Chapter 276 I grant your wish
In the imperial study, Emperor Xiaozhao looked at the crown prince kneeling on the ground and asked in a calm tone, "I will ask you one last time, do you really insist on marrying Zhong Liuniang?"
"Father..."
"Think carefully before you answer me."
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and nodded solemnly, saying, "Father, I have thought it through. I truly love Miss Zhong Liu, and I want to marry her."
"Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes." The Crown Prince said resolutely, "I beg Father to grant my request."
Emperor Xiaozhao withdrew his gaze from the Crown Prince and said in a calm tone, "Alright. I grant your wish. Go back and prepare; the imperial decree for the marriage will be issued soon."
"Thank you, Father! Thank you, Father!"
The crown prince left, overjoyed, but overlooked Emperor Xiaozhao's unusually calm demeanor throughout.
Soon, the imperial decree bestowing the marriage was issued.
Everyone who received the news was shocked.
The people in the palace were the first to receive the news.
The Third Prince and Li Sanqi had already received the news before the Emperor even left the palace.
When Li Sanqi arrived at the Third Prince's place, the Third Prince was practicing swordsmanship in the garden.
The flowers, plants, and trees that were once carefully nurtured are now all chopped up and are an eyesore.
Seeing Li Sanqi approach, the Third Prince did not stop his sword dance.
"Third Brother, stop for a moment. Third Brother, I know you're angry, but can you please stop and let me explain?"
Li Sanqi shouted loudly for the Third Prince to stop, but the Third Prince seemed not to hear her, continuing to wield his sword with incredible speed, even striking Li Sanqi's face several times. His swordplay was fierce, as if he wanted to cut her down.
Li Sanqi knew that Li Chengrui was venting his anger, but she also felt wronged.
"Third brother, I just received the news. I don't know why Father Emperor would bestow a marriage upon the Crown Prince and Miss Zhong."
"Believe me, I really did go to ask the Emperor to grant you and Miss Zhong a marriage. But for some reason, it turned out like this!"
"Third Brother!"
By the end, Li Sanqi was almost in tears.
Finally, Li Chengrui stopped his sword dance, threw the sword aside, and walked straight into the house.
Li Sanqi quickly followed Li Chengrui into the house.
However, once inside, Li Chengrui left Li Sanqi behind and went to bathe and change clothes alone.
Li Sanqi could only sit alone in the hall, feeling utterly dejected.
Fifteen minutes later, Li Chengrui came out after taking a bath and changing his clothes.
Li Sanqi quickly stood up and was about to step forward to explain, but Li Chengrui waved his hand to stop him, saying, "Sit down."
"Third Brother, believe me, I really don't know why things turned out this way," Li Sanqi said, his eyes red.
Li Chengrui had clearly regained his composure and said in a relatively gentle tone, "I know this isn't Seventh Sister's fault. If anyone is to blame, it's Father Emperor for being biased. Because Li Chengjun is the Crown Prince, he's always had all the good things since he was a child."
"Now, even the woman I've set my sights on is going to be taken away by him!"
In the end, Li Chengrui's anger, which had subsided, resurfaced.
Li Sanqi echoed his sentiments for a few moments, calming Li Chengrui down before changing the subject, "Third Brother, I think this isn't actually a bad thing."
Li Chengrui looked at Li Sanqi, waiting for what was to come.
"Third brother, do you remember when Father Emperor fainted before?"
Li Chengrui nodded, then became somewhat worried, "Is Father Emperor's health really alright?"
He has nothing now. If anything happens to his father, he won't even have the right to compete with the Crown Prince.
Li Sanqi replied earnestly, "Third brother, don't worry, Father is really fine. He was just angered by the Crown Prince that day."
"Everyone outside is saying that Father Emperor was angered by the Crown Prince, but in all these years, when have we ever seen Father Emperor get angry at the Crown Prince? Could it be just a rumor?"
“This is absolutely true!” Li Sanqi said confidently, “My father and mother said it themselves.”
"Really?" Li Chengrui asked excitedly, "Do you know why?"
Li Sanqi shook his head, "I don't know. But I think it's very likely because of Zhong Liuniang."
Li Chengrui frowned.
"Third Brother, do you still remember what Zhong Liuniang said before, that she already had someone she loved?"
"You mean, the person she loves is the Crown Prince?" Li Chengrui looked at Li Sanqi in shock.
Li Sanqi nodded, "I think it can't be wrong."
Li Chengrui frowned, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly, clearly indicating that he was extremely unsettled.
Li Sanqi gave Li Chengrui a moment to think before saying, "Third Brother, do you know what this means?"
"What?" Li Chengrui had some guesses in his mind, but he still looked at Li Sanqi with burning eyes, waiting to confirm his guesses.
"I just leaked the news that I wanted Zhong Liuniang to be my third brother's princess consort. The next day, the princess consort died inexplicably."
"Now, I have just asked my father to grant my third brother and Zhong Liuniang a marriage, and the Crown Prince has made my father faint with anger."
"If the Crown Prince murdered the Crown Princess for Zhong Liu Niang and then forced Father to grant him the marriage, does Third Brother think that Father's fainting from anger was just a rumor?"
"Third Brother, if our speculations are true, do you think Father Emperor would still feel at ease handing over the throne of Dayan to the Crown Prince?"
Li Chengrui's face lit up with joy. "Seventh Sister is right! But why does Father still want to arrange a marriage between the Crown Prince and Zhong Liuniang? With the support of the Zhong family, wouldn't Li Chengjun's position as Crown Prince be even more secure?"
Li Sanqi smiled, a smile that held a profound meaning.
"What? Am I wrong?" Li Chengrui looked at Li Sanqi, his eyes full of inquiry.
He felt that the Li Sanqi of today was not the Li Sanqi he remembered.
In the past, Li Sanqi always liked to stay in the Empress Dowager's palace and was lazy, rarely interacting with his brothers and sisters.
If she happened to run into them, she would just smile and walk past them.
She only listens intently with her eyes lit up when she hears something interesting.
She looked both playful and innocent.
But now, Li Sanqi is filled with hatred, scheming, and twists and turns.
He always considered himself clever, but compared to Li Sanqi, he was worlds apart.
He even began to wonder if Li Sanqi had been too good at pretending before, or if someone had replaced his true self.
Li Sanqi, unaware of Li Chengrui's suspicions, smiled and said, "Father has always been wary of maternal relatives. Even the Yongchang Marquis's mansion has been suppressed to this extent by Father."
"If Father Emperor still wants the Crown Prince to inherit the throne of Dayan, he will never allow the Crown Prince to marry Zhong Liuniang."
"Now that Father has agreed to this marriage, it just proves that Father has given up on the Crown Prince!"
Li Chengrui thought about it and realized that it did seem to be true.
But didn't Li Sanqi previously want to propose Zhong Liuniang to him as his prince's consort?
What does she mean by that?
Li Chengrui frowned slightly.
Li Sanqi seemed to have guessed Li Chengrui's thoughts, rolled his eyes, and said unhappily, "Third Brother, your situation is different from the Crown Prince's."
"The power of the Zhong family is poison to the Crown Prince."
"But if you want to compete with the Crown Prince, you must rely on the power of the Zhong family!"
"As for Father's fear of the Zhong family, that can only be considered after you have successfully overthrown the Crown Prince and taken his place."
What do you think?
Li Sanqi's words were quite impolite, but Li Chengrui couldn't help but laugh.
He looked at Li Sanqi with a smile in his eyes and said leisurely, "I think Seventh Sister is very smart. What she says makes a lot of sense. Third Brother can't compare to her."
Li Sanqi raised his chin, chuckled smugly, then composed himself and lowered his voice, saying, "Actually, others taught me all of this!"
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