What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 337 - 333: All I Ask Is to Be Together, Day and Night
You can’t wake someone who is pretending to sleep, and you can’t save someone who’s willing to sacrifice themselves.
Li Mu could halt the marriage alliance, but he couldn’t prevent someone from voluntarily submitting a request for it.
"Is she really willing?" asked Tang Xiaobai.
"If not willing, who could force her? No matter how unloved, she is still the emperor’s own daughter."
The one who requested the marriage alliance was the emperor’s third daughter, Princess Hengyang, Li Ling.
Princess Hengyang was seventeen this year, born of Beauty Wang.
Beauty Wang was a distant relative of Empress Dowager Wang and former Prime Minister Wang Maozhao, though from a very distant branch.
Even when Wang Maozhao was in power, she didn’t gain much from it, not to mention now that the Wang family’s grandeur has collapsed.
A few days ago, Tang Xiaobai heard that the emperor intended to marry Princess Hengyang to Tang Ziqian, but in the blink of an eye, the princess requested the marriage alliance herself.
Whether she was willing, or coerced into willingness, remains unknown.
"It happened suddenly, and I hadn’t received any news beforehand..." Empress Yuan said, glancing uneasily at Tang Xiaobai.
Today, she summoned the Second Miss Tang to explain this matter.
As the empress, having to pay heed to a young girl’s opinion didn’t sit well with Empress Yuan.
However, since the marriage alliance caused a stir in the harem, she had to give the Crown Prince an explanation.
"I asked Hengyang yesterday, and she said she had met Murong Shun earlier—"
"Earlier?" Tang Xiaobai laughed, "Murong Shun has been in the capital for only a year, and he’s been confined at the Four-direction Hall. How did the Third Princess meet him?"
"She said she was curious and went to see the Four-direction Hall, where she met him..."
When spoken by Princess Hengyang, the story sounded quite dramatic, even a bit romantic.
The Third Princess, who had been living in the deep palace, heard that an exotic Crown Prince had arrived in the capital and, out of curiosity, disguised herself to sneak into the Four-direction Hall, where she met him.
The first encounter was probably good, so there was a second, and a third...
"Murong Shun... I believe he’s over thirty, right?" Tang Xiaobai still found it incredible.
Initially, she thought Princess Hengyang was "willing" due to an emperor’s hint, but there was a story indeed?
But Murong Shun—
Over thirty, married with children, a deposed Crown Prince.
Are any of these keywords worthy of a young girl’s affection?
Or perhaps, if polished, Murong Shun actually has a handsome face?
But Princess Hengyang’s intended Prince Consort is Tang Ziqian!
No matter how polished Murong Shun is, could he be more handsome than Tang Ziqian?
"Since he is who the Third Princess desires, let her be," Tang Xiaobai said disinterestedly and then left Lizheng Hall.
She had just taken a few steps out of Lizheng Hall when her path was blocked—
"Second Miss Tang, the Crown Prince requests your presence!"
...
Chinese architecture emphasizes subtle beauty, and entrances are often veiled.
An outside shadow wall, and screens inside, prevent a direct view from outside the door.
But when Tang Xiaobai arrived at the Eastern Palace Lizheng Hall, before she even entered, she saw Li Mu at a glance.
He sat in dark regular attire on a low couch with beautiful cushions.
The screen at the entrance was removed at some point, allowing her a clear view of him from the doorway.
So young, yet why dress so gloomily?
Tang Xiaobai thought, but she couldn’t help but smile as she entered Lizheng Hall.
Once she entered, the screen was moved back to the entrance.
"Why keep moving it?" Tang Xiaobai stared at the screen, unable to hold back her question.
There was no response.
After a moment of silence, his voice approached with approaching footsteps: "Yesterday’s court meeting... I failed to meet up to Ah Jiao’s expectations."
Tang Xiaobai turned her face to look at him.
The young boy’s expression seemed somewhat regretful.
Tang Xiaobai stifled a laugh and lightly sighed, "Yes, I waited at home all day for news yesterday. When others told me I didn’t believe them, I waited until my father and brother returned to the residence, asked them personally, and found out you really didn’t propose to take a consort—"
Li Mu listened with a hint of frustration until he heard the last sentence, and then he lifted his head in surprise, "I—"
"Did you change your mind?" She looked up at him with a playful and charming expression, hands behind her back.
"No!" Li Mu, though aware she was teasing, hurried to explain anyway, "I didn’t stop the marriage alliance; I didn’t achieve success, so I dare not claim credit."
Tang Xiaobai giggled and threw herself into his arms, "You fool! How can this be a reward? This is our agreement!"
He suddenly hugged her tightly and then abruptly released her, running away.
Tang Xiaobai followed to see him snatch a rolled-up document from the table and hastily turn around.
"I’ve written the memorial, so I’ll submit it now!"
Tang Xiaobai quickly pulled him back, laughing too hard to speak.
With her interruption, Li Mu sobered up.
A matter as significant as the Crown Prince taking a consort would definitely be reserved for the next court meeting for discussion, so if he submitted the memorial now, it would be reviewed by the emperor and then sent to the Central Secretariat to await the next court meeting.
There are only two court meetings a month on the first and fifteenth.
It’s only the sixteenth today, so there are still half a month until the next court meeting.
This half month practically provides others sufficient time to address this matter.
"Don’t rush!" Tang Xiaobai said, laughing while smoothing out his unhappy face, "Another half month isn’t a big deal, I’m not going to run away!"
"There’s a saying: the longer the night, the more dreams there are." Li Mu saw her trying to retract her hand and moved his face closer to rub against her palm.
Tang Xiaobai felt her brows and eyes soften under his touch, "There’s another saying: if two hearts are true love, no need to be together day and night."
He suddenly frowned, "If two hearts are true, why not seek togetherness day and night? Whoever said that must have been unable to be together day and night, so they said these words in self-comfort."
Tang Xiaobai was speechless.
It seemed... a bit reasonable...
"Regardless of what others seek, what I seek is to be with Ah Jiao day and night."
Tang Xiaobai froze for a moment, stammering, "You’re... saying it like this now?"
The sweet talk, she couldn’t handle it.
"Say what?" Li Mu didn’t quite get what she meant, "I’m just speaking the truth."
Since returning to the capital, not seeing her daily was truly insufferable.
Actually, when he went to Hedong to suppress bandits a few years ago, he was separated from her for a long time; back then, he missed her, too, but it wasn’t as excruciating.
Now he wished to see her every moment.
"Doesn’t Ah Jiao want to be with me day and night?"
"Of course, I do..." Could I say no? "But even if the marriage is settled, the wedding will take time, right?"
She was only thirteen, considered young even in ancient times.
Even if this year they’re granted the decree to take the Crown Princess Consort, the earliest the wedding would be next year, as for consummation—
Suddenly thinking of the inappropriate parts, Tang Xiaobai involuntarily glanced at him.
The young boy, in his growth spurt phase, had a particularly slender waist, but his chest was no longer all sharp bones like last year.
It was solid to the touch.
"Did you grow muscles?" Tang Xiaobai mumbled.
"Ah Jiao..." His voice had a subtle change.
Tang Xiaobai retracted her hand as if electrocuted, hiding it behind her back, nonchalantly saying, "Good, eat more, get some more flesh—"
For the wedding night... uh...
"Ah Jiao? What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing... nothing..."
...
Half a month, truly fast.
But a lot can also happen.
After the marriage of Commandery Prince Xiping Murong Shun and Princess Hengyang was arranged, another matter quickly followed on the agenda.
