Chu Yunli entered the palace overnight to report to the emperor.
This action startled everyone, and the palace was instantly ablaze with lights.
Chu Yunli has returned!
Indeed, Lord Chu is young and capable; even such a great matter as disaster relief he resolved perfectly, and now his reputation will shine even brighter.
Chu Yunli went to the Imperial Study to report to the emperor about the disaster relief in He Province.
The Emperor nodded, deeply satisfied: “Yunli, you have done very well! You have not failed my great expectations!”
“These are simply matters I ought to do as a minister,” Chu Yunli replied calmly, proper and modest, without a trace of arrogance.
The Emperor felt even more satisfied; no matter how important the matter, once entrusted to Chu Yunli, he would handle it flawlessly, leaving no fault to be found.
Unlike those princes…
A flicker of disappointment passed through the Emperor’s eyes. He had originally intended to send the Crown prince to handle the He Province disaster relief, but the Crown prince shrank from responsibility and pushed the matter onto Chu Yunli.
The Emperor hated that the Crown prince failed to live up to expectations; if only the Crown prince could measure up to even half of Chu Yunli, there would be no cause for worry.
The Emperor let out a soft sigh, noticing that Chu Yunli’s face was somewhat pale. He said, “The He Province disaster relief has wearied you. No doubt you have had little rest these days. Go back and rest now; the morning court sessions for the next few days are excused. Once you have recovered, we will discuss what comes next.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Chu Yunli took his leave and departed.
The Emperor ordered the Imperial physician to take Chu Yunli’s pulse and bestowed many precious tonics to restore his strength.
Elsewhere, in the Eastern Palace.
The Crown prince’s expression darkened. “Chu Yunli has returned? How could he arrive so early? Wasn’t it said that the procession would take another seven days to reach the capital?”
The subordinate answered nervously, “Lord Chu hurried back alone, spurring his horse on. The scouts failed to track his movements…”
They had not expected that Chu Yunli would gallop back to the capital all on his own.
The Crown prince, enraged, swept everything off the table. Still not appeased, he seized a nearby vase and hurled it violently at the kneeling man.
The kneeling man dared not evade, allowing the vase to smash against him.
“Useless! All of you are useless! You can’t even track down such a trivial matter!”
“Chu Yunli has returned—what use are the elite soldiers I stationed along the road!” The Crown prince was furious; in order to prevent Chu Yunli’s return, he had set an ambush of troops, but now all of it was in vain.
Chu Yunli returned to the capital smoothly, having fulfilled expectations by completing the He Province disaster relief. In this way, his father the emperor would place even greater trust in him.
The Crown prince felt so enraged he could almost cough up blood.
This left him wondering where to put his dignity.
This credit was clearly his! Yet, after listening to Jiang Mengyue, he pushed the He Province relief onto Chu Yunli—tantamount to handing the merit over for nothing!
Now that Chu Yunli is laden with merit, his prestige will surpass what it ever was before.
Speaking of it, all of this was because of Jiang Mengyue.
If not for Jiang Mengyue’s words, would he have handed the He Province relief to Chu Yunli? Had he carried out the relief himself, the one basking in glory now would surely have been him.
“Jiang Mengyue!” The crown prince was beside himself with rage, laying all the blame upon her.
.........
Jiang Mengyue shivered, suddenly feeling a chill run through her whole body.
These past few days she has been at her wits’ end, constantly pondering how to resolve the matter.
She had thought that, following the prophetic dream, she could help the Crown prince rid himself of the great trouble that was Chu Yunli. Yet unexpectedly, Chu Yunli reached He Province without hindrance.
Now the crown prince would surely be enraged, and might vent his fury upon her.
She had only just managed to win the Crown prince’s trust, and now, with everything ruined, she must find a way to make amends.
“Where exactly did it all go wrong…?”
“My foresight cannot be wrong, so why…?” Jiang Mengyue gnawed nervously at her nails, her face pale and unsightly.
If the crown prince abandoned her, she would truly have nowhere to go.
As a powerless, statusless false daughter, what could she possibly do?
In recent days, the Marquis’s household learned of her connection with the crown prince, and Marquis Jiang came repeatedly, gently urging her to return.
If the Crown prince grew disappointed and severed ties with her, then the Marquis’s household would surely abandon her without hesitation.
She had struggled so hard to climb up, only to face ruin again.
Sure enough, the very next day the Crown prince came.
The Crown prince stormed in, his face dark and heavy, clearly in the grip of fury.
Jiang Mengyue hurried forward, calling softly, “Your Highness…”
The Crown prince seized Jiang Mengyue’s arm, dragged her into the room, and then shoved her inside with force.
Jiang Mengyue was so frightened her beauty turned ashen. “Your Highness…”
With a loud bang, the Crown prince shut the door and said coldly, “Jiang Mengyue, it was all because of your rotten idea! Now Chu Yunli has returned, and the relief work in He Province counts as a great merit—he will soon be rewarded with honors!”
“What? Chu Yunli has returned?” Jiang Mengyue was stunned, so shocked she could not speak—how could he have come back so quickly?
“Then… those assassins Your Highness had lying in wait…”
The Crown prince was so enraged that the veins on his temples throbbed.
Jiang Mengyue instantly realized she had misspoken. Now that Chu Yunli had returned safely, His Highness the Crown prince was bound to be even angrier—no wonder his fury was so great.
The Crown prince barked coldly, “If not for you, I would not be so humiliated! Had I gone to He Province, the one receiving honors now would be me!”
Jiang Mengyue, aggrieved, pressed her lips together.
If she had not told the Crown prince about the future, then had he gone to He Province, he might already have brought disaster upon himself.
He was nowhere near as capable as Chu Yunli—Chu Yunli could think of dredging the river, but could he?
Jiang Mengyue felt indignant—after all, the whole affair was the Crown prince’s fault, yet now he was shifting all the blame onto her.
But she dared not speak those words—if she provoked the Crown prince, he might strangle her in his rage.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger…”
“Ha! You want me to calm down? How could I! This way Father will only value Chu Yunli more, while me? Father will think I’m cowardly and evasive, pushing the He Province relief work onto others…”
The Crown prince’s expression grew darker and darker—he could hardly lift his head in court anymore.
Jiang Mengyue dared not speak, moving with the utmost caution.
The Crown prince sat down and gulped a mouthful of cold tea.
Jiang Mengyue immediately walked over and refilled his cup with tea.
The Crown prince gnashed his teeth. “Chu Yunli, Chu Yunli… damn him! He must die—only then will the hatred in my heart be appeased!”
At the same time.
In the palace, the Crown princess’s face was grim.
“The Crown prince has gone out of the palace again?”
“Yes…” the servant answered softly, cautiously watching the Crown princess’s expression.
The Crown princess’s face turned ashen with fury—surely the Crown prince had gone to see that woman again!
The Crown prince, bewitched by a woman, even warned her not to provoke that woman again—she had never suffered such humiliation.
She was still carrying a child, yet the Crown prince ran to that woman’s residence every single day.
“Crown Princess, you mustn’t harm your health… the imperial physician said you must stay calm…” the servant urged.
The Crown princess angrily clenched her handkerchief.
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