HLnovel Chapter 257 Your subject is not good enough
Chapter 257 Your subject is not good enough
After listening to the emperor finish his rambling account, the crown prince's expression froze for a moment.
He truly hadn't expected the emperor to suddenly bring this up.
When it was mentioned, he vaguely remembered that there seemed to be such a thing. At that time, he was still young, but he had already started studying with Grand Tutor Lan. Once, his mother excitedly told him that Madam Lan was pregnant and if she gave birth to a girl, she would definitely be a great beauty. She said that good things should not go to outsiders and that he should be betrothed as soon as possible. She said that when the peach blossoms bloomed next spring, he would be able to meet his Crown Princess.
He didn't take it to heart, but the usually calm Sheng Junyao secretly boasted to him several times that his mother was going to have a little sister, and that his little sister would definitely be the cutest little sister in the world.
When the New Year came that year, the Empress Dowager specially selected a pair of dragon and phoenix pendants, saying that if it was really a girl, she would send these tokens to her when she was born to arrange the marriage.
Unfortunately, before the peach blossoms could bloom in the spring of the following year, the entire capital was shrouded in a bloody hue just after the New Year.
First, there was turmoil on the border, and General Rong died on the battlefield. Then, with conclusive evidence, the Rong family was found guilty of treason and was executed along with the entire family. Bloodshed swept through the capital, military power in the northwest fell into other hands, and the generals in the capital were restless. It was at this time that Lady Lan was tricked and gave birth to a child outside the capital.
Duke Sheng was appointed to the post in a time of crisis, and finally won the battle in that turmoil. He then took his wife and children to the border, where they stayed for three years.
When the Duke of Sheng's family returned, the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the palace had already become tense. The Empress Dowager's energy was gradually failing, so no one mentioned the past anymore. Even Sheng Junyao never said that his younger sister was cute, only that she looked well-behaved.
After his mother passed away, and later when Sheng Yunzhu grew up a little, he saw her again. He saw through her stupidity and scheming at a glance. The marriage that his mother had mentioned in the past was completely buried in his memory and he never considered it again.
In recent years, since his leg injury, there has been much speculation and rumors about Sheng Yunzhu and the third son. The Emperor has never mentioned the marriage that the Empress Dowager had mentioned before. Now that the matter of the real and fake heiress has come to light, and Madam Lan has left the Sheng family with Lu Yangyang, this old matter has been brought up again.
It's nothing more than that Lu Yangyang has no power or influence now, and his good father, the emperor, is pretending to be magnanimous, wanting to "fulfill" this good intention.
How ridiculous.
The prince's fingers were tucked into his sleeves, and his fingertips unconsciously caressed the silver ring. Despite the obvious intention, he felt a shameful stirring in his heart.
Marry her.
Those bright eyes, from the first time I saw them, were like a dazzling star in the dark night, making me want to hide them away and cherish them in my heart.
But the sky is vast and the sea is wide, and even the stars belong to the sky.
The crown prince suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
"Father, I have no intention of marrying." The Crown Prince looked at the Emperor and decisively refused.
The emperor was somewhat surprised. "Why is this? A-Que, didn't you quite like that girl? It was fate that you two met again; it was a match made in heaven. How could this be..."
"Father, I cannot," the Crown Prince interrupted him calmly.
A fleeting crack appeared on the emperor's expression, and he instinctively opened his mouth: "I asked the imperial physician, and he said... he said it wouldn't affect..."
"It won't affect your marriage prospects, right?" The Crown Prince calmly met the Emperor's questioning gaze: "This is a mental ailment of yours, and mental ailments are difficult to cure. The imperial physician should have spoken to Father Emperor about it."
"Not only is she unsuitable, but no one else is either. If that's the case, why should I marry? If someone is needed to take care of me, aren't there enough palace maids and eunuchs in the Eastern Palace?"
"Even so," the emperor still held onto hope, "is there absolutely no possibility?"
"Father, I've been in this wheelchair for three years now. Do you think it's still possible?" The Crown Prince's voice turned cold, even carrying a hint of impatience.
The emperor hurriedly and awkwardly explained, "Ah Que, that's not what I meant. I just saw that you really like that girl, and I thought she would be suitable for you, so why not marry her? This... sigh, it's all my fault. Don't be angry, be careful not to hurt yourself."
The emperor patiently coaxed him for a few moments, but seeing that the crown prince still remained cold and unresponsive, he stood up with a sense of helplessness. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. You should rest well. I'll head back now."
The moment the emperor left, the crown prince's usually calm expression turned cold. He waved his hand and smashed the chessboard on the table with a crash, shattering the tea set beside it as well.
Outside the palace gate, the emperor listened to the voices coming from behind him and muttered to the eunuch Feng beside him, "Look, I only said a few words to him, and he can't even say anything? I know he used to be arrogant and haughty, but these past few years... sigh, I was thinking that no matter what, he should at least leave behind an heir."
Supervisor Feng carefully stood by and said, "His Majesty watched His Highness grow up, how could he not know His Highness's temper? His Highness is kind-hearted and feels sorry for that girl."
"You're right. By the way, have all the invitations been sent out? In a few days, I'll meet that young lady. I heard she injured her face; I don't know how serious it is, but it's alright. As long as Aque likes her, that's fine. I'll be at ease once he's found a wife." The emperor walked out, then suddenly remembered something.
"Did the Northern Yan send a memorial yesterday, saying they wanted to choose a princess for a marriage alliance?"
Supervisor Feng nodded: "That is indeed the case."
"Who do you think is suitable?" the emperor suddenly asked.
Supervisor Feng's face trembled slightly, and he dared not speak, feeling embarrassed.
……
In the garden of the Princess's residence, Li Duan lay behind the Princess, covered her eyes with her hands, and said with a grin, "Mother, believe me, it's going to be a huge, huge surprise!"
The princess smiled and said, "Oh? Why did you summon me here so mysteriously, and even blindfold me? What kind of trick are you up to now?"
“How could it be a wicked idea?” Li Duan scolded. “Mother, guess quickly and see if you guess right. If you guess wrong, give me an extra birthday present.”
"I think you're just trying to appease me," the princess deliberately raised her voice, "Then I'll guess..."
"Guess quickly, guess quickly," Li Duan urged.
The eldest princess laughed out loud: "Don't cry if you guess it."
"Mother!" Li Duan called out in frustration.
"Is it that young master Ming you've been talking about for days, that you've finally invited over?" the princess asked.
"Wow, Mom, are you a tapeworm in my stomach?" Li Duan exclaimed dramatically.
Meanwhile, on the stage, Mingruo, dressed in theatrical costume, walked out.
The eldest princess rubbed her arms: "What worms? They're giving me goosebumps."
Li Duan removed her hand from the princess's eyes, and Ming Ruo began to speak on stage.
Unexpectedly, those eyes met the Princess's gaze.
The teacup beside me crashed to the ground.