Marrying the Crown Prince

"Since you are so stubborn, then get out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and kneel there until you come to your senses!" Emperor Chenze's face was gloomy and terrifying as he glared at Li Zichen with hatred.

Li Zichen knew that what he asked for today had already angered the emperor, and there was no point in saying anything more. He could only quietly kowtow again, walk out of the hall, and kneel down with his back straight.

The news that the Fifth Prince Li Zichen had been punished by kneeling outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation spread quickly. Without a second thought, Consort Mei removed her hairpins and let her hair down before coming to the outside of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Li Zichen felt somewhat guilty upon seeing his mother there. "Mother..."

Before he could speak, Consort Mei slapped him hard across the face and scolded him sharply, "You worthless thing, tell me, what kind of bastard did you do to anger your father?"

Li Zichen never expected that his gentle mother would slap him the moment she appeared. He stared at her blankly for a while before recovering. "Your subject... has someone he loves and wishes to ask Father Emperor to grant him a marriage."

The more he spoke, the lower his voice became, after all, the person he had his eye on was not the same person that Consort Mei had her eye on.

Because it wasn't the same person, he didn't consult with Consort Mei, but came directly to Emperor Chenze for a decision.

But who knew that Wang Qingwu would be the Crown Princess chosen by Emperor Chenze...

Li Zichen looked at Consort Mei with a wronged expression and tears in his eyes.

Consort Mei's forehead twitched, her face still showing a hint of displeasure. "Which family's daughter are you proposing to marry?"

"Qingwu, the daughter of Grand Tutor Wang."

As soon as Li Zichen finished speaking, Consort Mei felt dizzy and almost lost her balance—how dare he, the future Crown Princess, dare to do this!

Whether Li Zichen intended it or not, at this moment, Emperor Chenze probably already believed that he intended to take the position of Crown Prince.

After considering this, Consort Mei turned to the chief eunuch Wei Yi who was guarding the door, "Eunuch, I request an audience with the Emperor. Please inform him."

Wei Yi shook his head, looking troubled. "Your Highness, it's not that I'm unwilling to announce your arrival, it's just that His Majesty said he won't see anyone, especially...you."

Upon hearing Emperor Chenze's heartless words, Consort Mei knew that there was no way to resolve this matter today. She feared that the more she spoke, the more she would provoke the emperor's wrath. However... how could she, as a mother, watch her son kneel like this forever?

Consort Mei gritted her teeth and knelt outside the palace. "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty to raise my son. I have come to remove my hairpins and beg for your forgiveness." Her voice was sorrowful, and her expression was desolate and helpless.

Wei Yi hurriedly stepped aside and went to Consort Mei's side, advising, "Your Highness, why are you doing this?"

"This, this..." He was anxiously pacing around when he saw that Consort Mei was also kneeling and could not get up. "If His Majesty sees this and finds out, I'm afraid he will blame you."

"Your Excellency need not persuade me further. My mind is made up," Consort Mei said with a bitter smile.

"Sigh." Eunuch Wei shook his head—what a mess we've been through today!

Soon, the sound of a teacup shattering came from inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. A moment later, Emperor Chenze's voice rang out like a vengeful ghost from hell, "Weiyi, come in."

Wei Yi trembled all over, opened the door with trepidation, and went inside.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wei Yi came out again and appeared before Consort Mei and her son. "Imperial decree: Consort Mei has failed in her duty to educate her son and has been derelict in her conduct as a woman. She has offended the Emperor and is hereby stripped of her power to assist in the management of the six palaces. She is to be confined to Yaohua Palace to reflect on her mistakes."

Seeing Emperor Chenze's heartlessness, Consort Mei collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at Wei Yi with disbelief on her face.

With things having come to this, Wei Yi sighed silently and once again tried to comfort Consort Mei, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is in a fit of anger. You should go back quickly and not act impulsively again."

"I..." Her lips moved slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this, Wei Yi waved his hand, and several palace maids stepped forward to help Consort Mei up.

"Send your lady back to the palace," Wei Yi instructed.

Seeing Consort Mei and her entourage leave, Wei Yi looked at Li Zichen, whose face was ashen, and said indifferently, "Fifth Prince, His Majesty has asked me to ask you a question."

Li Zichen raised his head and said respectfully, "Please speak, Father-in-law."

"Do you regret it?"

These three simple words made Li Zichen tremble. He finally closed his eyes, and two lines of tears streamed down his face. "Your subject knows his mistake. Please punish me, Father."

It is said that no one can withstand the wrath of the emperor.

Look, the emperor merely raised his hand, and his men were utterly defeated.

Upon hearing Li Zichen's voice, Wei Yi silently shook her head: If only she had known this would happen, why did she do it in the first place?

That's just how people are; there's always something they do even when they know it's impossible, otherwise, who could be willing to do it?

Soon, news of Consort Mei being reprimanded and the Fifth Prince being forced to kneel reached Empress Chu's Weiyang Palace.

It just so happens that Crown Prince Li Ziyan is also there, and he and his mother are discussing the selection of the Crown Princess.

When news of the incident at Yangxin Hall arrived, Empress Chu and Li Ziyan were arguing endlessly about who should be the Crown Princess.

Upon hearing the palace maid's words, Empress Chu's face, which had been filled with anger, instantly broke into a wide smile. "You mean that Consort Xian was punished, and Li Zichen, who pleaded for her, was also punished?"

Their gloating was all too obvious.

Li Ziyan waved his hand, signaling the palace servants to leave.

After the palace gates were tightly closed, he said to his mother earnestly, "Your Majesty, please do not interfere in this matter."

"I will not plead for her," Empress Chu readily agreed.

Li Ziyan remained silent for a moment before adding, "Empress Dowager, you must not do anything like kicking someone when they're down."

Empress Chu was taken aback by his words, but pretended to be angry and refused to look at her son.

Seeing this, Li Ziyan spoke again, "Mother?"

Hearing his urging, Empress Chu reluctantly replied, "I understand."

If you ask her why she listens to her son so much, she doesn't know. Every time her son looks at her quietly, her heart inexplicably trembles.

Seeing that Empress Chu obediently agreed, Li Ziyan stood up to say goodbye, "Your subject still has lessons to learn, Your Majesty, please rest early."

Hearing that her son was leaving, Empress Chu still asked, unwilling to give up, "Your cousin is so virtuous, do you really...?"

"Mother!"

Seeing that Li Ziyan was angry, Empress Chu awkwardly shut her mouth.

"Your subject takes his leave." Li Ziyan bowed and left Weiyang Palace.

As he expected, Changyi, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, looked anxious and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him come out.

"What is it?" Li Ziyan asked.

"A message came from over there." As he spoke, Chang Yi leaned forward and whispered the story of what had happened at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Oh?" Li Ziyan's brows relaxed slightly after hearing this. "I never imagined that my fifth brother could be so sentimental."