Eunuch Huaifu immediately led the palace servants to kneel and pay their respects to Prince Ding. Prince Ding raised his hand and said, "Rise."
He walked straight up to Ye Qingxue. He had originally planned to leave the palace, but after leaving the Empress's Phoenix Palace, he learned that the Emperor had summoned Ye Qingxue, so he waited for her here.
“Miss Ye is my fiancée. I would like to have a few words with her alone. I hope Eunuch Huaifu will not refuse?” said Prince Ding.
Huaifu smiled and said, "Your Highness, what are you saying? How could this servant dare to refuse? It's just that His Majesty is in a hurry to see Miss Ye. If we arrive late, His Majesty will be displeased. I wonder if a cup of tea's time will be enough?"
"After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, I will definitely return Miss Ye to Eunuch Huaifu." As Prince Ding spoke, he gestured for Ye Qingxue to enter.
Ye Qingxue scrutinized him for a moment, then finally stepped aside, leaving the rest of the people behind, none daring to follow.
Reaching the lotus pond, Ye Qingxue stopped: "We're far enough away. Your Highness, please speak freely. Don't keep His Majesty waiting."
Seeing her cold demeanor, Prince Ding felt she was extremely arrogant. He had come to apologize and salvage the marriage, but what he blurted out was:
"Since you went to rescue Rongqing last night and took Pan Heng to find Wei Jingtong's hiding place, why didn't you tell me when I came to annul the engagement? Did you deliberately ask me to annul the engagement so that you would be scolded by my father?"
"Your Highness has misunderstood me. I was so busy last night that I was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as I finished. I had no idea that people were talking about me like this!"
"When I woke up, I learned that His Highness had come to break off the engagement. I asked His Highness if he would regret it, and he said he would not. There was nothing I could do about it."
Ye Qingxue sighed.
"Moreover, His Highness did not inform me before coming to break off the engagement. It was my maid who found out and told me. I had no chance to refuse His Highness's request to break off the engagement, did I?"
"Your Highness says I deliberately caused you to be scolded by the Emperor, which is a complete injustice to me!"
Prince Ding scrutinized her expression. The light was dim, making it difficult to discern her subtle nuances, but he suspected Ye Qingxue was lying; she was as cunning as a fox.
As a woman, she swiftly killed several bandits, rescued Princess Rongqing, and even found the location where Wei Jingtong had buried the stolen goods. He absolutely did not believe that she had not planned this in advance.
But what's done is done, and all he can do is try to salvage the situation; digging deeper into the matter is pointless.
As the Empress Dowager said, as long as he marries her and confines her in the backyard, he can torment her however he pleases.
Moreover, she was poisoned by the Broken Moon Orchid and wouldn't live much longer, perhaps not even long enough to marry into the Prince Ding's household.
Even so, his reputation still needs to be salvaged through Ye Qingxue.
"Since I have wronged you, I apologize and hope Miss Ye will not hold it against me, is that alright?"
The Prince of Ding spoke with a gentle and polite demeanor, as if he were coaxing the girl he loved.
Ye Qingxue said, "I am not such a petty person, so naturally I will not hold it against Your Highness."
Prince Ding maintained a gentle smile on his face, but inwardly he sneered: "She's just a country girl after all. She can charge into battle like a warrior, but she has no strategic mind. She's easily fooled!"
"Good!" The Prince Ding's smile widened. "I've known since I was twelve that you would become my queen sooner or later. I've waited nine years for this. Now that I see you, you are indeed a generous and cheerful girl. I like you very much!"
Ye Qingxue smiled.
Prince Ding then said, "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's drop the matter of annulling our engagement. Tomorrow, the people from Prince Ding's residence will still come to present the betrothal gifts on time, and our wedding will be held on the auspicious day selected by the Ministry of Rites!"
The smile on Ye Qingxue's face vanished at a visible speed, her expression turning icy, as if covered in frost.
"What did Your Highness say before you left the Marquis's residence? You said you would never regret announcing the engagement! Moreover, your letter of annulment is still in the Marquis's residence, and Princess Ruijia even witnessed it!"
"Although I am a generous and cheerful girl, it doesn't mean that I have to forgive you with a smile just because the prince smeared shit on me!"
"I won't do something so shameless and unprincipled. What if the prince feeds me shit in the future? Just because I'm cheerful and generous, does that mean I have to obediently swallow it?"
Prince Ding was shocked and stared at her in disbelief.
He thought that since the two of them had gotten along so well at the beginning, and since he was a prince, Ye Qingxue would definitely agree to be his princess as long as he turned back.
As a result, Ye Qingxue not only refused, but also said such vulgar things, such as "feeding shit"; how could she say such things? Is she even a woman?
Prince Ding used all his strength to finally control his temper and said, "I misunderstood you when I said those things before. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, I realize that I was wrong."
"It is a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. I hope Miss Ye will give me another chance. After our marriage, I will definitely treat Miss Ye well and never let you suffer any grievances."
Ye Qingxue's lips curled into a mocking smile. A person who has been schemed against to death cannot feel the injustice they have suffered, let alone speak out about it.
"Since Your Highness is so sincere, could you kneel down and beg me?"
Humiliation, an immense humiliation! The veins on the back of Prince Ding's hand, which hung by his side, bulged instantly; he had almost attacked Ye Qingxue.
"Making you my Princess Consort is already my greatest show of sincerity. As the daughter of a Marquis, you expect me to kneel before you. Even if I dared, could you bear to kneel before me?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
