Chapter 170 Deposed? She immediately kicked him while he was down.
But he did not plead for mercy again.
Emperor Anqing looked at Yan Jue beside him and said, "The Regent Prince performed well today; he does have some of the style he had back then."
Yan Jue and Emperor Anqing were sworn brothers back then. If there was anyone in the world who understood Emperor Anqing better than himself, it would be Yan Jue.
Yan Jue knew that Emperor Anqing had emerged from the struggle for the throne among the nine princes in his youth, so naturally he would not tolerate anyone coveting the throne while he was in good health.
The Emperor is suspicious and never trusts anyone. Yan Jue, who has been with Emperor Anqing since the beginning, understood this long ago.
Yan Jue chuckled and said, "Your Majesty is too kind. As a minister of Dongyue, it is only right that I share Your Majesty's burdens in such matters."
“You really have changed since Shen Pingjin married you.”
Upon hearing Yan Jue's words, Emperor Anqing couldn't help but speak.
"That's right."
Yan Jue gave Chen Pingjin an ambiguous smile.
Chen Pingjin: "..."
How did the conversation end up involving her?
"You are already the Regent, so I have no need to reward you with official titles. Instead, I will reward you with a thousand taels of gold and two chests of precious jewelry for the Regent's wife."
"Your Majesty is too kind."
Shen Pingjin was actually quite happy; she preferred money to power.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Neither of them mentioned the matter of Su Xuanmao being deposed as crown prince. Yan Jue, in particular, curled his lips into a mocking smile when he saw Su Xuanmao's disheveled appearance.
Emperor Anqing waved his hand dismissively, not even glancing at Su Xuanmao and Shen Ruixue on the ground, and walked straight out.
"Eunuch Shun, let's go back to the inn."
"Yes, sir!"
Seeing that Emperor Anqing had left, Shen Pingjin and Yan Jue did not intend to stay any longer. However, just as Shen Pingjin took a step, something suddenly grabbed her ankle, making her unable to move.
Shen Pingjin turned around in surprise and found Su Xuanmao clutching his ankle with a look of resentment.
Yan Jue also noticed the woman's unusual behavior and followed Shen Pingjin's gaze to find Su Xuanmao on the ground.
The once-glorious crown prince was slapped to the ground by Emperor Anqing and left in a sorry state.
Shen Ruixue was, after all, Su Xuanmao's lawfully wedded wife. If Su Xuanmao was disgraced, she would be disgraced too. She immediately stepped forward and helped Su Xuanmao up from the ground.
His bright yellow brocade robe was stained with dust, mirroring Su Xuanmao's fall into the dust.
Shen Ruixue still had some feelings for Su Xuanmao, and she didn't want Shen Pingjin to laugh at her, so she quickly patted his clothes to blow away the dust.
"I wonder why Your Highness grabbed my aunt's ankle?"
Su Xuanmao stared intently into Shen Pingjin's eyes, his bloodshot gaze sweeping across her face, trying to discern the expression on her face as she spoke.
Sure enough, he saw mockery in her eyes.
His eyes instantly blazed with fury: "Shen Pingjin, did you already know about this when you refused to marry me?"
"Your Highness, you are exaggerating. My aunt has simply fallen for someone else."
Shen Pingjin held a handkerchief in her hand, appearing unusually calm compared to Su Xuanmao's anger.
She was a reborn person and did indeed know about this matter. However, in her previous life, although Su Xuanmao was convicted, he was not crippled.
She herself was puzzled, wondering where things had gone wrong...
"Chen Pingjin, are you very excited to see that I have been deposed as crown prince?"
"I thought you would feel sorry for me at least a little, but... I was wrong. You'd love for me to fall from grace and laugh at me!"
Su Xuanmao's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Yan Jue, who was frowning beside him.
"And you too! Yan Jue. You've always been at odds with me, and seeing me like this now, you must be feeling even more disgusted."
"You didn't speak up only because you are my elder."
Yan Jue shrugged. "If that's what Your Highness thinks, then so be it."
"After all, I cannot interfere with your thoughts."
Su Xuanmao felt like he had punched cotton; he was unwilling to accept it.
"I'm not trying to be mean, Shen Pingjin, but Brother Su was so devoted to you before, and now that he's in trouble, you haven't even said a word of comfort or consideration. Don't you have any conscience?!"
Shen Ruixue couldn't stand it anymore and angrily pointed her finger to speak up for Su Xuanmao.
"You talk as if you have a conscience."
Shen Pingjin chuckled: "Back then, I wonder who drugged Qingmei and switched the bridal sedan chair with their own sister, trying every means to become the Crown Princess."
"What, now that Su Xuanmao has been crippled, you're trying to pin this mess on my sister?"
"Or are you jealous, envious, and resentful because you see how well my husband treats me?"
These words were like lightning, striking Shen Ruixue's heart with each and every one of them.
"I...I didn't."
Although she regrets it a little now, there's nothing she can do about it.
Looking at Yan Jue and Shen Pingjin holding hands, and at the way the Emperor had looked at the Regent just now, she felt more and more regretful, her heart filled with remorse.
Having been reborn twice, Shen Pingjin had long since figured out Shen Ruixue's character.
Knowing that she was just being stubborn and had already regretted it, I felt incredibly relieved.
Shen Ruixue, Shen Ruixue, you've finally met your match?
"No? That's good. I didn't want to say it, but since you said no, I'll tell you what's on my mind."
Shen Pingjin looked at Shen Ruixue's pale and thin face, and spoke each word with profound meaning.
"Today, I am here to thank you, my younger sister, for setting up that scheme that day, which allowed me to successfully marry Brother Yan and become his only wife."
"You don't really think the Regent is a womanizer, do you? Humph, you probably can't imagine how good he is to me."
Shen Pingjin hugged Yan Jue's lean waist beside her: "Husband, don't you think so?"
When your wife is putting on an act, how can you not play along?
Yan Jue quickly replied, "Yes, marrying Jin'er is my blessing."
"I thank you very much. If it weren't for your scheme that day, I wouldn't have been able to marry Pingjin."
Shen Ruixue could hardly believe it.
She thought she must have misheard.
These words, coming from Shen Pingjin's mouth, made Shen Ruixue feel like Shen Pingjin was provoking her.
But when she saw that this notoriously philandering regent had actually spoken, she was truly shocked.
But after the initial shock came intense jealousy.
She finally became the Crown Princess, but the Crown Prince was deposed. She sat on this position with great joy, expecting Su Xuanmao's doting love, but what she was met with was a bucket of cold water and indifference.
It shouldn't be like this.
Shen Ruixue felt that something must have been changed in secret.
Shen Pingjin could also see Shen Ruixue's confusion and shock. She chuckled and no longer concealed her emotions.
"Su Xuanmao, I never knew you would be crippled. I don't want to marry you simply because I don't love you anymore."
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