The hall was extremely quiet, and almost everyone's eyes were fixed on the three people standing in the center of the hall.
The Crown Prince is truly unafraid that someone will reveal what happened at the gate of Prince An's residence that day in front of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Some people even secretly glanced at the face of the Right Chancellor Bu Feizhang, and sure enough, his face was so black it looked like ink was about to drip out.
They sympathize with the Right Chancellor.
It must have been tough for you, Right Chancellor, to assist such an incapable crown prince.
Ren Yong'an's face turned pale and then red. She knew why the Crown Prince had said such things in front of so many people. He refused to marry her, so he was trying to force her and push her to Zhu Yu's side.
They even threatened her step by step.
The Crown Prince is truly heartless.
Lu Xiaoyun smiled lightly: "I wonder where you heard about this, Your Highness? I am grateful to Miss Ren for saving my life when I was young because she mistook me for my fifth brother. So I met Miss Ren two or three times. In your eyes, Your Highness, it has become that Miss Ren and I are childhood sweethearts."
“Brother Yu…” Ren Yong’an’s throat tightened with emotion. She had saved him because she thought he was the Fifth Prince. How could Prince An say such a thing in this situation? How could she save face?
Zhu Yu tugged at Lu Xiaoyun's sleeve, then looked at the Empress Dowager with teary eyes, large, seemingly about to fall tears hanging from the corners of his eyes.
A beautiful woman shedding tears is a sight that tugs at the heartstrings.
Zhu Zhi was the one who felt sorry for her.
“Grandmother, His Highness Prince An is now my husband. Miss Ren called him ‘Brother Yu’ so intimately in front of me. Isn’t this seducing my husband in front of my granddaughter-in-law?”
He stomped his foot angrily: "Grandmother, you must stand up for your granddaughter-in-law!"
Lu Xiaoyun's arms were covered in goosebumps.
The aroma of tea fills the air!
The Empress Dowager's face darkened.
Lu Xiaoyun suppressed the goosebumps that kept spreading across her skin and sneered, "Miss Ren is still a young lady from a noble family. How dare you address a man like me like that? Don't you want your reputation? If you don't, don't drag me down with you!"
He has a shrewish wife.
Ren Yong'an burst into tears: "Your Highness, you and I have known each other for more than ten years, yet you can't compare to Lu Xiaoyun, who has only known you for a short month?"
"You told Yong'an that you would marry me after the New Year, how could you forget?"
Ren Yong'an closed her eyes. If she couldn't push him a little harder today, all that awaited her was death.
She knelt down before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor with a thud, tears streaming down her pale face like broken beads.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, as His Highness the Crown Prince said, I have long ago pledged my life to Prince An. However, things have not gone as planned. I do not resent Princess An, I only wish to stay by Prince An's side, even if it is as a maid or a concubine, I would be content. I beg Your Majesty and Your Majesty to grant my request!"
That's just so shameless.
The princes all stared wide-eyed. This was a palace banquet, right? They were here to eat, not to watch the show.
Even many ministers and their families turned their attention to the couple, Ren Xiang and his wife.
They looked at her with pity after she gave birth to such a daughter.
Ren Yushan's face turned ashen; he wished he could disappear into the ground.
Ren Yong'an's mother's face turned pale and then red. Most of the things her daughter did were her ideas.
Ren Yong'an took out the letter that Zhu Yu had written to her from her bosom, knelt down and held it above her head.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, here is a letter written by His Highness Prince An to Yong'an. It is a letter from His Highness Prince An himself to me, saying that he will marry Yong'an into the Prince An's residence after the New Year. Yong'an would never dare to deceive Your Majesty."
The old emperor glanced at Lu Xiaoyun with his cold gaze and said in a chilling voice, "Bring up the letter."
Zhang Zhongwei hurriedly ran downstairs, took the letter from Ren Yong'an, and delivered it to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Several thick letters.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor each took a letter and examined it. It was indeed Zhu Yu's handwriting, with every sentence filled with affection and every word expressing longing.
Zhu Yu clenched his fist in his sleeve. He hadn't expected Ren Yong'an to bring these letters to such an occasion as today, in front of everyone.
Lu Xiaoyun glanced at Zhu Yu, who shrank back, his lips twitching, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.
These letters...
In fact, most of them were not written by him.
He lives far away in the Northwest, so sending a letter isn't so easy.
But it was also his fault for being blind back then, thinking that Ren Yong'an was the purest and kindest woman in the world. He risked his life on the battlefield time and time again in order to earn more military merits and marry her as soon as possible.
The old emperor threw the letter down, and the paper fluttered throughout the hall, making a rustling sound.
The vast Zhaoyang Palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All the ministers and their families attending the palace banquet bowed their heads.
I want to disappear, but I also really want to hear what to do.
"Zhu Yu, what else do you have to say! You disregard a woman's reputation, exchanging many private letters with her, yet you turn around and have an ambiguous relationship with the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, marrying her into your household, and wasting Miss Ren's life! What is the reason for this?!"
Lu Xiaoyun pursed her lips and knelt down, saying, "Father..."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Just as Lu Xiaoyun was forcing herself to say that she had written it down in a moment of confusion, Consort Duan's voice rang out at the entrance of the main hall.
Everyone turned to look back and saw Consort Duan walking gracefully towards them with her nanny.
The old emperor's gaze fell on the nanny beside Consort Duan.
The old woman shook her head slightly at him.
Only then did the old emperor look away.
Consort Duan placed one hand on her lower abdomen and the other on "Zhang Mama's" forearm. She walked slowly to Lu Xiaoyun's side, bowed to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, these letters were not written by Zhu Yu."
Ren Yong'an's eyes widened: "Your Highness, Consort Duan, what nonsense are you talking about? These were clearly sent to me by His Highness Prince An's trusted confidant. How can you say that he didn't write them?"
Consort Duan helped Ren Yong'an, who was kneeling on the ground, to his feet and said softly, "Yong'an, have you forgotten? Zhu Yu is the commander of the Northern Army. He is far away on the Northwest battlefield. How can he write to you so often? If the Northern Qi spies find out, it will be a big problem."
“I promised you long ago that Zhu Yu’s queen consort could only be you. You two haven’t seen each other for years, and you are so outstanding, how could I not worry? So I wrote so many letters to you in private. I deliberately didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to have any misunderstandings about Yu’er. I just didn’t expect you to take them out in front of so many people today.”
Ren Yong'an's face turned pale: "What, what did you say?"
Consort Duan faced the Emperor and Empress Dowager and said calmly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, these letters were all delivered by me on behalf of the Prince of An's guards in the name of Prince An to Miss Ren."
"No, no, it's impossible, it's impossible."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
