Chapter 47 The Ruthless Chunyu Han
Everyone craned their necks, eagerly awaiting what Chunyu Han would say after that "but".
The Empress Dowager also became interested; this was much more interesting than a theatrical performance.
"However, a major event occurred a few days ago that changed my mind."
The emperor's appetite was whetted, and he waited without saying a word to hear Chunyu Han continue.
"The reason I was able to escape unscathed on the night the villains attacked the Regent's residence was not because the Regent's residence was heavily guarded, but entirely because Yu Nian took the fatal blow for me that day."
At this point, Li Mingjin's expression stiffened. It turned out that Chunyu Han hadn't blocked the attack; it was Yu Nian, that troublesome person, who had blocked it. Damn it.
"With that stab, the villain intended to kill. Yu Nian was not only seriously injured but also poisoned. Although she was later saved, that stab wound damaged Yu Nian's very foundation. The female physician diagnosed that Yu Nian..."
As Chunyu Han spoke, he glanced at Yu Nian and Yu Huaifeng with a complex expression.
Yu Huaifeng also glanced at Yu Nian questioningly. He knew that Yu Nian was injured, but he did not know that she was so badly injured and that she had been poisoned.
Under these circumstances, Yu Huaifeng also punished Yu Nian by making him kneel in the ancestral hall, his heart filled with guilt.
Yu Nian could only give Yu Huaifeng a reassuring smile; she actually wanted to know what was wrong with her too…
"Yu Nian is no longer able to have children."
Chunyu Han's words caused a huge uproar.
It's important to understand that in ancient times like the Great Zhao Kingdom, women who couldn't bear children had virtually no status in their husband's family.
Moreover, everyone could tell that Chunyu Han's statement was a very tactful attempt to save face for Yu Nian.
The Empress Dowager was the first to cast a regretful glance at Yu Nian. Originally, the Empress Dowager quite liked this girl; she had an interesting personality and a good family background. Even if she couldn't be with the Crown Prince, she could still find a husband for her second grandson when he returned. But if Yu Nian couldn't have children, she would definitely have no place in the royal family.
Yu Nian forced a smile, raised her hand to cover half her face with a handkerchief, and pretended to be sad, cursing Chunyu Han in her heart.
They're really stirring things up. If you're going to propose, just propose. Why throw mud at her like that?
Believe it or not, I'll sue you for defamation.
Unfortunately, Yu Nian couldn't refute it at the moment and could only swallow her pride.
These words brought tears to Yu Huaifeng's weathered eyes. He looked at Yu Nian with reddened eyes, disregarding any royal etiquette, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Niannian, my daughter, why has God treated you so cruelly!"
Yu Huaifeng suddenly understood. No wonder Yu Nian said those delusional things after he brought her back from the Regent's Mansion. It was all because of this.
Although Prime Minister Yu was a cunning and shrewd official, his temples were graying, and at this time he was just a father.
Seeing him weeping uncontrollably before the palace, Yu Nian frowned, feeling a pang of pity.
Yu Nian got up and went to the front of the hall to help Yu Huaifeng up, patting the back of his hand.
"I have no way to repay Yu Nian's life-saving grace, except to provide her with support for the rest of her life, that is all."
Chunyu Han, seeing that the atmosphere in front of the hall had been set off sufficiently, spoke slowly.
Chunyu Han usually has a cold and ruthless image, but his words today seem to show some humanity.
The Emperor had no objection to the marriage. Chunyu Han was a eunuch, so it didn't matter who he married. Yu Nian was infertile, so from that perspective, they were quite a good match.
Just as everyone was lamenting Yu Nian's tragic fate and Chunyu Han's deep affection and loyalty, a discordant voice suddenly broke in.
"I heard that the Regent's residence was attacked late at night. May I ask why Yu Nian was at the Regent's residence so late, and why she was with the Regent?"
The Crown Prince spoke in a strange tone, saying that even if Yu Nian was a woman he didn't want, no one else could have her, especially not someone like Chunyu Han who was a menace.
This question was rather tricky, and Yu Nian was just about to pretend to be mute and listen to Chunyu Han's sophistry when...
All that could be heard was Chunyu Han's indifferent remark.
"I haven't had a chance to ask her about this matter yet; let her tell me herself today."
Yu Nian gritted her teeth, "You, Chunyu Han! You scapegoat!"
Such a crucial matter was dumped on her.
Yu Nian couldn't very well say that she went to feed Chunyu Han. An unmarried woman having a secret rendezvous late at night would not only lose her reputation, but would also be falsely accused, arrested, and drowned in a pig cage.
Yu Nian was hoping Yu Huaifeng could offer some explanation, but when she turned around, she noticed her own father's expression; he seemed quite curious about the matter as well…
Never mind, never mind, in the end we still have to rely on ourselves.
In just a few breaths, Yu Nian had adjusted her state, and even her voice sounded somewhat weak.
"That day, I was troubled and could not sleep. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a flute coming from outside the wall. I was curious about where such a melodious sound came from, so I looked for the ladder in the wall and found out that the south wall of the Prime Minister's residence was connected to the backyard of the Regent's residence."
Yu Nianjin, adhering to traditional female virtues, only wished to remain hidden and listen to Lord Chunyu play a piece. Suddenly, she heard someone shout that an assassin was approaching. In a flash, seeing someone attacking Lord Chunyu, she rushed forward in a moment of panic.
Yu Nian's fabricated story was so smooth, without even a pause in thought, as if what happened that night was exactly as it was.
If something is associated with elegance or refinement, it doesn't sound so out of line.
Chunyu Han seemed to suddenly realize something, and walked closer to Yu Nian, gently raising his hand to straighten the slightly loose red crystal magpie hair ornament on her hair.
She sighed inwardly, thinking that if this little swindler could be considered to be strictly adhering to the virtues of women, then the virtues of women in the Great Zhao Kingdom probably needed to be rewritten.
Chunyu Han and Yu Nian were both dressed in purple, with large irises and a golden python complementing each other. If one forgot their identities, they would truly think they were a perfect couple.
Things once again went against Li Mingjin's expectations. Yu Nian's explanation was watertight, and she showed no sign of panic.
The Empress Dowager was so engrossed in the story Yu Nian had told that she couldn't help but ask Yu Nian a question.
"Is Chunyu Han the very important person you and I were talking about?"
Yu Nian smiled and nodded, which was taken as tacit agreement.
The Empress Dowager's question seemed somewhat inappropriate in this context, but Yu Nian was certainly not lying.
"Since that's the case, then let me make the decision for you, Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager had not meddled in such matters for many years, and the Emperor immediately said that he would leave everything to his mother's decision, also in order to make his elderly mother happy on her birthday.
"Then let's pick a good day to get married."
The Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree, and Chunyu Han naturally picked up the conversation.
"His Majesty just said that the seventh day of next month is an auspicious day. So let's get married on the seventh day, and we must make sure that the Empress Dowager can drink our wedding wine then."
As soon as Chunyu Han finished speaking, the Crown Prince's face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly. Although the Emperor had not issued a formal decree, his intention was clearly for the Crown Prince to get married on the seventh day of the month.
Yu Nian smiled and thanked Chunyu Han together, but inside she was anxious and restless. Chunyu Han was such a ruthless person; he even dared to steal the day of the Crown Prince's wedding.
With the Crown Prince's petty nature, he's bound to hate them both.
The weather was already terribly stuffy, and as everyone was talking, the relatively clear sky suddenly became overcast, and a heavy rain was imminent. The Empress Dowager ordered the people outside to disperse and the rest to move inside the palace to rest.
While the palace servants were busy tidying up, Li Mingjin, with a dark look in his eyes, asked Fulu to deliver a message to the Princess.
Tell her to go ahead and do whatever she wants to Yu Nian later, even if she dies, it doesn't matter.
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