Chapter 156 Indiscriminate Hatred of Everyone Around Me

Li Yan'er is currently pregnant and is prone to sensitivity and overthinking. In this instant, she suddenly felt that Prince Wen was not considerate enough. Although he is somewhat mentally challenged, as long as he is not severely mentally challenged, he knows how to love his wife and children.

Wen Zhiming's attitude towards her seemed to be that he didn't treat her as his wife, nor did he treat the child in her womb as his own.

She didn't know where the problem lay; she'd heard that the Crown Prince hadn't treated his former wife this way.

If she hadn't heard that the former princess had long since left the capital, she would have really wanted to visit her and see what kind of woman could make a fool so obedient and considerate.

But then she thought, no matter how powerful the former princess was, she was useless if she couldn't have children. Now that she was pregnant with the prince's child, no one could shake her position.

As for the Crown Prince, he will eventually come to know her good qualities as he spends more time with her.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that the hairpins on her head had become loose as the sedan chair swayed, the eggs in her sleeves had been crushed, and the steamed buns had been squeezed, releasing grease that stained her bright red cuffs.

Meanwhile, the Liuli Pavilion in the palace, which was specially used to prepare banquets, was already full of officials of the fifth rank and above, as well as their relatives.

Whether the officials were sincere or not, many praised the emperor for his unparalleled benevolence. Despite the Prince of Anshun's treasonous behavior, the emperor did not take his anger out on Prince Wen, but instead held a celebratory banquet for him in the palace, bestowing upon Prince Wen unparalleled glory and favor.

Meng Xingyuan watched as everyone spoke eloquently and found it all very hypocritical.

But when asked for his opinion, he spoke even more exaggeratedly than the others, sometimes saying it was a match made in heaven, sometimes saying the emperor's grace was boundless.

He was actually very unhappy, but there was nothing he could do; he valued his life.

Now, every word spoken at the banquet could reach the Emperor's ears. Even if he is so angry that he can't eat, he can only say what the Emperor wants to hear.

The officials noticed an empty table below the Emperor and were curious about who it was reserved for. Some guessed it might be for the Prince of Anshun's residence, but then immediately thought it impossible, as the people from the Prince of Anshun's residence were now prisoners and would not be present at the banquet.

As everyone was speculating, they saw the Imperial Guard Commander escorting the people from the Prince of Anshun's residence to the empty table one by one.

Besides the Prince of Anshun, there were also the Princess of Anshun, two concubines, and the Prince of Anshun's daughter, Wen Weizhu. The group consisted of five people, one man and four women, all dressed in prison clothes and wearing shackles.

The Prince of Anshun has changed drastically. He is thin and has very obvious rosacea on his face. He looks at least ten years older than he did a few months ago.

Princess Anshun and her two concubines wore no makeup, their complexions were pale, a far cry from their previous glamorous appearance.

Not to mention Wen Weizhu, who had just reached the age of marriage. Her hair was disheveled and not tied up, her eyes were lifeless and her expression was wooden. She looked like a withered branch or rotten wood, with no trace of liveliness or dignity.

Everyone was both surprised and frightened. They wanted to go up and greet him, but they were afraid of offending the emperor. They looked at each other and no one dared to say a word.

Prince Anshun stood at the table, turned to look at the Emperor who was smiling deeply beside him, and snorted coldly, "Hypocritical!"

The Emperor did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "Eleventh Prince, I am older than you. Today is a special day for Prince Wen, so I will not hold it against you. However, your son asked me for permission to attend the banquet today. If you do not cherish it, you will be wasting his good intentions."

Prince Anshun was about to lose his temper when Princess Anshun whispered a few words of advice from the side. He finally glared at the Emperor and sat down angrily.

The Emperor had already instructed the guards to specifically inform them that Wen Zhiming was marrying a palace maid today, and that the maid was pregnant, but Princess Anshun did not believe it.

She knew that Wen Zhiming had deep feelings for Meng Lingge and it was impossible for him to accept another woman so quickly.

She suspected that this was nothing more than a trick by the scoundrel emperor.

Therefore, she did not feel ashamed today; on the contrary, she was happy to be able to see her son.

After the Prince of Anshun took his seat, the remaining four people also sat down one after another.

The Emperor looked at the stunned officials and said loudly, "What are you all standing there for? Beyond the law of the land, there is still human sentiment. Prince Wen is a filial son. Now that he has married a new wife, it is only natural for him to want his parents to witness his happiness. I value filial piety and will certainly grant Prince Wen's wish. Later, you officials should toast Prince Anshun a few more times and congratulate him properly."

"Your Majesty is wise and revered by all the people."

"His Majesty is benevolent and his blessings extend to all people."

"His Majesty is the most honored of the nine kings, and his virtue matches that of Heaven and Earth."

The officials, unsure of what to say, vied to offer the safest compliments.

The emperor, looking triumphant, invited everyone to sit down, and each table was first served some exquisitely crafted pastries and fruits.

The officials resumed their conversation, but the atmosphere was far less lively than before. After all, the Anshun King and his family, dressed in prison garb and shackles, were simply too conspicuous among the richly dressed crowd, making them hard to ignore.

Many officials glanced at the Prince of Anshun's family out of the corner of their eyes, then cautiously peeked at the Emperor's expression before nervously lowering their heads and hastily eating a couple of pastries.

Of the five men, only Wen Weizhu grabbed the snacks on the table and wolfed them down without any regard for appearances. The other four sat quietly, without moving.

Only when Wen Weizhu was truly making a fool of herself did he give her a warning look. But Wen Weizhu acted as if she didn't see it, continuing to do as she pleased, leaving crumbs of pastries all over the table in front of her.

She'd really had enough.

The food at Dongling Pavilion got worse day by day. She could tolerate the lack of cosmetics, the lack of pretty clothes, and the broken engagement, but how could she tolerate the fact that they were not even full and had to eat plain porridge and steamed buns every day?

When has she ever suffered like this?

Her father only knew how to drink, and her mother and queen only knew how to sigh. Who had ever thought about her? Who had ever truly planned for her?

The king has three children. When things are good, they all enjoy them together. Why is it that when things are bad, only she suffers?

Even that bitch Meng Lingge could get a divorce and leave, but she was left to eke out a living with four old guys in Dongling Pavilion.

Many times she wished she could drink with her father, that she would rather die drunk than live such a wretched life, but her father would drown his sorrows in alcohol while demanding that she abstain from it.

She hated the Emperor, her eldest and third brothers, Meng Lingge, her father and princess, and indiscriminately hated everyone around her.

Now that her silly older brother has married a palace maid, her father and queen say it's a great disgrace, but she just finds it funny.

If the king felt the sky was falling and couldn't bear it when Wen Zhiming married a palace maid, then what about her suffering in Dongling Pavilion every day?

Why doesn't her father sever their father-daughter relationship and spare her life?

However, there was nothing she could change. All she could do was deal with the few plates of pastries in front of her. If she didn't eat something good today, she might never have the chance again.

Unfortunately, Wen Weizhu soon discovered that she couldn't even handle these few plates of pastries.