"Then...what about mother? What does she mean to you?" Shangguan Wan Ning asked, trying her best to hide her sadness.
Shangguan Yue spoke more and more calmly. He met Shangguan Wanning's eyes and said, "She and I have been together for more than 20 years. Over the years, I have only been gentle and considerate to her, and I have fulfilled my responsibilities as a husband. I have a clear conscience."
"Humph! What a righteous and awe-inspiring phrase to say that you have a clear conscience." Shangguan Wanning sneered, "Ask yourself, are you really just being nice to mom out of guilt? Did you never use your grandfather's power to reach your peak today?"
Shangguan Yue took a deep breath and remained firm in his attitude.
"No. With my ability, I can definitely get to where I am now step by step."
"If you are so confident, why did you marry my mother? Why don't you wait to be with your sweetheart cleanly?"
Shangguan Yue was speechless.
"At this point, I have nothing to hide from you. If you want to tell your mother everything, I will not stop you."
"You're dreaming. You don't know how to start the conversation, so you want me to say it for you. Go and explain to mother what you did yourself."
After saying that, Shangguan Wan Ning walked away angrily.
She was so disheartened that she didn't know what to do.
She never imagined that their family's happiness and the love between her parents were all illusions.
How much forbearance does it take to be able to keep up the disguise for decades?
Shangguan Wanning felt for the first time that her father's heart was so strong. So strong that... it frightened her.
She didn't know what to do.
If I tell my mother the truth, what will happen? My mother is powerless to change the situation, and it will only make one more person sad.
"Ning'er, what's wrong with you?"
When Mrs. Shangguan saw her daughter standing at the door of the room, her face full of tear marks and pale, she was immediately frightened.
"Come in quickly."
Madam Shangguan took Shangguan Wanning's hand and walked into the room, and immediately asked the nanny to bring her some clean water to wash her face.
"You are such a grown-up girl. You should learn to solve problems by yourself. If you can't solve them, tell me and your father. Why are you crying secretly? Wouldn't it be a joke if someone saw you?"
Shangguan Wanning didn't expect that she would come to her mother's room unknowingly.
"mother……"
Shangguan Wanning felt sad. She hugged her mother and tears kept falling.
"Are you worried about Jing Rui?"
Mrs. Shangguan patted her daughter's back gently and sighed softly.
"It's true that good things come hard for you two. But you don't have to be so sad. Jing Rui is good at martial arts and has abilities. Even if he is wandering outside, he won't suffer too much."
Mrs. Shangguan pulled her daughter out of her arms, wiped her tears, and tidied her slightly messy hair. The smile on her lips was gentle and warm.
"Ning'er, I know how you feel about Jing Rui, and I believe he loves you very much. So, no matter what happens, I will not force you to give up on him. As a woman, it is too difficult to meet someone who is devoted to you."
Shangguan Wanning discovered that there seemed to be tears in her mother's eyes.
Her heart was twitching violently. How could she bear to say those things about her father?
Shangguan Wanning did not go to Mingxianglou to keep the appointment. She believed that Huo Gang or Mu Jingrui could guess her current situation.
The best protection for him was for her and Mu Jingrui to never see each other again.
As the days passed, the imperial court and the underworld mobilized a large number of people to search for Mu Jingrui, but there was still no clue.
Shangguan Wanning locked herself in her room every day. Apart from playing the piano and reading, she would embroider and grow flowers. She almost never left the house.
She heard from Grape the news from outside that Xiao Yujue had dismissed many officials in recent days, all of whom were impeached by the censors.
She could feel that Xiao Beiming was speeding up the pace of eliminating dissidents.
"Miss, the imperial edict has arrived." Grape pushed the door open and came in hurriedly, her voice trembling, "The master asked you to go out and receive the edict."
Shangguan Wanning had a bad feeling.
She changed into formal clothes and came to the hall with the help of Grape.
When the chief eunuch saw Shangguan Wanning, he immediately smiled ingratiatingly.
"Princess An Ning, you have to bear with the injustice and kneel down to accept the order."
"Is the imperial edict for me?" Shangguan Wanning secretly clenched her fists.
"yes."
Shangguan Wanning couldn't help but look at her father. His expression was calm and indifferent, and it was obvious that he already knew the content of the imperial edict.
She knelt down slowly and listened to the eunuch reading the imperial edict.
Her heart sank to the bottom in an instant.
Xiao Yujue actually betrothed her to Xiao Beiming as the princess.
"Princess, please accept my order and express your gratitude."
The eunuch chief's urging brought Shangguan Wan Ning back to her senses.
Thanks?
What is she thanking for?
What kind of favor is she thanking for?
"Eunuch, why does the Emperor... so suddenly... want to marry me to Prince Ming?" Shangguan Wanning was so angry that her whole body was shaking.
Xiao Yujue knew clearly that she and Mu Jingrui were in love with each other; she also knew clearly that Mu Jingrui would come to rescue her once he knew the news, so wouldn't that be walking into a trap?
"It was Prince Ming who asked the Emperor for permission. Prince Ming and Concubine Wu both like you very much. Only a lady from a noble family like you is worthy of Prince Ming's noble status."
The chief eunuch still had a smile on his face, as if he was comforting Shangguan Wanning.
"Prince Ming is young and promising. His wife passed away a few years ago. If you marry him, you will be his legal wife. If you can give birth to a son or daughter for him in the future, you won't have to worry about the rest of your life..."
Shangguan Wanning ignored the chattering of the eunuch chief and slowly walked up to her father.
"Dad, do you also think... that marrying the Ming King is a good destination for your daughter?"
"Since the imperial decree has been issued, there is nothing I can do..."
Shangguan Wanning was completely heartbroken.
She couldn't understand why her father became so cold towards her.
"I will not accept the imperial edict." Shangguan Wanning turned and looked at the eunuch chief. "Please go back and report to the emperor. I want to see him."
The chief eunuch was stunned for a moment.
"Princess...you must be careful with your words and actions. Disobeying an imperial order is a capital crime!"
"Humph, a capital crime? Either you go back and tell the emperor that I want to see him, or you let the imperial guards kill me now."
When the chief eunuch saw that Shangguan Yue had no intention of stopping it, he became unsure, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and went back to the palace trembling with fear.
"Master, why... don't you help Ning'er?" Mrs. Shangguan's face was pale and she looked at her husband with tears in her eyes.
"Mom, please stop asking. I'll handle this matter myself. I'll go back to your room with you."
Shangguan Wanning supported her mother and walked past Shangguan Yue without even looking at him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
