Chapter 53 Thank you, Father Emperor
Chapter Fifty
The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.
Shen Panyan could not possibly speak ill of the Crown Prince in front of Emperor Gan Ning, so she only said that she saw the daughter of the Right Vice Minister with Xu Yongyan, a collateral son of the Xu family.
Xu Yongyan is a hypocrite. He had already promised to marry her, but after they had a child, he went back on his word. Not only did he refuse to marry her, he even wanted to keep her as a mistress.
Shen Panyan bit her lip and whispered, "Father, are all men in this world so heartless? They had a child and promised to marry her, but in the end, they went back on their word. If that's the case, Mingyue doesn't want to get married either."
Emperor Gan Ning frowned and scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting? You are a princess. What man would dare to betray you like this? Your father will cut off his head!"
"But, but Mingyue saw it with her own eyes..."
The Spring Festival banquet was supposed to be a chance for Mingyue to see if there were any men she liked in the capital, but instead she witnessed this whole affair. Even though Emperor Gan Ning had never met Xu Yongyan, he now felt disgusted with him.
"Father knows, please don't worry about it." Emperor Gan Ning felt guilty towards this daughter.
He always suspected that Consort Shu died in the power struggles of the harem and feared that her daughter would suffer the same fate, so he was always cold towards her.
Unexpectedly, his indifference and coldness almost caused him to lose Consort Shu's only daughter.
He was wrong. Back then, he shouldn't have agreed to the Empress's request and handed Mingyue over to her.
He had assumed that with the Empress as her foster mother, even if he was somewhat cold towards her, she would surely be the happiest princess in the palace, and no one would dare to bully her.
But he never expected that what he thought was protection would bring wind and snow to his most beloved daughter.
If this matter truly prevents Mingyue from getting married, Xu Yongyan would not regret dying even if he died ten thousand times.
Emperor Gan Ning's voice turned cold, "De Yuan, grind the ink!"
"yes."
Grandpa Deyuan quickly stepped forward.
"Father, what's wrong...?" Shen Panyan looked at him in confusion.
"I hereby bestow a marriage upon you," Emperor Gan Ning said calmly.
Just as Emperor Gan Ning was about to put down his pen, Shen Panyan hurriedly spoke up, "Wait, Father."
Emperor Gan Ning paused, looking up. "What, you don't want them to get married?"
They were secretly pregnant without any engagement, and the arranged marriage was a great joy for them.
Shen Panyan shook her head and whispered, "Father, your words are law. Once the decree is issued, Miss Ning will have no way to turn back. She has already seen through that hypocrite's true colors. What if she doesn't want to marry him? Wouldn't that make them a pair of resentful lovers?"
She hesitated, then said cautiously, "Perhaps you should reconsider?"
Emperor Gan Ning put down his pen. His daughter had always been kind-hearted. So be it. "De Yuan, go out of the palace and convey my decree: if the daughter of the Right Vice Minister is willing to marry him, then I will grant them a marriage. If she is not willing, then let this matter rest."
Eunuch Deyuan bowed and said, "Yes, this old servant will leave the palace immediately."
Shen Panyan never expected that her father would change his mind and offer such a gentle solution after she had only said one sentence. She was surprised and astonished, her almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, and her knuckles clenched her handkerchief tightly.
In her memory, her father had always been cold and indifferent to her, so much so that she was always very careful when facing him.
"Father, you..." She hesitated, wanting to ask, but not daring to speak.
She wasn't sure if her idea was correct.
If she guesses wrong, she will likely incur her father's wrath.
However, her father changed his mind simply because of one sentence she uttered, and the reality seemed to be different from what she had thought.
She seemed to have underestimated her importance in her father's heart; her father appeared to care about her.
Perhaps there are things she can tell her father?
Seeing her conflicted expression and hesitant manner, Emperor Gan Ning knew she had something to ask, so he didn't urge her. He simply picked up his teacup, took a sip, and waited patiently.
Shen Panyan bit her lip, her heart churning with conflicting emotions, but she finally made up her mind. Even if her father was furious, she would accept the punishment. So she asked, "Father, do you know... what Mother... what she did?"
"Your son has not been disobedient. Your son has always been the most obedient to her, it's just..."
A hint of surprise flashed in Emperor Gan Ning's eyes.
He thought Mingyue knew nothing, but he never expected that she was so clear-headed. No wonder she stopped visiting the Empress after returning to the capital.
Seeing her hurried explanation, Emperor Gan Ning sighed, acknowledging that it was his fault.
"Father knows."
Recalling Consort Shu's words of advice, when she held his hand before her death and asked him to take good care of their daughter, Emperor Gan Ning felt even more guilty. "In the past, it was because your father was biased and listened to others that you suffered. From now on, you don't need to go to Kunning Palace to pay your respects."
“An Jiu has already told me about what happened at the villa.”
"The people your father gave you are all people who have nothing to do with her. You don't need to be afraid. With your father here, she won't harm you again."
Emperor Gan Ning had never spoken to her in such a gentle tone. Shen Panyan was stunned for a moment before she reacted. Her eyelashes trembled and her eyes filled with tears.
Ever since she learned the truth, a dark cloud has been pressing down on her heart, layer upon layer, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
The sadness of betrayal by those around him, the weight of knowing the truth, the guilt towards Lin Xiao... But at this moment, facing Emperor Gan Ning's gentle and tolerant face, he could no longer hold back.
"Father..." Tears streamed down her face.
She was a weak person to begin with, and forcing herself to be tough was just creating a shell for herself; inside, she still had a soft and fragile heart.
She was exhausted, but she had no choice but to keep going... But now, her father told her that she didn't need to think so much, he knew everything... She no longer had to carry such a heavy gloom on her back.
Tears streamed down her face.
Emperor Gan Ning had never seen her cry like this before, nor had he ever comforted anyone before, and for a moment he was at a loss for what to do.
"Mingyue, it's all your father's fault. I didn't take good care of you and made you suffer. I'm sorry for failing to fulfill your mother's wishes."
“Mingyue, didn’t you once see your third brother riding a horse and envy him so much that you wanted to learn to ride? A new batch of horses just arrived at the hunting grounds recently. Why don’t you go and take a look and see if there are any you like? In the future, you can go to the hunting grounds to ride horses whenever you want. Your father will never stop you.”
She wanted to learn to ride a horse, something that had been going on for many years, but she never expected her father to still remember.
Shen Panyan smiled through her tears, "Thank you, Father."
*
The sky was clear and the air was fresh. Stepping out of the Imperial Study, Shen Panyan had never felt so relaxed. Even the air felt cool and gentle.
However, before she had taken more than a few steps, she ran into someone she didn't want to see, and her good mood vanished instantly.
"This servant greets Princess Mingyue. Princess, Her Majesty requests your presence."
"You've been back in the capital for many days, yet you haven't gone to Kunning Palace to see Her Majesty. Now that you've entered the palace, surely you won't go to Kunning Palace to see Her Majesty?"
"Your Majesty has always missed you."
She is Tsukimi, the nanny who serves the Empress.
Shen Panyan stopped in her tracks. "Aunt Yuejian."
She bit her lip and subconsciously wrung out her handkerchief.
What longing? The Empress would never long for herself.
She did not want to see the Empress.
As Yuejian scolded her, looking at her with eyes that seemed to imply that she would be unfilial if she didn't go, Shen Panyan felt as if she had returned to the days of fear and dread she had experienced in Kunning Palace. Just as she was about to give in and agree, her knuckles seemed to dig into her flesh, and she felt a sharp pain.
It turned out that she had injured herself by using too much force without realizing it.
She's not alone now; her father, the Emperor, is standing by her side. Why would she need to see the Empress?
Her father had already told her she didn't have to go, so why would she go to see someone who had killed her mother and treated her badly?
Who knows if she's trying to frame me again?
After Shen Panyan understood, the heavy gloom in her heart instantly dissipated, and she revealed a smile. "I'm sorry, Aunt Yuejian, Mingyue has things to do. The Empress Dowager is in charge of the six palaces, so I'm afraid she won't have time to see Mingyue. I won't bother the Empress Dowager and cause her any trouble."
After saying that, Shen Panyan turned around and left.
Tsukimi never expected that she would leave like this, and she still couldn't quite believe it.
It took him a long time to come to his senses, and he forced himself to return to Kunning Palace while suppressing his anger.
As expected, the empress was furious.
His Majesty has stopped visiting her recently, instead going to Consort Duan's place. Not only that, he also shows great favor to a newly arrived noblewoman. The once peaceful harem has begun to see undercurrents again, and the Empress is finding it difficult to take care of herself.
Hesitation only leads to more trouble. Originally, she was worried about the matter of exchanging lives mentioned by Master Ruan and about the Crown Prince, which is why she kept putting it off.
Since this little girl is so ungrateful, then we shouldn't blame her.
*
After leaving the palace, Shen Panyan headed towards the princess's residence.
Kyoto was bustling with people, and the streets were filled with smoke and delicious aromas as you passed by the long street of food stalls.
This is the most bustling street in Kyoto and the only way to the Imperial Palace. When officials were on duty, they would stop to buy some food to take away.
During the Spring Festival banquet, Shen Panyan was stared at by everyone and felt like she was being pricked by needles. She had no appetite at all. After leaving the Princess's residence, she hurriedly headed to the palace. Now, passing by a food stall, she couldn't help but feel tempted.
"Qingdai, tell the coachman to stop the carriage."
"Yes, Princess."
As soon as she stepped off the carriage, Shen Panyan saw sugar paintings being sold on the street and immediately became interested.
"Uncle, how much are your sugar paintings?"
The old man selling sugar paintings looked up and saw a gentle and pretty young girl with two maids. He immediately smiled and said, "Miss, each one is five coins. Please take a look and see what kind of design you like."
"I want this." Shen Panyan pointed to an adorable sugar painting of a rabbit, then looked at Qingdai and Zhuzhi.
Since her father said they could be trusted, she no longer needed to be as wary of them as before.
"Choose whatever pattern you like."
Qingdai and Zhuzhi were taken aback, not expecting that they would receive a share. They were immediately overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Miss."
Shen Panyan had already instructed her not to call her "princess" in public.
The three of them had chosen their designs, and the old man who made the sugar paintings quickly handed them over. Zhuzhi took out some money to pay for them.
Just then, a commotion broke out ahead, and screams erupted as people scattered in all directions. A loud shout rang out from afar, "Get out of the way!!!"
Shen Panyan was pushed and swayed by the crowd. Zhuzhi and Qingdai rushed towards her, but were blocked by the crowd. Seeing her being squeezed under the horse's hooves, the young man in brocade robes on horseback hurriedly turned the horse around. The horse reared up and neighed, but it was too late.
The horse's hooves pounded down heavily.
The change happened too fast. Shen Panyan clutched the sugar painting, her pupils contracted sharply, and she wanted to escape, but her legs wouldn't obey her commands. Almost instantly, a strong force came from her arm, and she was suddenly pulled to the side.
Bang!
The two fell heavily to the ground.
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