Chapter 58: When the son cries out, the mother and father's hearts break.
Seeing Yuan Yan and Yang Lingyi pleading with him from both sides, the eldest prince's defenses completely crumbled, and he finally spoke up.
"Alright, Yi'er, stop crying." The Crown Prince's face was stern, but he finally gave in.
"Father, does this mean you've agreed to Yi'er's request?" Yang Lingyi sensed her father's softening attitude, and a glimmer of hope lit up her eyes as she cautiously asked.
"Ha, what good would it do me to agree to your request? I still have to get past your mother and His Majesty."
When the eldest prince saw that Yang Lingyi was so happy even with tears still on her face, he felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.
It's said that men tend to side with outsiders, and it's certainly true. Yang Lingyi isn't even married yet, and look how far her side has already turned.
"Thank you, Uncle."
Looking at Yang Lingyi's expression, Yuan Yan's heart softened even more. She bowed to the eldest prince and said, "I will ask the Empress Dowager for permission."
The eldest prince: "You've come to request an imperial decree?"
Yuan Yan's identity is sensitive; if he speaks ill of him, it may arouse His Majesty's suspicion.
The eldest prince shook his head. “Forget it, I will handle this matter myself. After all, I am your sister, and I know what you are thinking. I will have a good explanation to give to you.”
"You two should stop interfering."
These words carried a hint of helplessness, and Yang Lingyi lowered his head in embarrassment upon hearing them. Yuan Yan squeezed his hand, with a hint of reassurance.
The eldest prince saw all of their little actions.
Since Yang Lingyi entered, her gaze had been constantly fixed on Yuan Yan. When the two occasionally looked at each other, their eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words, but they remained silent because of his presence.
It's improper for two people to be so clingy before they're even married.
The eldest prince sighed and shook his head, but Yang Lingyi was his own daughter, and he couldn't bear to say anything harsh to her. For now, he could only turn a blind eye to her.
He stood up, leaving space for Yuan Yan and the other person.
"Yi'er, come with your father to help you write a letter to your mother later," the eldest prince said before leaving.
The meaning is that Yang Lingyi should come out in a while and not stay inside for too long.
Yang Lingyi gratefully agreed. Seeing the eldest prince leave, she finally couldn't help but throw herself into Yuan Yan's arms.
"Sister Yan, did you hear that? Father has agreed to our request."
"Yes, it's all thanks to Yi'er. If it weren't for Yi'er's insistence, I doubt the Crown Prince would have been willing to give me such a precious jewel so easily."
Yuan Yan held Yang Lingyi in his arms and saw him laughing happily like a child, so he couldn't help but laugh too. "Yi'er is so brave."
"As long as I can be with Sister Yan, I'm not afraid of anything," Yang Lingyi said.
"I really hope we can settle things soon so I can spend every day with Sister Yan."
He tilted his head slightly, gazing at Yuan Yan with shining eyes and a hopeful voice.
Hearing such words, even the hardest heart would probably melt.
Yuan Yan tightened his grip on Yang Lingyi's arm slightly.
"Soon, I will marry Yi'er as soon as possible."
...
The eldest prince was also a decisive person, and not long after, he entered the palace under the pretext of visiting the Empress Dowager.
"...What? Runing, are you confused?!" The Empress Dowager was shocked after hearing the eldest prince's words and couldn't help but stand up with her jade cane.
"I have told you countless times before that as the eldest son of the emperor, all your honor and dignity are given by His Majesty. You must not get involved in any political affairs in order to ensure your long-term stability."
"Now that you have betrothed Yi'er to the King of Qin, isn't that a clear indication that you are siding with the King of Qin... What will the other princesses and court officials think? What will His Majesty think?"
"Absolutely not." The Empress Dowager shook her head repeatedly. "You must quickly give up this idea and never mention this matter again in the future."
"Father, I have absolutely no intention of interfering in state affairs. There is a reason for making this request." The eldest prince knew that the Empress Dowager would react this way, and had already prepared his explanation.
"To be honest, it was quite a coincidence. The two children had actually met twice before the last palace banquet. They had a mutual liking for each other but didn't know each other's names. It was quite a coincidence. It wasn't until they met again at the palace banquet that they realized each other's identities, but they were too afraid to speak because of that feeling."
"My poor, obedient and sensible Yi'er was so depressed that she hid away and secretly shed tears, refusing to tell me why. It pained me to see this, and I had to press her repeatedly before she finally learned what had happened... I had no other choice but to come here. Otherwise, would I have bothered Father with such a matter?" The eldest prince recounted in a sincere tone.
The Empress Dowager also doted on Yang Lingyi, her only grandson. Upon hearing this, she sighed deeply, but still did not change her mind.
"Ru Ning, it's not that your father doesn't want to help you, but it's really difficult to bring this up with the Emperor. It's better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time. You should persuade Yi'er to give up this idea as soon as possible!" the Empress Dowager advised.
"Father, back when Mother was alive, she disregarded my wishes and married me off to Yang Hongshu as her second wife."
“Yang Hongshu already has a legitimate daughter and a concubine’s daughter, and he doesn’t have much affection for me.”
“When I first arrived, life was difficult. I had to win my wife’s heart, discipline our children, and manage the servants in the household. I finally gained my wife’s favor and she gave me a daughter, but she was sickly and died young. Several years later, my wife and I had another child, Yi’er.”
“Now that my wife is getting old, I realize that Yi’er is my only biological child. My hopes for the rest of my life rest entirely on Yi’er. If anything happens to Yi’er, I will certainly not be able to go on living.”
The eldest princess recalled the hardships she endured after her marriage. When she spoke of the sorrowful parts, she couldn't help but shed tears, wiping them away with her handkerchief.
The Empress Dowager listened to the eldest prince recount his hardships and felt deeply distressed. When she heard the eldest prince say that he couldn't live without Yang Lingyi, she embraced the eldest prince and sighed repeatedly, "My child," and couldn't help but shed some tears herself.
The eunuch beside him hurriedly tried to persuade him, "Oh dear, Your Highness, please stop crying. A child's cry breaks the hearts of his parents... If Your Highness continues to cry like this, even the Empress Dowager will not be able to bear it."
"Enough, enough. It's all the late emperor and I who owe you. Now that things have come to this point, even if I have to swallow my pride, I can't abandon this only grandson."
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she ordered the eldest prince to return first, and she would give him the result in a few days.
...
Two days after the eldest prince left, the empress dowager fell ill.
Yuan Hao was a filial son, and upon hearing that the Empress Dowager was ill, he insisted on coming to visit her.
"How is the Empress Dowager's condition? She was perfectly healthy just a few days ago, how come she suddenly became bedridden?"
Yuan Hao looked at the Empress Dowager lying down with concern and asked the imperial physician.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's pulse is thin and slippery, with a heavy and sluggish pulse at the left Guan position and a weak and floating pulse at the right Cun position... This is a case of overthinking damaging the spleen and depression depleting the heart," the imperial physician said after taking her pulse for a moment.
“But you palace servants haven’t been serving her properly, otherwise why would the Empress Dowager have fallen ill from depression?” Yuan Hao frowned and questioned those around him.
"Your Majesty is wise. We, your humble servants, have served the Empress Dowager with utmost care and have never dared to be negligent in the slightest." The palace servants immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
Yuan Hao asked the Empress Dowager, "What is troubling you, Father? If you are unhappy, please tell me. I will certainly share your worries. Why should you be the only one to suffer?"
"Ahem." Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager ordered her attendants to help her up.
"It's not the fault of these palace servants; it's my own illness that's to blame."
The Empress Dowager coughed a few times and explained the reason, "It is your imperial brother's son, Lingyi, who is not young anymore, but his marriage is still unsettled. I am anxious about this and have fallen ill because of it."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao's brows relaxed: "I wondered what it was about. It turns out to be Lingyi's marriage. Father, you have been worrying for nothing."
"If Lingyi really wants to get married, it won't be difficult. No matter which family the girl comes from, as long as Lingyi likes her, I can grant her a marriage."
I thought that saying this would ease the Empress Dowager's worries.
Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager said, "No, that girl's mother doesn't like Yi'er."
“That’s strange,” Yuan Hao said in surprise. “Your daughter is beautiful, virtuous, and from a noble family. Who in the world would be dissatisfied with such a man?”
The Empress Dowager was troubled. "Your Majesty does not know, it is because this girl's mother has more than one daughter. Although this girl is good in other ways, she is not the legitimate daughter of the family. Mother is worried that after this girl marries Lingyi, she will rely on the power of her husband's family to suppress her legitimate sister, so she is not happy about it."
"It's a pity that this young couple had already fallen in love, but they didn't know what the girl's mother was thinking beforehand. Now that Lingyi knows that her mother is against it, she is afraid that if she marries into the family, she will cause her mother to suffer cold treatment. She is worried and often sheds tears... She is really in a dilemma and doesn't know what to do."
"Such a thing exists?" Yuan Hao was surprised to hear this, assuming that the Empress Dowager had heard it from the eldest prince, and shook his head in disapproval.
"In my opinion, the mother of this girl is overthinking things. It's just a marriage. As long as the mother who is in charge is still here, and as long as the rewards and punishments are clear and the discipline is proper, there is no need to worry about the sisters getting estranged because of this."
"These two little girls are quite pitiful. After all you've said, Father, shouldn't you tell me which family these girls belong to?" Yuan Hao asked the Empress Dowager with a smile.
"I hereby issue a decree to grant them their wish."
After laying the groundwork for a long time, the Empress Dowager finally felt reassured upon hearing the Emperor's words and revealed the truth.
“That woman is both far away and right before my eyes; she is none other than His Majesty’s second daughter… Yuan Yan.”
Upon hearing the answer, Yuan Hao felt a slight chill and fell silent.
"Father is joking."
"Yan'er and Lingyi have only known each other for a short time, so what does this have to do with Yan'er? Father, please stop joking with me."
For a moment, she even began to doubt Yuan Yan.
Could it be that the second son got the wrong idea after meeting Yang Lingyi at the palace banquet, and set his sights on the Yang family, intentionally getting close to him... that led to today's incident?
"My son, you may not know this," the Empress Dowager told Yuan Hao. She explained that Yuan Yan and Yang Lingyi had met before the palace banquet and that she had recounted what the eldest prince had said.
"The King of Qin is honest. After learning about Yi'er's identity, he knew that there was no possibility between them and, fearing that it would put His Majesty in a difficult position, he stopped associating with Yi'er," the Empress Dowager said regretfully.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao's suspicions gradually subsided.
"Sigh, it's no wonder the child did this. Given the King of Qin's situation, if he were to marry Yi'er again, some people would probably start to have second thoughts..."
Seeing that the emperor remained silent, the Empress Dowager coughed lightly a few more times.
"If all else fails, Your Majesty should marry Yi'er off to a distant place. Marrying her off far away will put an end to his hopes."
As the Empress Dowager spoke, she genuinely revealed a hint of sorrow.
"Father, please don't worry. This matter involves many things, and I need to consider it further." Yuan Hao's eyes darkened slightly.
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