Chapter 5 Qingyu Shen Xingwan, come here!

Following a shrill voice, the door of the Yangxin Palace opened wide, and the Empress Dowager walked in with a cold face and full of anger.

The emperor stood up and walked down the steps with the help of Guo Dazong, "Mother."

Shen Xingwan and Yan Jinghuan also bowed.

The Queen Mother stood still and raised her eyes slightly, "Your Majesty, do you still have me, your mother, in your heart?"

The emperor laughed and coughed a few times, "Mother, I am joking, of course."

The Queen Mother sighed, showing a sad look, walked over and patted the emperor on the back, sighing: "I know that I am not your biological mother, but you must know my true feelings for you."

"Of course I know, my son understands."

Shen Xingwan's heart sank and he thought to himself that this was not good.

When the Emperor of Wei seized the throne, the current Emperor of Wei was just a little prince born to a palace maid and was not well received.

The queen at that time had been childless for many years and had no offspring.

So when the princes fought for the throne, the queen took the little prince under her own name.

She used her powerful maternal family to help him seize the throne, and after the little prince successfully seized the throne, he had to protect the Queen Mother's maternal family's generations of nobility.

The Queen Mother mentioned this matter at this time, I am afraid that she is going to use this favor to threaten the Emperor again.

As expected, the Queen Mother wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and glanced at Shen Xingwan who was kneeling on the ground.

"I heard that Shen refused the imperial decree to grant marriage and defied the imperial power. She should be executed."

"But..." She changed the subject and looked at the emperor.

"Zilin really loves her. He has just gone to ask me for help. No one else knows about the disobedience. In my opinion, I will let Shen accept the order immediately and then let her go."

A chill ran up from his spine to the back of his neck. Shen Xingwan gritted his teeth and couldn't help but look up.

The Queen Mother was staring at the Emperor, and refused to let go even though the Emperor was coughing repeatedly, as if she was forcing him to make a decision immediately.

Shen Xingwan turned her eyes and looked at Yan Jinghuan, only to see that he was standing there calmly looking at her as if nothing had happened. When he saw her looking at him, he even smiled at her.

His eyes were clear and calm, and he mouthed to her silently: "It's okay, don't be afraid."

Shen Xingwan lowered her eyes. Somehow, she was not as panicked as before.

The stalemate lasted for a long time, and you could almost hear a pin drop in the hall.

"This matter is not as simple as my mother said."

The emperor finally sighed and said, "The Regent King Yan Jinghuan and Shen are in love with each other. My son has just granted them a marriage."

“Nonsense!”

The Queen Mother immediately rebuked: "How can a woman marry two men? Shen has already issued an order to marry Zilin, how can she marry someone else?!"

The emperor suddenly had a violent coughing fit and could hardly breathe. Chief Steward Guo quickly sent someone to call the imperial physician.

The Queen Mother still refused to give in. "Your Majesty, don't joke. If you do that, where will you put Zilin?!"

The emperor's face turned the color of pig liver from coughing, and he explained breathlessly: "Don't worry, mother, the imperial edict says it is the daughter of Shen Zishan, and it does not specify Shen Xingwan."

"But everyone knows that Prime Minister Shen has only one daughter." The Queen Mother frowned.

"It's okay." The emperor stroked his forehead, "Just recognize another adopted daughter."

"......"

The Queen Mother was speechless for a long while. "How can anyone replace the daughter of the Shen family who was carefully raised?"

The emperor's cough became more and more severe, and he almost passed out. The young eunuch led the imperial physician into the hall. Seeing this, the imperial physician immediately knelt beside the emperor and gave him acupuncture.

The Queen Mother wanted to say more, but seeing that the Emperor was in a very bad condition, she covered her nose with a handkerchief.

"Forget it. The emperor's health is more important. Let's put this matter aside for now and consider it later."

After saying this, the empress dowager gave the imperial physician a few instructions, glared at Shen Xingwan who was kneeling on the ground, and returned to the Cining Palace.

A group of imperial doctors surrounded the emperor to try to save him, but no one called Shen Xingwan to get up. She could only kneel on the cold, hard gold brick floor, thinking about her current situation.

A pair of cloud-patterned black boots stepped in front of her. She looked up and saw ferocious golden beasts entwined on the ripples of the river and the sea. Looking further up, she saw Yan Jinghuan's dignified and cold face.

He leaned over, and lifted her elbows with his long knuckles, "Get up."

The emperor had not yet called for him to stand up, and Shen Xingwan looked in the direction of the emperor with a guilty conscience.

Yan Jinghuan gently pulled her up, put his arm around her waist and held her in his arms, and said to the emperor in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, take care of yourself. Xingwan and I will take our leave first."

The emperor raised his hand to indicate that he understood.

Before he could turn around, the emperor suddenly called Yan Jinghuan. Yan Jinghuan turned around and the emperor looked at him deeply.

Yan Jinghuan nodded slightly, and the emperor slowly closed his eyes and continued to let the imperial physician treat him.

Although there was no exchange of words between the two, Shen Xingwan keenly sensed that they had reached some kind of agreement.

As soon as he left the Yangxin Palace, Shen Xingwan's legs went weak and he almost collapsed.

Yan Jinghuan quickly grabbed her waist and sneered.

"Why, is that all your courage? Where is the courage you had when you went to my house and banged on the door?"

Shen Xingwan was extremely embarrassed, her face flushed, and she reached out to hold on to the white jade railing beside her. "My legs are numb after kneeling for so long. I'm really sorry."

Yan Jinghuan put away his playful smile, helped her steady herself, and spoke in a softer tone, "I'll carry you?"

"No, no." Shen Xingwan waved her hands repeatedly. She didn't dare to be so impolite in front of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.

She reached up and clenched her fist and tapped her leg.

"Let me stand for a while, and I'll be fine after my qi and blood flow smoothly."

Yan Jinghuan lowered his eyes and fixed his gaze on her slightly trembling legs and feet. He suddenly put his arms around her shoulders, bent down, picked up her knees and lifted her up horizontally.

With a cry of surprise, Shen Xingwan's face suddenly burned with pain, and she pushed him with her hand, "What are you doing? There are so many people watching me, let me down quickly."

Yan Jinghuan turned a deaf ear to her, easily grabbed her hand, held her in his arms, and strode forward.

"You are so delicate that your legs become weak after kneeling for a while. If you walk and fall flat on your face, wouldn't that make you even more ridiculous?"

What he said made so much sense that she couldn't refute it.

Anyway, it has come to this, and it seems that it can't get any worse. Shen Xingwan shut his mouth and just hoped to leave the palace and return home as soon as possible.

“Miss Shen!”

Before leaving the palace, a man came over from the palace wall not far away.

When Shen Xingwan looked closely, he saw the Third Prince Wei Zilin with an angry look on his face.

He waved away the servants and walked a few steps towards the two of them. His sharp eyes fell on Shen Xingwan's waist which was hugged by Yan Jinghuan.

Shen Xingwan subconsciously tried to break free, but Yan Jinghuan tightened his arms and held her even tighter.

"Let her go."

Wei Zilin gritted his teeth and said, "My father has granted marriage to Miss Shen and me. Please do not damage the reputation of my fiancée, Prince Regent."

The sound was carried into Shen Xingwan's ears by the cool breeze, and it sounded particularly bleak and harsh.

She could no longer bear it and retorted, "Please respect yourself, Third Prince. I have never received the imperial decree granting marriage. I am not worthy of the title of Third Prince's fiancée."

Yan Jinghuan curved the corners of his lips, raised his eyebrows, and looked at the third prince, as if to say, "Did you hear that?" ' expression.

"Did you know that disobeying an imperial order is a capital crime?!"

Wei Zilin's face turned from blue to red. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and softened his tone, "Shen Xingwan, come here. I will take you to ask the emperor for help. If you obey the emperor's orders, there is still a chance that the emperor will pardon you."

"No need." Yan Jinghuan said, "The Emperor has granted marriage to me and Xing Wan. We will be getting married soon. The Third Prince can come and have a drink at the wedding."

"impossible!"

Wei Zilin's pupils trembled, and he couldn't hide his loss of composure for a moment. He looked at Shen Xingwan, "Shen Xingwan, come here!"

Shen Xingwan lowered her eyes and buried her face in Yan Jinghuan's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and answered Wei Zilin with her actions.

"Shen Xingwan!"

Wei Zilin was furious and reached out to pull her, but Yan Jinghuan's expression froze and she moved sideways to avoid his hand.

Wei Zilin's hand touched nothing and he was about to explode, but when he turned around and saw Yan Jinghuan's cold expression, he suddenly realized that he had lost his composure.

He has always been very good at hiding his emotions and never shows his joy or anger.

But I don't know how I would lose my composure to such an extent today.

Yan Jinghuan said coldly: "Shen Xingwan is the maiden name of my fiancée. Please do not call her by her name in the future, so as not to damage her reputation."

Those were such harsh and choking words that Shen Xingwan couldn't help but secretly smack her lips at his pettiness.

Wei Zilin's hand, which was hanging in the air, fell dejectedly to his side and gradually clenched into a fist.

Yan Jinghuan withdrew his gaze, hugged Shen Xingwan tightly, and strode towards the palace gate.

Yan Jinghuan carried Shen Xing all the way to the carriage and gently placed her on the cushioned couch.

His carriage was luxurious and spacious. As soon as Shen Xingwan was free, she immediately gathered her clothes and moved to the side, keeping a distance from him.

Yan Jinghuan saw those little movements, which only made him sneer and sit down beside her.

Along the way, Shen Xingwan was struggling with how to explain his situation to him. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out how to tell him that what he was doing was just a stopgap measure to save his life.

She was thinking to herself all the way, but Yan Jinghuan ignored her and sat upright with his eyes closed, not knowing what he was thinking about.

The horses galloped quickly until the carriage stopped at the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Shen Xingwan hadn't organized his words yet, and could only stammer, "Um... I had no choice but to do what I did before. Can you... can you stop thinking too much about it?"

"Well, don't think too much about it." Yan Jinghuan didn't open his eyes, "Come and give the betrothal gift tomorrow."

"you......"

Shen Xingwan was just about to explain that he had misunderstood her meaning, but she saw Yan Jinghuan suddenly open his eyes, narrowing his narrow eyes and looking at her.

It was hard to tell what that look meant, but it made Shen Xingwan feel a chill down his spine, and he couldn't utter a word.

"I, I'll go back first."

She timidly stood up to leave, but Yan Jinghuan reached out and grabbed her wrist.

She was about to struggle free when something hard was stuffed into her palm.

Yan Jinghuan loosened his hand, and Shen Xingwan took a look and saw an exquisite round gold token lying in the soft white palm.

The token was exquisite and compact, with a circle of thunder patterns engraved around it and a swift with spread wings in the center. When you turn it over, you can see the word "Huan" engraved on it.

Shen Xingwan looked at Yan Jinghuan, "This is..."

Yan Jinghuan seemed to be leaning back on the cushion at ease.

"When you come to the Prince Regent's Palace from now on, please stop banging on the door."

Shen Xingwan was filled with shame and anger, but she had no idea what to do. She could only purse her lips, hold the token tightly, push open the door, and run back to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Shen Xingwan hurried back home to visit her mother, only to see that her parents' eyes were already red. Madam Shen had obviously been crying for a long time, and her beautiful eyes were as red and swollen as rotten peaches.

Prime Minister Shen was with Madam Shen. When he saw Shen Xingwan coming back, he couldn't help but scold her for being willful and causing Madam Shen to worry.

It turned out that after Shen Xingwan rode away from the mansion, Prime Minister Shen also wrote a letter of resignation and wanted to go to the palace to resign, but he did not see the emperor. He also heard that Shen Xingwan was promoted to the Yangxin Palace by the Regent, and he felt that it was a bad omen and was very worried.

If there is no more news from Shen Xingwan, I'm afraid even her brother will rush back to the capital overnight to plead for mercy.

Shen Xingwan could no longer hold back her tears, and briefly told her parents what had just happened, ignoring the party disputes and focusing on the important things.

Seeing that her daughter's life was temporarily safe, Mrs. Shen gradually stopped crying.

"As for this adopted daughter, how can we find someone of the right age and well-educated enough to be the prince's consort in the short term?"

Prime Minister Shen stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and said with some embarrassment: "How about I write to your uncles first and select the women of the right age in the clan..."

"Madam, please stop crying. Be careful not to hurt your eyes." The door was suddenly pushed open, and Tang Lin'er walked in with a tray holding a bowl of hot soup.

"Lin'er has made you a bowl of longan and red date soup, which is the best for replenishing blood and protecting the eyes. Madam, please have some."