Chen Yunniang held the man's hand and said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Even if his legs weren't crippled, I still wouldn't want to marry him."
"Your Highness just said that you would marry me as your concubine and make me your empress in the future. Why are you now asking me to marry Lu Ziqian?"
"If I marry him, how can I be your empress in the future?"
"If a woman cannot marry twice, and the second wife becomes an empress, how will I be criticized?"
Chu Zhongyuan's face turned cold: "You've already been married before. Even if you didn't marry Lu Ziqian, you'd already be a woman who's been married twice."
Chen Yunniang choked back a sob: "That's different. Although I married Lu Wen, we didn't have a marital relationship. Besides, I've already divorced him."
"Moreover, I married him as the Princess of Fu'an County at that time."
"I am now the Holy Maiden of Southern Xinjiang!"
"If you make me marry Lu Ziqian as the Holy Maiden of Southern Xinjiang, how will I be able to marry you in the future?"
Chu Zhongyuan reached out and pinched her cheek, coaxing her gently in a soft voice, "Then let's change to another identity."
"For example, the princess of the Xiao Nan tribe!"
"Her status is equally noble, and she is a perfect match for me."
"After all, you may not be able to hold this position as the Holy Maiden of Southern Xinjiang for very long."
Chen Yunniang's expression changed. Yes, she was an imposter, and she would be exposed sooner or later.
"Do we really have to do this?"
Chu Zhongyuan's attitude was firm: "It has to be this way. He is the Crown Prince's greatest asset."
"He is also my greatest threat."
Chen Yunniang asked in confusion, "If I marry him, will I be able to get rid of this threat for you?"
"You want me to kill him?"
"Leaving aside how I could marry him, even if I could, how could I possibly kill him?"
Chu Zhongyuan whispered a few words in her ear, explaining his detailed plan.
That's a truly ruthless scheme!
"But how can I marry him?"
Chu Zhongyuan pulled the person into his arms: "Where there's a will, there's a way. I will help you."
"Let's go, it's getting late. Let's head back to the city first to avoid encountering the Jin soldiers."
"Mmm." Chen Yunniang nodded shyly. For some reason, whenever she was near him, she felt like she was being electrocuted and her whole body went limp.
Mo Hua looked at Chen Yunniang, who was actually wearing the Third Prince's cloak and following behind the man with a shy expression, and cursed her inwardly as a slut.
The Third Prince must be blind to even look at such trash.
"Let's go back to the city."
Mo Hua looked anxious. Could it be that the Third Prince had really been seduced by that vixen Chen Yunniang?
She would accept it even if the other party was Su Yujiao; at least Su Yujiao was beautiful and had the right to have a man protect her.
But what is Chen Yunniang? She has neither looks nor temperament. Could it be that the Third Prince has unusual tastes?
“Your Highness, she is an imposter saintess. I am under orders from the general to send her back to the Southern Frontier Kingdom.”
"Please, Your Highness, do not make things difficult for your subordinate."
"I can personally escort her there, and the rest of you will stay to protect you."
Snap!
Chen Yunniang stepped forward and slapped Mo Hua hard, wishing she could get back all the humiliation she had suffered.
"You lowly servant, even on the verge of death, you still dare to slander this holy maiden."
"Your Highness, could you please hand her over to me, the Holy Maiden?"
The Third Prince nodded gently: "Please make yourself at home, Holy Maiden."
Chen Yunniang woke Xiaohe up and told her to tie the ink painting to the back of the horse and drag it along.
Moreover, he deliberately cracked the whip and galloped at full speed, giving her no chance to stand up, as if he wanted to drag Mo Hua to her death.
In fact, she was much more ruthless than Mo Hua. Mo Hua kept stopping and starting along the way, while she only suffered some bruises and scratches, but was not seriously injured.
When Mo Hua was dragged to the city gate, he was barely alive, with extensive abrasions all over his body, and in some places the skin and flesh were worn away, revealing his stark white bones.
Upon seeing that it was the Third Prince's men below, the guards on the city tower immediately reported to the Crown Prince and Lu Ziqian, and opened the city gate.
"Lord Mo!!!"
The guards on the city wall gasped in horror when they saw the horrific state of Mo Hua.
What kind of deep hatred or resentment could drive someone to such a state?
The Crown Prince and the Prince of Cheng had just reached the door when they saw the dying Mo Hua and Chen Yunniang, who had returned.
"Didn't my royal brother go to escort the marriage procession? Why is he here?"
Chu Zhongyuan said in a calm tone: "I encountered some trouble on the way back and was forced to change my route. I will rest here for two days and then return to the capital to report back."
The Crown Prince then asked, "What mistake did Mo Hua make that warrants such treatment from my elder brother?"
“She was disrespectful to the Holy Maiden of the Southern Frontier Kingdom and deserves to be punished, otherwise we will not be able to explain ourselves to the Southern Frontier Kingdom.”
"Let's send her down for treatment first; she seems to be seriously injured."
The crown prince frowned and immediately ordered his trusted confidants to help the painting back.
"Brother, may I speak to you in private?"
The Crown Prince told him that Chen Yunniang was an imposter saint and hoped he would not interfere in the matter.
Chu Zhongyuan, however, had a different idea. He believed that without evidence, it was best not to offend people too much.
If Chen Yunniang is indeed a saint, their treatment of her could provoke a war between the two countries.
Even if Chen Yunniang is a fake saintess, that is a matter for the Southern Frontier Kingdom, and they will handle it themselves. It has nothing to do with the Great Ming Kingdom, so why should they play the villain?
"But……"
"Your Highness, don't worry. She's just a woman; she can't cause any real trouble."
"Since she wants to stay, then let her stay."
"She was simply upset by the ink painting and wanted to vent her anger."
"Once she's vented her anger and finds this place boring, she'll naturally go back."
After the Third Prince finished speaking, without waiting for the Crown Prince's reply, he immediately sent someone to arrange for Chen Yunniang to go and rest.
"Someone, escort the Holy Maiden back to rest."
As for Mo Hua, her injuries were too severe, and being a woman, the imperial physicians were helpless and could only hand her over to Su Yujiao.
Su Yujiao didn't want to get involved, but when she saw that Mo Hua was badly injured, with no good skin on her body and covered in blood, she couldn't help but change her expression.
"Go and fetch a few basins of warm water."
"Go to the Crown Prince and borrow two more palace maids."
Mo Shu frowned, looking at his half-sister, his face as dark as ink.
After her father died, her mother was forced to remarry and gave birth to Mo Hua.
They didn't grow up together, so naturally they didn't have much of a relationship.
But that doesn't mean others can hurt her at will!
"Hurry up, what are you standing there for?"
"She has the Third Prince protecting her now, so don't go looking for trouble with her, or you'll be the one who suffers."
"The ink painting is just a superficial injury. Once the wound is treated properly, everything will be fine. Don't worry."
Mo Shu left without a word, bringing in more than a dozen buckets of warm water.
After Mo Shu left, Su Yujiao began to treat Mo Hua's wounds.
Her clothes and flesh were stuck together with blood and mud, making it impossible to remove. She could only cut the clothes open with scissors.
Mo Hua opened her eyes and saw that it was Su Yujiao. She said with difficulty, "I don't need you to tell me what to do."
Su Yujiao didn't stop what she was doing, but her tone was icy: "You think I want to control you?"
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