Chapter 17 Prime Minister Changjun, You've captured my heart.

Yan Ning seemed oblivious to this, and said slowly, "Let's leave it at that. Making a big fuss won't do anyone any good."

His long, slender fingers gently stroked the calligraphy and paintings on the table, his eyes lowered, his expression focused, and his gaze did not fall on the speaker at all.

His posture was aloof and detached, as if he were discussing the weather today, extremely casual.

But Li Yunru knew that wasn't the case. She was sitting right next to him, so close that they could even exchange breaths. She could sense the subtle change in his emotions when he said those words; his breathing became heavier, and his hand, which was fiddling with the calligraphy and paintings, paused. Moreover, Yan Ning was always somewhat aloof and arrogant. He wouldn't even glance at things that didn't concern him, so why would he take the initiative to bring them up or speak for someone else?

There must be a reason for this. Could it be that he has really taken a fancy to that Wang woman?

She looked up at him, but he didn't give her much of a reaction, still maintaining his indifferent expression.

Wang Wulang was initially delighted, thinking things had taken a turn for the better, but upon seeing this, he lost interest.

He refused, citing that the matter was a scheme devised by his elders and had been decided long ago.

“Changjun also has family responsibilities, he will surely understand,” he said meaningfully.

Having said all that, both of them needed to maintain some decorum, so neither of them insisted any further. Seeing that the matter was settled, Wang Wulang left. Before leaving, he glanced at Li Yunru and said to Yan Ning, "Changjun, you're being too concerned about appearances."

...

After Wang Wulang left, only the two of them remained in the study, where it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Princess, please speak whatever you wish to say."

He didn't let go, still holding her as they sat very close. Li Yunru could clearly smell the scent of books and ink on his body.

She really liked his elegant scent, which had a sense of aloofness and restraint, making one want to uncover the savage greed behind his self-discipline and adherence to propriety.

So Li Yunru didn't hide her intentions. She wrapped her arms around his neck, turned him around, and pressed him down into the chair. Looking down at him, she said fiercely, "Speak! Why did you speak up for Wang's daughter just now!"

"Jealous?" He looked at her with a smile.

Li Yunru felt a bit stifled and uncomfortable, but she wouldn't admit it.

"Dream on! This is just a warning. Don't have any other thoughts. If you want to find another wife, you'll only do so if I'm dead!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

He put his arm around her waist, used the leverage to sit up, held her in his arms, kissed her, and told her about some things he vaguely remembered from yesterday's drowsy state, saying, "That old master of the Dong family in Hedong is over seventy years old and has a violent temper. A young woman of sixteen should have many years to go, she shouldn't be like this."

Li Yunru had not expected such an answer and was at a loss for words, so she remained silent.

Seeing that she remained silent, Yan Ning assumed that she did not believe him and said, "If the princess does not believe him, she may send someone to investigate."

"I don't disbelieve, I'm just feeling sentimental."

She said, "As a princess, I am of noble status, loved by my parents and relatives who worry about me and plan for me in every way. I also have a good husband who treats me like a precious jewel. Yet, my life is still not entirely satisfactory. As for Lady Wang, she lost her mother at a young age and is a concubine's daughter born to a collateral branch. One can imagine what she has been through all these years..."

"Sigh." She sighed heavily and said, "I'm afraid she was forced to this point, which is why she did this."

She was unaware of these things at first, and thought it was just some open-minded girls who admired someone and then plotted against him, causing him such harm. She hated them so much that she wanted to tear them apart and make them pay the price, to let everyone know that even if the Li Dynasty was about to collapse, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Anyone who dared to set their sights on her and harm her, Princess Liyang, would not be let off easily. But after hearing the reason, she could understand it more or less, and that feeling faded, leaving only sadness.

Yan Ning pulled her closer, kissed her hair, and responded with a soft "Mmm".

Li Yunru then asked, "Since you think that way, why didn't you insist just now?"

If he persists, things may take a turn for the better.

Yan Ning didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "You were already at the door, so why didn't you come in?"

"I……"

Why didn't she go in?

He came in a fit of rage, eager to teach Wang Wulang a lesson and make him suffer before leaving, but he stopped at the door.

Because she knew that even if she berated him mercilessly or beat him until he lost all his composure, it wouldn't change anything; on the contrary, it would only put her father and mother in a difficult position.

The Li regime is now teetering on the brink of collapse, and the Wang family is not someone she can easily offend; doing so would cause a lot of trouble. She cannot afford to cause them any more trouble.

The wisest decision at present is to treat this as an internal matter between the Yan and Wang families and let them resolve it themselves.

"Because you know that no matter what you do, you are powerless to change it, right?" Yan Ning said all the words she hadn't said aloud.

He said, "Me too."

"Is there anything that even the dignified young master of the Yan family can't handle?"

Li Yunru blurted out, her mouth moving faster than her brain. Yan Ning smiled wryly, tapped her on the head, and said, "Princess, no matter how powerful Yan Sanlang is, he's still a human being. And there are things that humans can't handle."

No matter what he says, he cannot change this decision unless he agrees to take Wang's daughter into his household. Only then will Wang Wulang offend the Dong family of Hedong.

By taking Wang's daughter as a concubine, it was implicitly agreed that he would divorce his wife and remarry, or even that he would marry Wang's legitimate daughter as his principal wife in a high-ranking family...

Even though aristocratic families may appear close, their relationships are based on mutual benefit. Only those with the purest and most genuine hearts would do something like this, to associate with someone without any personal gain.

Wang Wulang is not.

He isn't either.

The two understood each other without saying a word, and neither of them brought it up again.

...

After lunch, Li Yunru thought for a moment and decided that she should go back to the palace. She had left suddenly yesterday and so many things had happened since then. She hadn't had time to send someone to the palace to report the news. She didn't know if her mother had heard about the Lanchun Pavilion incident. She should go back and check on her so as not to worry her.

So after the doctor changed his dressing, he told Yan Ning about it.

After a moment of silence, Yan Ning said, "I will go to the palace with you."

"No need," Li Yunru said without thinking. "It's nothing serious. I can go back by myself. My lord is still injured, so he should rest and recuperate at home."

Yan Ning glanced down at his arm. He had just finished changing the medicine and was not wearing an outer robe. He was only wearing an inner robe with the sleeves rolled up, and the strips of cloth were clearly visible, almost covering his entire arm.

"It's alright."

He said, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

"That won't do either!"

Li Yunru firmly refused, "Don't you take your health seriously? The doctor just said you need to take good care of yourself, otherwise you'll develop chronic illnesses..."

She glared at him fiercely and warned, "Yan Changjun, you were saved by me at my own expense. If you don't care about yourself, you should at least care about others."

Li Yunru paused for a moment and said, "If you really can't be raised properly and become a cripple, this princess will not want a cripple!"

Yan Ning looked at her with a smile in his eyes. He pulled her to sit on the soft couch, lowered his sleeves to cover his wounds, and said calmly and naturally, "I just thought that if I appeared before him with you, your father would be more at ease."

"this……"

Li Yunru never expected that the reason he gave was this, and she stood there dumbfounded, unable to react for a long time.

Yan Ning put his arm around her waist and continued to reason with her, saying, "Emperor Xuan married you into the Yan family in the hope that you could be protected by a noble family and stay away from this calamity. My going to see him with you represents the Yan family's attitude towards you, so that he can feel at ease."

Previously, Li Yunru thought that her father was forcing her to marry Yan Ning, even offering him the military power of Jiangzuo, in order to win over the powerful families and gain their support. After all, his previous decrees had undoubtedly affected the interests of the powerful families, and this was a sign of easing tensions. But now it seems that this is not the case.

He knew that everything was beyond repair, so he used the power he still had to pave the way for her, hoping that she would have peace and someone to rely on.

So, as people said, it would indeed put her mind at ease if Yan Ning went with her, but... she was a little worried...

"But……"

Now that the powerful families and the imperial court are locked in a fierce struggle, Yan Ning's every move is certainly being watched closely.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he reassured you. “It’s alright, I’ll handle any problems.”

That's all.

The situation can't get any worse, so why worry so much?

She agreed, but reminded him, "My father is very ill and cannot withstand any stimulation. No matter what your noble families are scheming, once you enter the palace, you will only have one identity: my husband, the son-in-law of the Jin Dynasty, and the son-in-law of my father and mother. Therefore, I hope that no matter what my father says to you or what he tells you, or what you are thinking, you will stop at that moment and agree to anything he asks."

This is an extremely domineering demand. What if Emperor Xuan of Qi takes this opportunity to ask for his support?

A one-sided promise is unreasonable; she's pushing her luck.

But she won't compromise, and she never will!

Seeing that he didn't respond, Li Yunru lowered her eyelids.

Sure enough, when it comes to matters involving the interests of powerful families, even if it's just a hypothetical scenario, he wouldn't put her first or blindly agree to her request.

She pretended to be nonchalant and said, "This is indeed a bit too unreasonable. It's normal for my husband to hesitate. I'm just doing this as a precaution. After all, I only have one father, and I don't know how much longer he can stay with me. I don't want him to suffer from the pressure from the aristocratic families in his final days, to be suppressed by them, and to be rejected by even a junior..."

She rarely talks about these things, because they are too painful. She can only try to forget and ignore them, to act as if nothing happened, and to be the same as before. But how could it be the same?

She was about to lose her beloved family member; every day they spent together felt like a countdown to their separation…

Thinking of all this, her breathing became heavy, and even though she tried to pretend nothing was wrong, her eyes reddened and her voice choked with sobs.

"Yan Changjun, I don't know if you can understand, but I don't want to..."

"Well, let's leave it at that," Yan Ning said.

"What?"

Li Yunru looked up at him in surprise. His face was expressionless, as he always was; he rarely showed any emotional fluctuations.

"I cannot guarantee that I will fully agree to or make any requests made by Emperor Xuan if he takes the opportunity to do so, but I will do my best," he said.

Did you agree?

That's it!

This was the first time that Yan Ning had chosen her over the aristocratic family.

At least he's willing to compromise for her.

Li Yunru was so excited that she was speechless. She laughed and cried at the same time. She turned around and hugged him, kissing him on the face several times without any hesitation. While kissing him, she praised, "Yan Changjun, you are such a good person."

Yan Ning smiled, his uninjured hand holding her slender waist tightly to keep her from falling, letting her leave her mark on his face.

Li Yunru's emotions, like her personality, have always been passionate and flamboyant, like a flame. Once she gets close, no matter what you do, you can't ignore her, and she never hides them.

If you like something, you like it; if you don't like something, you don't like it. No one can force you to do something you don't want to do.

How interesting, how utterly endearing, he thought.

...

In the afternoon, the two entered the palace together. While still on the palace road, they ran into her sister, Princess Huayang, Li Jing, and her husband, Qin Zhan.

Li Yunru's return was unfortunate; she ran into the two of them returning to their hometown of Qingcheng. She hadn't seen her sister for several days, and was overjoyed to see her here. Ignoring Qin Zhan and Yan Ning's thoughts, she jumped off the carriage and went over to her, clinging to her.

"You little brat, how dare you be so disrespectful!" Qin Zhan scolded, but he had already gotten off the carriage. He added, "Keep your mouth shut. Your older sister just got back and is feeling tired."

"Hehehe!"

Li Yunru ignored him, made a face at him, and urged him to get out of the carriage. Li Jinghe was gentle and quiet, only thinking that her husband should make do for a while. She nodded to Yan Ning in the luxurious eight-horse carriage as a greeting.

The four of them then switched places and headed to Qianyuan Palace together.

"That family is simply going too far!"

Before even entering the hall, they heard an uncontrollable roar of anger coming from the inner room, followed by the sound of breaking cups. But as they approached, they saw that Crown Prince Li Xun was so angry that his face was flushed red, and he had no composure at all. He was cursing at the air, and the palace servants inside the hall were kneeling on the ground, their heads buried in the ground, not daring to breathe loudly.

This did not quell the master's anger. He continued to throw things, scattering teacups and shards everywhere. Li Yunru and her sister almost got caught in the crossfire when they entered, but Yan Ning and Qin Zhan protected them in time, saving them from disaster.

"Brother, you're so fierce! What's wrong?"

Li Yunru peeked out from Yan Ning's protective arms and slowly emerged from his sleeve.

In her memory, her elder brother, the Crown Prince, was a gentle person. He would feel sorry for even stepping on an ant, let alone getting angry at the palace servants. Her mother often said that he was a person with a Buddhist nature, unlike her father and herself.

But nowadays...

Li Jinghe was the first to react. She gracefully walked over to her younger brother, who was standing next to her, and pulled him to sit down. She patted his hand and asked softly, "Is it about the Crown Princess?"

Looking at his gentle elder sister, Li Xun felt as if he had found his pillar of support. He threw himself into her arms, sobbing like a child, "Sister, the Liu family... the Liu family aborted the child in Aheng's womb."

A note from the author:

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The word count is now sufficient. Because of word count restrictions, there won't be any more updates for now. The next chapter will be posted on Thursday night at 11 PM. A little spoiler: after one more sweet chapter, the angst will probably start. I hope this story won't be abandoned, sob sob sob sob! Please add it to your favorites! [kiss][kiss][kiss]