Chapter 1339 - 18: Stepping Stone
Shen Junshan didn’t take the engagement to heart, but Yun Chu couldn’t ignore it. When Shen Junshan went to Wenyuan Bo Mansion to find her, she avoided seeing him.
Of course, hiding wasn’t effective, as always, if Shen Junshan wanted to see her, he could.
After all, he was still the savior of Wenyuan Bo Mansion.
However, Yun Chu’s respectful yet distant attitude made him feel very uncomfortable.
What made him even more uncomfortable was that during his absence from the Capital City, the Third Prince openly and secretly courted her, winning his cousin’s affections.
To inquire about this matter, Shen Junshan went to Wenyuan Bo Mansion three times.
Before he left, he had instructed Yun Chu to guard against the Third Prince, so why did she still allow them to interact?
Yun Chu hadn’t forgotten Shen Junshan’s advice, but after all, it was the Third Prince, and in this huge Capital City, how many people were there that he couldn’t meet?
To extinguish the Third Prince’s thoughts and test his sincerity towards Yan Ning, Yun Chu changed the meeting from the Great Buddha Temple to the Broken Bridge, adding a "don’t leave until we meet."
She accompanied Yan Ning to the Great Buddha Temple to offer incense, while the Third Prince excitedly went to the Broken Bridge.
He waited from morning till night, amidst pouring rain, without taking a single step away.
The Broken Bridge is outside the Capital; that day the Third Prince did not return to the Capital, nor to the palace, and due to standing in the rain for two hours, he caught a severe fever.
Originally, as a prince, staying outside the palace was wrong enough, and getting sick from the rain only escalated the matter to the Emperor.
The Emperor had just lost the Crown Prince, and now the Third Prince was so careless with his health. If it weren’t for his illness, the Emperor would have had him flogged.
But it was precisely because of this illness that the Third Prince won the Emperor’s heart.
Of course, the Third Prince wouldn’t tell his father that he had arranged to meet the niece of Jibei Marquis Mansion at the Broken Bridge and got caught in the rain waiting for her.
Within the Royal Family, it’s most taboo to place too much importance on women, to love beauty over the country, potentially destroying the empire the ancestors fought so hard for.
Even lies must point towards filial piety.
Moreover, Little Fu, the eunuch, had already made an excuse for the Third Prince. If the Third Prince didn’t follow through, Little Fu would be guilty of deceiving the Emperor.
The Empress had long been displeased with the smart attendant by his side, trying on several occasions to find fault only to be avoided by Little Fu, so she certainly wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity.
The Third Prince claimed he went to the Broken Bridge to pick fruit. The Crown Prince and the Emperor once visited the Broken Bridge and planted a fruit tree there. He wanted to see if it had borne fruit.
His words reminded the Emperor of planting a tree there, and the Third Prince said that the fruit from the tree seemed to have been picked by someone, leaving only two at the top.
He intended to pick the fruit, but an assassin attacked. Unable to fend off the attacker, he fled with the guards to escape, failing to find a place to shelter from the rain...
Hmm.
The Third Prince lied, while the Empress listened with gritted teeth. Deceiving the Emperor and using her son as an excuse, how could a mother bear it?
She clenched her fist, not uttering a word, quietly waiting for the Third Prince to finish.
If the Empress hadn’t obtained accurate information, she wouldn’t have brought this to the Emperor’s attention.
She laughed and asked how she heard from someone in the Third Prince’s quarters that he had left the Capital to keep an appointment with a beauty at the Broken Bridge?
This beauty was none other than the niece of the Jibei Marquis.
The Third Prince frowned, still upset that Yan Ning hadn’t shown up for their meeting, though he knew she wouldn’t deceive him; something must have happened.
Worried, the Empress’s confrontation left the Third Prince with no fault, causing him to immediately demand, "Who is spreading such rumors?!"
"I’ve been to the Jibei Marquis Mansion several times because last time, the second young master of Jibei Marquis saved me, and I went to ask when he would return. I didn’t even see the Jibei Marquis Mansion’s cousin yesterday, so how could I have arranged to meet her at the Broken Bridge?!"
"If Father doesn’t believe me, he can send someone to ask at the Jibei Marquis Mansion."
Hmm.
No need to ask; just then, a minister entering the palace to report to the Emperor knew of Yan Ning’s trip to the Great Buddha Temple.
Yesterday, when Yan Ning and Yun Chu were playfully teasing each other, she accidentally twisted her ankle.
This wouldn’t have been anything if not for the eldest daughter of Duke Chong’s Mansion mocking Yan Ning, saying that as a prominent young lady running around with a maid within the mansion was one thing, but doing so outside with such disregard for ranks was embarrassing.
The eldest daughter of Duke Chong’s Mansion had spoken loudly, and the minister’s daughter had witnessed the scene and mentioned it at the dinner table, informing him.
This worked in favor of the Third Prince, yet the minister reported the facts since there were many witnesses at the Great Buddha Temple.
The niece of the Jibei Marquis had twisted her ankle and couldn’t walk due to the pain, and by the time of the argument, it was almost noon, making it impossible for her to go to the Broken Bridge for any rendezvous.
Besides, since she sprained her ankle, certainly, a doctor was called, meaning there was someone to testify for the Jibei Marquis Mansion’s niece all day long.
The Empress’s information was inaccurate, causing the Emperor to believe even more in the Third Prince’s filial piety and praise him, instructing Little Fu to support him back to rest.
Just as the Third Prince returned to the palace, the precious herbs rewarded by the Emperor arrived.
News of the Third Prince catching a cold spread quickly, and Yan Ning was very worried. Clearly, they had arranged to go to the Great Buddha Temple, so why did the Third Prince go to the Broken Bridge?
Could the message have been swapped before it reached the Third Prince?
Yan Ning suspected the Empress’s interference.
Yun Chu already felt guilty; she hadn’t anticipated the rain nor that the Third Prince wouldn’t find a place to shelter, getting sick because of it.
Being willing to wait for a full day just because of "don’t leave until we meet," such deep affection moved Yun Chu.
She looked at Yan Ning and revealed the entire matter of changing the meeting to the Broken Bridge.
Yan Ning didn’t expect Yun Chu to swap the letter, but she didn’t blame Yun Chu. For one, it was at Shen Junshan’s request, and her cousin did it for her own good. Had he been in the mansion, who knew where he would have sent the Third Prince to?
Shen Junshan went to Liangzhou to investigate a case for Yun Chu, and with his instructions, how could Yun Chu not be diligent?
Being able to be honest with her demonstrated the depth of their sisterly bond.
Most importantly, without experiencing this, how else could she understand the Third Prince’s feelings for her?
Upon hearing this, Shen Junshan was so angry his head hurt, "I asked you to be a stumbling block, how did you become their stepping stone?"
Yun Chu looked at him and said, "The Third Prince is a good person, why do you have to break them up?"
Not only did Yun Chu apologize to Yan Ning, but when she met the Third Prince, she also explained things to him clearly.
Yan Ning didn’t blame him, and even less did the Third Prince.
He even presented the ginseng awarded by the Emperor to Yan Ning as a gift.
The Third Prince said an assassin attacked, and the Emperor believed him. During the struggle for succession, it was clear who wanted the Third Prince dead the most.
When the Third Prince spoke of the assassin, there were no insinuations, but the Empress held onto it, fabricating lies.
The Emperor’s heart leaned subtly.
With a slight maneuver, the Third Prince led the Empress to believe her spies had been turned, leading her to remove her loyal informant.
The Third Prince benefited greatly from this, leaving Xie Yunchu with no chance to blame him, so long as Yan Ning wanted to see him, his heart was at peace.
He had long wanted to leave the palace to understand the situation but dared not until now.
The Third Prince’s feelings for Yan Ning were evident to Yun Chu, who tried her best to put in a good word, but Shen Junshan remained unmoved.
"He is indeed a good man, but there are better men than him in the Capital," Shen Junshan said.
"As the Third Prince, he may attain higher status in the future, but which palace or prince’s mansion has only one legitimate wife?"
"Ningning’s mother, my aunt, died in the struggle for dominance within the household, and with Yan Ning’s gentle nature, how long could she survive in such a predatory place?"
"When we brought Ningning back, Father said the first condition for choosing a husband for her was to not allow any concubines. Can the Third Prince promise that?"
Even if the Third Prince agreed, the Emperor wouldn’t allow it.
Such a jealous woman could not enter the Royal Family’s gates.
If the Third Prince disregarded everything, he would have to abandon the throne.
Giving up is easy, but the Sixth Prince and the Empress might not spare him.
Once on the path of seizing the throne, it’s either succeed or perish.
The Third Prince has no other choice.
Yun Chu didn’t think so much, she said, "Is it still possible to stop it now?"
Shen Junshan glanced at her, "If cousin was as ruthless as you, it would be easy."
Yun Chu, "...."