the emperor doesn't care about the death of the King of Qin, do you think his 400,000 military advisors are just sitting idly by?

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty knows what to do."

“Wait,” Prince Rui suddenly interrupted, “Second Brother doesn’t want children anymore, why poison him? His soldiers are not easy to fool, and we will all die in the end.”

The Empress hated Zhou Chuanxing for murdering her father and two brothers. Poisoning him was too lenient; she wished she could tear him to pieces and eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.

"If we find a scapegoat, how can we be sure that people will suspect us?"

Prince Rui disagreed no matter what. "I said no, and that's final. There are no secrets in this world. Do you think they'll believe us if we find a scapegoat? If Second Brother is murdered, it will only make them united against the enemy. Then they'll support Third Brother. What will be left for us then!"

The Empress and Prince Rui disagreed and soon started arguing fiercely.

The Empress was not afraid of Zhou Chuanxing's people supporting Prince Duan. In any case, Prince Duan had already pledged allegiance to her. Even if Prince Duan ascended to the throne, she would still stand firm.

Prince Rui and Prince Duan were rivals, their relationship as bitter as fire and water.

He absolutely would not allow the King of Qin to be murdered.

Physician Zhang was still at the scene when the two started arguing in front of him. Physician Zhang was so frightened that he was afraid they would kill him to silence him if he listened too much.

“Your Highness, Your Majesty, perhaps we should reconsider this matter.”

It was Prince Rui who calmed things down first, saying, "Sister-in-law, I acted impulsively. Please forgive me."

The Empress quickly weighed the gains and losses in her mind.

She had already had a relationship with Prince Rui, so naturally she would benefit the most by supporting him.

"Alright, this is the last time."

Prince Rui had an even more brilliant plan: “Sister-in-law, my second brother is very powerful. We can’t confront him head-on; we must outsmart him.”

The Empress frowned: "How do we outsmart them?"

Prince Rui: "First, we must seize military power. Once he loses his military power, he will be like a tiger without claws and teeth, and he will be helpless and waiting to die."

The Empress, tired of arguing, said, "Alright, go and do it."

However, she wouldn't let Tang Xinuan have an easy time either.

"Someone, go and see if the Princess Consort of Qin has entered the palace!"

The days when I don't have to run errands are incredibly leisurely.

Zhou Chuanxing did nothing today except accompany his new wife to admire the plum blossoms, read some books, and listen to his wife talk to him about the household accounts for a while.

The recliner by the window was covered with a tiger skin and soft cushions, and there was a charcoal fire next to it. It felt comfortable to the touch and the temperature was just right.

In the evening, Zhou Chuanxing leaned back in his recliner, leisurely playing with a string of Buddhist prayer beads, occasionally receiving a thoughtful treat from his wife.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could catch a glimpse of the sunset on the horizon.

It couldn't be more relaxing and carefree.

"Your Highness, someone from the palace has come and requests that the Princess Consort come to the palace."

Eunuch Wei arrived with the Empress's trusted old nanny to report.

Zhou Chuanxing glanced at the other person casually, his hands twirling his Buddhist prayer beads, and asked in a drawn-out tone, as if bathed in a gentle breeze, "Is it the Emperor's order or the Empress's order?"

Granny Jiang was used to being domineering, but she was always in the palace. When she saw Zhou Chuanxing, this ruthless killer, she still had to be a little careful.

"It was the Empress who was worried that Princess Qin was not familiar with the rules, so she specially ordered this old servant to come and invite Princess Qin to the palace. The Empress wanted to give her a few words of advice."

Nothing else matters; having many children and grandchildren is the most important thing.

Tang Xinuan sat on the thick carpet, sketching Zhou Chuanxing's languid posture.

Seeing that Granny Jiang was unfamiliar, he didn't intend to pay her any attention.

However, upon hearing her mention the Empress, he couldn't help but touch the exquisite pendant at his waist.

Just when he was wondering how to get revenge, his enemy conveniently delivered himself to his doorstep.

Zhou Chuanxing noticed that his wife's eyes were sparkling; she was clearly someone who wasn't afraid of death.

He reached out to stop the lady, then replied to Granny Jiang with a nonchalant air, "Go back and tell your master that I appreciate this kindness, but as for the rules, in my palace, the princess is the rule, there's no need for her to learn them."