nucmednet Chapter 322 The Crown Prince's Promise
Chapter 322 The Crown Prince's Promise
Chapter 322 The Crown Prince's Promise
Yu Heng mustered his courage and blurted out all his thoughts.
Shen Yuxi paced back and forth in the study, constantly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
He recalled Shi Wanxia's righteous argument in the court; her firm gaze and extraordinary insight were truly admirable.
If she were really forced to marry the Crown Prince, given her personality, she might actually resign from her post.
At that time, with such a capable minister gone from the court, those ministers who opposed her would likely become even more unscrupulous.
"Your Majesty, this old servant thinks it would be better to observe for a while first."
"Now that Lady Shi is focused on her political affairs, perhaps once she has established herself in the court and has more contact with His Highness the Crown Prince, her feelings for him will naturally change."
Seeing that the emperor seemed to be wavering, Yu Heng added.
Shen Yuxi stopped and looked out the window at the sky. He sighed and said, "Fine, let's do as you say and take a look first."
Yu Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but maintained a respectful expression on his face: "Your Majesty is wise."
Shen Yuxi waved his hand: "You may leave. Do not mention today's matter again."
Yu Heng responded and slowly left the Imperial Study.
After Yu Heng left, Shen Yuxi sat on the dragon throne and fell into deep thought.
He knew that the situation in the imperial court was complex and that every decision was related to the safety of the country.
As summer draws to a close, this extraordinary woman will indeed stir up a storm in the future imperial court.
He only hoped that his decision today would not cost him a capable minister, nor would it jeopardize the future of the crown prince.
After the audience with the emperor, Shi Wanxia left the palace, still pondering the emperor's sudden bestowal of marriage. What was the reason behind this?
As she walked to the palace gate, a voice suddenly called out from behind: "Miss Shi, please wait."
Shi Wanxia stopped and turned around. She saw a man dressed in fine clothes with an extraordinary demeanor walking towards her.
This man was none other than Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou. He had a handsome face and deep eyes, and his every move exuded royal demeanor.
Shen Yanzhou called out to Miss Shi, then suddenly realized he had been abrupt and quickly bowed to apologize.
"I apologize, Lord Shi. It was my oversight that I was unaware of my father's plans."
Shen Yanzhou frowned slightly, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes. "However, Lord Shi, rest assured, I assure you that I will not force you to do anything you do not want to do."
His voice was gentle yet firm, inspiring a sense of trust in people without them even realizing it.
"I only hope that you can use your knowledge to help my father and make my Cangling Kingdom strong and prosperous."
Shen Yanzhou looked intently at Shi Wanxia, his eyes filled with anticipation for the future of the country.
Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou's words left Shi Wanxia somewhat at a loss.
She hadn't expected that His Highness the Crown Prince would be so thoughtful, and even go out of his way to explain it to her.
"Your Highness, you are too kind. I am grateful to Your Highness for helping me out of this predicament today. Rest assured, we will work together to achieve the prosperous era that His Majesty and you desire."
Shi Wanxia bowed slightly and said respectfully.
Her voice was clear and melodious, carrying the gentle grace unique to women from Jiangnan.
Unable to contain his excitement, Shen Yanzhou forced himself to calm down, nodding repeatedly with a smile on his face.
He himself had the appearance of a refined gentleman, and this smile made Shi Wanxia somewhat lose her composure.
He thought to himself, "Shen Yanzhou truly lives up to his title of Crown Prince! His bearing and appearance are unmatched!"
Shen Yanzhou noticed that it was getting late, and the Crown Princess was waiting for him to return to the East Palace for his meal.
He considered whether to invite her to his residence for a meal, but she was still a virgin and unmarried. If he invited her to his residence rashly, it would damage her reputation if others found out.
Just as she was about to ask her steward to send her back, Shen Yanchu suddenly appeared.
"Your Highness, what a coincidence! I never expected to meet you here."
Shen Yanchu wore a seemingly harmless smile, but his eyes lingered on Shi Wanxia for a moment, with a hint of searching and scrutiny.
Shen Yanzhou quickly stepped forward and shielded Miss Shi behind him.
He knew perfectly well that his cousin had somehow become obsessed, wanting to take Miss Shi as a concubine.
Not only would his father disagree, but he also disagreed. He was already engaged, and his principal wife hadn't even entered the family yet, yet he was already thinking of taking a concubine—how could this be proper!
"Cousin, what brings you here?" Shen Yanzhou's expression was calm, but his tone carried the authority of a superior.
"Having nothing to do, I went out for a stroll and unexpectedly ran into His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Shi."
Shen Yanchu said with a forced smile, his gaze turning to Shi Wanxia again.
"Miss Shi, it's been so long! How have you been?"
Shi Wanxia walked out from behind the Crown Prince. She neither liked nor disliked Shen Yanchu.
But out of politeness, I answered him anyway.
"Greetings, Your Highness. I have just finished court and have official duties to attend to today. I will not have time to reminisce with you."
Shi Wanxia hurriedly bowed to His Highness the Crown Prince to say goodbye, "Your Highness, I shall take my leave now."
Not wanting to embarrass Miss Shi, Shen Yanzhou quickly signaled his guards to escort her back.
Shi Wanxia quickly boarded the carriage, nodded in acknowledgment, and the carriage slowly drove away from the palace.
Shen Yanzhou frowned slightly, displeased, but still replied politely, "Cousin, this young lady is Father's confidante. You must not try to take advantage of her again. I am only reminding you out of kindness."
"Well, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave." With that, he hurriedly left with his steward.
Back at the Eastern Palace, Shen Yanzhou was unable to calm down for a long time.
His mind was always filled with images of Shi Wanxia's every smile and frown, as well as Shen Yanchu's covetous gaze.
He knew that Shi Wanxia was in a complex court environment and that she might be in danger if she was not protected.
Meanwhile, Shen Yanchu returned to his residence, his obsession with Shi Wanxia growing stronger.
He was confident that he could get whatever he wanted because he was a member of the royal family, so he began to inquire about Shi Wanxia's purpose in entering the palace today and plotted how to bring her into his household.
When Shi Wanxia arrived home, Shuyun and Qinxin had already prepared the meal and were waiting for her at home.
Shi Wanxia looked around but couldn't find Brother Cui. She had rejected him that day, and he had never come back.
Is he angry? Does he not want to have anything to do with her anymore?
Lin Yiyu noticed that Sister Shi seemed distracted, and guessed that she was thinking about Young Master Cui.
After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't bear to see Sister Shi sad, so he slowly comforted her, saying, "Sister Shi, don't think too much about it. Young Master Cui's parents have come to the capital, and Young Master Cui will be staying with them at the Cui residence for the next few days."
Shi Wanxia paused in her chopsticks, wondering why Cui Dage's parents hadn't mentioned it to her when they came to the capital.
Should she conduct an interview out of politeness? But in what capacity should she do so?