Although Shangguan Jingci didn't say it, he knew that his son ultimately resented him. He resented him for neglecting his mother, for not visiting her, and even more so for not fulfilling any of his responsibilities as a father.
So after his mother's death, whenever he introduced himself to strangers, Shangguan Jingci would say his name was Wangbei. Not Shangguan Wangbei, but Chu Wangbei.
...
...
Shu Hua heard all of this from Shangguan Jingci's personal guards after they went to the Kingdom of Qing. At the time, everyone except Shangguan Jingci thought she would be the woman he liked, including herself. That's why he traveled all the way to the Kingdom of Yu to bring her, the daughter of a merchant, back with him.
Therefore, when she first arrived in the Kingdom of Jing, everyone treated her with complete openness. However, even after she left the Kingdom of Jing, Shangguan Jingci never gave her a formal title, though he did take two concubines as wives.
It seems they just took her back to use her as a decoration.
After Shangguan Jingci returned to Qing Kingdom, he immediately began to attend to political affairs, completely ignoring matters concerning the inner court. The concubines were all powerful ministers in the court, and seeing that she had no official status and came from another country, they took every means to bully her.
Shu Hua truly had no family background in the country. It wasn't that the Shu family didn't have shops in the country, but even if they did, it wouldn't matter. What she seemed to have was only money.
However, she had been hanging out with Shu Zhan since before her teeth even grew in, and had completely picked up his roguish ways. She retaliated in kind against them for every bullying they did to her.
No matter how much they argued, Shangguan Jingci wouldn't care. Besides, the two concubines were in the wrong to begin with, and they wouldn't tell Shangguan Jingci on their own initiative, so she wasn't afraid at all.
However, whenever she inadvertently heard Shangguan Jingci's clear and cheerful laughter coming from the concubine's room, she couldn't help but tear up.
She wasn't afraid of being far from home, nor was she afraid of being wronged. She was only afraid that he had no feelings for her, yet still brought her back, only to cruelly tell her, when everyone thought she was his, that he had never loved her.
It must be said that Shangguan Jingci is very perceptive. Shu Hua's understanding of him is limited to what he is willing to let her know, but his understanding of her is much greater than she thought.
He knew exactly how to hurt her, especially.
The laughter and chatter from next door that day were as frequent as ever, and Shu Hua had grown accustomed to it. But the sound grew closer and closer, eventually reaching her courtyard.
Seeing Shangguan Jingci, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, standing right in front of her, Shu Hua was somewhat stunned. She stood up, unsure what to do, and wanted to call a maid to make tea.
Before she could speak, two concubines arrived.
They smiled with disdain and contempt, and said to her, "Miss Shu, you know that His Highness always appoints people based on merit and never keeps anyone idle. You've lived in the Crown Prince's residence for so long without contributing anything, so His Highness has decided to have you move out."
“Look…” They exchanged a glance and laughed even harder. “When are you planning to leave? Should His Highness send a carriage to take you away?”
Shu Hua's words caught in her throat. She felt a strange tightness in her throat, blinked her stinging eyes, and looked at Shangguan Jingci: "Is this...your decision?"
Amidst the undisguised mockery of the concubines, she heard him speak with extreme cruelty, saying to her, "Yes."
Shu Hua's legs suddenly felt weak, but thankfully she grabbed the table in front of her to keep from losing her last shred of dignity. But no matter what, in his eyes she was already utterly pathetic.
She left the Kingdom of Qing the next day, and after sitting in the carriage for two days without closing her eyes, she returned to the capital.
...
Shu Hua pulled herself back to reality, picked up the letter of divorce from the table, examined it carefully, and finally couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
The letter said that he had wronged her, and that the governor of the seven states could order him to cede seven cities to the Yu Kingdom, and that even if she were a beggar, the governor of the seven states could support her.
Consider it his compensation to her.
Perhaps in his mind, she was no different from the beggars on the street, both wagging their tails and begging for his generous charity.
Shu Hua chuckled softly. Shangguan Jingci just liked to complicate simple things. It was like how he insisted on taking her back to Qing Kingdom after she lost her virginity to him.
Don't get me wrong, this is not the same as being responsible.
She had hosted a banquet at Dingtai Restaurant because he was being criticized, hoping to win back Shuji's business.
Shangguan Jingci was a key figure, so he had to be invited. The eldest prince was also the host at the time, so he was invited to come as well.
The two were not subjects of the same country after all, and beneath the seemingly calm surface, undercurrents were actually surging.
The eldest prince, under the orders of Emperor Yuming, drugged Shangguan Jingci's wine. However, the wine was handed to him by Shu Hua, so he naturally blamed Shu Hua for it.
Shu Hua was completely unaware of the situation, and had no idea why Shangguan Jingci was so eager to have her. However, seeing his distressed appearance, she softened and gave herself to him.
When the drug took effect, Shangguan Jingci showed none of his usual gentleness. He only kept taking from her, and there was no emotion in his eyes. He was even extremely cold.
That night, Shu Hua was in a lot of pain, but she was also very satisfied.
She felt satisfied that she could help him.
After Shangguan Jingci realized what was happening, he couldn't help but feel disgusted by Emperor Yuming's treacherous nature.
On the one hand, they made him come to choose a husband and marry a woman; on the other hand, they were reluctant to marry their own daughter to him. So they used this despicable method to force him to marry the daughter of a powerless merchant.
But he wasn't the only prince in the Kingdom of Keqing. Even though he was already the crown prince, if he ruined a girl on a mission and didn't take responsibility, the other princes would inevitably start a fight against him.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
