bayedsolid Chapter 778 Visiting Duanmu Chen!
Chapter 778 Visiting Duanmu Chen!
"Alright, I will discuss this matter with your mother later. You may go now. By the way, I heard that Xiao Zonghua has already started reciting poems?"
"Yes, Father Emperor."
"Take him to Kunning Palace more often later. Your mother's complexion has improved a lot these days. I heard that the Crown Princess and Lady Sun have a very good relationship?"
"Father, they were once close friends." Duanmu Chuze's heart skipped a beat, thinking that something might be about to involve the Sun family.
"It's alright, you can go back now. Tell Anuan that she is the Crown Princess of my Great Yong Dynasty, and that there's no need to pay too much attention to that Princess Nali."
"Yes, Father."
Duanmu Chuze agreed verbally, but he was a little confused. How did this bring up Princess Nali again?
Seeing his suspicious expression, the Emperor chuckled in exasperation, "You silly boy, Princess Nali has already visited your Eastern Palace twice. She hasn't met you either time. It's your precious Crown Princess who's keeping you in such a daze. I'm just reminding you, don't fall for her tricks."
If it were someone else's daughter who had taken a liking to Duanmu Chuze and wanted to scheme against him, the Emperor would naturally not be in the mood to remind him.
He was pleased to see Duanmu Chuze marry a few more beauties, so that his offspring would be plentiful and he could rest assured.
However, who can blame him when the woman who is now coveting his son is a foreign woman?
His son was the future emperor, so naturally he couldn't allow him to have too much entanglement with those detestable Turks.
Duanmu Chuze left the imperial study, only shaking his head and smiling. He naturally knew about Nali's trip to the Eastern Palace.
However, I never expected that such a small matter would be on my father's mind.
Princess Nali was truly in love with Duanmu Chuze, but the Crown Prince was too busy. He went to the East Palace twice but didn't see Duanmu Chuze. She couldn't keep running around like that, could she?
What is the Eastern Palace?
That was the residence of the crown prince. It was fine for her to go there once or twice, but if she went too often, she might attract criticism.
Soon, the opportunity came.
On this day, Duanmu Chuze brought Mu Xinnuan to the Prince An's residence.
At this moment, the plaque above the entrance was gone, and the area directly above the main gate was empty, which looked rather desolate.
The Ministry of Rites and its subordinates really didn't know what to call this place, so they simply left it unmarked.
Anyway, Duanmu Chen is imprisoned inside, and he probably won't even be able to leave the inner courtyard.
"Greetings to the Crown Prince, greetings to the Crown Princess."
"Get up."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Has Duanmu Chen been behaving himself lately?"
"Your Highness, everything is fine. Your subordinates dare not mistreat him; they send him the best food every day."
"Oh, I see."
Duanmu Chuze and Mu Xinnuan entered the courtyard one after the other. After walking along the covered walkway for a while, they saw Wang Xinyan and Sun Ruoxiang talking with two children in the courtyard.
The two of them remained calm, showing no signs of excessive sorrow.
Judging from their attire, they clearly hadn't suffered any injustice; however, there was a slight hint of worry in their eyes.
"Greetings to the Crown Princess."
Mu Xin Nuan stayed behind to talk to the two of them, while Duanmu Chu Ze went directly to see Duanmu Chen.
"No need, you can all sit down. The child is really cute, unlike my own, who is far too mischievous and a real handful."
"Hasn't the Crown Princess heard that children who are a little mischievous are the ones who are truly capable?"
Mu Xin Nuan glanced at Wang Xin Yan, "Don't be so formal. Just call me Fourth Aunt as before. This time, I came with His Highness to see how you're doing. To be honest, His Highness just mentioned Duanmu Chen to Father Emperor a couple of days ago. After all, he's the Crown Prince's legitimate son; how can things always be like this?"
These words were like a glimmer of hope for them!
Both Wang Xinyan and Sun Ruoxiang showed a hint of joy on their faces.
Although their living conditions are not too bad right now, they have lost their freedom.
Before, when I was in the palace, I could talk to the Empress. Relatives would often come to the palace and I would take the opportunity to pay my respects to the Empress to meet them.
But now that the two of them have returned to their own residence, it will be difficult for them to go out again.
"Don't worry, Father is not a heartless man. Later, Your Highness can persuade Father more, and Mother and I will be able to have a few words with him. You won't have to live like this for long."
"Thank you very much, Fourth Aunt."
This time, Wang Xinyan truly admired Mu Xinnuan.
Given the severity of Duanmu Chen's crime, it was already beyond everyone's expectations that Duanmu Chuze would plead for him. But no one expected that he would go on to beg the Emperor to spare his family from imprisonment.
Seeing Mu Xin Nuan's expression, it didn't seem like she was trying to coax them. Moreover, there wasn't a trace of resentment or smugness on her face or in her eyes. Such composure was something Mu Xin Nuan lacked.
Let alone her, even the former Crown Princess probably couldn't have done it.
Suddenly, in that instant, Wang Xinyan understood—perhaps this was the source of her charm.
It was precisely because Mu Xin Nuan possessed such an irresistible charm that Duanmu Chen was so obsessed with her, refusing to let go no matter what.
If such an obsession were placed on Duanmu Chuze, it would be called infatuation and devotion.
But when applied to Duanmu Chen, it becomes wishful thinking!
Even so, Duanmu Chuze did not intend to kill Duanmu Chen to vent his anger, which surprised Sun Ruoxiang.
She and Duanmu Chuze had always known about Duanmu Chen's feelings for Mu Xinnuan, and had always tried their best to prevent them from meeting.
Sun Ruoxiang couldn't help but admire Duanmu Chuze's magnanimity!
Of course, more importantly, it's about Duanmu Chuze's clear distinction between public and private matters.
Although Duanmu Chen was hardly a good person, Sun Ruoxiang, as his woman, selfishly hoped that he could live a good life, so that her child could at least have a father.
Being alive is better than being dead, right?
At that moment, in the study, the uncle and nephew stared at each other for a long time.
"What are you doing here? To laugh at me? Duanmu Chuze, don't pretend to be kind! I know you pleaded for me before, which saved my life, but don't expect me to appreciate it!"
Duanmu Chen's heart was naturally filled with a myriad of complex emotions.
He hated Duanmu Chuze, believing that he had stolen the woman he loved. But at the same time, he had to admit that this man had saved his life!