Chapter 65: He was practically driven mad with jealousy.

"Your Majesty, I was just out for a walk to relax and clear my head," the Crown Prince said in a flat tone. "I just happened to see the Marquis of Wu'an and his wife, so I took a second look."

Emperor Jinghui: "Oh? What are they doing?"

“They must be speaking,” the Crown Prince said. “Father, I think the number of tents prepared this year is insufficient, so many people have to eat outdoors at noon. Even Marquis Wu’an can’t find a place to stay, which is really inappropriate.”

Emperor Jinghui: "Ji'er is very observant; he should improve next year. However, Ji'er's personality is indeed rather aloof. I thought that seeing the Marquis of Wu'an and his wife together like a couple might inspire Ji'er to consider marriage."

Crown Prince: "Father is joking."

Emperor Jinghui: "If you had married earlier, you wouldn't be in this situation where you don't even have a confidant by your side now."

The Crown Prince said, "This matter depends on fate; it cannot be rushed."

"You may not be in a hurry now, but you might be in a hurry later," Emperor Jinghui said casually.

The crown prince did not respond.

After a long silence between father and son, the Crown Prince finally spoke again: "The scenery here is beautiful. If Your Majesty likes it, you may continue to enjoy the view. I will take my leave now."

Emperor Jinghui: "Go."

The Crown Prince bowed and quickly left. Emperor Jinghui watched his retreating figure, his gentle and loving smile gradually turning cold.

You like to put on an act, don't you? You can't even keep up the act in this small situation?

That beast, still trying to paint a rosy picture in front of him, only because he never witnessed Su Jun and Marquis Wu'an's loving moments, never heard Su Jun's accusations and resentments, so he thinks that being reborn can solve everything. He'll see if that beast can still sit still after seeing and hearing those things with his own eyes and ears.

How could his good son just die so easily? Even if he died, he should at least know the truth and experience firsthand the heart-wrenching pain he felt back then.

Standing to the side, Eunuch Zheng glanced down discreetly and saw Marquis Wu'an embracing his wife, chatting and laughing. His eyes twitched involuntarily. He then cautiously looked at Emperor Jinghui, who also glanced at them but didn't react much, only saying, "Let's go."

Eunuch Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

As soon as the Crown Prince returned to his tent, he ordered everyone to leave. Once the tent flaps were closed and he was the only one left inside, he could no longer restrain himself and swept all the cups and saucers off the table.

Unfortunately, the floor beneath the large tent wasn't brick, but grass. The cups and saucers that fell on it not only remained intact but also made no sound. It was as if he had punched cotton; his anger hadn't been extinguished but had instead burned even brighter.

He leaned on the table, his eyes red-rimmed, panting heavily.

From the moment he saw Lou Xueying holding Li Pan's hand tightly this morning, following him closely, he was consumed by jealousy.

He knew, of course, that she had chosen this husband herself, and of course he knew how much Li Pan doted on her. But in his heart, her choice of Li Pan was nothing more than an act of escapism, and Li Pan's affection for her was merely because of his lustful nature. There was probably no genuine affection between her and Li Pan.

However, when he saw her following Li Pan so proactively this morning, looking at Emperor Jinghui as if facing a formidable enemy, he suddenly realized that regardless of whether she had genuine feelings for Li Pan, she already regarded Li Pan as her husband, and she regarded anyone who could threaten her husband's safety as an enemy.

This realization enraged him, yet he remained rational and refrained from rash action. Firstly, he didn't want Lou Xueying to discover that he too had been reborn; secondly, the old man was clearly trying to make a fool of him, and he couldn't let him succeed.

But when the autumn hunt began and he returned to his tent, he couldn't help but feel restless and sent someone to inquire what the Marquis of Wu'an and his wife were doing.

Then he heard about the Marquis of Wu'an running around with his wife on his back, and even more absurd news that the Marquis and his wife had been doing something in the water that left them both soaking wet and in a sorry state.

He couldn't believe it.

Marquis Wu'an didn't participate in the autumn hunt this time, clearly because she was afraid the old man would take advantage of it to harm him. But if they were so vigilant, how could they still have the leisure to engage in such frivolous activities? Marquis Wu'an's actions were understandable, but Susu… when did she become such an unreliable person?

Playing around... This word has disappeared from the Crown Prince's life ever since he grew from a child into a teenager.

Those who inquired about the matter had not actually seen Marquis Wu'an and his wife; they had only heard about it from others. By the time it reached the Crown Prince, it was reduced to mere fragments. Yet, as he repeatedly pondered these fragments, he gradually pieced together a possibility he had never considered before—

She seems to be having a very happy time with Marquis Wu'an.

But how could this be? How could it be possible? How could this happen?

She and Marquis Wu'an had absolutely nothing in common. That boorish Marquis Wu'an had taken her running around and even into the water. How could she, who was always so refined and dignified, accept such uncouth behavior that disregarded all decorum?

He held back for a long time, but when he saw the Marquis of Wu'an and his wife arriving late for dinner, he could no longer restrain himself.

The two of them arrived hand in hand, and they had both changed their clothes.

Reason told him they had changed their clothes because they were wet. But another voice told him that changing clothes wouldn't have taken that long, and they must have done something else.

They're husband and wife, what else could they possibly do?

He had deliberately ignored the matter and repeatedly told himself that if he wanted her forgiveness, he had to accept everything she was doing now, and he could not complain about it even if she was with another man.

But it wasn't until this moment that he realized that no matter how much preparation he had made, it was all as fragile as paper in the face of the impending attack.

He watched them take their food and leave the camp, then watched the brute Marquis of Wu'an eat like a whirlwind, his manner crude and barbaric, yet she didn't seem to mind at all, even smilingly feeding him the food from her plate. He watched them finally finish eating, and she even wiped Marquis of Wu'an's mouth, leaning against him and flirting with him.

He had never been so jealous before; he was practically driven mad with jealousy.

He suddenly felt that his past self was ridiculous. How could he think that she had fallen in love with the old man because she glanced at him a few more times, smiled a few more times, and said a few more words to him at the family dinner?

Compared to Marquis Wu'an, what are they?

Even when she was his betrothed as the Crown Princess, she had never been so considerate and affectionate towards him.

He was always the one to take the initiative, and she would shyly accept it. He never knew that she could also have such a spoiled and willful side.

Marquis Wu'an... Li Pan... What makes him so special? What makes him so special! What is it about him that makes her so fond of him!

The crown prince was filled with jealousy and hatred, and when he thought of the old man's mocking and provocative words, he almost vomited blood.

What is that old man so smug about? He is Su Su's biggest enemy right now! I wonder how Su Su managed to persuade Marquis Wu'an not to participate in the autumn hunt. If Marquis Wu'an finds out that he covets a minister's wife, does he think Marquis Wu'an can swallow this insult?

The crown prince sneered again.

Despite none of them participating in the autumn hunt, it was still a lively affair.

Let's see who can hold out until the end.

-

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and Lou Xueying couldn't help but yawn.

Li Pan: "Do you want to go back and get some sleep?"

Lou Xueying hesitated: "Can we go back now?"

Li Pan: "Only His Majesty and the others have separate tents here. They can sit anywhere to eat, but they can't sleep anywhere. I see quite a few people are heading back."

Seeing that Lou Xueying still looked worried, he added, "Just now, only we went back to change our clothes in the courtyard, and nothing happened, right? Now that more people are going back, it's even less likely that anything will go wrong."

Lou Xueying: "Well, okay then."

Li Pan and Lou Xueying stood up, returned the food box, and followed the crowd back to Xingyuan, slowly returning to their own courtyard.

Li Pan closed the doors and windows and said to Lou Xueying, "It seemed like someone was watching us while we were eating."

Lou Xueying, who was about to change into her nightgown, was suddenly startled: "Who?"

“I don’t know. I didn’t turn around, afraid of alerting them.” Li Pan thought for a moment and then said, “And it seems there was more than one person. I vaguely heard people talking on the slope behind us, but I couldn’t hear clearly.”

Lou Xueying asked anxiously, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

“I told you long ago, you were probably so nervous you couldn’t even walk properly,” Li Pan said. “But don’t worry too much, there were so many people around the camp at the time, it’s unlikely they were going to make a move then.”

Lou Xueying was wide awake, twisting her sleeves and frowning.

Li Pan patted her back, comforting her, "But that feeling disappeared later, maybe the person left. Maybe we misunderstood, and maybe some people were just curious about us and talking about us. There were so many opportunities to act today, but no suspicious person or thing appeared. Do you think... His Majesty didn't intend to do anything at all?"

“How could that be?” Lou Xueying said. “If he insists on making us participate, then he must have his reasons.”

“But half a day has passed, and he hasn’t restricted our movements at all. We’re completely free.” Li Pan stroked his chin. “What does this mean?”

Lou Xueying took a deep breath: "Perhaps it's just because it's inconvenient to act during the day. There will be a banquet in the Xingyuan at night, when it's dark, windy, noisy, and bustling, making it the easiest time to act."

Li Pan nodded: "That makes sense."

Lou Xueying: "At the banquet that night, men and women will be seated separately. What will we do then? Can I still sit with you?"

Li Pan pondered for a moment and said, "I'm afraid it will be difficult. The main problem is that there are no rules during the day. If you come with me, others will at most make a few jokes. But there are rules at the banquet at night. If you still insist on coming with me, regardless of what His Majesty thinks, others will probably think that there is something wrong with the two of us."

Lou Xueying: "But if I don't stay with you, I'm afraid he'll poison you alone..."

"Don't panic," Li Pan said. "Killing me won't be that easy."