Chapter 120 Not Marrying

It wasn’t until they returned to the Palace and entered the hall.

The people around them all retreated, and the Crown Prince took Shu Yuwan’s hand, saying, “Yuwan.”

Shu Yuwan turned to the Crown Prince, “Your Highness…”

Her voice was visibly fragile, and her eyes were full of worry. The dignified and calm demeanor she had at Prince Shinzi’s Mansion was now gone.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince felt uneasy. It was his fault; he shouldn’t have been angry!

At the time, he had seen Shu Yuwan’s calm and indifferent demeanor and thought she truly didn’t care much.

Although it had been a long time since their grand wedding and their son had been born, he sometimes keenly sensed that Yuwan didn’t always seem deeply concerned about him.

Now, reflecting on the situation, how could Yuwan have shown any concern back then without inviting gossip?

So he explained, “Cousin Wushuang shielded me from the dagger, and in the future, she may be weakened. By saying those words in public, she may face difficulties in marriage. She is also the Empress Dowager’s niece, and the Empress Dowager was very fond of Wushuang. I was just momentarily unsure of how to handle the situation.”

“But rest assured, I will not marry Cousin Wushuang into the Palace.”

Shu Yuwan was somewhat surprised. Seeing the Crown Prince’s dilemma, she had thought that marrying Wei Wushuang into the Palace was inevitable.

Although she never expected the Crown Prince to only have her as his partner forever, having Wei Wushuang, especially with her ties to the Crown Prince as his cousin and the support of the Duke of Wei’s household, would complicate matters for her and their son in the future.

On the way back, she had already considered that if the Crown Prince wanted to marry Wei Wushuang into the Palace, she would have to quickly send Wenyue back to the Shu Mansion.

Tears welled up in Shu Yuwan’s eyes as she joyfully said, “Your Highness.”

Seeing Shu Yuwan’s happiness, the Crown Prince felt a bit relieved. He gently embraced Shu Yuwan and said with a smile, “Why are you crying now?”

Shu Yuwan felt a bit embarrassed and changed the subject, saying, “Your Highness, who do you think sent the assassin today?” She also had some suspicions about the Duke of Wei’s household.

However, upon further thought, she felt that the Duke of Wei wouldn’t do something so reckless. Given the Crown Prince’s respect for the Empress Dowager, the Duke of Wei’s household had no need to take such risks when they already enjoyed favor and influence.

The Crown Prince’s expression turned cold as he said, “We don’t know yet. The assassin has been handed over to my guards to see if any useful information can be gleaned.”

Shu Yuwan nodded.

Just then, Qing Dai knocked on the door from outside, “Your Highness, the Emperor summons you.”

Shu Yuwan stepped out of the Crown Prince’s embrace and smiled, “Father must be worried. Your Highness, please go.”

“Alright, get some rest.”

After giving his instructions, the Crown Prince turned and left.

After the Crown Prince left, Shu Yuwan went to check on Wenyue and Mingcheng. Seeing that both children were asleep, she inquired about their well-being from the nursemaid before returning to her room to rest.

Qing Dai came in to assist Shu Yuwan with grooming and saw her relaxed expression, which relieved her. It seemed that the Crown Prince wouldn’t marry the young lady from the Wei family into the Palace.

Happily, Qing Dai said, “Princess, I have already sent someone to Prince Shinzi’s Mansion to gather information. Updates on Miss Wei’s condition will be sent promptly.”

Shu Yuwan nodded, still pondering who might be behind the assassinnation attempt that evening.

Apart from the Duke of Wei’s household orchestrating…

Shu Yuwan asked, “Lady Zhang, and over at the virtuous consort’s and the Peng Mansion, have there been any unusual occurrences recently?”

Qing Dai shook her head.

After some thought, she said, “Chunxiu sent a message saying that the Mr. Hou has already arranged for Shaoyuan to marry into the Peng Mansion. The two families have quietly settled the matter, and Wei Shi hasn’t shown much activity for now.”

Shu Yuwan raised an eyebrow slightly, not very surprised.

In the previous life, she and her daughter lived in the side courtyard, hindered by Zhao Qing Qing’s rising status and the birth of her grandchildren. Wei Shi didn’t pay much attention to them.

Mrs. Wei Shi truly loved her daughter, but she had more than one daughter, as well as two sons and grandchildren. Naturally, she wouldn’t risk everything for one daughter.

In the Palace.

The Emperor saw the Crown Prince unharmed and felt relieved.

He asked, “Has the assassin been captured?”

The Crown Prince replied, “Not yet.”

“This time, we must get to the bottom of this,” the Emperor’s voice carried a hint of anger.

He couldn’t help but suspect that by preparing to pass the throne to the Crown Prince, rumors had stirred up some impatience among certain individuals.

It seemed he needed to expedite his actions.

After some thought, he asked, “What do you want to do about the Wei family’s young lady?”

The Crown Prince sighed, “If Cousin Wushuang hadn’t intervened, even I would have dodged the attack. But she rushed forward and got stabbed.”

“Marriage into the Palace is out of the question, and I currently don’t have a good solution.”

The Emperor furrowed his brow, “Wei Wushuang is your cousin, after all. No matter what, she shielded you in front of all the guests and publicly asked to marry you. If you don’t marry her, you might be seen as heartless and ungrateful.”

The Crown Prince pondered and suggested, “What if Father confers a princess title on Cousin Wushuang?”

The Emperor glanced at the Crown Prince but remained silent, saying, “Since you’ve decided not to marry, then confer it.”

“However, in the future, the Duke of Wei’s household may not be as aligned with your interests.”

The Crown Prince understood this, knowing that every gain came with a loss. If he prioritized the loyalty of the Duke of Wei’s household, he might lose Shu Yuwan’s affection.

“I understand.”

Seeing that the Crown Prince understood, the Emperor didn’t say more.

After the Crown Prince left, the Emperor took out a portrait from the bottom of his desk, looked at it for a while, and murmured to himself, “If I had our son’s determination back then, would you still be by my side now…”