The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

Let's talk about Ji Yunzhan.

Xie Yanzhao originally intended to solve the problem in the simplest way.

With his methods, causing her to die suddenly from an "acute illness" would be a piece of cake; he could do it cleanly and efficiently, leaving no trace.

But Madam Shen sent a message to the Crown Prince, saying she had a better way.

How could Madam Shen let the person who harmed her daughter die so easily?

Death is liberation. What she wanted was to make Ji Yunzhan suffer a fate worse than death, to ruin her life.

In recent days, rumors about Ji Yunzhan and Li Ke have been circulating widely in the capital.

Although Li Ke held a low-ranking official position, he was considered an upright man. Apart from his excessive drinking, he had no other faults.

After the incident, he personally went to the Ji family to propose marriage, vowing to take full responsibility for Ji Yunzhan.

Madam Shen would certainly not allow Ji Yunzhan to marry Li Ke, because she had prepared a "better" person for Ji Yunzhan.

Inside the Shen residence, Shen Tinghe nestled beside her mother, staring at the stack of portraits spread out on the table, unable to contain her astonishment.

"Mother, where did you find these people?"

The men in the portraits were all ugly and deformed.

There was a notorious playboy who, despite being young, already had a large harem and numerous wives and concubines: he already had a child old enough to run errands, yet he still wanted to marry a young and beautiful concubine.

Even worse, their faces... were truly quite crude and unbearable.

Madam Shen picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said in a tone as indifferent as if she were talking about the weather, "In this capital city, finding a few scoundrels isn't difficult, is it?"

"But Mother," Shen Tinghe asked, puzzled.

"The Ji family is a prominent family, and Madam Ji will definitely investigate these people thoroughly. How could Ji Yunzhan possibly agree to marry them?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen's lips curled into a cold smile, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

"She will agree. The entire Ji family will personally escort her to the bridal sedan chair."

Madam Shen reached out her hand to her daughter, her voice softening slightly: "Yuan'er, come here."

Shen Tinghe obediently placed her hand into her mother's warm palm.

"Yuan'er," Madam Shen gently stroked her daughter's delicate hand and asked softly, "Don't you think your mother is too cruel?"

Marrying any one of these men would be tantamount to pushing Ji Yunzhan into an abyss of no return.

Shen Tinghe immediately shook her head: "No way, she wanted to kill me, why would I be soft-hearted towards her? I'd rather she suffer even more."

She leaned her head on Madam Shen's shoulder and said in a soft, coquettish voice, "It's so good to have Mother here."

No matter what happened to her, her mother could always calmly resolve everything for her and shield her from all harm.

Madam Shen embraced her daughter, her eyes filled with doting affection and determination: "My daughter, of course, should have a smooth and carefree life."

Yuan'er was the apple of her eye; anyone who dared to lay a finger on her would pay the most terrible price.

Madam Shen held her daughter's hand, her tone becoming solemn and earnest: "Yuan'er, the wedding is approaching, you don't need to be afraid when you enter the palace. Remember, your mother and father will always be your strongest support."

Shen Tinghe nodded, her eyes slightly moist: "I know. I really want to stay by my mother's side forever, never to be separated."

Her family is her greatest source of confidence.

She always felt that perhaps she had suffered too much in her past life, so God was making it up to her in this one.

She was reborn into such a wealthy and privileged family, with relatives who unconditionally loved and supported her, and a fiancé who loved her to the core.

From the moment she was born, she stood almost at the very top of the dynasty, and was undoubtedly the foremost noblewoman in the capital.

纪家

Ji Yunzhan raised her arm, and with a series of cracking sounds, she swept everything on the table to the ground.

She screamed, "I won't marry him! I'd rather die than marry him!"

"Mother, you know perfectly well what kind of person that is, yet you still push me into a pit of fire! Rather than let me marry someone like that, you might as well just kill me now!"

Madam Ji covered her mouth, tears already streaming down her face. She stepped forward to pull her daughter away, but Ji Yunzhan abruptly pushed her away.

"Qi'er, listen to me, there's no other way."

Her voice choked with sobs, filled with desperate pleading: "If you don't marry him, your father will be dismissed! You know what state our family is in now. None of the younger generation have amounted to anything these past few years. We've been relying on your grandfather to keep things afloat. Your father's fourth-rank official position is our biggest hope besides him! If he falls, our Ji family... our Ji family will truly collapse!"

Ji Yunzhan gave a bitter smile, tears streaming down her face: "It's all gone? For his official position, I have to sacrifice my entire life? It's all the Shen family's fault! It's that bitch Shen Tinghe!"

She suddenly raised her voice, her eyes burning with venomous flames.

"Mother! Look at the Shen family! Shen Tinghe's mother would give anything for her, and what about you? All you do is pressure me! Pressure me to get married!"

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap echoed in the room.

Madam Ji trembled with rage, pointing at Ji Yunzhan, her chest heaving violently: "How dare you say that! If you hadn't done such a vicious thing to Shen Tinghe, how could the Shen family be threatening us? You've caused such a terrible disaster, do you expect your whole family to suffer along with you?"

Ji Yunzhan cried out, "Your Highness, I want to find Your Highness! I want to tell him how wicked Shen Tinghe is! My grandfather taught His Highness that he won't abandon me..."

Madam Ji sneered: "Crown Prince? Only Cheng Yu, the Crown Prince's confidant, knows about the mistakes your father made back then. Use your brain and think about who told the Shen family the news."

She took a deep breath and left her daughter with her last words: "Of all people to mess with, you had to mess with Shen Tinghe, Qi'er. You brought this upon yourself. Pack your things and get married in three days."

After saying that, she turned around and left without looking back, leaving Ji Yunzhan alone in the messy room.

Ji Yunzhan turned her head to the side after being slapped, her face burning with pain.

She staggered back a few steps, collapsing weakly onto the cold ground, tears mingling with humiliation and anger streaming down her face.

Why? Why did things turn out this way?

She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms, causing a sharp pain, but it did nothing to alleviate the overwhelming hatred in her heart.

So close, just a tiny bit more...

If only... if only she had raised her hand a little higher and slammed it down harder, Shen Tinghe would definitely have died.

Endless regret and resentment intertwined, almost consuming her entirely.

Two months passed quickly

On the day of the wedding, the entire capital was filled with joy.

Before dawn, Zhuque Avenue outside Zichen Palace was already decorated like a fairyland.

The red carpet laid out by the palace servants overnight stretched from the palace gates all the way to the Prince of Dingshan's residence, ten miles away.

The buildings along the street were adorned with colorful satin ribbons and palace lanterns embroidered with the character "囍" (double happiness). A gentle breeze caused the ornaments to tinkle, as if softly singing a joyous song of a prosperous era.

At the auspicious hour, nine cannon salutes resounded through the sky.

Crown Prince Xie Yanzhao wore a dragon-embroidered robe with twelve imperial symbols, a jade belt around his waist, and a winged crown adorned with pearls. His face was as white as jade, and his eyes were as bright as stars.