Chapter 277 Schemes
She screamed until she was hoarse, her voice filled with a heart-wrenching pain.
The Empress Dowager was so angry at her blunt rebuttal that she trembled all over, and all her pretense vanished at that moment.
She sat up abruptly, showing no trace of her previous illness.
"How dare you! You ungrateful wretch! I have cherished you for all these years because you lost your father at a young age. Now I have painstakingly arranged a good marriage for you, and not only do you not appreciate it, you dare to slander me like this!"
Her voice suddenly rose, becoming icy cold: "As expected, you have been neglected in your upbringing and have no sense of propriety! So ignorant of your place and lack of respect for hierarchy, do you really think that with the Emperor's indulgence and Consort Zhuang's coaxing, you can act with impunity in this palace? I think you've been so pampered that you've forgotten your place!"
These vicious words pierced Mingzhu's last defenses. She stared in disbelief at the hideous person before her, as if she were seeing her imperial grandmother for the first time.
Just at this critical moment, footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Oh my, Cining Palace is quite lively today. Has the Empress Dowager's illness been cured? That's truly a cause for celebration."
Before he could finish speaking, the carefree Prince Huo Yunxing strolled in leisurely.
His gaze swept across the screen, a half-smile playing on his lips, as if he were completely oblivious to the eerie and tense atmosphere inside the hall.
The Empress Dowager's cursing stopped abruptly, her expression shifting rapidly before she quickly composed herself.
"It was Mingzhu who angered me. This child has grown up, and her temper has also increased. She talked back to me a few times, and I am teaching her manners."
Huo Yunxing waved his fan and chuckled, "Children are often straightforward and speak without thinking. Why should Your Majesty lower yourself to her level?"
As he spoke, he turned to Mingzhu and said, "Mingzhu, did you make your grandmother angry again because you were being playful? Hurry up and apologize to your grandmother, then go back and reflect on your actions."
His words, though seemingly a reprimand, actually gave Mingzhu an excuse to leave immediately.
Mingzhu dared not linger for even a second longer. Receiving the signal that she was free, she hastily bowed to the Empress Dowager and rushed out of Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager watched Mingzhu's fleeing figure with a sinister look in her eyes, but because Prince Xiaoyao was present, she could not lash out.
Huo Yunxing's smile faded slightly. He closed his folding fan and gently tapped his palm with the fan ribs.
"His Majesty has a message for you."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze falling on the Empress Dowager's face. Although he maintained the posture of a subject, his aura caused the temperature in the hall to drop sharply.
“Princess Mingzhu is still young and innocent. There are some jokes that she cannot take and should never take.”
"As for some people, they shouldn't have harbored such thoughts or appeared in places they shouldn't have."
Huo Yunxing paused, then tapped the fan bone lightly against his palm, producing a dull sound, like a final warning bell.
"His Majesty hopes that you will rest and recuperate, and take care of your health. After all, once some lines are crossed, there is no going back."
With his folding fan closed, Huo Yunxing said no more and turned to leave leisurely.
The Empress Dowager stood frozen in place, her face ashen, a surge of anger rising within her, yet she had nowhere to vent it.
On the other side.
Mingzhu ran out of Cining Palace crying, her mind filled with images of the Empress Dowager and the man's boots behind the screen.
She didn't know where she should go or where she could go; she just ran aimlessly, tears blurring her vision.
Before I knew it, I had run to the edge of Taiye Pond.
Looking at the bottomless lake in front of me, a desperate thought suddenly rushed into my mind.
She had no say in her own marriage, and even her closest grandmother was plotting against her.
Rather than being used to marry someone I don't like, I'd rather end it all.
Once the idea took hold, it grew wildly.
She stared blankly at the lake as she walked step by step toward the shore.
Just as she was about to leap, a voice rang out not far behind her.
"Who do we have here admiring their reflection in the lake? It's our Princess Mingzhu! What, has she taken a fancy to one of the Dragon King's princes and is planning to jump in for a marriage alliance?"
Mingzhu turned around, her eyes blurry with tears, and saw Shen Yi in a moon-white robe, leaning against a willow tree not far away, the corners of his mouth curving into his usual smile.
His words were sarcastic and flippant, instantly igniting Mingzhu's anger.
"Shen Yi! You bastard!"
Mingzhu was so angry that she forgot to jump into the lake. She turned around and yelled at him, "You don't know anything, all you do is talk nonsense!"
Shen Yi raised an eyebrow and strolled over slowly.
"Oh? What should I know? Do you know if it's because the pastries this morning weren't sweet enough, or because you're not satisfied with the color of the new dress that you're contemplating suicide? You've really suffered a great injustice."
"You! You're talking nonsense!"
Mingzhu was so angry that she jumped up and down, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.
"That's not it at all, it's...it's Grandmother...she..."
She wanted to speak, but found it difficult to utter those despicable schemes, so she could only choke there, crying even more bitterly.
"Get away from me, I don't need your help!"
She felt extremely wronged, as if the whole world was against her.
The Empress Dowager was kind to her but wanted to take advantage of her; all her sincere efforts over the years were a joke.
Her vision was blurred from crying, and all she could see was a patch of white fabric that looked quite clean.
Without thinking, Mingzhu reached out and grabbed it, smearing it on her face, and even blew her nose forcefully.
"Waaah!"
She continued to wail as she wiped her face, completely treating the fabric in her hand as her own face cloth.
Shen Yi: !!!
He watched helplessly as Princess Mingzhu seized the sleeve of his new dress, made of the finest brocade from Jiangnan, and used it to…
Blow your nose! Snot!
Shen Yi's lips twitched uncontrollably, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
His new robe—he'd waited so long for it, and today was the first time he'd ever worn it!
Is this girl doing this on purpose? Does she even know that this bolt of fabric is enough to buy a whole carriageload of handkerchiefs?
Shen Yi was internally screaming, almost giving Princess Mingzhu a live death performance.
But looking at the person in front of him who was crying uncontrollably, he took a deep breath, a complex mix of thoughts flashing in his eyes.
Forget it, why bother arguing with a little crybaby?
Let's just pretend these sleeves got wet in the rain...
He tried to hypnotize himself, but his expression remained quite interesting.
After blowing her nose, Mingzhu seemed to feel a little better, but her sadness had not yet subsided.
She still clung to Chen Yi's sleeve, sobbing, and it looked like she was about to start another round of crying.
Seeing this, Shen Yi quickly spoke up before the next wave of flooding erupted.
"Alright, alright, I don't care, how dare I care about you? So, Your Highness," he shook his tattered sleeve, "now that you've used up my sleeve, are you planning to jump into the lake again, or find another place to continue crying?"
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