Too high to reach

Chapter 398 Diverse Thoughts

Inside the main hall, the emperor's face was ashen.

He had just deduced that Li Jing was definitely behind it.

However, there are still some things I don't understand. Li Jing didn't do things this way... If he simply didn't want Yu'an to marry into the Niu family, there were many other ways!
General Niu is the third generation to rise to power. With so many soldiers and wealth, how could he not have some trouble? A battle could be fought right on his doorstep. He could easily pick one and cause a ruckus. Even if they were to accuse the Niu family of colluding with bandits, they could wipe out his stronghold.

Or, if he tells me what he knows, the marriage will fall through...

Perhaps... he just wanted to ruin Yu'an. To embarrass the Empress and the Crown Prince... wouldn't it still be the same position?
With his abilities and temperament, it wouldn't be difficult for him to deal with the Crown Prince directly, right?
I'm so tired... Sweat soaked the Emperor's back.

Can't you all, for the sake of the royal family's reputation, be nice to each other and let me live a few more years in peace?

Why did they have to make such a scene?!

My old face... I threw all my anger and embarrassment at Li Jing.

Good, very good!
Today... he made up his mind.

……

"Princess! Tanlang's life is yours!"

That "young man" neither dodged nor flinched, but stretched out his neck and waited for the princess to strangle him.

"I will die by your hand, my love, without any regrets!"

The man, who was always obsequious and used his looks to please others, timid, cowardly, and indecisive, suddenly had a fervent glint in his eyes when the princess grabbed him by the neck.

If he dies, the prince promised to save his sisters...

Beside them, a lady from some unknown family approached and forcefully pulled the princess's hand away from her lover's, whispering, "Your Highness, please calm down. With the Emperor and Empress present, you can ask them to intervene on your behalf. It would be beneath your dignity to act personally in public..."

“Yes, Your Highness, General Niu is still here! No matter what happens, Her Majesty the Empress will always smooth things over for you…” another person advised.

Princess Yu'an's fingernails were broken off, causing her excruciating pain, and she finally let out a sigh of relief. Looking around, she saw that the Imperial Guards in the distance hadn't moved.

Several people nearby watched her with amused expressions, enjoying the spectacle. She glared at them with malice, determined to remember them for later.

Suddenly, a woman beside her said, "We haven't congratulated Your Highness yet! You're finally going to be a mother. I just wonder if the princess prefers the young prince or the young princess..."

Madam Xu?!

Princess Yu'an turned her head and saw that it was indeed her.

"Madam, you jumped out a bit too quickly!" Princess Yu'an sneered. "The Xu family isn't just about you. Shouldn't you at least think things through a bit more?"

Madam Xu covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed: "If you don't hurry, the baby will be born soon. To be honest... General Niu is quite lucky, getting one free with the purchase! Actually, if this were a prince, it would be quite troublesome."

But princesses are different. Regardless of who the father is, as long as the child comes from the princess's womb, it's of royal blood… From birth, it comes with lifelong support; it doesn't need anyone else to raise it! In truth, it's no problem at all!

That damned woman! You just wait, Princess Yu'an is going to see General Niu...

The ugly, smelly man had clearly heard Madam Xu's mockery. He stood there silently, his earlier rage gone, like an outsider, motionless and silent…

Inside the main hall, a eunuch trembled as he relayed the news to the Emperor. The Emperor nearly fainted… Not only had Princess Yu'an's lover caused a scene at the palace wedding, but she was also pregnant with his child, and she wanted General Niu to become her cheap father?

He coughed, his face turning bright red.

What a tragedy! God... why did he have such children?

Yu'an dared to do this, and Li Jing dared to expose it... The two of them are practically trying to kill me!

"Where exactly do you place me, the emperor?" He gasped for breath, ignoring everyone else and focusing only on Li Jing.

Coincidentally, Li Jing also turned to look at him, and in his eyes was a kind of emotion that the emperor could not understand.

Li Jing understood Mo Yi's feelings; such a spectacle was a once-in-a-century occurrence. Having her accompany him to watch it would be a pleasure in itself.

The father and son just stared at each other like that...

The Empress, upon hearing the palace maid's report, turned deathly pale and stood frozen in shock. Since this had happened in front of the Emperor, she couldn't very well intervene. And so it spiraled out of control...

It suddenly dawned on me that day, when I held Yu'an as she fell into the water, I noticed she had lost her waistline. Unfortunately, at the time I was filled with anger and resentment, and didn't fully grasp the situation…

Who would have thought she would do something like this?!

A wave of dizziness washed over her. What had she learned and what had she done all these years?
Now... how will this end?

Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Qian was sitting on the sidelines, watching the two tigers fight... seemingly oblivious to everything, looking at this and that, thoroughly enjoying herself...

Consort Dong, completely forgetting her own dark complexion, wore a mocking expression on her beautiful face and muttered under her breath, "Shameless! What a disgrace! She should be drowned in a pig cage..."

Prince Yong'an stroked his chin, hissing... Li Jing is truly ruthless... Regardless of the outcome, Yu'an is pretty much finished. Even if Li Huan manages to gain the upper hand... and sits on that throne, he probably won't tolerate a girl like this!
He was trapped in a cycle of thinking: if Xiao Shiwu had no chance, "who would be more beneficial to me if Li Jing or Li Huan came to power?"

The Crown Prince truly cannot tolerate this girl anymore; he was so angry he laughed instead… A few days ago, I went to the Princess's residence to find her, but she refused to tell the truth… Not only could she not help, she actually ruined things… She didn't manage to marry into the Niu family, but she made an enemy of them.

If... without resorting to drastic measures, everything will be over. I don't even know how I went from being a secure crown prince to being in this precarious situation.

But since things had come to this point... he immediately gave a wink to the people at the palace gate.

The Crown Princess, who had been sitting beside the Crown Prince, had lost her usual composure. She shrank into a corner, head bowed, her heart filled with sorrow and unease. What would happen next? Regret: She should have made an excuse not to come, stayed home with the children, and awaited her final fate—that would have been better than suffering humiliation and torment here!
Meanwhile, those present who had no chance of ascending the throne began to whisper among themselves... and for a moment, the hall was filled with soft sobs.

"Shut up, all of you!" the emperor roared.

He was unusually furious, and everyone immediately shut up and knelt down again.

The Niu family members also learned of this news from their own people, and were so shocked that they didn't know how to react. But no matter how much they cursed in their hearts, they remained obedient on the surface, not daring to show any dissatisfaction, and knelt down with everyone else.

Even the Empress and the Crown Prince stood up... Only the Empress Dowager remained seated, her expression still somewhat surprised, as if she didn't know what everyone was doing... In her heart, however, she was cursing the Emperor: Serves you right! It has to be said that your foundation is not good enough, look at the children you have given birth to... And look at my Qian family, even the offspring of a concubine can become a third-rank scholar!

Qian Nianzu stood in the crowd, lost in thought, feeling slightly disappointed by the behavior of the royal family.

"Bring them all in here!" The emperor roared hoarsely, his eyes bulging with bags.

The Empress glanced at the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince looked back at her...

(End of this chapter)