Chapter 56 "Everything else can be tolerated, but Lu Qing..."
Chapter 56: Pregnancy ==
His actions left Su Wanyue speechless.
Su Wanyue's lips moved slightly, unsure of what to say. She looked at him with her watery eyes, which were crystal clear, shimmering and sparkling, making one's heart soften.
Looking at his wife like this, Xiao Yu couldn't help but feel some dark emotions, but he didn't want to frighten her, so he suppressed the darkness in his heart and said, "Don't rush, tell me slowly."
"Does Your Highness really want to know?" The more nervous Su Wanyue became, her heart was pounding in her throat, and she involuntarily tightened her grip on the man's clothes.
She deceived him first; she would rather he just give her a quick and clean end than feel like she's being cut with a knife.
"I want to know about your past." Xiao Yu already knew his wife's story and past from others, but this time, he wanted to hear it from her own mouth.
"Actually, I am Princess Zilu of the Southern Prince's Mansion, Su Wanyue. Princess Weiyang is my cousin. My mother and father had a very good relationship and were deeply in love. Their marriage was because my father fell in love with my mother at first sight. Coincidentally, my mother also liked my father. However, my mother was ill when she gave birth to me and passed away very early. After my mother passed away, my maternal grandparents' family and the ministers in the capital all advised my father to remarry."
However, for the sake of his daughter, the Prince of Nan refused to remarry. As a prince in a high position, no one forced him to remarry. It was just that the Prince of Nan held an important position in the court and could not be with his daughter at all times. It was said that the Prince of Nan would take his daughter with him when he went to the military camp. So, the Empress of Nanqiong brought Su Wanyue into the palace during the day. She became the only person besides the princes and princesses who could frequently enter and leave the palace. At that time, everyone in the capital envied Su Wanyue.
"That's why I gradually became close to my cousins. His Majesty and the Empress only have two sons and one daughter. My cousin and I are about the same age and are both girls, so we are the closest of friends," Su Wanyue said slowly.
Because of their close relationship, she ultimately couldn't give a firm rejection.
“My cousin… has always been independent and has lived a very carefree life since she was little, but she can also be very impulsive at times. She doesn’t like being tied down. During the time of the marriage alliance between the two countries, she told me that all she wanted was to find a true love. She didn’t care about wealth and status.” Su Wanyue said, secretly glancing at his face, trying to figure out his reaction.
Xiao Yu glanced at her expression and found it somewhat amusing. She was worried that he would do something to her cousin. All he cared about was her. As for who her cousin was, what kind of person she was, or whether she cared about wealth and status, he didn't care at all.
Xiao Yu gently rubbed her head with one hand, without letting go of her, and said, "Continue."
“My cousin ran away from her wedding the day before it was to take place. His Majesty and the Empress immediately sent people to look for her, but they couldn’t find her. Then, the next day, Lord Xie and his men were to arrive in the capital. His Majesty and the Empress didn’t dare to search for her openly, so they summoned me to the palace.”
That day was like a thunderbolt to Su Wanyue. The two countries were to be united in marriage, but her cousin disappeared the day before the wedding. She was to take her cousin's place and marry a stranger, going to a place thousands of miles away from Nanqiong.
"I did not mean to deceive Your Highness, but I did not resolutely refuse Her Majesty the Empress on that day."
"Why?" Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows slightly. In fact, the answer was very simple and easy to guess. Even though he could control everything, he couldn't be so sure that she wanted to marry him back then because of him. After all, she and her fiancé were childhood sweethearts and had a harmonious relationship.
Without hesitation, Su Wanyue replied softly, "Because of the people of Nanqiong, and also because of my family."
Even though the Empress insisted on marrying Su Wanyue into the family, and tried to persuade her with reason and emotion, preventing her from seeing her family, they had indeed treated Su Wanyue very well when she was young, and this blood connection could not be severed.
This is why Su Wanyue is conflicted and in pain.
Xiao Yu slowly played with her small hand with his long, cool fingers, choosing to remain silent. His wife was young and, like a child, would prioritize whether she had lied to others, without considering that the choice of a marriage alliance between two countries was not something a young lady like her could decide. There is a cause and an effect, and the one who was wrong was never her.
Xiao Yu understood what his wife was thinking, so he understood her caution and the inner turmoil and pain she felt. If he didn't guide her to express her thoughts this time, how could he unravel the mystery and remove the thorn in her heart?
What he wants is for his wife to accompany him for the rest of his life. They should not only be married in this life, but also in the next life and the life after that.
"What about Lu Qingchen?" Xiao Yu closed his eyes slightly and asked the question that concerned him the most.
Lu Qingchen...
Su Wanyue's pupils suddenly contracted, and her throat felt as if it were being held by an invisible hand. She subconsciously wanted to avoid the question.
"You still like Lu Qingchen?" Xiao Yu's gaze suddenly darkened as he asked slowly and deliberately.
He could ignore or not care about anything else, but he couldn't ignore Lu Qingchen.
He asked one question after another, with a hint of coercion. Su Wanyue was almost driven to despair. She took a deep breath and said, "I did like Young Master Lu before, but now..."
From the moment she stepped into the capital of Beili, she voluntarily severed her feelings for Lu Qingchen. However, since this marriage was not meant for her, Su Wanyue never thought they would end up together. Therefore, she never thought about what her feelings for him were. Right now, her mind was in turmoil.
Xiao Yu: "How is it now?"
Su Wanyue looked up at him, her brows and eyes showing stubbornness, but also a hint of vulnerability. "Your Highness, could you give me a little more time? I will give you an answer."
The man clearly misunderstood her meaning.
Xiao Yu's gaze grew colder and colder. She was willing to talk about her cousin and her family when they were talking about her, but when it came to Lu Qingchen, she became vague and avoided the topic. Was Lu Qingchen that important to her, more important than her cousin and her father? Wasn't her family the one she cared about the most?
Before Xiao Yu could speak, Qing Yi's voice rang out from outside, "Your Highness, Lord Zhou requests an audience."
Qingyi didn't hear his master's voice in the inner hall, and thought he hadn't heard her. Just as she was about to call out again, the lacquered door creaked open, and her master walked out with a cold expression.
The master has quarreled with the crown princess.
Qin'er shared the same thought as Qingyi. She cautiously glanced into the inner palace, only to hear His Highness leave in a deep voice, "Take good care of the Crown Princess."
Qin'er quickly curtsied and entered the hall.
Over here, Zhou Heng was already waiting for Xiao Yu in the study. "Your Highness, this humble subject greets you."
At the end of the year before last, Nanqiong intended to arrange a marriage with Beili. The first choice was still the deposed crown prince. However, since the deposed crown prince had already married a noblewoman, Nanqiong's princess could not be a concubine. Therefore, they chose Prince Cheng. Although Prince Cheng was not yet fully established at that time, his strength was not to be underestimated. Compared with the deposed crown prince who was deeply trusted by the emperor of Beili, both the emperor and empress and the crown prince of Nanqiong felt that Prince Cheng was the most likely person to ascend the throne. And the fact was as they expected. In less than two years, he became the crown prince. His behavior made him seem like the ruler of the world, and even the emperor had to avoid his sharp edge.
"Weren't those two imperial physicians bribed by His Highness?" Zhou Heng glanced at him and exposed him directly.
He had been visiting the Prince Cheng's residence for the past few days; if the young lady were pregnant, she would have known long ago.
Xiao Yu did not deny it, calmly lifting the teacup lid, "What message did Father Emperor convey to Lord Zhou?"
"His Majesty said that since Nanqiong said from the beginning that he would marry Princess Weiyang to him, he should not go back on his word. Princess Weiyang and Princess Zilu are cousins and have a good relationship, so they can share a husband." Zhou Heng naturally found this absurd, which is why he came to Prince Cheng's mansion as soon as he came out of the palace.
"I have no interest in Princess Weiyang of Nanqiong Kingdom," Xiao Yu said calmly, a slight twitch at the corner of his lips.
He initially agreed to the marriage alliance between the two countries for the sake of the nation's stability and prosperity; today, he only cares about his wife.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Zhou Heng knew what he meant, so he simply laid everything out on the table with him, "Your Highness, I have already sent a message to Crown Prince Qin, and I believe he will respond soon. However, His Majesty's attitude is resolute, and the Crown Princess is not actually pregnant. What does Your Highness intend to do in the future?"
Lies always come to light eventually, and this lie about being "pregnant" is not a long-term solution. Zhou Heng fears that in the end, the Emperor will blame the girl again, and Consort Qin will definitely be disappointed in her.
"This matter need not be of concern to Lord Zhou."
"In this marriage, she is the only one who has been hurt. I hope that His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Empress can follow the example of the emperors and empresses in the past who sent princesses to marry foreign rulers instead of princesses, and perhaps this situation can be resolved."
Zhou Heng's eyes lit up. How could he not have thought of this? Wanwan already had the blood of the Nanqiong royal family flowing through her veins. If His Majesty and the Empress were willing to grant her the status of a first-rank princess, and given that she was already pregnant, perhaps the Emperor of Beili wouldn't say anything. Of course, Nanqiong would definitely have to show the corresponding sincerity. With the Crown Prince involved, this matter shouldn't be too difficult.
"Your Majesty, I will write another letter to convey this message," Zhou Heng said, bowing slightly.
"And that Miss Bai Shuang, His Majesty said that he would release her after things have settled down. As for the Seventh Prince, his ambitions are not in the capital, so the world will only lose one more Seventh Prince."
The implication of His Majesty's words was that he was willing to give Xiao Yu a chance; otherwise, if the world knew that the Seventh Prince was still alive and that everything was a scheme orchestrated by the new Crown Prince, it would invite further discussion.
The prince's sharp edge is not a good thing for the emperor, but if he hadn't, the girl would have been imprisoned today. Zhou Heng was still glad that he was able to protect the girl.
At this point, Zhou Heng probed his thoughts, and Xiao Yu turned the jade thumb ring on his hand, "Husbands and wives share the same bed in life and the same blood in death. She is my wife, and this will not change because of anything."
"Your Highness, I was terrified just now! Master Huiyuan's painting was left with Miss Baishuang, and the First Prince even found it. Luckily, Your Highness is alright." Qin'er, having received instructions, walked in from outside the hall. Seeing that Su Wanyue looked somewhat weak, she guessed that she might have been frightened, so she quickly poured her a cup of hot tea and said.
“Miss Bai is Master Jinghui’s only disciple, so it’s not surprising that she got that painting. His Majesty must already know that the Seventh Prince is still alive.” Su Wanyue pursed her lips. Too much had happened that day, and her head was starting to ache. The woman rubbed her sore eyes and brows.
"The eldest prince must be resentful because he was deposed as crown prince, which is why he's so eager to find fault with Your Highness and try to bring down both Your Highness and you, Princess." Qin'er hit the nail on the head; the deposed crown prince is a vengeful person.
“However, since the princess is pregnant, His Majesty certainly won’t dare to do anything to her for the time being. Once the news reaches Nanqiong, the Crown Prince will definitely side with the princess,” Qin’er said.
"What are you thinking? Imperial Physician Zhang and Imperial Physician Su have been bribed." Su Wanyue listened to her words with a mixture of helplessness and amusement.
Qin'er exclaimed "Ah!" She thought that her princess was really pregnant, since the princess had been feeling unwell and had a poor appetite these past few days, which seemed to indicate that she was pregnant.
***
At the same time, the wild goose landed on the windowsill of Crown Prince Qin Jue's study.
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