kingnovel Chapter 270 Shangguan Rui's Determination
Chapter 270 Shangguan Rui's Determination
Su Mo and Su Xi carefully helped Shen Xue out of the yamen. Her back injury had not healed yet, and she had been kneeling for so long that her face was pale and her body was trembling slightly.
Shangguan Rui's injuries were more serious than Shen Xue's, but he didn't show it. He felt heartbroken as he watched Su Mo and the others supporting Shen Xue. However, there were too many people around them, so he couldn't go forward to show his concern.
Shen Xue sat in the carriage, sweat broke out on her forehead due to the pain, and she sighed deeply.
The carriage was moving slowly. She lifted the curtain slightly and saw Shangguan Rui's carriage was parallel to hers.
At this time, Shangguan Rui seemed to have telepathy. He also slightly lifted the curtain of the car. The two looked at each other and smiled.
She whispered softly and concernedly, "Xiaoxue, how are you injured?"
"It's okay. I saw that you looked pale. Are you feeling unwell or tired from traveling?"
"It's okay. I'm tired from traveling. I'll be fine after two days of rest. You go back home first. I'll go to the palace to report to my father and come to see you later."
"If you're tired, go back home and rest. You can also come and see me tomorrow."
"We haven't seen each other for so long I wanted to talk to you."
Shen Xue smiled sweetly and said softly, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Shen Xue watched Shangguan Rui's carriage go away, feeling both excited and worried. As a doctor, she knew at a glance that Shangguan Rui was injured, but he was pretending to be strong, so she was afraid that he would worry, so she decided to wait until they met to see his injury.
After Shangguan Rui finished speaking, he leaned back in the carriage, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He went to the palace to report to his father, and there was something very important to do.
Shangguan Rui's carriage arrived at the gate of the palace. Bei Ze helped him get off the carriage. He straightened his clothes and walked towards the hall with heavy steps.
Bei Ze and Bei Chu said worriedly: "Master, let us help you!"
"Need not."
Arriving at the main hall gate, Eunuch Chen hurried forward to greet him, excitedly saying, "This old servant greets the Third Prince. You are finally back. The Emperor has been unable to sleep or eat since learning of your disappearance."
"Eunuch Chen, please excuse me. Is the Emperor in the main hall?"
"Ever since you sent someone to deliver the message to the palace, the emperor has been waiting for you in the hall."
"Thank you, eunuch, for taking care of my father for so long. This prince is deeply grateful."
"This is what this old servant should do. Please come in, Third Prince."
Chen Fu spoke excitedly with tears in his voice. How could a servant like him deserve the Third Prince to say thank you?
The other princes and princesses treated him as slaves, but the third prince treated him with courtesy, which made Eunuch Chen grateful.
Shangguan Rui came to the main hall, knelt down, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, Father. May you be blessed with good health and happiness."
The Emperor looked at his most beloved son returning, his lips curled up, his eyes filled with relief. "Rui'er, please don't be polite. I'm relieved to have you back."
"Father heard that you were injured. How serious is your injury? Send the imperial physician to take a look."
"Thank you for your concern, Father. This is just a minor injury, nothing serious."
"I have ordered an investigation into the attack on you. Father will not be able to sleep or eat until the true culprit is found."
"Thank you, Father. I also want to know who the real murderer is."
"I request that the Emperor grant me and Shen Xue a marriage. I will marry her as my principal wife."
Originally, she planned to wait for him to come back and arrange a marriage for him, but she didn't expect that he already had someone he liked, an orphan named Shen Xue. She had no background or foundation in the capital, and she would be of no help to him after she was married.
"Is it Shen Xue, the Princess of Ya'an County?"
"Replying to Father, it is her."
The emperor said firmly and sternly, "I do not agree with you marrying her as your principal wife. I have already selected a principal wife and two concubines with strong family backgrounds for you. They will be married soon."
Shangguan Rui kowtowed quickly, "Father, I will not marry any woman as my principal or concubine. Please grant my wish."
The emperor frowned at Shangguan Rui's persistence and said, "Rui'er, as a prince, you can't treat marriage as a joke."
"The Shen family has no roots in the capital, and she's an orphan, so she won't be of any help to your future. Father has chosen Zhuang Shiwan, the eldest daughter of the Minister of War, as your principal wife. There's also Song Lan, the legitimate daughter of Song Yu, the Minister of Justice, and Lin Xiya, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue."
"After you marry these three women, you will have someone to help you in the court. Why not do it?"
Shangguan Rui raised his head, his eyes firm, "Father, I don't care about power or interests. I only want to be with Shen Xue for the rest of my life. If I can't marry her as my principal wife, I would rather never marry again."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious. "As a prince, you are threatening me for a woman. You are becoming more and more daring. Don't think that just because I favor you, you can do whatever you want."
Shangguan Rui fell to the ground and said, "I dare not, but my love for Shen Xue is evident to all. Even if we are forced to separate, I would not marry another woman."
The emperor was so angry that he stood up and paced back and forth in the palace. After a long time, he slowly said, "I can let Shen Xue come into the palace as a concubine, and everything else is off the table."
Shangguan Rui wanted to ask again, but the emperor raised his hand to stop him, "Don't say anything more. This is already my biggest concession."
"Your Majesty, I understand this is for your own good, but I have someone else in my heart and do not wish to marry her as my principal wife. This is my promise to her, please grant it."
"Although Shen Xue's background is humble, she is kind-hearted, intelligent, and a skilled doctor. During this plague, Shen Xue donated money and effort, and even personally led a team to Huayang County to risk her life to save people. A girl like this is the one I want to marry as my principal wife."
"Which young lady from an official family in the entire capital is willing to contribute money and effort, let alone risk her life to save someone? They wouldn't even dare to go to Huayang County."
"Father, please allow me to marry Princess Mu's sister in consideration of her contributions to our dynasty! I believe she is worthy of being the Third Prince's consort."
Although the emperor's tone softened after hearing this, he did not change his mind.
"Princess Mu has made great contributions. I can make up for the Shen family's debt elsewhere, but she can't be the main wife. You'd better give up this idea!"
"Go back and have a good rest. I will go to court in a few days. I have good news to announce."
Shangguan Rui knew what good news he was going to announce. "Father, I do not wish to marry any other woman as my principal wife..."
"That's enough. I've made up my mind. There's no point in saying more. Go back and have a good rest. If you dare to disobey me again, kneel outside the hall until you understand."
"My son, I obey."
Shangguan Rui trembled, slowly stood up and knelt outside the hall.
The emperor was so angry that his face turned blue, his hands clenched into fists, and he stared at the door with wide eyes, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment.
The emperor muttered quietly, "He's becoming more and more outrageous. He actually dares to disobey me for a woman."
Shangguan Rui knelt outside the hall, feeling cold and tired. His wound hurt so much that he gritted his teeth and persevered. His face became even paler and weaker, with beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks.