bestfiction Chapter 335: A Reluctant Compromise (v)
Chapter 335: A Reluctant Compromise (v)
Chapter 335: A Helpless Compromise
Zhao Ning'er suddenly raised her head, looking at the Emperor in disbelief. So it was true that he had fallen into the water and Shen Bin had come looking for him. Her eyes stung, but she forced back tears and said, "There was a flower by the lake. Princess Xiangping asked me to pick it, but I accidentally fell into the lake. Your Majesty, did my husband really fall into the lake too?"
When the Emperor saw Zhao Ning'er's red eyes, furrowed brows, and tightly clenched hands in her sleeves, he thought to himself, "Xiangping is really becoming more and more outrageous."
"Alright, Shen Bin should be fine now. Xiangping Palace to the east is Princess Xiangping's residence. Princess Xiangping took Shen Bin to her bedchamber this morning." As soon as Zhao Ning'er heard the Emperor's words, she ran outside. The thought of Shen Bin jumping into the lake for her sake, even though she herself couldn't swim, and risking her life for her sake...
Autumn had arrived. Falling into the water without proper precautions could lead to catching a cold. He was so thin; what if something really happened to him? The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became, so he quickened his pace. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he still hadn't seen any Xiangping Palace. He felt a little helpless; the palace was too vast, making it difficult to distinguish east from west.
She didn't know how long she had walked, her head down, panting and patting her heaving chest. Seeing someone lying motionless on the ground not far away, their face obscured by hair, she walked over curiously.
She brushed aside the hair that was covering his face and saw a familiar face. She picked up the person on the ground, crying with tears in her eyes, "Young Master Shen, what's wrong? Wake up." Hot tears dripped onto Shen Bin's face. He moved and opened his eyes with some difficulty. He smiled when he saw Zhao Ning'er's familiar face, raised his hand, and wiped away her tears with his fingertips, saying, "Ning'er, don't cry, let's go home."
He didn't know what was wrong with him, he was extremely sleepy, and fell asleep. Zhao Ning'er felt his forehead and realized that he had a fever. In the vast palace, and not knowing the way, she helped Shen Bin up and they wandered around the palace like headless flies.
Zhao Ning'er saw a guard not far away and hurriedly went over to him, saying, "Brother Guard, may I ask which way to leave the palace?" The guard was taken aback when he saw Zhao Ning'er, but then he calmed down. Seeing that she was supporting someone, he was a little curious and went forward to take a look.
"Lord Lu? What's your relationship with him?" the guard asked warily. Zhao Ning'er, supporting Shen Bin with some difficulty, said, "He's my husband. He has a fever. I hope you can help me, guard, by taking him home." Zhao Ning'er pleaded. The guard thought for a moment, then stepped forward, carried Shen Bin on his back, and headed towards the palace gate.
Zhao Ning'er gave him a grateful look. The guard, who had been wary, returned her a kind smile. He then lowered his head, smiling with a slightly flushed face.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the palace gate. The guard put Shen Bin down, and Zhao Ning'er quickly helped him up. She thanked him, saying, "Thank you, guard brother." The guard, seeing Zhao Ning'er's beauty and seemingly kind heart, impulsively found a carriage for her to take back. Zhao Ning'er smiled, helped Shen Bin into the carriage, and waved goodbye to the guard as they left.
Inside Xiangping Palace, Princess Xiangping, heartbroken by Shen Bin's departure, had left the room in disarray. Broken vases littered the floor, and items from her dressing table were carelessly tossed to the floor. A maidservant, startled by the scene, rushed over and grabbed Princess Xiangping's hand, exclaiming, "Princess, Princess, what's wrong?"
When Princess Xiangping saw the person who came, she pushed the maid aside and said, "It's none of your business to stop me from doing what I want." After saying that, she picked up the chair next to her and the quilt on the bed and threw them haphazardly on the ground.
The maidservant, seeing Princess Xiangping so angry for the first time, was somewhat frightened and knelt on the ground, saying, "Princess, please calm down. The Emperor summons you." Before the maidservant could finish speaking, Princess Xiangping stopped what she was doing. She thought to herself, "That bitch Zhao Ning'er is definitely with Father Emperor now. Shen Bin, you really can only be with this princess."
Thinking about it, Princess Xiangping went to the Emperor's palace. As soon as she entered, she saw the Emperor pacing back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. As soon as Princess Xiangping entered, she found a place to sit down. The Emperor was not angry when he saw her like this and asked directly, "Was it your scheme to make Shen Bin fall into the water?"
Princess Xiangping had assumed her father, the Emperor, intended to congratulate her, but upon entering and sitting down, he instead interrogated her. She clenched her fists and said, "So what if it is, so what if it isn't? But you, why haven't I seen that slut in this room?"
The Emperor had initially thought that taking Zhao Ning'er away was outside of Xiangping's plan, but now the truth was blatantly slapped in his face, like being hit by a knife. "This is utterly absurd! You actually included your father in this for the sake of a man!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table, making a cracking sound.
"Ha, Father? Let me tell you, since Mother died, I've been all alone." Princess Xiangping roared at the Emperor, showing no mercy. The Emperor stood there, stunned, staring at Princess Xiangping. He moved his lips, but still didn't know what to say, and ultimately couldn't utter a word. He didn't know how to explain what happened more than ten years ago. But no matter how he explained, he couldn't completely mend the damage inflicted on Xiangping's young heart.
"Xiangping, things aren't always as they seem." Although the Emperor didn't want to explain too much, he still hoped that Princess Xiangping could understand him.
"My eyes aren't blind; I see everything clearly. And my marriage to Shen Bin will definitely succeed. Prepare your things; you might need them at any time." With that, she left without looking back. The Emperor watched her departing figure, feeling powerless. He had originally thought that if Shen Bin and Xiang Ping were together, perhaps Shen Bin could soften her heart, which was filled with hatred.
However, Shen Bin is already married, and he would absolutely not agree to Xiangping becoming a concubine. Now he is in a dilemma. Shen Bin is married and cannot make Xiangping his first wife. Moreover, Shen Bin must know that what happened today was Xiangping's doing. If he really forces himself on her, Xiangping will be the one who suffers.
"Someone, prepare everything needed for the wedding. Don't skimp on anything." Although he didn't know what methods Xiangping would use to marry Shen Bin, Xiangping was his legitimate daughter, and he could only make up for his debt to her in other ways. He had no choice but to compromise. He would give Xiangping the best of everything she wanted.
Zhao Ning'er couldn't ride a horse. She remembered that her father had tried to teach her before, but she had accidentally fallen off and never tried again. Now, sitting behind the horse, she was still a little scared to urge it on. But when she turned to look at Shen Bin lying in the carriage, she couldn't worry about that anymore and gritted her teeth and urged the horse on.