Shen Yunxi lowered her eyes silently, unable to describe the feeling in her heart. In the end, she gave a bitter smile, quickly composed herself, and said nothing more.
From beginning to end, Shen Yunxi didn't say anything. She just listened to Junxuan and the Empress Dowager talk about how she planned to minimize her presence, and it would be even better if the two of them pretended that she didn't exist.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The more Shen Yunxi wanted to keep a low profile, the more someone seemed determined to get rid of her.
"Miss Shen's foot will probably take several days to heal. I wonder if you'll get used to not moving around in the palace these few days?" Jun Xuan asked, trying to make conversation.
Shen Yunxi nodded, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am well and have no discomfort whatsoever."
As long as you don't appear in front of me, I'm fine anywhere, even the palace, since it's the Empress Dowager's palace anyway. Unfortunately, I can only say this in my heart, and Shen Yunxi doesn't have the courage to say it directly to Jun Xuan.
Junxuan chuckled softly, gently stroking the red cinnabar bracelet on his left wrist with his right hand. "That's good. After all, it was because of me that Miss Shen was injured. If Miss Shen is not used to not moving around in the palace, I will feel guilty."
"Your Majesty, you flatter me. I rarely go out, so it's no big deal that I can't move around freely this time," Shen Yunxi replied calmly.
Listening to the back-and-forth conversation between the two, the Empress Dowager finally realized that something was wrong.
If she wasn't mistaken, Yunxi had indeed given up on the Emperor, but now it seemed that the Emperor was unwilling to let her give up so easily.
I'd always felt something was off, but now that I think about it carefully, it seems like that's exactly what's going on.
Oh dear, what a mess this is! It's really putting people in a difficult position.
The Emperor is the same. Yunxi was clearly very devoted to him before, but he didn't care about her. Now it's the other way around, which is really frustrating.
But since Yunxi had already given up, she couldn't force her. The Empress Dowager felt that she needed to do something.
"By the way, speaking of which, Yunxi has already come of age. The late Emperor must have been seriously ill and didn't think things through before bestowing this marriage upon her years ago. I think Your Majesty should rescind this marriage. Actually, I have a few other suitable candidates in mind, which can be chosen for Yunxi. In any case, Your Majesty has no other intentions towards Yunxi. Why not resolve this matter and prevent any newcomers from using this to make things difficult for Yunxi? What do you think?" The Empress Dowager said with a smile.
Shen Yunxi looked at the Empress Dowager with gratitude. She was deeply moved that the Empress Dowager had understood her thoughts so easily.
Although the Empress Dowager's status meant she shouldn't question the late Emperor's bestowed marriage, she did it anyway, and it was obvious who she was after. At the same time, Shen Yunxi was determined to repay the Empress Dowager properly.
If the Empress Dowager were to bestow a marriage upon her, she would accept it, believing that the Empress Dowager would choose the most suitable person for her.
Whether you love someone or not is not important; compatibility is what matters most.
Junxuan's face darkened. He hadn't expected the Empress Dowager to say that. Could it be that he had misunderstood her previous idea that she wanted to control him through Shen Yunxi?
Yes, the Empress Dowager wasn't faking it; she genuinely wanted to cancel his marriage to Shen Yunxi and then bestow a marriage upon Shen Yunxi.
Hearing this, Junxuan almost slammed his fist on the table and stood up. He had no intention of canceling the marriage at all.
From his initial reluctance to admit it to his current calm reaction, Junxuan was very clear that he did not want to cancel his engagement with Shen Yunxi, otherwise there would really be nothing between them, which was not what she wanted to see.
However, since the Empress Dowager had already said so much, he didn't want to admit his feelings in front of Shen Yunxi and the Empress Dowager, mainly because he couldn't bring himself to do it.
However, if he didn't do it this way, he couldn't simply refuse to cancel the wedding.
After a long silence, Junxuan finally spoke with righteous indignation.
"Mother, I know your affection for Miss Shen, and I understand that I have no interest in romantic relationships and that I prioritize the affairs of the state above all else. However, this marriage was ultimately decided by the late Emperor himself. As his son, it would be extremely disrespectful for me to cancel this marriage only a year after his death. Mother should understand that the court is currently unstable, and I cannot give those who disrespect me the opportunity to deal with me. I believe Mother can understand."
Junxuan's words made Shen Yunxi's heart sink. She finally understood why Junxuan had disagreed with her several times before.
After all that, Junxuan never intended to agree to the engagement. He didn't want to cancel it, otherwise he wouldn't have remained silent until now, let alone directly reject the Empress Dowager today, when he had mentioned it to her at the Shen family.
Furthermore, Junxuan was indeed clever; the reason he gave was one that even the Empress Dowager could not refuse, otherwise it would be disrespectful to the late Emperor.
Is that really the case?
No, Junxuan could easily cancel the engagement by finding another excuse, but he clearly has no such intention. It seems that he is deliberately stalling for time.
Shen Yunxi suppressed her anger. She understood that as a woman, she had no power to contend with the emperor, and she could only endure her resentment.
Seeing that Shen Yunxi's expression was not very good, the Empress Dowager understood what she was thinking and could only sigh slightly.
Ultimately, even as the Empress Dowager, she couldn't directly influence Junxuan's decision. She had brought it up earlier to remind Junxuan, but it had no effect. It seems he doesn't intend to let Shen Yunxi go and still plans to tie the two of them together.
"Is that so? I won't say much more, but Your Majesty should also understand that the most difficult thing to control in the world is the human heart," the Empress Dowager said meaningfully.
Junxuan wasn't oblivious to the Empress Dowager's words; he understood her unspoken meaning. Indeed, people's hearts are the most difficult thing to control. If someone gives up on someone, then she truly doesn't care about them.
But Junxuan wouldn't listen to any of that now. He really didn't want to give up on Shen Yunxi, and he would definitely regret it if he canceled the engagement right now.
Jun-hyun always trusted his own guesses, so he did just that.
“Your Majesty is right, I understand,” Junxuan replied.
Shen Yunxi looked up and glared at Jun Xuan. She was so angry at Jun Xuan that she couldn't understand why he was so shameless.
It's clear that he himself is unwilling to fulfill this marriage obligation, and now he's unwilling to cancel it. It's obvious that he's deliberately dragging her out. If it was just a guess before, it's now confirmed. His words all convey this meaning, yet he still does it on purpose. He's truly shameless!
What, are you afraid that she will find happiness in the future? Is there such a deep-seated hatred between her and him?
As if sensing Shen Yunxi's gaze, Jun Xuan turned his head instantly, meeting her eyes. Shen Yunxi's hatred was not concealed in time and was caught by him, making Jun Xuan's heart pound wildly.
She seems to... hate me?
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