"No, it's not that I'm afraid you'll embarrass yourself. I'm afraid that if someone speaks rudely to you, it will upset you and the baby in your belly."
"Big sister, I know what you mean. Our whole family is able to settle down here thanks to you. We've gotten used to this kind of unstable life. Now I really want to find a home for the child in my belly. I've thought it through. As long as Dad and Mom don't mind me, I will never get married and will live with my child and Dad and Mom."
"Silly girl..."
She raised her hand and gently brushed away the stray hairs from her forehead.
"Let's talk about the future later. That's what I thought at first too, but now everything has changed."
“You are different from me. Leng Chuchen dared to come out and acknowledge Yiming, but my man is probably hiding in some mouse hole right now and doesn’t dare to come out. But it’s good that way, I never want to see him again in my life.”
When she mentioned that man, she still felt hatred in her heart, and her eyes still held anger.
"Zhiruo, it's all in the past. Don't think about unhappy things anymore. You should learn to control your emotions now so that the baby can be born smoothly. Don't overthink things, understand?"
Zhiwan pursed her lips and nodded twice.
"I understand, eldest sister."
Just then, Chun'er called out from outside.
"Miss Luo, His Highness requests your return to the manor."
After giving Zhiruo some more instructions, she hurriedly left.
Luo Tianhe, along with Jiawang's mother, Zhiruo, and Jiawang, saw them off to the door. Leng Chuchen had originally intended to leave a few maids for them, but they refused.
Luo Tianhe said that they were just ordinary people, and it was already good enough to have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. How could they dare to hope for maids to serve them? Besides, they were not used to that kind of life.
Leng Chuchen did not insist, and had someone leave them one hundred taels of silver so that they could stay there in peace.
Before leaving, Luo Tianhe hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
He wanted to tell Zhiwan that they didn't want to live this dependent life anymore, and if possible, they wanted to continue running the pharmacy.
But seeing that Leng Chuchen seemed to have something urgent to do, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.
On the way back to the Crown Prince's residence, Luo Zhiwan couldn't help but ask:
"Why are you in such a hurry to go back? Is something the matter?"
"My father summoned me to the palace urgently, but I don't know why."
"Oh, then you go ahead. I'll go back to the Crown Prince's residence alone."
"No, let me take you home first, then it's not too late to go."
Seeing that he was determined to do so, she did not insist any further.
However, she always felt that his expression was not good, and perhaps this trip to the palace was not a good thing!
Sure enough, after Leng Chuchen entered the palace, the emperor told him directly that Princess Chang Le wanted to marry him, and he had already written to the Southern Yuan Kingdom. After receiving a response from them, the matter would be settled.
Leng Chuchen immediately refused.
“Father, how can a marriage be treated so lightly? Princess Chang Le’s betrothed is Leng Chu Yang. How can this be changed suddenly? I will not allow this.”
"My letter has been sent. We should receive a reply in about two months. In reality, it's just a formality. The emperor of Nanyuan Kingdom dotes on Princess Chang Le. He will grant any request Princess Chang Le makes. You should be prepared for that!"
“Father, I disagree with this matter. I was just about to tell you that I want to marry Luo Zhiwan as my principal wife. I hope you will grant me permission.”
"No way, don't even think about it."
"But my son and I are truly in love."
"As the crown prince of the Celestial Empire, you should not have true love. The woman you truly love will eventually become a source of trouble. Do not go against the will of Heaven."
"Doesn't the Crown Prince have the right to be with the woman he loves? If so, I'd rather not have the position of Crown Prince."
"presumptuous!"
The emperor's face turned ashen in an instant, and his teeth clenched so hard they rattled.
"Leng Chuchen, this is the second time you have said such things because of Luo Zhiwan. Don't think that I dare not depose you. Even if you are no longer the crown prince, as long as you are surnamed Leng, and as long as Princess Chang Le is willing, you will have to marry Princess Chang Le. You have no choice."
"Even if my surname wasn't Leng, I wouldn't want to marry a woman I don't like at all."
He stood up and reiterated,
"In this life, I, Leng Chuchen, will marry no one but Luo Zhiwan. If Father Emperor insists on forcing me, I will resist with my life."
After saying that, he turned around without hesitation, flicked his clothes, and strode away.
The emperor paused for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh.
"Youthful and impetuous, just like me back in my prime!"
Eunuch Hu took two steps forward and echoed him.
"Yes, it's just a pity!"
He knew the Emperor's affairs better than anyone else. He had been by the Emperor's side since the Emperor was the Crown Prince. At that time, the Emperor fell in love with a palace maid, but they were eventually ruthlessly separated by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. The palace maid was also secretly executed by the Empress Dowager. Even today, the Emperor speaks of the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager with deep hatred.
Now that his son is about to follow in his footsteps, he finally understands the good intentions of the late emperor and empress dowager.
If he had insisted on marrying the young palace maid he liked back then, without the Qi family as his backing, the imperial court would probably have been in grave danger long ago.
So even though Leng Chuchen hates him, he still has to do it.
If he were to form a marriage alliance with the Southern Yuan Kingdom, it would only bring him benefits, not harm.
On the contrary, Luo Zhiwan was just a commoner. What benefits could she bring him besides giving him a son?
Thinking of this, he instructed Eunuch Hu:
"Tell the Empress that some people need to be dealt with. Don't be so sentimental; don't cry so much!"
Although it was somewhat cruel, he had no choice but to do so for the sake of royal power.
After receiving the Emperor's decree, Empress Qi felt instantly at ease and that everything was going smoothly.
She already hated Luo Zhiwan to the core, and now that the Emperor was backing her, she became even more unscrupulous. She immediately ordered Rouge to get rid of this woman as quickly as possible.
Wei Changle's intention to break off the engagement infuriated Leng Chuyang.
When Wei Changle first arrived, he glanced at her a few times and was quite satisfied with her. However, to his surprise, Wei Changle didn't even look at him twice before she directly wanted to break off the engagement and marry someone else, and the person she was marrying was his own brother.
From childhood to adulthood, his older brother was superior to him in every way. His father and mother always placed high hopes on his brother and gave him all the best things. He never cared about it, because he was not interested in power and status and only wanted to be an idle person.
But this time, Wei Changle came to marry him and wanted to live in the Crown Prince's residence. Leng Chuchen actually agreed, which made him a little angry. What angered him even more was that his father canceled his engagement with Wei Changle without consulting him. What would the court officials think of him? What would the people in the city say about him behind his back?
Thinking about all this, he immediately decided to go to the Crown Prince's residence to demand an explanation.
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