Tong Aning sighed silently in her heart, but the princess burst out laughing.
She ordered someone to bring a chair, and sat down leisurely. Leaning over, she looked at Shen Xinrui, who was slumped on the floor, and said, propping her chin up with her hand, " Shen Xinrui, didn't you say that her love for you was stronger than ever?"
Shen Xinrui covered her ears. "Stop talking."
The princess gently nudged Yanyan, who was standing next to Shen Xinrui, and said playfully, "How about letting your dear Yanyan do it?"
Shen Xinrui, being a complete idiot, understood the princess's underlying mockery. He stood up angrily, pointing at the princess and saying, "Your humiliation of me is tantamount to humiliating my maternal uncle's family! I'm going to report you to my aunt, the Empress!"
The princess raised her chin, saying nonchalantly, "Go."
She was more than happy for Shen Xinrui to complain, hoping to humiliate the Empress and make her lose face in public.
The Empress was already at the Imperial Uncle's residence, Shen Xinrui steeled her heart and rushed into the residence.
At this moment, Tong Aning and Su Zhouyue had already gotten off the carriage. Tong Aning glanced at the entrance of the Imperial Uncle's Mansion.
[Tsk, this marriage was forced upon her by the Empress. The princess never wanted to marry into the Emperor's family. Now that it's been ruined, she's probably happy about it. She even went to complain to the Empress; she's lucky she didn't get a beating.]
Upon hearing this, the emperor's brother-in-law and his wife rushed into the mansion, one worried about angering the empress, and the other worried about their son being beaten to death.
" Aning, let's go see what's going on."
"Good."
Su Zhouyue led Tong Aning inside. Although the other busybodies also wanted to see the spectacle, they didn't dare to speak out as openly as Su Zhouyue. They just followed quietly. Soon, only Yanyan remained at the gate of the mansion.
Yanyan stomped her feet on the spot, thinking, "Who's afraid of who?" and went inside as well.
*
The Empress saw her nephew rush in, stood up, and gently patted his hand. "I was worried you'd be late, but it seems you're just in time."
She looked behind Shen Xinrui and asked in surprise, "Where's Pingxuan?"
Before Shen Xinrui could speak, the Empress said, "Aunt knows that Pingxuan is a bit unruly, but you have to consider who her father is. They're a young couple; they'll get used to each other."
Shen Xinrui said in a muffled voice, "I can't do it."
" Xinrui..." The Empress was about to try to persuade her again when Shen Xinrui interrupted her loudly.
"Auntie, please stop pressuring me!"
Shen Xinrui shook off the Empress's hand, and the maid beside the Empress said, "How dare you!"
The Empress raised her hand, and the maidservants stepped back. Shen Xinrui knelt before the Empress, tears streaming down her face, "Aunt, the Princess Consort wants to expel me from the Imperial Uncle's residence."
"What? Such a thing actually happened?"
The Empress gave a look to her maid, who walked out and bumped into Princess Pingxuan was rushing over.
"Your Majesty, your good intentions have ultimately been betrayed by your own nephew."
After the princess finished speaking, she casually found a place to sit down.
Because of the presence of guests, the Empress dared not do anything to Pingxuan. She calmed herself down, looked at her nephew kneeling on the ground, and asked with exasperation, "What exactly happened?"
Shen Xinrui stammered.
Pingxuan said, "Let me tell you. Your nephew actually wanted to marry two people on his wedding day: me, the princess, and his sweetheart. However, now his sweetheart doesn't want him anymore."
Pingxuan changed the subject, saying jokingly, "This princess doesn't want it either."
" Pingxuan!" The Empress could no longer tolerate it. "Don't think that just because your father dotes on you, you can do whatever you want."
"How could I dare? Wouldn't that be like you setting me up?"
Who plotted against you?
Her relationship with Pingxuan's father was clearly an exchange of interests.
"Anyway, I'm leaving... There's no use stopping me, Yanyan, who's got a rock-solid bond with your nephew, is here."
Pingxuan walked past the Empress and headed out. The Empress looked at Yanyan in disbelief, then at the maid beside her, pointing at her and saying, "How dare you!"
The maid knelt down in fear and trepidation, "Your Highness, this servant did not know!"
Wow, it seems there's something new going on.
[Ah, this Yanyan is the niece of the Empress's personal maid. The maid knew about her relationship with Shen Xinrui and even advised her to try her luck at the wedding banquet. Little did she know she would become a pawn in the Princess's game.]
The princess raised an eyebrow and gave Tong Aning a meaningful look.
Tong Aning was unaware; she was still reading the gossip that Xixi had told her.
[But actually, Yanyan doesn't like Shen Xinrui at all, but... the Crown Prince???]
"The Crown Prince has arrived—"
[It's true what they say, timing is everything.]
The crown prince walked in, a gentle smile on his face as always. "I'm not late, am I?"
[This came at the perfect time, it's so exciting!]
"I just saw Pingxuan storm off. What happened?"
He looked at Shen Xinrui, his tone quite earnest. "You're newly married and already throwing a tantrum; that's really inappropriate."
Ignoring Yanyan's struggles, Shen Xinrui held Yanyan's hand tightly, "Your Highness, I want to marry Yanyan."
Crown Prince: "?"
[ Shen Xinrui's current mindset is, no matter who it is, he has to marry one. It gives me the feeling that he won't leave empty-handed.]
Yanyan was still struggling. "Let me go, Your Highness, Your Highness, save me!"
Yanyan tugged at the Crown Prince's magnificent robes and said, "Actually, the one I've always admired is Your Highness."
Crown Prince: "?"
The Empress stared at it all in disbelief; it felt like the sky had fallen.
She could let Shen Xinrui run wild here, and it didn't matter if he didn't marry Pingxuan, but he absolutely couldn't get involved with the Crown Prince.
"Enough!" The Empress pointed at Yanyan and said, "Drag this woman away and beat her to death with sticks."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, save me! Your Highness..."
At the crucial moment, Shen Xinrui held Yanyan tightly in his arms, and asked in a trembling voice, " Yanyan, do you like His Highness the Crown Prince because he is more handsome than me?"
The Empress fainted from anger, and the Imperial Uncle's residence was in chaos.
[Is this the point? If I were the empress, I'd be driven mad by him too.]
*
The wedding banquet was only a few days old when it became known throughout the capital. Rumors spread that the Crown Prince and his cousin were fighting over the same woman, which enraged the Emperor, who ordered the Crown Prince to stay at home.
Tong Aning looked at Xue Lin, hesitating to speak.
Xue Lin said, " Miss Tong, please speak freely."
"Then I really will tell you."
"Um."
Xue Lin looked at Tong Aning Tong Aning, but couldn't guess what she wanted to say.
Tong Aning looked at Xue Lin as well, her eyes bright and her face serious. "Now that the Crown Prince is confined to the Eastern Palace, are you still going to school?"
Xue Lin: "..."
Tong Aning scratched her head. "It's okay if you don't tell me."
Xue Lin said, "Although I often enter and leave the Eastern Palace and study with the Crown Prince, I also have teachers in my household."
Tong Aning nodded, but sighed inwardly—
[So tragic.]
Xue Lin paused, wondering what had happened to him.
[Others only have one place to go to school, but he has two. If one explodes, he still has the other.]
Xue Lin couldn't help but chuckle.
Tong Aning said awkwardly, "Don't laugh at me."
"No, I just heard that Miss Tong is studying medicine, and she has consulted the highly skilled Doctor Xue?"
[Is Doctor Xue his aunt?]
Tong Aning's eyes suddenly lit up.
[I'm his aunt's apprentice, doesn't that mean I'm of a higher generation than him?]
Being of a higher generation than the Crown Prince... Tong Aning was somewhat smug.
Xue Lin: "..."
Xue Lin hurriedly said, " Miss Tong, you still have to practice your medical skills diligently after returning to the manor. Don't you find that boring?"
Upon hearing this, Tong Aning replied without hesitation, "I want to learn medicine myself, no matter how hard it is."
Xue Lin smiled with relief and said, "The same applies to me."
Tong Aning looked at Xue Lin, and the two stared at each other for a moment. Tong Aning then looked away, stood up, and said, "That's because I was narrow-minded."
"On the contrary, I think Miss Tong is broad-minded and can embrace all the beauty of the world."
Tong Aning was stunned.
Xue Lin said, "No one has ever asked me that."
Tong Aning nodded awkwardly, "I was just asking casually..."
I can't bear to say that.
Xue Lin curled his lips into a smile.
"Your Highness, I have brought the person back."
Sichen rushed in, surprised, and asked, "What are you doing here, Miss Tong?"
Tong Aning stood tall and proud. "I am a special advisor invited by your prince."
"The consultant..."
Sichen looked at Xue Lin and shrugged.
Xue Lin: "Did you twist your shoulder when you were arresting people?"
Sichen: "..."
"Your Highness, you'd better go and see what's going on; the two of them are fighting fiercely."
Xue Lin and Tong Aning went outside, Cen Yu had already begun the trial.
Cen Yu asked, "Did you two have a grudge before?"
The people kneeling below shook their heads.
"Then why did you have surgery?"
The man in blue turned his face away. "I don't want to talk about it."
Cen Yu looked at the man in black, who looked indignant and grief-stricken. "I don't want to say either."
Cen Yu: "..."
He roared, "Do you think I'm here to play house? Confess the truth!"
The two were surprisingly stubborn.
Even if you beat us to death, we won't tell.
Cen Yu: "..."
" Sichen, you speak."
"Yes, sir, he," Sichen pointed to the man in black, "Went to this man's shop to buy something, the two chatted for a few words, and then suddenly started fighting."
Was it theft?
When mistresses meet, how can they not be extremely jealous?
Cen Yu: "?"
Suddenly, a woman adorned with flowers rushed out from the crowd, clutching a handkerchief anxiously, and asked, "Husband, are you alright, husband?"
Cen Yu asked, "There are two men here, which one is your husband?"
"That's naturally the case..."
They both turned around at the same time.
woman. "..."
She twisted her handkerchief, stammering, "I'm a little unsure."
Cen Yu: "..."
The woman asked tentatively, "They... one is my husband, and the other is my husband?"
Cen Yu sighed, "You're asking me?"
[I feel sorry for Lord Cen for a second.]
Another man arrived, and he tenderly took the woman's hand, saying, "My lady, what brings you here?"
Everyone was stunned.
Cen Yu: "... And who is this?"
[This one appears to be the official wife.]
Cen Yu: "..."