Chapter 231 His Majesty Wouldn't Bear to Let Me Cry
Tao Wanyin was dragged along by Prince Yong. She carefully protected her belly and almost fell several times.
The man, who had been charging forward in anger, finally stopped.
"I almost forgot, the princess is a person who cares a lot about her reputation."
Zhao Minghong stared at her, his expression sinister and terrifying.
"With so many people watching in the front hall, the princess still wouldn't tell the truth. Now that we're all alone, you can tell me right here who that wild man is!"
After Tao Wanyin regained her footing, she was still panting heavily, her face pale with fright.
Hearing him continue to insult her, even with her excellent upbringing, she couldn't control her anger and raised her hand to slap him.
Zhao Minghong's pupils contracted sharply, a hint of hurt flashing in his eyes.
He neither dodged nor avoided her gaze, but simply stared at her face.
Tao Wanyin raised her hand to his face, but then stopped.
Her fingers trembled, then slowly curled into fists, and finally, like a lifeless rag doll, drooped to her sides.
Zhao Minghong's voice seemed to come from hell, chilling to the bone as he said, "Why couldn't the princess bring herself to do it?"
Unable to contain his anger, he said, "The princess, who has always been respectful and upheld the three obediences and four virtues of women, actually dared to lay a hand on her husband! What heinous thing have I done to make the princess so angry that she wants to slap me!"
She could tolerate the repeated provocations from the concubines in Prince Yong's mansion, but when he mentioned her beloved a few times, he almost got slapped by her.
Zhao Minghong's eyes stung, and he took a deep breath, trying to suppress the bitterness welling up from the bottom of his heart.
Tao Wanyin's fingernails dug into the flesh of her palm as she forced herself to calm down.
Given her current situation, she has no family to rely on; the only connection she has in this world is the fetus in her womb.
She knew in her heart that her survival was only partly due to the child in her womb; the more important reason was...
The person in front of me.
Prince Yong was unwilling to depose his concubine, and even defied the Empress Dowager for her sake.
Qingwu said that Prince Yong even knelt down and begged her for his own sake.
She couldn't imagine the unruly prince kneeling and begging.
Tao Wanyin calmed down and looked up again, only to find that Prince Yong's eyes were even redder than hers.
His expression conveyed undisguised anger, and... grievance.
She then looked closely and noticed that there seemed to be traces of crying on his face.
Prince Yong got drunk at the princess's residence and specifically summoned her back, causing a scene for most of the night, just to publicly humiliate her? Did he want her to admit that she had someone else outside and that she had someone else in her heart?
Tao Wanyin slowly loosened her grip, her brows furrowed, as if she understood where the problem lay.
When he saw her raise her hand again and reach towards his face, Zhao Minghong's back stiffened.
He stubbornly replied, "Go ahead and hit me, the harder the better! Leave a handprint, and I'll stroll through the city tomorrow, letting all the people know about Princess Yong's two faces."
Tao Wanyin found the threat both laughable and ridiculous.
She threatened to hit him, and he used this painless, non-punishing action as a threat.
Everyone in the city knows that the Tao family are treacherous and wicked; she has no reputation left.
Tao Wanyin's hand was about to land on his face when Zhao Minghong closed his eyes, his face ashen, and something else welled up in his eyes.
There was no pain or embarrassment as expected.
That hand gently stroked the corner of Zhao Minghong's eye.
Under the cover of night, Tao Wanyin thought she was seeing things, but when she touched it with her own hands, she felt the dampness on her fingertips.
She asked in surprise, "The prince is crying?"
Seeing tear stains and witnessing the tears rolling down one's face are two completely different feelings.
The latter was enough for Tao Wanyin to confirm that the tears were related to her.
Zhao Minghong immediately opened his eyes, snorted, and said, "How could I—"
Tao Wanyin held her fingers up to his face and said earnestly, "My fingers are wet, Your Highness, please take a look."
Zhao Minghong said without changing his expression, "It's drizzling."
Although it was night, the moon and stars were bright, and there was only a gentle evening breeze. The weather was so dry that there was no dew.
Tao Wanyin, oblivious to the romantic undertones, continued, "It's still hot."
Enraged, Zhao Minghong pushed her fingers away and said, "This is... this is the urine of an insect on a tree, which accidentally dripped onto my face."
He would rather admit it was urine than admit he shed tears.
Deep in the woods.
Ji Qingwu, holding Emperor Wusu's hand, was eavesdropping against the corner of the wall when she heard Prince Yong's clumsy explanation, and she almost couldn't help but laugh.
She leaned close to the emperor and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, I didn't expect Prince Yong to be such a crybaby. Has he always been like this?"
Emperor Wusu denied it, saying, "He never did that."
Although Zhao Minghong was a brat, he was tough, resilient, and never gave up. He rarely cried or begged for mercy.
Shedding tears in front of Princess Yong's wife clearly shows that she is heartbroken.
Ji Qingwu said softly, "I now believe Your Majesty's words."
Emperor Wusu's gaze softened: "What are you saying?"
"It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but only when they are deeply saddened. Prince Yong still has genuine feelings for the Princess."
Emperor Wusu embraced her waist, his heart racing as he pulled her into his arms.
He asked, "Do you still disbelieve what I said before?"
Ji Qingwu was engrossed in watching, so she gently nudged him and continued to crane her neck, eager to see what would happen to Prince Yong and his wife.
She hurriedly replied, "I believe you, I believe you, I believe everything Your Majesty says."
"Whether Ah Wu believes it or not, look over there again."
Emperor Wusu's voice was hoarse from drunkenness, but his tone remained normal.
"You'll be the next one crying."
Upon hearing this, Ji Qingwu quickly turned her head back, her bright eyes looking at him with a hint of guilt.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Emperor Wusu pressed on her lower back and pulled her back into his arms.
A satisfied smile appeared on his lips. Ji Qingwu quietly raised her head and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty wouldn't bear to see me cry."
Emperor Wusu narrowed his eyes and hugged her even tighter.
"There is one exception."
What's going on?
Ji Qingwu quickly realized what was happening. With their bodies pressed tightly together, they could clearly feel the changes in each other's bodies.
What else could it be?
The heat that had just been dispelled by the evening breeze surged back up on Ji Qingwu's face.
She tried to remain calm and said in a low voice, "That's hard to say."
Emperor Wusu's eyes seemed to absorb all the light around him, and they lit up with surprise.
But he only said indifferently, "Oh?"
Even if you lose the battle, you can't afford to lose face. Maybe the emperor will forget everything when he sobers up tomorrow, and Ji Qingwu will start spouting nonsense again.
"Why am I crying? I won't cry. Maybe it's His Majesty who's crying."
Emperor Wusu smiled and readily asked, "Awu, how do you want me to cry?"
Ji Qingwu glanced at the situation outside. Prince Yong and his companion were too busy taking care of themselves to notice that there were other people around.
She cleared her throat and said, "Someone once said that it is still uncertain whether Your Majesty or I will prevail. Your Majesty should not be too confident."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
