Chapter 624

“His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t happen to think that, now that Lord Yan has signed the treaty, the matter of promising four cities as the prize can simply be swept under the rug, would he?”

Shangguan Yun, who was standing nearby, spoke up coldly.

Yan Zhaohe had been racking his brains, unsure of what to do. Upon hearing Shangguan Yun’s words, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as the Ninth Princess Consort testified on his behalf, he would be able to suffer a little less.

“Elder Brother, you wouldn’t happen to think that, now that we’ve ceded the cities, you can send me back to Qinling, would you?” Shangguan Mu looked at Shangguan Yun mockingly, his eyes filled with calculation.

“Elder Brother, what are you planning to do?” Shangguan Yun had a bad feeling.

“Your Majesty of Lannuo, I’m afraid this treaty is somewhat inappropriate.” Shangguan Mu smiled faintly as he turned to Zhu Jingchen.

“Could it be that Qinling cannot afford to lose?” Zhu Jingchen frowned. He had actually considered that Qinling might refuse to honor the agreement, but he had assumed that, at the very least, they would wait until they returned to Qinling.

He had not expected them to renege right there at the competition.

“The four cities can be given to Lannuo, but they must serve as the dowry of the Ninth Princess of Qinling.” Shangguan Mu announced this smugly.

At his words, the guests at the banquet began whispering among themselves.

Although Qinling’s proposal was somewhat discourteous, it was not entirely unreasonable.

For Qinling to cede several cities to Lannuo was already a difficult concession. If Qinling did not want its reputation to suffer too badly, incorporating the cities into Lannuo as part of the Ninth Princess Consort’s dowry was not such a bad idea.

“Before the competition, the prize was clearly agreed upon. Third Prince, have you forgotten?” Xu Heming asked with a frown.

No one was willing to marry that princess of Qinling.

However—

Xu Heming glanced at Zhu Jingchen and asked him silently: You’ve already married several women anyway. You wouldn’t mind adding one more to the imperial palace, would you?

Zhu Jingchen rolled his eyes at Xu Heming. Still, there did not seem to be any better solution to the matter.

“In that case, I shall confer the title of Consort Yun upon the Ninth Princess,” Zhu Jingchen said, thinking that he already had plenty of women in his harem. Since the Ninth Princess wished to marry into Lannuo, he was willing to agree.

“I refuse!”

Without a second thought, Shangguan Yun rose to her feet.

Her mother had spent her entire life in the imperial palace, so she knew all too well what fate awaited her if she married the emperor.

She had no interest in fighting with a group of women over one man.

If she had to marry, she would rather marry Xu Heming or Zhang Yanchu.

With that thought, Shangguan Yun walked directly before Zhu Jingchen and knelt.

“Your Majesty of Lannuo, I am the legitimate princess of Qinling. I have no reason to become someone’s concubine.”

“Oh? Ninth Princess Consort, are you saying that you wish to become my empress?” Zhu Jingchen looked at Shangguan Yun displeasedly, thinking that this woman certainly had lofty ambitions.

However, he would not indulge her.

When Grand Preceptor Cheng heard this, he looked anxiously at Zhu Jingchen, afraid that the emperor might agree to Shangguan Yun’s request for the sake of the four cities. If that happened, even if he wanted to plead for her, he would have no reasonable grounds to do so.

“Madam Cheng is the empress of Lannuo. She rules over the empire with virtue and has committed no offense. I cannot depose her for your sake!” Zhu Jingchen said firmly.

“I do not wish to marry into the imperial palace,” Shangguan Yun said without hesitation.

“Oh? Then whom does the Ninth Princess Consort wish to marry?” Zhu Jingchen asked with a frown.

If Shangguan Yun married someone else, did she intend to give the cities to that person?

That was not something he wanted to see.

The cities could belong only to Lannuo.

“I wish to marry Prince An!” Shangguan Yun said with a smile, pointing at Xu Heming.

Although she had initially thought Prince An seemed rather cold, she had just realized that his position in Lannuo was extremely important.

Moreover, he appeared to know where the weapon in General Wen’s hands had come from.

She knew that her imperial father would certainly order her to investigate the matter thoroughly.

The best solution would be to marry Prince An.

The entire hall fell silent. No one had expected the Ninth Princess Consort to wish to marry Prince An. Still, Prince An was young, so it was hardly strange that she had taken a liking to him.

Now everyone was curious to see whether Prince An would agree to marry the Ninth Princess Consort.

After all, she came with a dowry of four cities.

“Could the Ninth Princess Consort have named the wrong person?” Xu Heming’s lips curved into a smile, but his words sent a chill through everyone who heard them. “Not only did I marry my princess consort long ago, I even have children.”

“And what of it? I have four cities as my dowry. Surely that is enough for Prince An to divorce his wife and marry me instead?” Shangguan Yun spoke with an air of arrogance.

She thought to herself that this man was truly cold.

At this moment, she naturally hoped Xu Heming would refuse. That way, the four cities would remain Qinling’s after all.

After all, she had heard that Prince An was deeply devoted to his Princess Consort of An.

“Impossible—”

Xu Heming had just begun to say that it was impossible when Li Tianyou stepped forward and addressed Zhu Jingchen.

“Your Majesty, this minister believes the proposal is viable!”

“Beloved Minister Li, this matter…” Zhu Jingchen looked at Xu Heming in confusion as well.

She asked him with her eyes what was going on.

After all, the Ninth Princess Consort had been talking about divorcing one man and remarrying another.

Considering how much Li Tianyou cared about Li Zhiwei, Zhu Jingchen simply could not believe that he would be willing to let his daughter be divorced and sent back to her family.

“Your Majesty, I beseech you on behalf of my daughter to grant her request and approve her divorce from Prince An!” Li Tianyou pulled the divorce agreement he had prepared earlier from his robes and raised it above his head.

Xu Heming pressed his lips together. He could not understand how, when everything had been fine, Li Zhiwei had suddenly decided to divorce him.

And she had chosen to present the agreement on an occasion like this.

Xu Heming’s face went white, then whiter still.

He had no idea what he had done wrong for Li Zhiwei to want a divorce from him.

“Your Majesty, I refuse to divorce her. I do not wish to marry the Ninth Princess Consort.” Xu Heming shot Zhu Jingchen a warning look.

It was as though he were warning Zhu Jingchen not to approve the divorce between him and Li Zhiwei. He had not agreed to it. He did not want a divorce.

“Beloved Minister Li, could there be some misunderstanding?” Zhu Jingchen was also extremely puzzled. He could not understand why the Li family wanted Li Zhiwei to divorce Xu Heming.

If the circumstances had been different, he would have pulled Li Tianyou aside and questioned him at length.

“Prince An, see? Even Heaven is helping us. It seems I am destined to become Princess Consort of An.” Shangguan Yun spoke with a smug smile.

Yet inwardly, she was somewhat panicked. She seemed to have taken things too far. If Princess Consort of An truly divorced him, would he blame her for it?

Once she entered Prince An’s residence, who knew whether she would live or die?

At the thought, Shangguan Yun grew extremely nervous. If only she had known, she would have been better off entering the palace.

But she was the princess of Qinling. If she failed to step forward now, her father would not let her off when she returned.

At that moment, Shangguan Yun glanced at Yan Zhaohe nearby, seemingly hoping to seek his help.