Chapter 366 The First Wife Given Away by Her Husband (Part 4)

The Prince of Yue was more than ten years younger than the Emperor. It could be said that he was raised under the watchful eyes of the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor and the Prince of Yue had a relationship that was like that of brothers and fathers, and the Emperor was even closer to the Prince of Yue than to the Crown Prince.

Therefore, the Empress also treated this younger brother-in-law as her son.

Therefore, Ning Yan was brought to the Empress's palace today to express her gratitude.

"Mingyang, I heard you just got divorced from your ex-husband, right? What are your plans for the future?"

Ning Yan was about to get up to reply when the Empress quickly gestured that she didn't need to: "Today we're just having a casual chat, there's no need for such formalities."

Ning Yan replied, "Your Majesty, my family has some modest wealth, and now that the Emperor has bestowed upon me the title of County Princess, I would like to try my hand at business based on my own abilities."

"Doing business is fine, but we women still need to find a good husband. It's inconvenient not having a man to support us."

Ning Yan: "Your Majesty is right, but I have just divorced my ex-husband and have no plans to remarry for the time being."

The Empress received her brother-in-law's signal and immediately became anxious. "Oh dear, we still need to make some plans. I think you and my brother-in-law are quite a good match. His wife died more than ten years ago."

You and your husband divorced; you two were a match made in heaven.

Ning Yan: ...No, his princess died early, so she and her ex-husband were a perfect match after their divorce?

King of Yue: ...

Ning Yan was filled with trepidation: "Your Majesty, I am just an ordinary woman from a merchant family, and I have been married before. I dare not presume to be worthy of His Highness Prince Yue."

Now everyone in the hall was in a panic. How could you not dare? You have to climb up!

If he missed out on Princess Mingyang, where in the world could he find a woman as beautiful as her to win the heart of the King of Yue?

Wouldn't the King of Yue have to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures?

So the Emperor and Empress belittled their beloved eldest son—no, their younger brother—and practically forced Ning Yan to agree to their marriage.

Ning Yan was dizzy and confused by what they were saying, and all she wanted to do was leave as soon as possible.

She nodded in agreement to whatever the Empress said, hoping they would spare her and stop their endless nagging.

No sooner had she nodded than the Emperor, sitting at the head of the table, shouted, "Very well, I will immediately write an imperial edict to bestow marriage upon you two, and choose the nearest day to get married."

Ning Yan's mind cleared up instantly. No, when did she agree to that?

Even if she wasn't very bright, she remembered that the Empress had just been talking about the embarrassing things the Prince of Yue did, and had even asked her, "Don't you think the Prince of Yue is a bit silly?"

She nodded. Why was the Emperor about to bestow a marriage upon her?

The Empress exclaimed, "Oh dear, I can finally see my brother-in-law get married! Quickly, open my private treasury, I want to add to my sister-in-law's dowry."

The King of Yue was no longer tense; his whole body was relaxed, and his sharp eyes were filled with affection as he looked intently at Ning Yan.

Ning Yan stood up, wanting to say something in her defense, but the Empress spoke up again: "Prince Yue, why don't you take your future princess for a stroll around the palace? Or, you could take her back to your manor for a visit. If she has any complaints, you can rearrange things before the wedding."

The King of Yue rose, bowed to the couple on the high seat, and then quickly left the Phoenix Palace with Ning Yan in his hand.

I really didn't expect her to be so hard to fool. Fortunately, my brother is cunning. He won't force her to agree even if she doesn't nod. The real goal is to get her into his own household first.

After leaving Fengyi Palace, Ning Yan tried to pull her hand away, but instead of freeing it, her waist was grabbed.

"Get in the sedan chair; walking is too tiring."

Ning Yan: ……

Ning Yan was half-pushed and half-carried into the sedan chair by him.

The sedan chair was lifted up, and the Prince of Yue did not let go of her waist. "There's nothing to see in the palace. We won't be living here in the future anyway. Let's go to my palace instead. I have a chef there who makes Suzhou cuisine exceptionally well. Would you like to try some?"

The Ning family originated from Jiangnan, and the original owner preferred Suzhou cuisine. This man even knew how to tempt her with food.

"Your Highness, we are not suitable for each other, and I have just divorced, so I don't want to consider remarrying yet."

The eight eunuchs carrying the sedan chair: ...Good heavens, do they think they can listen to such words? Seriously, isn't this Princess Mingyang a bit too audacious, actually refusing the Prince of Yue?

The King of Yue tightened his grip on her waist. "I will not accept this."

Ning Yan: "Your Highness, you can't be so domineering."

"That's just how domineering I am."

Also, don't forget, your son is still imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Unless I give the order, he may have to stay inside for the rest of his life.

"The deal I made with Mao Renyi was that you would belong to me in exchange for my son's release. Do you intend to go back on your word?"

Ning Yan stopped moving.

The King of Yue raised his hand and lifted her chin. "I know you don't want to, but that's how men are. The more unattainable something is, the more they want to get it."

"Once you obediently marry me, I might lose interest in you."

Ning Yan looked up at the King of Yue, "Are you serious?"

"Um."

"Will the prince set me free then?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Yan felt a sharp pain in her chin from being pinched. Fortunately, it only lasted for a moment, and before she could cry out in pain, the King of Yue had already released his hand.

"Okay, but I want you to kiss me."

Ning Yan: ...This old lecher! In broad daylight, he actually said such shameless things!

Seeing that she didn't move, the King of Yue simply took matters into his own hands.

Anyway, the sedan curtains block the view from the outside, so what if he's shameless?

Mingming, he could still hold back yesterday, but after just one night, he was craving her so badly that he couldn't control his desire for her at all. He chanted the calming mantra over and over again, but he couldn't calm his mind at all.

He knew that a demon had taken up residence in his heart, and Buddha was nowhere to be found.

"Not going to kiss me? It seems you don't want to..."

Ning Yan quickly kissed him, her lips landing on his cheek, before she swiftly pulled away.

The King of Yue stood there, frozen. The soft touch was fleeting, but damnably wonderful, he still wanted it!

"You are just trying to appease me."

The King of Yue turned to the side, staring intently at the woman's full lips.

Ning Yan's eyes darted away, "Your Highness, please don't go too far, I want to see my son..."

"You want me to...you want me to kiss you properly when you see your son, is that it?"

Ning Yan was speechless, and a blush crept onto Furong's face. She avoided looking at the Prince of Yue with her eyes darting around.

Neither of them noticed that the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair suddenly sped up, and before the King of Yue could finish speaking, the sedan chair was on the ground.

The King of Yue grasped Ning Yan's wrist as they alighted from the sedan chair, exited the palace gates, and boarded the King of Yue's carriage that had been waiting outside.

"Go to Jingzhao Prefecture."

The coachman responded with a "Yes," and the carriage immediately started moving.

A group of guards responsible for the safety of the King of Yue followed behind the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Ning Yan carefully shifted her body, trying to widen the distance between them and pull her wrist away. However, every time she moved a little, the Prince of Yue would move a little closer to her. The distance between them not only didn't increase, but actually became tighter, and Ning Yan was squeezed against the carriage wall.

Thank you so much, Big Eyes, for the 1500 Qidian Coins!

Thank you so much, Lily! For the 500 Qidian Coins!

Thank you so much, "Wash and Sleep" for the 588 reading coins!