Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

"I don't know," Ling Xianru said, half-jokingly. "I have completely taken control of the political situation in Donglin. My father is ill and has long planned to abdicate. Now that news of my whereabouts in Dajing has spread, he probably wants me to stay in Donglin even if it means forcing me to do so."

His father, in his youth, was obsessed with power. To secure his throne, he coldly watched as his concubines and his brothers killed each other in the struggle for the crown prince position.

Later, he turned the tables and killed or imprisoned his brothers who wanted him dead. His father, on the other hand, seemed to have grown tired of the throne and had proposed abdication several times in recent years.

But he is still alive, so if Ling Xianru were to take over, it would seem somewhat illegitimate.

Moreover, in her short life of just over twenty years, Ling Xianru was either being hunted or on her way to be hunted. Although she had traveled through many mountains and rivers, her steps were always hurried.

He also wanted to enjoy a relaxing and pleasant life, so he came to Dajing.

This matter cannot be kept secret from the Eastern Lin royal family, and he will most likely be forced to ascend the throne after returning.

Once he ascends the throne, he will no longer be as free to come and go as he is now.

"He had long wanted to keep me in the capital. I wonder if people start to yearn for a house full of children and grandchildren as they get older. When he was young, he let his sons fight each other, but now that he's older, he's counting on me to carry on the Ling family line."

Of the royal families to the east, he is now the only legitimate heir.

His mother was the queen, and although he was the youngest, he was still the legitimate son.

After speaking, Ling Xianru glanced at Wei Rong's expression and saw her purse her lips before adding, "You've already sent quite a few beauties into my palace before."

Wei Rong paused in her patting of his chest, then resumed, applying much more pressure.

Ling Xianru chuckled to herself.

No matter how capable Wei Rong is, she is only twenty years old.

His younger sisters, because Donglin was a powerful country with strong backgrounds and could choose any husband they wanted, were still arrogant and domineering in the capital at this age.

In his eyes, Wei Rong should be this age too.

Playing and indulging in pleasures, detached from state affairs—this is the world that every father or ruler should give to his daughters.

Ling Xianru grasped Wei Rong's hand, but this time she didn't just hold it loosely; instead, she forcefully spread her fingers apart and interlocked them.

He sat up straight and looked firmly into Wei Rong's eyes: "Will you come with me to Donglin?"

Then came another lie: "If there's no hope of curing my Heart-Eating Gu, I hope that the last thing I see is you."

In those bright black eyes, there was no scheming, only piety, and in their reflection, there was only Wei Rong.

Realizing Wei Rong was trying to struggle, he tightened his grip, a hint of disappointment on his face: "Don't you care about me at all?"

Unable to dodge, Wei Rong had no choice but to face the challenge head-on.

She had never analyzed herself in front of Ling Xianru, so her pronunciation was a little hesitant when she spoke: "I don't know if this is caring or feeling guilty."

"Ling Xianru, I have never... cared about anyone, not even Xiao Heng. My marriage with him was more like a transaction. He used to act like a gentleman, respecting the Wei family and being considerate to me, so I followed his example, being filial to my mother-in-law and obedient to my husband, and managing all the affairs of the household for him. But I know that loving couples are not like this, and my father and mother were not like this."

"But I don't know exactly what it is."

Ling Xianru smiled and said, "I don't know either. My mother was murdered right under my father's nose, and the concubines around him only schemed and used against him. But there is no standard answer to this question."

"No," Wei Rong shook her head under his gaze, her expression very serious: "If it were Xiao Heng, I would arrange for him to take concubines, even a hundred would not matter, but if it were you, I would get very angry just thinking about it."

If she were to discover that he had even one of those beauties in his palace, she would feel an inexplicable fire rising from the soles of her feet.

Her frankness made Ling Xianru adorable, especially when she said it with such a serious expression.

He chuckled and crumpled Wei Rong's hairpin: "Oh, so you're quite possessive."

possessive?

Wei Rong believed that she did not possess such a thing.

However—Ling Xianru's touch never disgusted her, and she couldn't deny that she was indeed interested in his beauties.

"I'm going back to the manor." She stepped back from his bedside, feeling uneasy as she realized she still had many questions to ponder.

Ling Xianru stopped there, not wanting to push him too far: "I'll have Mo Bai take you."

The entire Prime Minister's residence was quite large, but the furnishings remained largely unchanged.

Only a few of her close confidants were brought by Ling Xianru from Donglin, such as the steward, Mo Bai, Mo Yu, and Physician Qian.

Looking at the few pieces of luggage, Wei Rong asked Mo Bai, "What do you plan to do with this Prime Minister's residence?"

"The master has not yet given any instructions," Mo Bai dared not speak his mind, and could only say what he could: "With the servants here, things will not be neglected."

His master's plan was simply to have the Empress—no, Miss Wei—go back to Donglin with him.

If the person resolutely refuses to travel with him, he might have to return to the Prime Minister's residence.

However, once the resignation is submitted, the Prime Minister's residence will be renamed the Ling Residence.

Wei Rong glanced at it a few times, walked through the long corridor, and followed Mo Bai out of the Prime Minister's residence.

As Ling Xianru resigned from her official post, and Xiao Yi's assassination attempt on Wei Rong failed, the news spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of Yunjing, making it impossible to conceal the identity of the Crown Prince of Donglin.

As Wei Rong thought, all sorts of things were being said outside.

Most people believed that she conspired with Ling Xianru to seize the throne, but due to Wei Beimu's death, the people found a new explanation, thinking that changing the emperor was not necessarily a bad thing.

But right now, the throne is vacant.

Wei Rong made a move that shocked the world.

—Drowsy.

The one who is being divorced is still the emperor.

He is undoubtedly the first person in history to achieve this.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. His father's killer was his own husband, so sparing his life was already considered merciful.

The Crown Prince of Donglin has been the talk of the town in the capital these past few days.

"I heard that this person has a truly tragic past. Her birthday is the anniversary of her mother's death, and she survived only because she was protected by her nanny since she was a child."

"It's tragic, but anyone who's seen the Prime Minister's face before can't help but sigh that heaven is jealous of beauty."

"Prime Minister, oh no, Crown Prince Donglin's face is truly flawless, there's not a single imperfection to be found!"

"What's going on between him and the Empress? The girl he mentioned at the New Year's banquet who got married—was that the Empress? What kind of connection existed between them?"

"How would we know that? But the Crown Prince's face looks like that of a lovesick man, my goodness, isn't that something you only see in storybooks?"

"Who says otherwise? But the Empress is, after all, a second-time bride. In my opinion, it's a bit too much for the Crown Prince to be so impulsive—"

"Pah! You men, you just say the grapes are sour because you can't have them! The Wei family's daughter is far beyond your reach!"

"Who would want to climb up to me? I wouldn't even deign to!"

As that disdainful remark fell to the ground, the curtain of the teahouse was lifted, and Wei Rong emerged from the main hall, appearing before the public.

The man who had just spoken glanced at her and unconsciously swallowed.

"Sister Rong, I've remembered what you said." Yun Sheng glanced at the crowd and lifted the carriage curtain for Wei Rong.

Wei Rong climbed into the carriage, the curtain fell, and her carriage disappeared at the street corner amidst the onlookers.

In Yunjing City, there is only one person whom the eldest son of the Yun family calls Rong-meimei (younger sister Rong).

The women who had been discussing earlier glared at the man: "Disdainful, huh? You're drooling all over the place."

The carriage continued without stopping until it reached the Grand Tutor's residence.