Chapter 403 He lied to me; he never came back.
The next day.
The eldest princess entered the palace, followed by two unfamiliar maids.
Tuoba Wenjing waited at the palace gate as if he had been waiting for this moment. When he saw the princess's carriage, he greeted her with a smile, "Aunt, why have you come down the mountain?"
"What? Can't we go down the mountain?"
"That's not what I meant. I was just wondering why my aunt didn't come down the mountain when my cousin Yan'er got married. Why did she come down so quickly this time?"
"She still came down the mountain with the prince consort."
Tuoba Wenjing looked into the carriage as he spoke, "Is Aunt alone today?"
"Why don't you come up and sit with me?" the princess said coldly.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'm a little tired from walking, and my carriage just broke down."
Tuoba Wenjing immediately climbed into the carriage, saying, "For the sake of my aunt and our reputation, it's best to pull the curtain up."
As Tuoba Wenjing spoke, he raised his hand and pulled up the curtains on both sides.
"Hmph." The eldest princess snorted coldly, "You do know how to avoid suspicion."
Tuoba Wenjing wasn't angry, but he looked around and said, "Why do these two maids look unfamiliar to me?"
"What? Do I need to report to you when my Princess's residence added servants?"
“That’s not what I meant,” Tuoba Wenjing said with a smile. “As you know, my aunt is aware that my father has just passed away and things have been quite turbulent in the capital lately. I did this for your own good.”
"Of course, it's also for the good of our Western Xia."
"Does Aunt also think that it is really a good idea to hand over the kingdom of Western Xia to a woman, especially one who grew up in an enemy country?"
"Aunt, are you at ease?"
"Can't a woman sit on the throne?"
The eldest princess said, "Back then, I only gave up my throne to your father because I didn't want to sit on it. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here fighting over this and that."
"Your mother deserves much credit for the prosperity that Western Xia has achieved today. The people our Tuoba family owes the most to are Lin Qingshuang and her daughter."
"Unless Ling'er doesn't want to sit on this throne, no one can take it away from her."
Tuoba Wenjing's smile turned cold. "Does Aunt mean she won't help her nephew?"
"Whoever your father passes the throne to, that's who it belongs to," the princess said coldly. "I will never be a traitor."
"Do you think you can secure the throne by bribing a few old ministers in the court? You've forgotten that with your mother around, the throne of Western Xia still belongs to her half."
"If she doesn't agree, you won't be able to sit still either."
"Hahaha..." Tuoba Wenjing laughed, "It's just a martial arts sect that has been established over the years. How can it compare to the men of Xixia?"
"With 300,000 iron ore from Western Xia, surely we can subdue a mere martial arts sect?"
"Of these 300,000, how many are your mother's soldiers? Do you know?" The eldest princess leaned forward slightly and said calmly, "Do you think that by confining them in the palace, you can sit securely on this throne?"
Tuoba Wenjing clenched his fingers slightly and bit his gums lightly. The princess had touched on the point that worried him the most.
"You'd better kill us all, otherwise, if you commit matricide, how can you hold onto the throne?"
Tuoba Wenjing did not expect that the eldest princess would reveal his inner thoughts.
The carriage quickly arrived inside the palace, and everyone had to dismount and walk from there.
The princess alighted from her carriage and, accompanied by several maids, headed towards the palace where Shen Ruzhi was. She then told the servants behind her, "Move the carriage to a shadier spot and wait for me."
"I will be back soon."
"yes."
"Wait!" Tuoba Wenjing shouted, "Aunt, Father Emperor has passed away, and Mother Empress and the new Emperor are overwhelmed with grief. It may not be good for their recovery if so many people go."
"It's best if my nephew accompanies my aunt, while the others stay outside and keep watch."
The eldest princess said nothing and turned to walk towards the main hall.
"That damned Tuoba Wenjing, he's so cautious in his actions," Mo Mo, dressed as a maid, cursed.
Mo Ran said in a deep voice, "Keep your voice down, or you'll be overheard."
Looking at Mo Ran dressed as a woman, Mo Mo suppressed a laugh and raised her delicate fingers, saying, "Sister is right, I'll listen to you."
On the other side.
Tuoba Yan'er and Jiang Wan Ning, dressed in men's clothing, left the carriage in a secluded spot. Tuoba Yan'er led Jiang Wan Ning along the path, overcoming eunuchs, palace maids, and guards at the gate.
They arrived at the palace where Shen Ruzhi was located.
“It’s just ahead. Mother said that Zhizhi is inside there, with the Empress accompanying her.”
"Inside this palace, one is only allowed to enter but not leave. Apart from my mother, Tuoba Wenjing will not dare to do anything to my mother for the time being. He will definitely try to persuade my mother."
“If we go in through the side hall, he won’t find us.”
Jiang Wan Ning gave a soft "hmm" and followed behind Tuoba Yan'er.
The two arrived at the palace without incident, where Tuoba Wenjing and the eldest princess were already in the main hall.
Jiang Wan Ning hid behind the screen and felt a pang of sorrow as she looked at Shen Ru Zhi, who had become noticeably thinner.
"I want to have a chat with your mother about women's matters. Do you want to listen too?" the princess said coldly.
Tuoba Wenjing did not dare to act presumptuously in front of the Princess and Lin Qingshuang for the time being, since the hall was surrounded by his own people.
Tuoba Wenjing then stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your subject takes his leave. Mother and Aunt, please continue your conversation."
"Your subject will wait outside. Please call me anytime if you need anything."
"Hmph." The eldest princess snorted coldly. So what if they're just spying from the outside?
Tuoba Wenjing withdrew, and the eldest princess looked around.
"Everyone in the hall is my person, so please feel free to speak if you have anything to say, sister," Lin Qingshuang said.
The eldest princess then said, "Come out."
Tuoba Yan'er and Jiang Wan Ning came out from behind the screen. Lin Qing Shuang's eyes lit up the moment she saw Jiang Wan Ning.
"The Princess Consort of Langya?"
Upon hearing this address, Shen Ruzhi slowly raised her head. The moment she saw Jiang Wan Ning, her usual lively and boisterous demeanor vanished.
Instead of rushing over to give Jiang Wan Ning a hug, he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and said, "Ning Ning, you're here."
Jiang Wan Ning held back her tears and walked up to Chen Ru Zhi, "Zhi Zhi."
Jiang Wanning hugged Shen Ruzhi tightly, "Zhizhi, I'm sorry I'm late."
Shen Ruzhi hugged Jiang Wanning tightly, burying her head in Jiang Wanning's arms, "Ningning, Yu Hai is dead... He clearly said he would come back and make new dishes for me."
"He lied to me; he never came back."
Lin Qingshuang held back her tears; this was the first time Shen Ruzhi had spoken in days.
"Cheer up! We're here to help you avenge Yu Hai!" Tuoba Yan'er shouted. "Don't you want to avenge Yu Hai?"
"Yan'er!"
“Mother, let me speak,” Tuoba Yan’er said, “How can you fight that bastard like this?”
"Didn't you say Yu Hai came from a place beyond the mortal realm? Maybe he just went back. Maybe he'll come back again?"
"What you need to do now is to pull yourself together."
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