As the future monarch, what he cared about most must be his own authority and the Jiangshan of the Great Zhou.
This move could also help him win the beauty. It was a two - birds - with - one - stone strategy.
As long as the Crown Prince lowered his moral bottom line a bit...
Just when Liang Yuchuan thought the Crown Prince would surely adopt his strategy—
The shoulder that had been hit by the wine jug was kicked hard again.
"Get out! Don't let me see you again!"
A roar rolled out of the Crown Prince's chest, seemingly carrying earth - shattering anger.
Liang Yuchuan was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
He wanted to say something else, but when he looked up into the Crown Prince's eyes, his heart tightened.
The Crown Prince's eyes were cold and sharp, with the killing intent in his eyes barely concealed.
The commotion in the room was too loud. Finally, Xiao Anzi couldn't stand it anymore and pushed the door open.
The Crown Prince's expression gave him a great shock.
He ran and jumped over the broken porcelain pieces all over the floor, grabbed Liang Yuchuan's arm and dragged him out.
"Master Liang, why don't you hurry up and leave?"
Are you waiting for the Crown Prince to behead you?
Locked out of the Eastern Palace, Liang Yuchuan's eyes were filled with gloom.
The Crown Prince had too heavy a moral burden. He was even willing to sacrifice his father's reputation to help him, but the Crown Prince didn't appreciate it.
He didn't understand. Didn't one have to do whatever it took to achieve great things?
Not even willing to lower his moral bottom line a bit, in the future he would surely be a weak and indecisive emperor.
He dragged his injured knee and slowly walked towards his carriage.
The coachman saw this and quickly stepped forward to support him. "Master, how did you end up like this?"
Suddenly, the gate opened again. Xiao Anzi looked at him solemnly.
"Master Liang, the Crown Prince has a message for the servant to convey. If anyone else finds out about what was said tonight, you'd better count how many heads you have on your neck."
The cold autumn wind blew, making Liang Yuchuan shiver all over.
"Go back home." He ordered the coachman feebly.
On the way, they passed the Starry Pavilion. Inside, it was still brightly lit, with people clinking glasses and laughing merrily.
The idle chat of the guests sitting near the door drifted into Liang Yuchuan's ears.
"They all say that the old duke favors the eldest son, but why was it the second son who was finally named the heir?"
"Hehe, the eldest son is neither good at literature nor martial arts. He only shows his face in front of the emperor thanks to the old duke. With the emperor's sharp eyes, can't he tell what kind of a scoundrel he is?
The old duke favors him because he feels guilty towards his late wife. But only when the Duke's Mansion is handed over to the second son can its glory last for a hundred years. The old duke isn't stupid. Can't he understand this?"
"That's right. Young Master Liang the Second won the emperor's praise with his own real skills. Five years ago, when the old duke led an army to suppress bandits, he intended to give his eldest son a chance to gain merit. He told the emperor that the eldest son would go with him. The eldest son was so scared that he shrank his head and claimed to be ill. He just lay on the couch for seven days and seven nights without getting up.
The old duke lost face. It was Young Master Liang the Second who volunteered and single - handedly captured the seven most notorious bandit leaders, making great military achievements. What is the eldest son? In fact, he is just a good - for - nothing, an irredeemable fool!"
"Next time when we see Young Master Liang the Second, should we start calling him the young duke?"
"Of course. The young duke truly deserves the title!"
Hearing these words, Liang Yuchuan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes almost bursting with rage.
The title of the young duke should have been his glory!
If it weren't for Song Wanchu's stunning appearance, his otherworldly second younger brother would still be cultivating immortality in the Taoist temple!
"Turn around. Go to the Princess Mansion."
The coachman was stunned for a moment. "Master, it's late at night. Won't it be too presumptuous for us to go to the Princess Mansion at this time?"
After all, the princess was a woman.
Liang Yuchuan sneered. "The princess has many male favorites. She has feasts every night, staying up all night. What difference does one more guest like me make?"
...
The day before the formal wedding banquet, the old lady gave Song Wanchu permission to go back to her natal family.
"You can stay at your mother's house for one night. Tomorrow morning, let Zhou'er pick you up. Then you'll get married, have the wedding ceremony, and spend your wedding night."
The old lady personally sent her to the gate, pointing at a whole carriage of gifts. "These things aren't worth much, but they're still the Duke's Mansion's gesture. Take them back. Consider them as the Duke's Mansion's apology to your family. If your aunt and elder brother are willing to attend the wedding banquet, it will be even more perfect."
The old lady knew that Wanchu's family resented Liang Yuzhou a lot.
The girl who had been pampered in the palm of their hands for sixteen years was sent to the Duke's Mansion and had to endure Liang Yuzhou's cold looks for three years.
The old lady felt ashamed for her grandson.
Not to mention that stupid Princess Jiahe who went to the Qi family to make a big scene and absurdly demand the betrothal gifts.
Because of her, the relationship between the two families had completely soured.
After all, they were officially in - laws. The old lady wanted to try her best to mend the relationship between the two families.
"Thank you, old lady." Song Wanchu bowed.
The old lady held her hand, smiling lovingly. "You're my grandson's wife. Why are you being so polite?"
Song Wanchu got into the carriage with Nanzhi and Suyue.
Halfway there, the carriage suddenly stopped. A fair and jade - like hand lifted the curtain.
Song Wanchu was too familiar with this pair of hands.
They had been all over her body last night.
"Aren't you supposed to be at the morning court? Why are you here?"
Liang Yuzhou stood beside the carriage, tall and straight. The golden light of the rising sun shone on his face, making his chiseled handsome features breathtakingly beautiful.
He looked at Song Wanchu with a smile. "I knew you'd pass by here. I didn't have time to say goodbye to you this morning. I was worried."
After being named the heir and winning the title of the top martial scholar, he now had both a title and a reputation. He had to go to the morning court every day like the other officials in the court.
The emperor would soon confer an official position on him. There were already rumors that it would be the deputy envoy of the Privy Council.
(The Privy Council was an ancient institution in charge of military affairs, similar to the modern Ministry of National Defense. Liang the Second's position was similar to the deputy minister of the Ministry of National Defense.)
When he got up this morning, Song Wanchu was still sound asleep. Liang Yuzhou didn't have the heart to wake her up.
Just after the morning court, he still had to rush to the training ground. Even in this little bit of free time, he wanted to see Wanchu one more time.
"There's nothing to worry about. I'm just going to stay at my mother's house for one night."
Liang Yuzhou grabbed her wrist, squeezed into the carriage. Without caring about the four eyes of Nanzhi and Suyue on them, he kissed her lips as if there was no one else around.
"You..." Song Wanchu was shy, but he kissed her deeply, stifling her protest.
Nanzhi and Suyue blushed, not knowing where to look.
"Every moment without seeing you feels like a year."
The low and lingering love words flowed into her heart like a gentle stream.
"How did you—"
Suddenly become so good at talking?
Liang Yuzhou seemed to guess what she was thinking. He just smiled, with a proper sense of mystery, protecting her shy emotions.
In the past few days, he had learned a lot of ways to make his wife happy from Guo Yingnan.
Saying love words was the most effective.
(Guo Yingnan appeared before. He was the one who was extremely good to his wife and would be depressed because his wife was unhappy.)
He watched Song Wanchu's carriage drive away.
Just thinking that he wouldn't be able to hold her in his arms tonight made him feel a bit lost.
At the Qi family, her uncle hadn't returned from his southern trip yet.
The atmosphere at home wasn't very good.
Aunt Wen's smile was a bit forced, and Shi Luohan didn't show up.
"Wanchu, tell aunt. Is Liang Yuzhou really sincere? Are you really willing to be his wife?"
Hearing that Liang Yuzhou had asked the emperor for an imperial edict to make Wanchu the main wife after winning the title of the top martial scholar, Wen thought she was dreaming.
She was extremely shocked. The cold and proud Liang Yuzhou had actually planned for three years just for Wanchu.
Song Wanchu couldn't tell what she was feeling.
Her emotions were complex, and she couldn't find a foothold for them after so many days.
Forgive Liang Yuzhou? How could the three years of grievances and hardships just disappear because of one word of love?
Not forgive Liang Yuzhou? But she was destined not to leave the Duke's Mansion for the rest of her life.
Liang Yuzhou still held the evidence of her elder brother's murder in his hand, and she had also promised that she wouldn't leave him.
She didn't know what attitude to take towards the suddenly affectionate Liang Yuzhou.
"Aunt, I can only be his wife."
As soon as the words fell, a shadow fell on her head.
Shi Luohan's face was darker than she had ever seen.
Song Wanchu's heart twitched with pain.
"Brother..."
"Wanchu, let's go and visit our adoptive father."