Chapter 49
The night rain has stopped and the sun is rising. The rays of sunlight gently caress everything that was attacked by the sudden downpour last night, dispelling the cold brought by a night of heavy rain.
"ah--"
Chu Miaomiao suddenly woke up from her dream and sat up straight. Because she was not fully awake yet, she sat there in a daze for a long time before raising her hand to touch the back of her neck.
It was just a dream. This head is still there for now.
Her head was still there, but there were other issues. Yesterday, she banged her head and cried, and now her eyes and head hurt, as if to punish her for letting her emotions run wild yesterday.
Chu Miaomiao was about to rub her temples when she touched the gauze wrapped around her forehead, causing her movements to pause slightly.
It rained heavily last night. Wei Zhen came on the rainy night and said some nonsense.
She had clearly fought her way through brutal competition, so why had she been so foolish? Her father had committed the heinous crime of treason, and as a legitimate child, she had to thank the saints for the fact that she even had her body intact, let alone marry Wei Zhen and become his crown princess. How could Wei Zhen not understand such a simple truth?
How stupid.
Chu Miaomiao sighed with regret.
But facing such a silly Wei Zhen, it is impossible to say that Chu Miaomiao did not feel a little touched and happy.
She is not a heartless person. No matter how many times she tries to push Wei Zhen away, Wei Zhen will not leave. Instead, he will stand by her more firmly.
Chu Miaomiao had been ignored by her parents for too long, and she longed to be seen. But when someone finally saw her and firmly chose her, she was unable to respond.
It’s not that I don’t want to do it, it’s that I can’t.
Chu Miaomiao lowered her eyes, and her thin and thick eyelashes hid all her sadness.
*
Last night, Wei Zhen had hurriedly left the palace upon receiving news of the siege at Chuzhuang. This commotion naturally reached the Sage's ears. The Sage said nothing, but instructed his attendants to inform the Crown Prince to come to Changqiu Palace for breakfast tomorrow.
In the early morning, Wei Zhen, dressed neatly, was already waiting in front of the hall.
"Your Highness, the Saint invites you in."
Only after the attendants came to invite him did Wei Zhen enter the hall and pay his respects to the emperor and the queen.
The sage's gaze swept over Wei Zhen, and seeing the faint dark circles under his eyes, he frowned slightly. He said nothing, and waved his hand for him to take a seat.
The three of them hadn't dined together for a long time, and the Queen seemed very happy. She looked at Wei Zhen with a smile, and naturally saw that he was a little tired, so she asked, "Ah Zhen, didn't you get enough rest last night?"
Before Wei Zhen could put down his chopsticks and answer, the sage snorted coldly and answered for him: "He spent almost the entire night with Princess Pingyang. How could he get enough rest?"
"Princess Pingyang?" the Queen asked with concern. "Is she ill?"
The Saint rarely spoke to the Empress about these matters of state. After all, she would forget three out of five of his remarks, which somewhat frustrated the Saint. Furthermore, the Saint felt it unnecessary to share these turbulent events with the Empress, as this would cause her worry. Therefore, she had no idea where Chu Miaomiao was currently standing.
"Princess Pingyang's father led an army against the imperial court," the sage carefully explained to the empress. "Her father planned to attack the capital, kill me, and become emperor."
Wei Zhen's expression was gloomy, and he pursed his lips without saying a word.
"Ah." The Queen was surprised and nervously grabbed the Saint's sleeve. "What should we do? Jin, why don't you run away now?"
The saint finally smiled. His A'ran's words were still the most soothing.
"Aran, don't be afraid. They can't reach the capital."
The saint habitually reached out and touched the queen's head, comforting her with gentle words.
"Then what does this have to do with Azhen accompanying Princess Pingyang all night?" The queen turned to look at Wei Zhen, curious.
The Saint also turned to Wei Zhen, still smiling, but his eyes were cold and his tone was a little stiff: "Then you have to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself."
The saint emphasized the four words "Your Highness the Crown Prince" in his words, as if reminding Wei Zhen to carefully consider his own identity.
This is a warning.
The sage's pressure was immense. Anyone else would have been on their knees, begging for forgiveness. But Wei Zhen was different. Although he felt uneasy, he knew he couldn't back down.
If he took a step back, he would miss Chu Miaomiao forever.
Wei Zhen, despite the pressure from the Saint, stood up and knelt before the two men, saying, "Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to grant your consent for my marriage to Princess Pingyang."
Just as the queen was about to say something, she felt that the people around her seemed very angry. The atmosphere around her became very strange, which made her nervous.
She looked at the saint's expressionless face, then looked worriedly at Wei Zhen who was kneeling on the ground.
Ajin was really angry.
"Wei Zhen." The saint said coldly, "Do you know what you are talking about?"
Facing the wrath of the Saint, Wei Zhen couldn't help but be afraid. However, he had already made up his mind to fight for a future for himself and Chu Miaomiao, so he could only stand up to the pressure and once again express his attitude.
"I know. But in this life, I only wish to marry Chu Miaomiao."
The queen, who was always sensitive to the saint's emotions, was also a little scared at this time. She hurriedly held the saint's hand and pried open his clenched fist fingers one by one.
The Saint, whose anger was still rising, felt helpless at her childish behavior. He took the Queen's hand and gave her a soothing smile. The Queen's interruption calmed the Saint down a bit.
"Wei Zhen." The sage's voice still held a hint of coldness, but now it was filled with helplessness. "I don't need to teach you the principle of not having your cake and eating it too, do I? You know better than anyone what the right choice is."
"...I know."
Finally hearing a pleasing answer, the saint relaxed a little.
"But please forgive me for not being able to do that."
Wei Zhen's words once again provoked the saint's anger. The queen hurriedly hugged the saint's arm and shook her head repeatedly, as if persuading the saint not to be angry.
The Saint never lost his temper in front of the Queen. He looked at her speechlessly and said, "Just spoil him. Look, our good son is now marrying the daughter of a traitor as his Crown Princess! And in the future, he'll even make the daughter of the man who wanted to kill me his Queen!"
The queen said weakly, "It was her father who wanted to kill you, not her."
Upon hearing this, the sage was stunned at first, then laughed out loud in anger: "How come you reacted so quickly at this time?"
Wei Zhen quickly followed up the Queen's words and said, "Father, I can assure you that Chu Miaomiao was not aware of the King of Chu's rebellion and was not involved in it."
"She is not trusted by the King of Chu, so what qualifications does she have to participate in this?" The saint snorted coldly.
"The King of Chu deserves death for rebelling against the court, but this is his fault alone. I ask Father to forgive Chu Miaomiao and Chu Canglang."
"Wei Zhen, do you know that with what you just said, your reign as crown prince is over?"
Wei Zhen's heart trembled.
"Even so, will you still choose Chu Miaomiao?" the saint pressed.
“…”
Wei Zhen did not answer immediately. The saint only knew that he was hesitant. Just when he was about to breathe a sigh of relief because he was reluctant to give up power, he heard a firm voice.
"Reporting to His Majesty, whether it's the throne of the Crown Prince or Chu Miaomiao, this son will not let go."
The empress looked at Wei Zhen in amazement, let alone the sage. He stared at Wei Zhen intently, as if he was seeing this person for the first time.
"Wei Zhen, I never thought you were such a greedy person."
Wei Zhen said nothing.
"Are you really not afraid that I will depose the crown prince?" The saint narrowed his eyes slightly, emitting a threatening aura.
"For now, I am your best choice."
Wei Zhen answered without hesitation, his confidence so high that even the sage took notice and reassessed the man before him.
The air suddenly stagnated, and the Saint's face turned cold. The Queen sensed something was wrong and hugged the Saint's arm tightly, calling out, "Ajin."
Because the Empress was beside him, the Saint suppressed his anger and asked, "Are you threatening me?"
Wei Zhen felt as if a thorn in his back was pierced, and beads of sweat covered his forehead. However, he still tried to remain calm and maintain his composure.
"I am only stating the facts. You are worrying too much."
The empress had an instinctive feeling about the saint—he might pick up something and throw it at Wei Zhen. Fearing her intuition would become reality, the empress called out again, "Ajin, I... I feel a little dizzy..."
A poor excuse... The saint naturally understood it in his heart, but he just followed the queen's words, suppressed his anger, and let Wei Zhen go for the time being.
When the palace door slowly closed behind Wei Zhen, he finally relaxed and let out a long breath. When the housekeeper handed him a silk handkerchief, Wei Zhen realized that beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.
Under normal circumstances, he would never disobey the saint's wishes, but he didn't know where the force came from that made him throw away his caution and even say those threatening words to the saint.
Wei Zhen thought, that was a threat, but also a fact. Right now, no one was more suitable for the position of Crown Prince than him. He was about to lead the troops to quell the rebellion. If this battle was successful, he would also have a certain influence in the army, and his position as Crown Prince would be further consolidated.
Right now, he wasn't particularly worried about the expedition; he was only concerned about what would become of Chu Miaomiao if he left the capital. The Saint had firmly opposed their relationship, so would he be unfavorable to Chu Miaomiao if he left the capital this time?
Thinking of this, Wei Zhen changed his mind and made a bold decision immediately.
Wei Zhen handed the handkerchief to the housekeeper and instructed, "You personally lead people to Chu Manor to bring Princess Pingyang into the East Palace."
The family leader was a little worried: "If the Saint asks—"
"No problem, what we want is to make a big splash."
When the prince's steward arrived at Chu Manor and wanted to take Chu Miaomiao away in the name of escorting Princess Pingyang into the palace, the guarding generals did not dare to make any mistakes, and soon Chu Miaomiao appeared in front of the steward with her hands tied.
At this moment, Princess Pingyang seemed to have lost her soul, lifeless and lifeless, like a walking corpse. Looking at her, it was hard for the head of the household to not be reminded of the bright and beautiful girl not long ago. Such a sharp contrast made him sigh inwardly.
When the housekeeper invited Chu Miaomiao to get on the carriage, Chu Miaomiao paused, looked at the housekeeper, and said sincerely: "Housekeeper, my father and brother's affairs have nothing to do with the male and female servants in this manor. They know nothing. Please tell them not to torture them anymore. Let them stay here and wait for their punishment."
This request was sincere and earnest, so the housekeeper naturally had no reason to refuse. Moreover, the whereabouts of the prince and his wife were already known, so it would be meaningless to torture the servants. For the housekeeper, it was just a favor.
After the housekeeper gave instructions to the guarding generals, the group left Chu Manor and rushed towards the city.
When Chu Miaomiao found that all her escape routes were blocked, she could only accept her fate. When she truly learned to face reality, the fear and unwillingness seemed to disappear, leaving only a calm and peaceful state.
Chu Miaomiao smiled.
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