Chapter 101 The Abandoned Eldest Daughter Makes a Comeback (25 chapters)
Xiao Chengxu also refused to believe it, barely suppressing his anger as he watched his mother arrange for someone to inquire again.
However, his outward composure was nothing but a fragile disguise. Deep inside, he was like an isolated island ravaged by a storm, where fear and anxiety were growing wildly, causing his thoughts to become chaotic and his mind to be in turmoil.
As they waited anxiously, Qiaozhi walked in with a heavy expression and said with difficulty, "Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince, that... is indeed Miss Shen Yunzhen."
The Empress's pupils dilated, and she was momentarily speechless before urgently asking, "Really? Are you sure it's her?"
Qiaozhi nodded bitterly.
As the head maid of Fengyi Palace, she had watched the Crown Prince grow up and naturally knew how much he valued that Miss Shen. But now, the person the Crown Prince cherished most had entered his father's harem. One can only imagine how heartbroken he must be.
She looked at Xiao Chengxu with concern, but didn't know what to say.
"this……"
The Empress was speechless for a moment.
Qiaozhi understood Xiao Chengxu, and as his mother, the Empress naturally understood him even better. She knew exactly what kind of place the long-admired Miss Shen held in her son's heart.
He even told her that he would marry no one but her in this lifetime.
So the Empress knew that Chengxu and that woman had been entangled for so long, and all sorts of rumors were circulating, yet he hadn't asked her to grant them a marriage, simply because the woman was unwilling.
The Empress was naturally unhappy about this. She had always looked down on the other woman's status, and now she was even more disdainful of marrying Chengxu. However, her son's heart was with the other woman. To avoid putting her son in a difficult position, she had no choice but to suppress her dissatisfaction.
But now it seems that this woman is indeed someone who is unwilling to be ordinary.
She didn't want to marry the crown prince because she wanted to rise to the top in one step.
The Empress could no longer suppress her dissatisfaction with Shen Yunzhen, and anger flared in her eyes.
"Such a restless woman..."
Before the Empress could finish speaking, Xiao Chengxu suddenly shouted, "No, Yunzhen isn't that kind of person!"
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force: "It was Father Emperor, it must have been Father Emperor, he forced Yunzhen!"
Having spent so much time together these past few days, Xiao Chengxu naturally knew that Shen Yunzhen didn't value power. In Yunzhen's eyes, his status was perhaps less important than a plate of delicious pastries.
On the other hand, Yunzhen also prefers handsome young men, not old men like her father.
Therefore, Yunzhen's entry into the palace must have been forced by her father, the Emperor!
"shut up!"
The Empress was greatly alarmed. She cautiously glanced outside the door and saw that the palace maids were standing at a distance and could not possibly have heard their conversation. Only then did she feel slightly relieved.
She took a deep breath and lowered her voice, saying, "Chengxu, calm down. Your mother knows your feelings for her, but now she has been brought into the palace by your father and is living in Lanyue Palace. Don't you understand what this means?"
The Empress was naturally heartbroken to see her son in such a state, but the other party was the Emperor, and as his son, he could not say such rebellious words.
"No, I have to take her out. Yunzhen loves to play and cause trouble; how can she possibly tolerate this square palace?"
Xiao Chengxu was stunned, seemingly not having heard the Empress's words. His fingers unconsciously clenched tighter, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood seeping out between his fingers, but he was completely unaware.
The Empress was horrified and grabbed Xiao Chengxu's hand tightly, feeling a pang of sorrow in her heart.
“Chengxu, don’t be foolish. Your mother knows you’re upset, but what can you do now? He personally brought her into the palace. If you keep pestering her, you’ll only anger your father, which will do no good for either of you.”
Xiao Chengxu slowly but firmly brushed away the Empress's hand, his eyes filled with stubbornness and determination.
"Mother, I can give up everything else, but not Yunzhen. I will never back down, not even to Father!"
Having said that, he strode out without waiting for the Empress to say anything more.
"Chengxu, stop right there! Quick, stop him—"
Ignoring the commotion behind him, Xiao Chengxu rushed out of Fengyi Palace in a few steps.
He instinctively wanted to run towards Lanyue Palace, but as soon as he lifted his leg, he stopped abruptly.
No, he shouldn't be looking for Yun Zhen now; she was also caught in a difficult situation. He should be looking for his father, the Emperor!
Xiao Chengxu turned and hurried towards the Imperial Study.
He wanted to ask him why he had taken Yunzhen from him and why he had brought her into this filthy harem!
Outside the Imperial Study, the guards felt a chill run down their spines when they saw the Crown Prince's gloomy expression.
"Your Highness, you..."
"Get out of the way!"
Xiao Chengxu shoved the guard aside and rushed straight into the imperial study.
Xiao Yuheng was sitting behind his desk reviewing memorials when he heard the noise. He looked up and saw Xiao Chengxu, and his brows furrowed slightly.
He waved his hand, signaling the guards and palace servants who had followed him in to leave, before coldly saying, "Your Highness, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry? Have you even forgotten the rules?"
Xiao Chengxu stood before the desk, his eyes filled with suppressed rage: "Father, I wish to ask you, why did you bring Shen Yunzhen into the palace?!"
Xiao Yuheng put down his pen, his eyes calm. "You've overstepped your bounds."
Stung by this cold attitude, Xiao Chengxu could no longer suppress his anger, and his voice suddenly rose.
"Father! Yunzhen is my fiancée! How can you bring her into the palace? You have so many concubines in your harem. What does this leave Yunzhen? And what does it leave me?"
Xiao Yuheng's expression darkened slightly, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.
"I will personally manage the harem and will ensure that Yunzhen suffers no harm. As for your fiancée, I do not recall ever bestowing a marriage upon you."
Xiao Yuheng's sharp gaze did not deter Xiao Chengxu. He looked directly at Xiao Yuheng and said, word by word:
“Father, why pretend to be stupid? Since you went to such lengths to bring Yunzhen into the palace, you must already know the relationship between Yunzhen and me perfectly well, right? Everyone in the capital knows that she is the one I love, and everyone considers us a couple. In that case, how can Yunzhen not be my fiancée?”
Xiao Yuheng's face instantly darkened, a chill emanated from his eyes, and the air pressure around him suddenly dropped.
But he was a seasoned official, and in a short while, he suppressed his emotions and regained his calm and composed demeanor.
He slightly raised his eyes. "I have never bestowed a marriage upon you. Since there is no imperial decree, how can there be talk of an engaged couple? Since ancient times, marriage has been a matter of parental consent and matchmaker's words. How can it be decided arbitrarily?"
Xiao Chengxu felt a pang of pain in his heart from Xiao Yuheng's words, his eyes filled with anger and resentment.
Looking at that perpetually calm face, Xiao Chengxu couldn't help but feel a surge of hatred.
Damn the righteous cause, damn the feudal ethics and moral codes!
Xiao Chengxu stared intently at Xiao Yuheng, "Father, aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world for doing this?"
"Even if you don't care, do you want Yunzhen to be ridiculed along with you?!"
When Xiao Yuheng heard Xiao Chengxu's question, he remained calm and unmoved, showing no dissatisfaction with Xiao Chengxu's disrespectful attitude.
"Does the Crown Prince think I would allow gossip to humiliate Yunzhen?"
Since he dared to bring Yunzhen back to the palace, he had already prepared for the criticism from all over the world. He didn't care about such things. As for those rumors that might harm Yunzhen, he had his own ways to nip them in the bud.
Xiao Chengxu met Xiao Yuheng's gaze without flinching in the slightest.
"It's not that I think so, but rather that Your Majesty's actions reveal this very meaning!"
Xiao Yuheng chuckled lightly, a sharp glint flashing in his deep eyes. "If anyone dares to speak recklessly, whether a court official or a palace servant, the lightest punishment will be demotion and salary reduction, and the heaviest will be exile or execution."
"I want to see whether their tongues are harder or my blade is sharper."
At this moment, Xiao Yuheng finally revealed a hint of the sharpness and domineering nature befitting the ruler of the world.
Xiao Yuheng would never allow Shen Yunzhen to suffer even the slightest slander, even if the world regarded him as a foolish ruler blinded by lust, he would not hesitate.
He is only thirty-seven years old now, but he has been in power for more than ten years. Through all the ups and downs over the years, he has consolidated his power step by step and is by no means a puppet emperor who can be manipulated by others.
Having experienced power struggles, he accumulated enough strength and confidence to protect Shen Yunzhen.
Xiao Chengxu was startled, then became even more furious: "By doing this, aren't you putting Yun Zhen in the eye of the storm? Do you want to clear away the rumors for her, or do you want to push her into an abyss of no return!"
Xiao Yuheng smiled slowly, his expression relaxed, unrestrained and domineering, a stark contrast to his usual aloof, reserved, and composed demeanor.
"In this world, I am the rule, I am the order. If I say Yunzhen is a flawless jade, no one will dare to say a word against her; if I want to protect her, no rumors will be able to get close."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp, his tone carrying a hint of instruction and profound meaning.
"You think I've put her in the spotlight? But you must understand, under this imperial power, if I want to, I can build an impregnable wall for her. Those so-called rumors are nothing but the voices of ants; I can crush them with a flick of my finger."
At this moment, Xiao Yuheng exuded confidence and arrogance. He slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked into the distance through the palace gate, and spoke in a deep and powerful voice.
"Imperial power is not only a supreme position, but also a power that transcends all rules. I can make rules, and I can break rules. I can silence the mouths of the people; I can make them obey my will."
When absolute power is attained, public criticism, the constraints of social norms, and even so-called moral principles are nothing but illusions.
He turned around, his gaze returning to Xiao Chengxu, his tone carrying a hint of coldness and authority.
"As the crown prince, you should not be bound by those empty rules of etiquette. A true strongman does not conform to the rules, but controls them."
Xiao Chengxu stared blankly at Xiao Yuheng, his heart churning with complex emotions.
There was both resentment towards him and a sense of indescribable shock and confusion.
Xiao Yuheng's words were like a sharp knife, dissecting Xiao Chengxu's shallowness.
He was too young, still somewhat naive and immature. Only then did he truly realize that the gap between himself and his father was not just in status and position, but also in their understanding and control of power.
After a long silence, Xiao Chengxu finally found his voice and spoke with difficulty: "Father, does possessing this power mean you can disregard human ethics and wantonly trample on other people's feelings? Yunzhen... she also has her own wishes. When you forcibly brought her into the palace, did you ever consider her wishes? Do you really care about her?"
His eyes gleamed with resentment, stubbornness, and a deep obsession.
No matter what, he will never give up on Yunzhen!
Xiao Yuheng stared at him for a moment, but did not answer directly. Instead, he changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of meaning.
"Your Highness, I tell you all this today so that you may understand that in this deep palace, and in this world, only by wielding absolute power can you truly protect those you wish to protect. If you truly wish to contend with me, then first make yourself strong."
After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling Xiao Chengxu to step down.
Xiao Chengxu stood there, feeling as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart, making it almost impossible to breathe.
He knew that he had lost today, and had lost miserably.
He impulsively ran over, only to find that he was powerless to change anything. Faced with absolute power and suppression, all his resistance seemed so pale and powerless, and for the first time he realized so clearly how powerless and insignificant he was.
He gave Xiao Yuheng a deep look, a resolute and determined glint in his eyes. Then, he turned and left, his back still upright, but now imbued with a sense of heaviness and resolve.
He wants to carve out a future for himself and Yunzhen amidst this vortex of power struggles!
"etc."
Just as Xiao Chengxu was about to step out of the imperial study, Xiao Yuheng suddenly called out to him.
Xiao Chengxu's steps suddenly faltered, then he turned around and bowed respectfully.
"Father, is there anything else you need?"
Xiao Chengxu lowered his eyes, his voice calm and composed, carrying just the right amount of humility and obedience. His expression was as still as water, showing no trace of the young man who had been blinded by anger and resentment just moments before.
Clearly, in the clash just now, in this brutal confrontation with reality, he underwent a profound transformation and growth.
Xiao Yuheng remained silent for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of hardness.
"If you... want to see her, then go ahead."
Sunlight streamed obliquely through the carved window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Xiao Yuheng lowered his eyes slightly, his thick eyelashes casting a small shadow that concealed the turbulent emotions within, making it impossible for anyone to glimpse the depths of his heart.
Xiao Chengxu suddenly raised his head.
"Father, what did you say?!"
His heart began to pound, barely able to contain his excitement, yet he forced himself to suppress all the turmoil.
Xiao Yuheng didn't repeat himself, he just waved his hand and said, "Go."
Xiao Chengxu suddenly turned around and strode out.
At this moment, he had no time to ponder whether this was a test from his father, nor did he care to speculate on the deeper meaning behind this sudden permission. His mind was completely filled with Shen Yunzhen's figure, leaving nothing else to his thoughts.
"Don't let anyone see you."
Behind him, Xiao Yuheng's deep, hoarse voice came again.
Xiao Chengxu paused slightly, but did not turn around. He simply nodded and then quickened his pace, heading towards the Lanyue Palace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
