Chapter 168: Formal Showdown 2

s her to marry his son. I disagree, so he began withholding my payment for escorting goods and took advantage of the situation to arrange encounters between his son and Minmin.”Wen Lu gritted her teet...But then, Nuan Nuan widened her eyes. She understood what her great-grandmother said. Looking at her mother's excited face, then at her grandfather who was coughing non-stop, she turned back to look at her great-grandmother's calm expression. Suddenly, a feeling of sadness filled her heart.

"You and I were destined to be husband and wife, but alas, as an unfavored daughter, I ultimately inherited the throne. To balance the power within the court, my mother arranged for me to marry Zhao Qian, the heir of the powerful Zhao family who holds military authority, as my emperor consort."

To be honest, I wasn't willing at the time. I even asked you, if you disagreed, I would have called off this absurd marriage, like a mere business transaction. After my ascension to the throne, you would become the Emperor Consort.

But you compromised. You said that for me to secure my throne, you were willing to make sacrifices, hoping only that I wouldn't mistreat our daughter.

"Hmph, Wu Lianyi, do you really think I'd be willing Even if I wasn't, what could I do The former emperor threatened my entire family, even my son's life. What choice did I have I could only swallow my anger for now. After all, I am still the emperor's loyal servant, and my daughter is the crown princess. I have to plan for her future."

Perhaps because of his anger, Rong Shijun finished speaking in one breath this time before he began to cough.

While listening to the conversation between the two, the eldest princess simply lowered her eyes and closed them.

Actually, when you said those insincere things back then, I was disappointed. As a couple, you didn't even give me the most basic trust. You weren't even willing to speak your mind and started calculating for yourself and your daughter.

At the beginning, if you weren't willing to step down, I would have had Zhao Qian married off to someone else, directly stopping this marriage from happening at its root. You didn't trust me, and that's why I agreed to this marriage. Even then, in the education of the imperial princess, I showed no favoritism, even thinking about passing the throne to the eldest princess.

This is compensation for you, and on the other hand, Ho'er is mature and capable of handling things. However, the Zhao family holds one hundred thousand soldiers. Before I pass the throne to Ho'er, I want to remove all these obstacles. This is also the reason why I haven't established a Crown Princess earlier. But you are so eager to give me chronic poison.

"What should I do"

Ripples surfaced, and piercing eyes swept over Rong Shijun and the eldest imperial princess.

"When you father and daughter were doing these things, did you ever think there would be a day of exposure"

These are all done by me alone, and have nothing to do with He.

With great difficulty, Rong Shijun propped himself up on the edge of the bed and spoke.

"Unrelated to her Those two scriptures were personally brought to my face by her."

Ripples said ruthlessly.

"Mother Empress, your daughter deserves death. Please, out of past kindness, save my father!"

The eldest princess's eyes were already red, tears swirling in her eye sockets, but she didn't let them fall. She directly bowed her head and said.

"It's not that I don't want to heal you. You should ask your father, is there an antidote for this chronic poison"

Ripple's expression remained unchanged, and she still asked in her usual gentle tone.

“ ”

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!

The Great Princess suddenly raised her head to look at Rong Shijun. Seeing the other party had closed his eyes in despair, it was evident that there was no antidote for this poison. It could be seen that her own father had gone to kill the Empress Dowager.

"Child, your father is unwell. Just stay here and tend to him."

"Wu Lianyi, you have a cruel heart!"

The sound of the Lord's voice, chilling and sharp, echoed through the air, reaching the ears of the maids and attendants guarding outside. Yet none dared to look around, each pretending they were invisible, eyes fixed on their own chests as if they were merely a speck of dust in this grand hall.

"Who is the heartless one If you didn't have this thought, how would you end up like this today!"

Rian's mocking smile was cruel. He clearly couldn't bear to relinquish this power that lay within his grasp, yet now he was blaming her for it all.

“You can be ruthless and unfeeling, but I cannot. In the future, Nannan will stay by my side until she is capable of standing on her own. Then, I will pass the throne to her. This is my compensation to you for all the grievances you have suffered as my wife, mother, and queen.”

After Ripples finished speaking, she stood up directly, holding Nannan's hand, and softly asked:

"Nannan, whatever you hear and see today, forget it once you leave this room. Don't tell anyone about it. Wait until the day you understand, then come back to your great-grandmother and tell her. From now on, you will stay by my side, do you understand"

The nine-year-old girl already remembered things, although some were unclear, it didn't stop her from writing them down. So she nodded heavily and said:

"Grandmother, rest assured. Your granddaughter has taken it to heart."

Let's go!

Ripple shook her wide red sleeves and, holding Nannan's hand, left Rong Shijun's bedroom step by step.

The eldest princess, accompanied by the sound of her Imperial consort's cough, watched her mother disappear into the distance. It was as if she were watching her own throne slipping away from her grasp. A suffocating feeling of bitterness and resentment welled up within her, but it was all too late.

The coughing wouldn't stop,

until Rong Shijun coughed up a clump of flesh. He finally stopped, looked down at his daughter still kneeling on the ground, and with a sigh, said:

"My child, my time is short. Prepare for my passing these next two days. When I die, these secrets will be buried with me."

Since the Empress values Nannan so much and has made a promise, she naturally won't break her word. Nannan is still young, and after the Empress's hundredth year, she will still need your support as her mother. Please don't get hung up on this.

His words brought the Grand Princess's scattered thoughts back together. She nodded, got up from the ground, and wiped her face before saying:

"Father is right, I still have a chance."

Immediately, she grabbed the two scripture books and turned to leave Rong Shijun's bedroom. This was evidence of plotting to harm the Empress Dowager. Since the Empress Dowager had not taken it back, she clearly did not intend to pursue it. She needed to deal with all this as quickly as possible.

Ten days later, Rong Shijun passed away. The eldest princess took charge of the funeral arrangements and began to observe filial piety. The court became unusually quiet, and Li Anni would go to court every day with her daughter, but she wouldn't let the little girl show her face.

Nuan Nuan hid behind her grandmother's large throne, listening to the daily debates of the court officials coming and going. Some even suggested that her grandmother reinstate her former husband, but she turned them all down one by one.

"After going back, Nannan tilted her head and asked:"

"Grandmother, you already have so many granddaughters to keep you company. Why do they still want you to marry"

“They don't really want the Emperor to accompany me, they just want the title of Emperor. That way, no matter if my daughter or granddaughter inherits the throne, they will have to respect him as their imperial father and grandfather. At such a young age, he would be one of the most respected people in the palace. They value status and power.”

Nannan nodded half-understandingly, then said with a smile:

In Nannan's heart, Grandma will never grow old, she will always be so beautiful!

"Goodness gracious, how much honey have you eaten Your mouth is so sweet. But don't you think grandma should assign you a few less lessons to flatter her"

"Hee hee, grandmother, your granddaughter wants to go for a stroll in the garden."

As the autumn harvest approaches, the departure of the Emperor and Rong Shijun gradually fades from people's memory. Everyone turns their attention to matters of national importance.""How is that possible I clearly..."Pan Nuannuan blurted out, only to immediately realize her mistake and quickly changed her words:“I clearly saw you fall into the water! There was only you by the ri...