Chapter 16 The prince has a straight nose and a big Adam’s apple…
Shen Xingwan frowned, stood up and walked towards the servant, "Did you hear it wrong? Are you sure it's the Third Prince?"
Seeing this, the servant did not dare to be negligent and bowed his head to the ground.
"I dare not speak nonsense. Everyone in the palace saw it just now. The envoy sent by Yan State met with the Imperial Concubine and the Third Prince alone."
"Even if you meet him, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to establish him as the crown prince."
The servant raised his head and said, "Not long after the envoy met the Third Prince, the historian was summoned. Everyone said that they were going to draft an edict to appoint a crown prince."
Shen Xingwan felt heavy in his heart, as if a huge rock was crushing him, and he twisted the handkerchief in his hand fiercely.
She ordered the servant: "Send father's clothes to the palace, and then find out more information."
The servant left in response. Shen Xingwan stood for a while, then slumped down on the chair in a daze.
Madam Shen saw her dejected look and sighed, "Forget it, it was you who insisted on canceling the arranged marriage with the Third Prince. Now whether he is the Crown Prince or not is none of your business."
Shen Xingwan smiled bitterly in his heart.
She didn't regret losing the good position of Crown Princess, she hated herself so much that she couldn't bring that guy down.
She originally wanted to bring him down step by step so that he would never have the chance to succeed to the throne. He died of depression due to his unfulfilled ambitions.
But now, he has become the crown prince without the help of the Shen family, and is only one step away from the throne.
If he really ascended the throne and became the new emperor, how could she, a mere daughter of the Shen family, shake his position?
Her father and brother were loyal and upright, and would never help her to kill the king. But was it really impossible to reverse Wei Zilin's fate of becoming the emperor?
Shen Xingwan clenched her fists. She couldn't let the situation continue like this.
She waited in the mansion for the servant to bring back news, but for several days, not even a bird flew out of the palace, and the atmosphere was extremely eerie.
Shen Xingwan waited in vain. She thought that Yan Jinghuan must be on standby in the palace at this time, and it was useless to look for him. After thinking it over, she dressed and went into the palace to find Princess Guang'an.
She finally heard the news that made her despair from Princess Guang'an.
"My third brother has indeed been secretly appointed as the crown prince. He is now the crown prince. However, our father is dying and we are afraid that something unexpected will happen, so we have not announced it to the public yet."
Shen Xingwan sat dejectedly on the couch, completely exhausted, and almost dropped the teacup in his hand.
Princess Guang'an saw this and smiled, "You, you bet on the wrong horse. If you had married the third brother, you would be the Crown Princess now, and there would be no chance for that shrew from the Lu family."
After saying that, he threw down the melon seeds, patted Shen Xingwan's hand, and moved closer to her, "But, in terms of character, talent and appearance, Yan Jinghuan is indeed better. You still have good taste."
"He has a straight nose and a big Adam's apple..." Princess Guang'an smiled softly and blinked at her, "You will be blessed in the future."
Shen Xingwan was stunned for a moment when she heard the words. She raised her eyes and saw her teasing smile. Her cheeks immediately turned red. "Princess, you are joking."
"Hey, between us, there's no need to be shy. There's nothing that can't be said."
Princess Guang'an also blushed and picked up a silk handkerchief beside her to fan herself. "But, none of them can compare to your brother. Your brother is the best."
"Princess......"
"Hahaha, okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. You are such a conservative person."
"By the way, when you get married in a few days, your brother will definitely come back from the border. When that happens, you must be the first to tell me so that I can go find him."
Shen Xingwan was in a state of confusion. Looking at the rosy-faced Princess Guang'an in front of her, she could already imagine the pitiful look on her face as her honest brother was taken advantage of by her.
She had something on her mind and could not chat and joke with the princess any longer. She agreed to a few words casually and then stood up to leave.
Shen Xingwan came out of Princess Guang'an in a daze. The dazzling sunlight shone on her, but she felt it was particularly blinding.
She stood on the palace road and suddenly felt like drawing her sword and looking around, feeling confused.
What should she do next?
Shen Xingwan thought for a while and decided to find Yan Jinghuan first to find out why the Yan envoy suddenly supported the third prince to become the crown prince.
Yan Jinghuan had clearly promised the emperor that he would support the fourteenth prince Wei Zihui.
She made up her mind, looked up to find the direction, and walked towards the resting place specially set up by the Regent in the palace.
Before she could get closer, she saw a group of people walking towards her from afar. When she saw that the person leading them was the third prince Wei Zilin, it was already too late to avoid them.
In the long corridor, Shen Xingwan stood at the foot of the palace wall with his head bowed and stood quietly, giving way to the nobleman according to the rules, allowing him to pass first.
Wei Zilin was wearing a scarlet dragon robe and a golden crown to tie his hair. He walked in a very elegant and proud manner.
He caught a glimpse of Shen Xingwan standing beside the palace road, paused, raised his eyebrows and smiled, raised his hand slightly to wave away his followers, and walked forward leisurely.
He walked up to Shen Xingwan, without saying a word, just smiled at her, obviously in a good mood.
After a stalemate, Shen Xingwan had no choice but to bow and greet him, "Your Highness, your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Wei Zilin chuckled and teased her, "You are well-informed."
Shen Xingwan lowered his eyes and said nothing.
Wei Zilin's smile gradually faded, and his tone became colder, "Stand up, what brings you to the palace now?"
"I, a humble servant, follow the order of Princess Guang'an and enter the palace to accompany the emperor."
The words were spoken in a hard voice, without any emotion.
Wei Zilin didn't care. He was in a very good mood and didn't seem to want to embarrass her. Instead, he smiled and said, "She has indeed been kept under house arrest these past few days. If she feels bored, it would be good for you to come and accompany her more often."
As he said that, he reached out to hold her hand, "Or, come and accompany me..."
Shen Xingwan frowned and quickly took a step back to avoid his hand.
The smile on Wei Zilin's lips froze. He licked his back teeth, twisted his fingertips lightly, and clenched them into a fist and placed it at his side.
He raised his eyes and stared at her soft eyebrows, his eyes were indescribably sinister.
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine and Mr. Zhang are still waiting for you, you..."
The follower who couldn't help but come forward to remind and urge him saw the expression on his face, and was so frightened that he lowered his head and dared not say another word.
After a long while, Wei Zilin took a deep breath and laughed at himself in relief, "I don't know how I have offended you to make you hate me so much."
"I don't dare."
"Don't dare?" Wei Zilin sneered, "You'd better really don't dare."
He looked her up and down, raised his hand and patted her shoulder meaningfully, as if to comfort her, "It's okay, there's still a long time to go, I have plenty of time to clear up the misunderstanding with you."
After saying this, he closed his fingertips, grasped her slender shoulders lovingly, turned around and walked away without looking back.
After the group walked away and gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor, Shen Xingwan let out a long sigh and leaned dejectedly against the cold and hard palace wall.
She patted the shoulder where he had touched, trying to get rid of the scent he left behind.
The scent of cypress that once made her feel at ease now made her feel extremely nauseous at the mere smell of it.
When she thought of the look Wei Zilin had given her just now, she felt uncomfortable all over.
That look was like a jackal looking at fish on a chopping board.
She knew that he would never let her go.
She must not, must not let him succeed.
He must not be allowed to ascend the throne and become emperor, no matter who it is, no matter who inherits the throne, it is better than letting Wei Zilin take the throne!
Shen Xingwan was constantly screening and comparing those candidates who were qualified to succeed the throne, when suddenly, a timid little face flashed through her mind.
Yes, the Fourteenth Prince Wei Zihui, isn’t he the most suitable candidate?
The emperor favors him, and the regent Yan Jinghuan also supports him. If the Shen family can help him, he may be able to compete with Wei Zilin.
She made up her mind, immediately grabbed the hem of her skirt and hurried towards Yan Jinghuan.
The guards outside the Regent's residence had obviously received instructions, and Shen Xingwan did not encounter any obstruction and walked in as if he were in an empty space.
"The prince has been resting here for the past few days. He is currently meeting with an envoy from the State of Yan. I'm afraid it's inconvenient for us to meet. Miss Shen, please go to the side room first and we'll meet again later."
The little palace maid explained along the way, led Shen Xingwan into a side room, served her some tea and snacks before closing the door and leaving.
Shen Xingwan sat on the couch in the side room and looked around. The furnishings in the side room were low-key and luxurious, and there was a faint smell of cold pine in the air.
She slowly closed her eyes and felt a little more at ease.
"Your Majesty, are you really that stubborn? The Queen is already very angry because of you doing this. This is your last chance. You must not disobey the Queen again."
"I have made up my mind. Please report the truth to me after you return to Yan State."
The sound of conversation outside was really impossible to ignore. Shen Xingwan moved to the window, slightly opened the window and looked out.
"Your Majesty! Please think twice...Who?!"
When the man outside shouted, Shen Xingwan immediately closed the window.
The door was pushed open, and the little palace maid led two people in. They were Yan Jinghuan and the envoy from the State of Yan.
Yan Jinghuan's frown suddenly relaxed when he saw Shen Xingwan. He smiled and stretched out his hand to her, "Come here."
Shen Xingwan lowered his head, walked forward guiltily and bowed.
"How long have you been waiting? Why don't you tell me?"
Shen Xingwan glanced at the Yan envoy with embarrassment and said, "I heard that you were meeting an important guest, so I don't want to disturb you."
Yan Jinghuan laughed, took her hand, and said, "It is important to meet the guests, but you are also important. You don't have to wait to see me in the future. Just come and see me directly."
After saying this, he looked at the envoy from Yan State and said, "I have more important things to do. Please go back first, sir."
The envoy from the State of Yan was stunned for a moment, then his face turned blue and red. He wanted to say something, but Yan Jinghuan had already pulled Shen Xingwan into the side room, and said, as if coaxing a child, that he would take her to see something good.
The envoy looked at Shen Xingwan for a long time, and finally bowed reluctantly.
"I will take my leave. After bidding farewell to the Emperor of Wei, I will leave for Yan State. I hope Your Majesty will consider the matter I have raised with you carefully and give me a reply as soon as possible."
Yan Jinghuan didn't even turn his head, but raised his hand to indicate that he understood.
The envoy gritted his teeth and said loudly, "The Emperor and Empress of Yan have ordered that the Second Prince Yan Jinghuan should break off the engagement with the daughter of the Shen family of Wei as soon as possible and sever all ties with her!"
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