Upon hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but frown.
He held the teacup in his hand, a thoughtful look on his face, as if he was considering the weight of Shen Yuhan's words.
Liu burst into tears and almost collapsed to the ground. "Your Highness, what are you saying? Yunyun has long admired you and longed to marry you. You've already agreed to consider her marriage, and everyone knows about it. How can you push her away? Our Shangshu Mansion simply can't afford to lose this person."
"Even if you're busy with government affairs, what does it matter? Yunyun has been raised by us since she was young. She can naturally manage the household expenses and take care of everything for you. You don't need to worry about the affairs of the mansion." He knelt on one knee, his eyes full of sincerity. "Please, Your Highness, please consider my deep love for your daughter and don't cancel the engagement. After Yunyun marries into the palace, no matter how you treat her, she will be happy."
Liu was also an old minister, and when the emperor heard this, his expression became very ugly.
If Liu Yunyun and Shen Yuhan are both dissatisfied with the marriage, he can put the matter aside for the time being.
But from what Liu said, Liu Yunyun didn't seem to care about these things? Then he couldn't let this old minister down.
Thinking this in his mind, the emperor turned to look at Shen Yuhan, wanting to hear his thoughts.
Shen Yuhan looked at Liu's expression and frowned slightly: "Master Liu, you love your daughter so much, can you really bear to see Liu Yunyun suffer in my backyard?"
Liu's grief grew worse. His voice was hoarse, almost like he was losing his old face. He said, "This is Yunyun's lifelong desire. How can it be considered suffering? I have never asked for anything before. I am considered incorruptible and have no other extravagant hopes. I beg the Emperor and the Prince to have mercy on my daughter."
He knelt on the ground and kowtowed several times.
The emperor was originally hesitant, but now he is also a little annoyed.
He had already mentioned the matter of Shen Yuhan and Liu Yunyun before. If Shen Yuhan really wanted to refuse, he should have made it clear as soon as possible. If he agreed now, he would probably be accused of changing his mind every day.
"What you said, Lord Shen, is a little wrong. Since Miss Liu doesn't care about these things, the 'delay' you mentioned is not just an excuse you made up to satisfy your own selfish desires."
As soon as he said this, Shen Yuhan was startled and knelt on the ground in a hurry, saying in a hoarse voice: "I dare not."
"Don't dare? I think you're quite brave." The emperor's expression was stern. "This matter was assigned by me. My word is final. The marriage has been announced, so there is no reason to change it."
“Lord Shen, you must think carefully. Disobeying the emperor’s order is no small matter.”
Shen Yuhan looked at the emperor's cold expression and immediately realized that this matter might not be so easily resolved.
So he just lowered his head and said, "I understand. However, even if we want to hold a wedding, it will take some time to prepare. I ask the emperor and Master Liu to give me some time to think about this matter carefully."
After all, he could not disobey the emperor's order and could only endure it reluctantly.
When Shen Yuhan left the palace, the emperor said gloomily behind him, "My dear Shen, I have given you several chances. Please don't let me down."
He clenched his palms tightly, and after a long while he said, "Your Majesty, I understand."
On the carriage back home, Shen Yuhan was somewhat depressed.
He had always known that his marriage to Liu Yunyun would be difficult to refuse. Today, he had only intended to test the Emperor and Lady Liu's attitudes, but to his surprise, this matter seemed even more difficult than he had imagined.
The carriage returned to the mansion, but Shen Yuhan still couldn't figure out how to tell Fang Qingyue about this matter.
But... before he could meet Fang Qingyue, he received good news.
Chunmei, the maidservant who served his mother, had been taken into the mansion by the servants and was now waiting for him in the study.
Shen Yuhan immediately didn't bother to look for Fang Qingyue and turned to go to the study.
In the study, there was a woman with a horse-like bun sitting in front of the table.
She had a string of Buddhist beads on her hand and was dressed in coarse cloth, but her whole body exuded an extraordinary peaceful temperament.
Seeing Shen Yuhan coming in, Chunmei's eyes widened in disbelief. She walked up to Shen Yuhan, looked him over carefully, her eyes reddened instantly, and she leaned down to greet Shen Yuhan: "Your servant Chunmei greets Prince Jian'an."
Shen Yuhan hurriedly supported her.
"Aunt Chunmei, there's no need to be so formal. You are my mother's maid who came with her as a dowry, and you've watched me grow up. Why should you be so polite?" As he spoke, Shen Yuhan helped her to the armchair beside him and asked Chunmei to sit down.
After Chunmei sat down, she coiled the Buddhist beads in her hand with her slender fingertips.
She was originally the old lady's maidservant, only a few years younger than the old lady, and now she was only in her forties. However, her face was extremely vicissitudes, as if she had experienced countless hardships.
After carefully examining Shen Yuhan, Chunmei's face flashed with a hint of relief: "Young lady had hoped that you, the young master, could achieve great things. Now that the young master has become the Prince of Jian'an, he is also the most respected person in the Inspectorate. If the young lady knew about this in the afterlife, she would surely be relieved."
However, Shen Yuhan had no intention of reminiscing with Chunmei.
When the truth about my mother's death is revealed and the truth about what happened is known, it won't be too late to reminisce about the past.
"Aunt Chunmei, do you know how Mother suddenly fell seriously ill and died?"
He asked directly. Chunmei was stunned for a long time, and tears suddenly rolled down her eyes: "Young Master, these things have already happened many years ago. Let's not explore the truth anymore."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com