Chapter 4 Marry me In broad daylight, what are you doing? ! …
The guards stationed at the gate of the mansion immediately rushed over and tried to drag her away.
Shen Xingwan refused to give up this glimmer of hope and knocked on the door with all her might.
Just as the guards were shouting and trying to grab her arms, the huge door slowly opened and a capable steward walked out quickly.
The steward waved his hand and winked, dismissed the guards, and politely bowed to Shen Xingwan and said, "Miss Shen, I am sorry for not coming to meet you in person. Please come in."
Shen Xingwan let go of the copper ring, feeling a little embarrassed. He knew that he was being rude by coming here so rashly without handing in a visiting card.
But there was no time to be so particular about the moment. She pursed her lips, nodded, and followed the steward into the mansion.
Led by the steward, they passed through the corridor and arrived at a garden.
That was probably one of the gardens in the mansion, with pavilions and terraces dotted among various flowers and plants, and in the middle there was a pond with koi swimming around. From afar, a dark figure could be seen standing by the pond, glancing at the fish in the pond.
The steward bowed and left silently.
Shen Xingwan stood there, subconsciously pinching the corner of her clothes, feeling a little at a loss.
Yan Jinghuan lightly twisted the fish food in his hand with his fingertips, letting the fish scramble for it. With a slight smile on his lips, he turned around and looked at Shen Xingwan.
The little girl was running in a hurry, her clothes were thin, her hair was slightly loose, and some of her black hair was sticky on her slightly sweaty white neck, rising and falling slightly with her breathing.
He turned slowly and just looked at her for a while.
It was not until her neck and ears turned red as if blood was dripping out that she finally spoke.
"Don't you have something to ask me? Why don't you come over?"
Shen Xingwan bit her lip, made up her mind, and walked over.
Yan Jinghuan stood with his hands behind his back, his tall figure casting a shadow on the ground against the light.
He saw her slowly approaching, her slender shadow gradually merging into the outline of his shadow.
He looked at the shadow on the ground and asked her casually, "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
Shen Xingwan lowered her head and twisted the corners of her clothes. It seemed as if all her previous courage had died out, and it was really hard to speak.
Her face felt burning and painful, and she wanted to back out, but when she thought of her parents and brothers who were in danger, she had no choice but to stand there.
After a long while, she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum: "Um...you said before that you wanted to marry me, does that still count?"
Yan Jinghuan raised his eyes when he heard that, looked at her meaningfully, and smiled for a long while.
"If I remember correctly, the palace has issued an order to grant you and the third prince a marriage."
He raised his eyebrows, looking directly into her eyes with sharp eyes, “Didn’t Miss Shen receive the imperial edict?”
"Yes."
Shen Xingwan clenched her hands and said anxiously: "But I refused."
Yan Jinghuan was stunned for a moment, but returned to normal in an instant.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of anger appeared in his eyes, and sneered, "Disobeying the order is a capital crime punishable by the death of all nine clans."
"Why do you think I would risk the world's condemnation and kill you, a dying man?"
A heart falls into the abyss.
Shen Xingwan seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant.
Yes, he, Yan Jinghuan, was a child of destiny, the second son of the emperor of the most powerful Yan State, and was sent to serve as regent in the subordinate Wei State.
It was just a coincidence that she helped him a few times when he first arrived in Wei State as a young man, which made the young man fall in love with her and confess his love to her.
She had no feelings for him at that time and flatly rejected his love.
Today, the young boy has grown into a sophisticated and powerful regent. How could he take those stupid words seriously?
Shen Xingwan was disheartened and hung his head dejectedly.
"I am being presumptuous."
She bowed and said, "Goodbye."
Trying hard not to cry, Shen Xingwan turned around and walked out in a hurry.
"Who are you going to find?"
Yan Jinghuan's suppressed questioning came from behind.
Shen Xingwan paused without looking back, "It doesn't matter who you find, we have to find a solution. I don't need the Regent to worry about it. Sorry to bother you."
After saying that, she quickened her pace, but before she took a few steps, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
Yan Jinghuan grabbed her arm and pulled her over, and with his other hand clamped the back of her neck to force her to look at him.
The swan-like white and slender neck sank into his broad palm, as if he could break it with just a little force.
"Will you regret marrying me?"
There was a dark color in his eyes, and his gaze seemed to have substance, as if he wanted to see into her heart.
Shen Xingwan felt relieved, and her eyes immediately misted over and tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Tell me." His fingertips unconsciously stroked the soft skin of her neck.
Shen Xingwan shuddered and shrank for a moment. Yan Jinghuan saw it and his eyes became clearer. He relaxed his grip and said, "I don't want to force it."
“No regrets!”
Shen Xingwan reached out and grasped his arm, looking at him earnestly, "I don't regret it."
The wind suddenly blows, blowing the fallen petals everywhere.
The girl's eyes were filled with tears, glistening tears hung on her soft eyelashes, her nose was red, and she was like a stubborn little animal, clinging tightly to the life-saving straw.
It was chilly in spring, and the little girl's thin clothes were blown tightly to her body by the wind, outlining her beautiful figure, which huddled and shivered slightly.
Yan Jinghuan was silent for a long time, finally raised his hand to take off his black fox cloak, twisted his wrist and put it on her.
Shen Xingwan looked up in surprise, only to see that his expression had softened and he had tied the cloak for her.
The black fox cloak was extremely luxurious, with its fine fur, still carrying the residual warmth from his body and his unique scent of cold pine, which made her face feel hot, and she couldn't help but struggle.
Yan Jinghuan grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "You said it yourself. You can't regret it now."
Shen Xingwan recalled the cruel deeds he had done in his previous life when he was the enemy of the Third Prince, and she did not dare to move again. She could only let him hold her hand and lead her to a wing room.
He ordered someone to re-comb her hair and ordered a carriage to be prepared. He then sat idly on the armchair beside her, quietly looking at her in the diamond-shaped mirror.
Shen Xingwan couldn't avoid his gaze, so she had to lower her head and let the maids do her makeup.
"Your Majesty."
The steward walked in quietly and was about to say something, but when he saw Shen Xingwan, he shut up again.
"It's okay, go ahead." Yan Jinghuan held his chin with his hand, his eyes still on Shen Xingwan.
The steward lowered his eyes and reported softly: "We caught a secret guard. It seems that he followed Miss Shen. We have interrogated him and found that he is from the Queen Mother's side."
Shen Xingwan tensed up instantly and couldn't help but look up to see Yan Jinghuan's reaction.
Yan Jinghuan didn't even raise his eyelids, and said calmly, "Kill him, no need to go back and forth."
"yes."
The steward bowed his head and left.
Shen Xingwan stood there in a daze, truly feeling the biting cold.
Life and death depend on his thoughts.
As if he could see what she was thinking, he curled his lips into a smile, stood up and walked to her side, took the golden hairpin from the maid's hand, and pinned it into her hair himself.
"Are you scared?"
Shen Xingwan didn't know how to answer.
She always had the illusion that if her answer was not to his liking, the golden hairpin would pierce her head directly.
"Let's go."
Yan Jinghuan took her hand and led her out.
Shen Xingwan had never been so close to him before. Even before today, she had never spoken a few words to him. She was really not used to being so close all of a sudden.
Fine beads of sweat oozed out of his boneless palms, and he did not let go until he got into his carriage and drove all the way to the palace.
Shen Xingwan tried several times to pull her hand away to wipe the sweat off her face, but Yan Jinghuan just held her tighter and refused to let go. Over time, she had no choice but to let him do what he wanted.
She had never dared to ask him before, and Yan Jinghuan had never spoken to her.
They were almost reaching the Yangxin Palace when Shen Xingwan realized that he was going to take her to meet the emperor.
Come to think of it, he had never promised to help her.
He kept holding her hand, could it be that he wanted to arrest her and bring her to justice? !
Thinking about it carefully, Shen Xingwan was so terrified that he stopped immediately and refused to take another step forward.
Yan Jinghuan turned around and saw her glaring at him. He didn't know what she was angry about. He looked a little helpless, and then reached out and put his arm around her waist.
Shen Xingwan immediately struggled, "What are you doing in broad daylight?!"
"Stop it."
Yan Jinghuan tightened his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "If you don't want to die, use all your life's acting skills and cooperate with me."
"......"
The warm breath brushed over her ears, making her feel itchy.
He probably didn't want to capture her and kill her.
Thinking this way, Shen Xingwan tried hard to suppress her pounding heart, and quietly let him hold her in his arms, while he used his hidden strength to push her towards the Yangxin Palace.
After being informed, Shen Xingwan entered the palace and knelt before the dragon case, "Your servant Shen Xingwan pays respect to His Majesty. May His Majesty be blessed with good health."
The emperor on the throne was wearing a bright yellow suit. He looked to be in his early fifties, very thin, with sunken eyes and a sickly look. He couldn't stop coughing for a while before speaking, "You are Shen. I am about to arrest you. Do you know your crime?"
Although the emperor had been bedridden for a long time, his pressure on people remained unabated. His words carried a weight of a thousand pounds, and Shen Xingwan was so overwhelmed that he didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Yan Jinghuan stood up and bowed, then said calmly, "Xingwan and I are in love and have decided to be together forever, so I'm asking the emperor to take back his decision. I hope the emperor will forgive me."
The emperor snorted coldly, and his sharp eyes swept across the faces of the two men.
"I have never heard you mention it."
Yan Jinghuan lowered his eyes, his expression unchanged.
"I was just attracted to her before, and wanted to take it slow, but the emperor suddenly made a mistake, so I had no choice but to tell him the truth."
The emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at Shen Xingwan, "What do you say?"
Shen Xingwan bowed her head and said, "Your Highness, I am attracted to you and will not marry anyone else."
The emperor sneered, "So, it's my fault?"
"I dare not."
The emperor stood up, looked down at Shen Xingwan, and said in a grim tone, "The die is cast. I am the Son of Heaven. How can I change my orders and take back my orders?"
He looked at Yan Jinghuan and said, "Even if you are the regent sent by Yan State, you should not be so impulsive and disrespect the imperial power of Wei State and treat me as nothing!"
"Come here." The emperor said in a low voice, "Order the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare for the wedding of the Third Prince and Shen Xingwan. If anyone dares to resist, they will be killed without mercy."
"yes."
Butler Guo responded in a shrill voice, glanced at Shen Xingwan, took a few steps back, and then turned around to walk out.
Yan Jinghuan stepped onto the imperial steps, walked to the emperor's side, saluted solemnly, and said softly: "I can protect the little prince."
The emperor's pupils trembled and he immediately started coughing violently. Upon hearing the sound, Chief Steward Guo hurried over to pat the emperor's back to help him calm down.
The emperor finally calmed down his cough and looked up at Yan Jinghuan. The expression in his eyes changed several times, as if he was trying to understand his thoughts.
Yan Jinghuan cupped his hands and said, "Parents who love their children will always plan for their future. Since the emperor loves the little prince so much, the little prince will surely have a bright future."
Shen Xingwan was extremely surprised. She had experienced the battle for the throne among nine dragons in her previous life, so she naturally knew who this little prince was referring to.
Now the emperor actually does not intend for the third prince Wei Zilin to inherit the throne, otherwise Wei Zilin and the empress dowager would not have to work so hard to win the support of the Shen family and accumulate strength for the succession.
Deep down, the emperor wanted to pass the throne to Concubine Bai Yueguang's son, the fourteenth prince Wei Zihui.
Unfortunately, Concubine Shu was of humble origin and had no powerful maternal family. Not long after she gave birth to the little prince, she was persecuted to death in a harem dispute.
The emperor loved the little prince so much that he took good care of him until he was nine years old. Now he is bedridden and the princes are all eager to take action. The emperor has recruited many famous doctors to prolong his life, hoping to hold on until the little prince grows up and succeeds to the throne.
Otherwise, if he passed away, the little prince would surely be slaughtered by his ferocious brothers.
But in recent days, his health has been deteriorating, and it is obvious that he doesn't have much time left, and he won't be able to live until the little prince reaches adulthood.
That was why he agreed to the proposal of the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Noble Consort and granted Shen to the Third Prince in marriage.
He understood the consequences of doing so, but the queen mother promised him that in the future she would let the little prince go to a fiefdom and become a rich and leisurely prince.
He no longer had any extravagant hopes, but if the little prince could get Yan Jinghuan's protection, he would see hope again.
The emperor's mind is hard to predict. He remained silent, as if he was carefully considering the feasibility.
After thinking for a long time, the emperor suddenly said: "I..."
"The Queen Mother has arrived!"
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