Give Me Another Chance

Chu Yuxi followed Wen Minjing out of the cellar in a daze, making his way forward from the rear courtyard of the Green Jade Tower.

Wen Yuanyi's sharp eyes caught sight of his daughter emerging from the brothel, and he nearly had his soul frightened out of him.

He sucked in a cold breath. "Minjing! You... what are you doing here?!"

Wen Minjing replied guiltily, "Father, I came to rescue the young prince!"

As she spoke, she pushed the person behind her forward.

The youth was a disheveled mess, but even that could not conceal his astonishing beauty.

It really was the young prince who had run away from home half a month ago!

When the madam of the Green Jade Tower heard the words "young prince" and saw the youth who should have been dead standing before her, she fainted outright from fright.

Seeing that the young prince looked haggard but showed no sign of humiliation or bitter resentment, Lu Huaiying could not help breathing a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the young prince had not yet been violated.

It was only thanks to the Holy Maiden's guidance that they had managed to rescue him in time.

If a member of the imperial clan had been forced to become a male prostitute in the Capital, he, as Prefect of the Capital, might truly have lost his head!

Seeing that his daughter had rescued the young prince, Wen Yuanyi could only swallow all the scolding he had been about to give her.

Chu Yuxi stepped forward and cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, my lords... and Miss Wen, for coming to my rescue. I..."

Just as he was about to say more, Prince Shun and his wife arrived.

"My poor boy!"

The moment Princess Shun stepped out of her sedan chair, she saw the son she had not seen in half a month. Forgetting all decorum, she hurried over to Chu Yuxi and gathered him into her arms.

Knowing he had made his mother worry, Chu Yuxi hastily reassured her, "Mother, I'm all right."

Prince Shun had learned of his son's whereabouts at the palace and returned to his residence intending to put his wife's mind at ease. Unexpectedly, she had insisted on coming with him. Unable to dissuade her, he could only agree.

Now, seeing his son in such a bedraggled state and wondering how much suffering he had endured, Prince Shun felt a pang in his heart too.

Yuxi had once been such a handsome young fellow, so particular about his appearance. When had he ever gone out without being impeccably dressed in splendid silks and fine robes?

Yet now, to avoid marrying Miss Wen, he had gone so far as to reduce himself to this state.

Clearly, arranging this marriage had indeed been his mistake. Fortunately, his wife had already taken Miss Wen as her adopted daughter, so the matter was settled.

At that thought, Prince Shun coughed and said sternly, "You unfilial boy! Back then, you refused to agree..."

Chu Yuxi hastily interrupted, "Father, Mother, it was only because Miss Wen braved danger to rescue me that I escaped unharmed today."

He had just learned, to his utter bewilderment, that the young woman he had fallen for at first sight, the one who had saved his life, was actually the fiancée he had previously refused to marry.

But he was no fool, after all. After wrestling with it for only a moment, he decided he would marry Miss Wen!

So what if she really was a tigress? Miss Wen was a chivalrous heroine who had saved his life! And she was so beautiful!

Chu Yuxi stole another glance at Miss Wen.

Even if she lashed him with her whip in the future, he would accept it!

He paused, his face flushing slightly. "I was immature before. Another day, I'll visit Uncle Wen's residence in person to apologize and ask for Miss Wen's hand again."

Everyone was dumbstruck by those words.

Had the young prince been beaten senseless in the Green Jade Tower?

You were the one who refused to marry her in the first place, even running away from home and stirring up a storm all over the city.

Not only did you leave all the officials and soldiers searching for you tearing their hair out, but you also landed yourself in a brothel and suffered every hardship.

Then your mother took her as an adopted daughter, the marriage fell through just as you wanted, and everyone finally rescued you from that fiery pit.

And now, at the very end, you announce that you want to marry her after all?

So you've been making fools of us this whole time, young prince?!

Of all those silently cursing him, Lu Huaiying was the angriest. If his rank had not been too low for him to afford offending Prince Shun, he would have liked nothing better than to spit in the young prince's face.

I nearly lost my damn head over you, and you've been fucking toying with me?!

Granted, the young prince's abduction into a brothel did have something to do with public security in the Capital, but it had all begun because he insisted on courting disaster himself!

At the words "ask for her hand," Wen Minjing's delicate brows drew together slightly. The young prince has probably been shut up in that brothel all this time and doesn't know Princess Shun has already taken me as her adopted daughter.

But it was not her place to say much about this, so she could only look toward her father.

Wen Yuanyi's expression was very dark.

Was a daughter of his Wen family someone to be summoned with a beckon and dismissed with a wave?

He said coldly, "Young prince, there is no need to apologize, and proposing marriage is even more absurd."

Thinking Lord Wen was displeased because he had previously refused the marriage and run away, Chu Yuxi hurriedly explained, "Uncle Wen, I believed those rumors before, but I know I was wrong now. Please give me another chance!"

Wen Yuanyi merely snorted through his nose and said nothing more.

Seeing her son dig himself deeper with every word, Princess Shun quickly caught his arm. "Xi'er, there is no marriage arrangement anymore. I've already taken Miss Wen as my adopted daughter. She is your elder sister now!"

"What?!"

Shocked and distressed, Chu Yuxi swayed and collapsed into Princess Shun's arms. He had actually fainted.

Prince Shun hurriedly supported his son and called to the household physician he had brought along, "Physician Wang, come treat my son at once!"

Physician Wang hastened forward with his medicine chest and took the young prince's pulse.

Princess Shun asked anxiously, "Physician Wang, what is wrong with Xi'er?"

Physician Wang replied, "There is nothing seriously wrong with the young prince's health. He has simply been under constant strain lately, and the shock just now overwhelmed him, causing him to faint. He should recover after ten days or a fortnight of rest and recuperation at home."

Only then did Princess Shun relax.

Seeing this, Prince Shun said to Wen Yuanyi and Lu Huaiying, "My lords, my son is unwell. My wife and I will take him home first."

Naturally, Wen and Lu did not stop them. They still had to clean up the mess left behind so they could report to the emperor afterward.

The Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.

After sending Prince Shun and the others off, Emperor Chu Ming brought his niece to chat with the empress dowager.

Chu Siqing nestled in Empress Dowager Pei's arms, listening to her imperial uncle talk about the young prince.

Just then, an electronic voice sounded in her mind:

[Host, you have successfully assisted in rescuing the young prince. Points +200]

Chu Siqing perked up and asked curiously, [A-Tong, hurry and tell me how the young prince was rescued!]

The system recounted what had happened.

[Good heavens! So when the soldiers surrounded the Green Jade Tower, the young prince was nearly killed to silence him! Luckily, Miss Wen noticed something wrong with the madam's expression and followed the thug, rescuing him just in time.]

Hearing Chu Siqing's thoughts, Empress Dowager Pei and Emperor Chu Ming, who had been talking, exchanged a glance and tacitly fell silent to enjoy the gossip together.

[Wen Minjing really is her mother's daughter! She left that thug half-dead with a single lash of her whip, and the young prince could only stare, dumbfounded!]

Emperor Chu Ming could not help feeling relieved. Thank goodness I didn't betroth the Crown Prince to the Wen family's daughter back then!

[What?! The young prince actually fell in love with Wen Minjing at first sight when she rescued him, and now he refuses to marry anyone but her?!]

Empress Dowager Pei thought, What on earth is going on?!

I only just acted as witness when Princess Shun took Miss Wen as her adopted daughter!