eurekapd Chapter 256 explains things clearly, but it hurts people's feelings.
Chapter 256 explains things clearly, but it hurts people's feelings.
She paused for a moment, then asked cautiously:
"And... what about the Crown Princess?"
"I didn't see her. She's probably sleeping. After all, she's pregnant, and her body is heavy."
"Yes, let's go, let's go to the study."
"Yes, as you instructed, the nourishing soup for the Crown Prince has been prepared."
"Okay, take it!"
Since he's unwilling to come see her, she should take the initiative and go talk to him!
Whether she will do as her father says is still uncertain.
When she stepped out of the room, it was already dark outside.
Xiaoru carried a lantern in front, and Xiaoyuan carried a food box behind. The three of them walked towards the study.
At this moment, Wei Jianning was sitting behind his desk, writing furiously, because an official had reported that there was a major flood in the south and the imperial court needed to send manpower and money to provide reinforcements.
As he was thinking about this, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
He assumed it was Yuan Tianxiong or Nie Yuan, so he didn't even look up.
"Your Highness, Miss Zhu has arrived."
It was Yuan Tianxiong's voice. He tightened his heart, looked up, and saw Zhu Fangfei walking towards him with a food box in her hand.
He frowned and asked,
"What are you here for?"
Zhu Fangfei placed the food box on the table, and while opening the lid, she introduced it:
"I heard you just came back from the palace. I thought you might not have had dinner yet, so I had someone make you some nourishing soup. Please drink some!"
He didn't glance at her again, but continued writing with his head down, saying coldly:
"No, I'm not hungry."
Zhu Fangfei didn't want to give up and said directly:
"This soup won't fill you up, you should drink it!"
“I said I won’t drink, Yuan Tianxiong. From now on, no one is allowed to enter without my permission, except for the Crown Princess.”
His meaning was quite clear: only he and the Crown Princess could freely enter and leave this study.
Zhu Fangfei stood there awkwardly, unsure whether to leave or stay.
Seeing that she didn't move, Wei Jianning simply spoke up:
"Miss Zhu, please leave!"
His way of addressing her made her feel like a stranger, like there was a great distance between them.
Before she came, she kept telling herself that no matter what he said, she had to control her temper, not get excited, and not lose her temper.
But at that moment, she suddenly felt that she didn't want to endure it anymore.
She simply raised her voice and asked back:
"I am, after all, your lawfully wedded concubine who entered the Crown Prince's residence. Why do you call me Miss Zhu? And why are you so cold to me? We have been married for more than five days, and you have never stepped into my room once. Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?"
Wei Jianning didn't want to have too much interaction with her, but since the topic had come up, he wanted to take the opportunity to clarify things with her.
He put down his pen and gestured:
"Please sit down first, I have something to tell you."
Zhu Fangfei blinked a few times, puzzled, picked up the food box with both hands, and shook her head guiltily.
"No need, you go ahead with your work, I'm leaving."
She knew what he was going to say. She was afraid to hear him reject her, afraid to hear him say cold, heartbreaking words.
"and many more……"
Seeing that she wanted to avoid him, Wei Jianning stood up from behind the desk and said with a serious expression:
“Miss Zhu, you must have heard my story with Lan Zhi. She is not only my wife, but also my life. I would give up my life for her, so how could I do anything to betray her?”
Zhu Fangfei lowered her head, clutching the food box in her hand. Usually eloquent, she was at a loss for words.
Seeing that she remained silent, Wei Jianning continued:
"I think you should know why I agreed to marry you. It's because your father said that all I need to do is have a ceremony with you. Otherwise, I would never marry you even if you killed me. So from now on, don't do anything in vain. Just stay in your Jingyi Garden. When you feel you've had enough, you can give me a letter of divorce, and I will immediately clear your name."
His tone was devoid of any emotion, which made Zhu Fangfei's heart sink instantly.
She originally thought that she would marry into the family first, and then gradually win him over, and he would slowly develop feelings for her.
But she never expected him to say such absolute and definitive things.
She bit her lip hard, then suddenly laughed.
"You married me for your power and status, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Wei Jianning made no attempt to hide it.
"That's part of the reason. The other part is that you're always threatening to kill yourself at home. Your father went to the emperor to beg, and the emperor insisted on issuing an imperial decree to grant us the marriage. So, this marriage between you and me is not only a transaction, but also coercion."
Zhu Fangfei, fighting back tears, pressed on with unwavering determination.
"So you don't have any good feelings towards me at all?"
Wei Jianning did not answer her directly, but continued with his own topic.
“I know you are a good girl, innocent, kind, and have many good qualities, but Lan Zhi is really important to me. I will never do anything to betray her in my life, so please forgive me.”
Zhu Fangfei finally couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her cheeks.
She gritted her teeth and questioned,
"But...but why did you save me on the street that day? Why did you make me fall in love with you?"
"I'm sorry, it wasn't you that day. I would have saved anyone else too. I didn't expect it to cause you any trouble. I'm sorry."
Zhu Fangfei looked at him with tears streaming down her face and said, word by word:
"Wei Jianning, I hate you."
After saying that, she threw the food box on the ground, turned around, covered her face, and ran away.
Wei Jianning looked at the overturned food box, turned and went out the door, giving instructions to the guards standing at the door:
"Packed up."
"Yes, Your Highness."
He then walked towards the main courtyard, with Yuan Tianxiong following beside him. "Your Highness, will something have happened to Miss Zhu?"
Wei Jianning frowned, let out a sigh of relief, and shook his head, saying:
"We need to make things clear sooner or later, so it's better to let her know sooner rather than later."
At this point, he raised his hand and said to him:
"You should go back and rest too!"
Yuan Tianxiong nodded in agreement and turned to leave.
He intended to go back to sleep, but then changed direction and headed towards the back garden.
He felt a bit stuffy that day, and he wanted to get some fresh air and also have some peace and quiet by himself.
Wei Jianning returned last night but did not mention this matter to Lan Zhi. He got up early this morning and went to the palace to take care of things.
These past few days have been filled with official duties, and the Emperor has once again become a hands-off manager, keeping himself extremely busy.
Zhu Fangfei cried all night in her room until her tears ran dry and she was exhausted from crying. She finally fell into a deep sleep and woke up at noon.
Xiaoru brought over the food and said softly:
"The Crown Princess instructed that if you do not wish to eat in the dining hall, you may eat in your room!"
She looked at the few simple side dishes and shook her head, saying:
"I'm not hungry, take it!"
“Miss, you look pale. You should eat something! If you develop health problems later, the master will punish us.”
Zhu Fangfei let out a long sigh and muttered to herself:
"With a dead heart, how can one possibly eat?"
"Miss, have you forgotten what Master repeatedly told you before we came?"