Chapter 343: Breaking the Engagement (Part 2)
Seeing that it was about to rain, the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair quickened their pace and hurried towards the Empress Dowager's palace.
As soon as the prince's feet touched the ground, it began to rain heavily.
"It's raining so hard." He walked in with a smile and bowed to the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother said coldly, "The prince can still laugh."
On the way, the prince had heard what had happened earlier and asked in a friendly manner, "Grandmother, are you angry about Ziheng again?"
"What does the prince say?" the Queen Mother asked. "Could it be that the prince is completely innocent?"
The prince said, "I always feel that there is room for me to return to the world, so I don't want to trouble you, grandmother."
"After so much time, have you figured out how to return to the world?"
The prince was silent for a moment.
The Queen Mother looked at him and sighed.
"No one can persuade Ah Jun now, not you or me."
"The princess was also present just now. What did she say?"
Speaking of Lu, the empress dowager couldn't help but think of what Wang Yao had just said.
"There is something I want to ask the prince," said the queen mother.
"What is it?"
"Just now, the Crown Princess stayed to tell me something. She said there are rumors outside that Ah Jun and Lu have an unusual relationship. Has the Crown Prince heard of it?"
The Crown Prince was startled, then stood up and said, "The Crown Princess actually told the Queen Mother about this? How can you take rumors like these seriously? How dare you tell them to the Queen Mother? The Crown Princess is also a lady from a noble family, yet you are so reckless."
The Queen Mother said coldly, "This kind of gossip is not the first time. The Prince of Yuzhang's Mansion is part of the imperial clan, and it concerns the dignity of the royal family. Now even the Crown Princess knows about it. How long will the Crown Prince keep it secret from me?"
"Queen Dowager, please calm down!" The prince knelt down hurriedly. "Grandson just doesn't want to cause you any distress."
"Do you want to protect me or don't you want to upset me?"
"Grandson dares not!" the Crown Prince explained. "Grandson believes that such rumors have existed in the past, but they have been proven to be nonsense. Since the Yuzhang Palace is related to the reputation of the royal family, we should be even more cautious. Before there is evidence, grandson begs grandmother not to believe the rumors."
The Queen Mother took a deep breath and said, "I know you love Ah Jun the most, but have you ever thought about why he tried every possible way to refuse this marriage, even at the cost of offending you and me? If it's not because he has someone in his heart, is there another reason?"
The prince was stunned.
"This..." He laughed dryly and said, "It's understandable that he has hated Wang for a long time."
"My last name is Wang too. Does he hate me?"
"That's absolutely impossible," the prince said hurriedly, "but I believe that we should always rely on evidence and never believe one side of the story."
The Queen Mother closed her eyes and said, "I originally thought that this Lu family member would be of some use, but I didn't expect that she would cause trouble one after another. Previously, her biological father said that she was a fake, which already made me feel resentful. Now, she has caused so much gossip. If you want evidence, it won't be difficult. When the time comes, just don't protect Ah Jun anymore."
"What is the Queen Mother going to do?" asked the prince in confusion.
The Queen Mother did not answer, but only said, "You may leave. The Crown Princess is still waiting for you in the side hall. Don't forget her."
The prince had no choice but to bow and slowly retreat.
When we left the hall, Wang Yao was already waiting in the corridor.
"Your Highness," Wang Yao hurried forward, her expression cautious, "Your Highness will not blame me, will you?"
The prince glanced at her and said, "I told you not to trust rumors in the market, but you disobeyed me."
"I dare not!" Wang Yao said hurriedly, looking aggrieved. "Just now, Xuanji told the Queen Mother that the Crown Prince had refused the marriage proposal. The Crown Prince had never seen the Queen Mother's anger, so I really dare not hide it any longer. Xuanji is my own sister, and she has endured such humiliation and hardship. How could I bear to do this? It was the Crown Prince who refused the marriage proposal, but the Queen Mother blamed Xuanji. Isn't this unfair? Only by telling the truth can we distinguish right from wrong."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but shed tears.
The prince looked helpless and took out a handkerchief to wipe Wang Yao's tears.
"Well, that's all. But," the prince suddenly lowered his voice, "who else was around when you said this to the Queen Mother?"
Wang Yao hurriedly said, "There are only a few palace maids close to the Queen Mother, no one else."
"Well," the prince mused, "let's leave this matter at that. You must not cause any more trouble."
"Then Xuanji..."
"The Queen Mother will make her own judgment," the Crown Prince said. "She wants this marriage to happen more than anyone else and will not let Xuan Ji suffer any loss. But if you exaggerate things, you might end up doing more harm than good and anger the Queen Mother. Do you understand?"
Wang Yao knew the seriousness of this and said quickly, "I understand."
After she finished speaking, she asked cautiously, "Your Highness, are you no longer angry with me?"
"Ayao is just worried about Xuanji, why should I be angry? Let's go back to the palace."
The eunuch quickly opened his umbrella.
The prince looked at the gloomy sky, and a smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He took Wang Yao and walked into the rain together.
——
When Sun Wei returned home, the rain had stopped.
She immediately found Sima Jun and told him about what had happened today.
"What is your answer, Madam?" Sima Jun asked.
"The prince doesn't allow me to interfere, so I can only say I don't know." Sun Wei said.
"Madam, you've done well," Sima Jun nodded. "Whatever the Empress Dowager asks, just pass it on to me."
Sun Wei looked at his relaxed look and didn't know where he got the confidence from.
She had originally planned to let it go, but seeing his demeanor, Sun Wei couldn't help but ask, "I might be able to get away with it, but the Crown Prince certainly won't. The Queen Mother has summoned the Crown Prince to the palace for questioning. How will the Crown Prince respond?"
"How should we respond?" Sima Juan said calmly, "It's me who's getting married. Can they tie me up for the ceremony?"
"Your Highness, don't joke around." Sun Wei said seriously, "If your Highness angers the Queen Mother, she has many tricks up her sleeve. It all depends on whether she's willing to use them against you."
"For example?"
"There are more than one princes who lost their titles due to angering the Queen Mother, and some have even been exiled. Why don't you think about this, Prince?"
Seeing Sima Jun frozen in place, Sun Wei asked, "Does the Crown Prince think his title is indestructible? Half of his military power has already been taken away. Is it possible that his title will not be affected?"
"I'm not taking any chances," Sima Jun said, "but I think we should be thinking about how things will end when that day comes, rather than preparing for it."
"Prevention is good, why worry about the outcome first?"
"Because it can't be prevented." Sima Jun said, "Whether I agree or not, that day will come sooner or later."
Sima Jun saw that Sun Wei's face was not happy, but he said, "Madam, you haven't done my divination for a long time. It's better to do it today than today. Why don't you do it now and see if my premonition is right?"
"Of course not," Sun Wei said without hesitation, "but even if I say no, what does it matter? The prince will never think of doing what I say."
"That's because Madam is not well-versed in the art," Sima Jun said. "Madam still hasn't explained it clearly. Who did you learn the art of divination from?"
"I was born with this ability, isn't it?"
Sima Jun smiled and said, "Whatever the madam says is what it is."
Sun Wei wanted to say something, but when she met his gaze, she couldn't help but look away.
After the rain stopped, the wind was filled with a fresh scent. As the two walked along the corridor, Sima Jun looked out at the crystal-clear world in the courtyard after the rain and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I promised you that I would make all the arrangements for you and your family. I won't break my promise."
Sun Wei looked at him and felt something stuck in her chest.
She lived her whole life just to keep her family alive.
To keep him alive.
Fool.
Seeing him looking at her again, Sun Wei bit her lip and continued looking into the yard, ignoring him.
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