Song Wanchu was momentarily stunned. The tender bean sprouts on her chopsticks fell back into the dish one by one.
Mianmian really doesn't treat her as an outsider.
Her insight is so sharp.
When the two of them met, the Crown Prince had already decided to let go of his feelings for her.
On the rare occasions when she, Mianmian and the Crown Prince were together, the Crown Prince always behaved indifferently and self - restrainedly, showing no excessive affection for her.
However, such subtle and deeply hidden feelings were detected by Mianmian.
She pursed her lips and smiled a bit awkwardly. "That was in the past. People change."
Cheng Simian firmly believed in her judgment of the Crown Prince. "The Crown Prince has a tough character. He won't change easily. He can bide his time, restrain his edge in front of Lu Ningzhen, gradually collect evidence, plan meticulously, and present irrefutable evidence to the Emperor, dealing a fatal blow to Lu Ningzhen. This shows that he can keep his temper. A man like this must be loyal to the woman he loves and won't fall in love with someone else easily."
Her analysis was rational and incisive.
Song Wanchu admired Cheng Simian's calmness and wisdom, but she gently shook her head. "You're right, and your analysis makes sense. You also know the Crown Prince's character well. But sometimes, feelings are not rational, and there's no reasoning behind them. It's the most fascinating and mysterious thing in the world. One moment it makes you feel like you're in heaven, and the next moment it throws you into hell."
Cheng Simian listened attentively without refuting.
She saw the glint in Song Wanchu's eyes. Her lips would rise and fall from time to time, and her facial expressions changed several times.
In just a few words, it seemed as if she had relived the ups and downs of her life entangled with Liang Yuzhou.
After the after - tide in her eyes receded, Cheng Simian said slowly, "Even if the Crown Prince really falls in love with me, how can I dare to expect the love of an emperor? Moreover, his nights won't belong to any single woman. Being loved by an emperor is dangerous, and falling in love with an emperor is even more dangerous."
Song Wanchu was deeply shocked by her rationality and sobriety.
It turned out that Mianmian wasn't averse to love.
She also hoped to be with the man she loved, spending a lifetime together as a couple.
But because she was so outstanding and dazzling, there were few men in the world who could match her.
With Mianmian's character, she would rather be single than settle for less.
Love was a condiment in her life, but not a necessity.
If there was no such man, she wouldn't feel that her life was a pity even without love.
Because she had enough talent, rich thoughts, and an interesting soul to make her life magnificent and fulfilling.
Such rare qualities were like a deadly poison to the equally outstanding Crown Prince.
But the love of an emperor was never what Mianmian wanted.
She also didn't believe that she could get true love from an emperor.
The future emperor wouldn't be with any woman for a lifetime as a couple.
Thinking of this, Song Wanchu felt full of regret and melancholy.
She sincerely hoped that the Crown Prince could be happy.
But since ancient times, which emperor had ever obtained true love?
He wasn't an ordinary person. Maybe things that ordinary people could easily get were a luxury for him.
She couldn't selfishly persuade Cheng Simian to fall in love with the Crown Prince.
The relationship between the two of them ultimately had to be resolved by the two of them.
There was no need for Song Wanchu to convey tonight's conversation to the Crown Prince.
Aunts Baizhi and Luocen were now following Cheng Simian.
They would convey what they had seen and heard to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince learned of Cheng Simian's attitude that very night.
The thick night surrounded the magnificent Eastern Palace. Maids and eunuchs came and went, each doing their own duties. Although there were so many people around him, he had never felt so lonely.
Cheng Simian's words lingered in his ears.
"Being loved by an emperor is dangerous, and falling in love with an emperor is even more dangerous."
The Crown Prince couldn't sleep all night. The charcoal in the bedroom crackled, but he felt as if he was wrapped in coldness, with a slight chill in his chest.
Mianmian, is this how you see me?
It doesn't matter. I will prove everything to you!
...
Grand Tutor Wen, with thunderous means, found out ten major crimes of the Martial Virtue Marquis Mansion.
Each crime was too numerous to list and deserved a hundred times of being sliced to death.
The list of crimes was presented to the Emperor. The Emperor issued an imperial edict, depriving the Martial Virtue Marquis Mansion of its title and confiscating its ill - gotten gains.
Cheng Yong was to be beheaded immediately.
The convicted descendants over fifteen years old were to be sent to the army to atone for their crimes.
The boys under fifteen and the female relatives were to be sent back to their hometown in Qingzhou and were never allowed to enter the capital.
Lady Rong, the marquis's wife, who hadn't colluded with Cheng Yong and came from a famous family, was allowed to divorce and return to her natal family with her dowry.
Cheng Simian, the eldest legitimate daughter, who had helped the Crown Prince expose the treacherous officials, was not punished with her family and was granted freedom.
The once - powerful and influential Martial Virtue Marquis Mansion was destroyed overnight.
Everyone in the capital sighed and couldn't help but feel scared.
The Crown Prince was not as gentle and elegant as people had imagined.
He didn't show any mercy when dealing with his own aunt.
When he ascended the throne in the future, as a new emperor would replace old officials, what would happen to the Great Zhou?
These discussions spread quickly.
In the February when the grass was growing and the orioles were flying, the sky was clear and bright. But as the followers of Lu Ningzhen were purged one by one, the joy of spring's return was overwhelmed by the panic of bloodshed.
Cheng Simian hadn't heard the news that she was to be named the Crown Princess.
At present, there were so many unfavorable remarks about the Crown Prince. This news should be spread earlier to ease the panic.
Who was preventing the news from spreading?
In the middle of February, the imperial edict naming her the Crown Princess still hadn't reached her hands.
Lady Rong had never wanted her daughter to enter the den of tigers and wolves. Seeing this situation, she had other ideas.
"In my opinion, it's probably the Empress who won't allow the Crown Prince to marry you. That's good, Mianmian. Why don't you take this opportunity to tell the Crown Prince that we don't want to be the Crown Princess. We can find other ways to repay him."
Since her daughter told her that she was going to enter the Eastern Palace as the Crown Princess, Lady Rong hadn't had a good sleep for days.
She often dreamed that her daughter was wearing a gorgeous palace dress and a nine - phoenix crown, but spending her days alone in a cold bedroom, growing old in loneliness.
The Crown Prince didn't love her daughter but wanted her daughter to be a tool to gain a good reputation.
Which mother who loved her daughter could watch her daughter being used by the powerful with open eyes?
Lady Rong just wanted to take Cheng Simian away from the capital.
Cheng Simian was lost in thought.
Maybe the problem really lay with the Empress.
The Empress was kind - hearted and loving. Her favorite youngest daughter regarded Wanchu as a rival in love and wished she was dead. But the Empress could happily accept Wanchu being named a county princess.
Moreover, Wanchu had a bad reputation in the capital before.
But the Empress didn't show any disgust at all, which showed that she had a unique vision and a broad mind.
Could it be that the Crown Prince had said something that made the Empress dare not easily agree to this royal marriage?
Just as she was thinking, Granny Chen walked in quickly. The old woman, who had been calm for most of her life, was rarely a bit flustered.
"Madam, Eldest Miss, the chief maid beside the Empress is here!"