The Double-Chapter 551 - 164 Rift_4

Shen Yurong felt a hint of mockery in her heart. If Princess Yongning was reluctant, how could Li Xian be willing? She feared that if Li Xian truly found out he’d been cuckolded, he might go as far as to kill his wife. The Right Chancellor, having held his position for many years, was by no means a benevolent master; such a great humiliation might prove too much to swallow. The move Princess Yongning made could very well drag Shen Yurong down with her.

"Mr. Shen, rest assured, my elder brother will make his move in a few months," Princess Yongning whispered, "Once my brother becomes the Emperor, all under heaven will be his. No one will dare to disobey his words. At that time, I will have him issue an edict. I will go through with the wedding rituals with Li Xian, and you will be with me; the Li Family won’t dare to say anything."

She spoke as if everything would naturally develop according to her wishes, while Shen Yurong merely snorted in derision. Princess Yongning seemed far too naive. The reputation of the Li Family wasn’t something she could manipulate at will.

But for now, there was no other path to take.

If Princess Yongning was to be married off next month, it became even more crucial that nothing happened to the child within her. Otherwise, it might give rise to suspicion. As long as she could conceal it during the first month, she could later inform Li Xian that she was pregnant on their wedding night, which should afford her some temporary peace.

As for the future... they would deal with that when the time came. Yet, Shen Yurong dimly sensed that the chess piece that was Princess Yongning might soon be discarded.

Princess Yongning, unaware of Shen Yurong’s manifold thoughts, continued to prattle on about her unwavering affection for him. Shen Yurong said, "I understand, Your Highness, I know how you feel."

Princess Yongning looked at him with a mixture of joy and worry. The joy came from realizing that Shen Yurong’s stance seemed to have finally softened. The worry stemmed from his calling her "Your Highness," a sign that they had grown distant.

"Then you mustn’t be angry with me," Princess Yongning said, her attitude humbled as she reached out to take Shen Yurong’s hand. After all, it was she who had brought all this upon them. If she hadn’t gone to Empress Dowager Liu, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. For Shen Yurong, Princess Yongning felt guilty. She said, "My heart still has only you in it."

"I know," Shen Yurong said with a faint smile, drawing Princess Yongning into his embrace, yet his gaze turned increasingly distant.

It was time to draw a clear line with Princess Yongning. freewebnøvel.coɱ

...

At the Chief Minister’s Residence, Jiang Li was momentarily stunned upon receiving the news that Emperor Hongxiao had decreed the marriage of Li Xian to Princess Yongning.

Although she had expected this, it had come much sooner than anticipated. But then again, considering that Emperor Hongxiao also saw Prince Cheng as a thorn in his side, it made sense that he’d eagerly issue the order now that he had a chance to bind the Right Chancellor and Prince Cheng together.

Jiang Li wondered what Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning must be feeling upon hearing the news. It certainly couldn’t be pleasant; years of planning gone to waste overnight. And things seemed to be progressing in an especially bad direction—no one would be happy with that. Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning didn’t know that this was just the beginning. This start might not seem too terrible, but what was to follow would only get worse, increasingly so, until eventually reaching a point of no return.

"What is the young lady laughing at?" Tonger asked curiously. She had seen Jiang Li looking pleased, which was a change from the glumness that had overtaken her since learning that Xue Huaiyuan from the Ye Residence might have regained his memory and was presently unconscious. To see Jiang Li suddenly happy today was indeed curious.

"I laugh because everything is proceeding smoothly, just as desired," Jiang Li said.

Tonger blinked, about to speak, when suddenly the branches outside shook and a figure emerged, cursing under their breath.

Tonger let out a startled "ah," but then realized the person at the window was none other than Zhao Ke. Tonger now recognized Zhao Ke as someone from the Duke Residence. Although she was initially critical of Jih Heng’s decision to station his people in the Duke Residence, she soon rationalized that these guards were skilled in martial arts; they might be even more dependable than the Jiang Residence’s own guards in case of danger. Thus, she accepted the situation, considering Zhao Ke—a gardener by day, guard by night, yet only receiving monthly silver for one job—a rare find.

Zhao Ke, completely unaware of being labeled a "simpleton" by Tonger, simply said to Jiang Li, "Miss Jiang the Second."

Jiang Li asked, "Has something happened?"

Zhao Ke wouldn’t appear without reason. More commonly, Jiang Li would summon him by whistle. Therefore, seeing Zhao Ke made Jiang Li’s first thought to be whether Jih Heng had new orders for her.