The Crown Prince had already considered what she said, otherwise, he wouldn't have come to see her today. It was undoubtedly a few individuals scheming, wanting to prevent the Mu family from aligning with him. After all, Old Master Mu was a formidable figure, and with him, the Crown Prince would be even more powerful.
"Even though you've shifted your target, those who need to know already do. The Empress doesn't know about our relationship. If she did, she would absolutely object." To be honest, seeing her stir up so much trouble recently, the Crown Prince was beginning to waver, contemplating giving up.
"What if Young Master Xu politely withdraws and decides to give up?" Mu Fei looked at him hopefully.
"What do you mean by that? I heard he's deeply smitten with you; how could he willingly back down?" The Crown Prince frowned, looking at her with confusion, unsure of her plan.
"In fact, I sent him a letter today. If my guess is correct, he'll be here soon. If he knows my heart belongs to you, I wonder if he'll withdraw," Mu Fei said meaningfully.
The Crown Prince immediately understood her intention and was somewhat moved. Although he had been adopted by the Empress and made Crown Prince, he had always been wary of the Xu family. After all, they supported the Empress, and whoever the Empress favored, they would favor. He wanted to know his true standing in the Empress's heart: who would she choose between him and the Xu family?
Xu Minghui arrived at the destination excitedly. Looking up, he saw the two embracing and stood there stunned. He never dreamed that Mu Fei's lack of interest in him was because she and the Crown Prince were deeply in love. His heart sank to the abyss in an instant.
He desperately wanted to step forward and demand an explanation, but he lacked the courage. If the person she loved were someone else, he might still fight for her. But it was the Crown Prince, a figure beyond his reach in both status and position.
As he left in despair, news reached the two. The Crown Prince opted for a reassuring approach, telling her to wait obediently at home.
"What did you say? You want to break the engagement? This was an imperial decree, not a child's play! It's not something you can simply annul. You must tell me why." The Empress, having no children of her own, treated her nephew like her own son. When he had expressed his desire to marry the young lady of the Mu family, the Empress felt that her status was not befitting him. However, unable to resist his persistent pleas, she had conceded and approached the Emperor. Now, to her surprise, he wanted to go back on his word.
Xu Minghui knew how good the Empress had been to him. The reason he quickly considered breaking the engagement was his fear of putting her in a difficult position between him and the Crown Prince. After all, the Crown Prince was not her biological son, and there were bound to be suspicions.
After some thought, he revealed the relationship between the Crown Prince and Mu Fei to the Empress. Otherwise, she wouldn't have easily agreed to annul the engagement.
The Empress was shocked upon hearing this. She never expected that her unintentional actions would separate the Mu family's daughter from the Crown Prince. If she had known, she would never have issued the decree. However, it was not her intention, and she believed the Crown Prince would understand.
From his words, she could still sense her nephew's affection for the Mu family's young lady. With his voluntary withdrawal, the Empress breathed a sigh of relief and said with some guilt, "Do you have any other young ladies in mind? Regardless of their background, this time I will ensure you get your wish."
"No, I don't wish to marry for now. I just need to trouble my aunt to come up with a good excuse to silence the gossips." Seeing the guilt in his aunt's eyes, he knew she would compensate him elsewhere. While he had admired Mu Fei before, his feelings had faded considerably after recent events. Gaining his aunt's pity was not a complete loss.
After sending her nephew away, the Empress thought for a moment and quickly went to find the Emperor. They had been a young couple and had held sway over each other for so long that there was affection between them. Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have made his adopted son the Crown Prince.
Understanding the Emperor too well, she knew she couldn't beat around the bush. She directly told him that Xu Minghui had visited and repeated what he had said.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor immediately grew displeased with Mu Fei, believing she had seduced both his son and the Empress's nephew. Although she had known the Crown Prince first, since an engagement had been decreed, a proper woman would have upheld her virtue and ceased contact with the Crown Prince. Yet, they still met in private.
From his understanding of the Crown Prince, that man was terrifyingly calm and always acted with ulterior motives. The Crown Prince likely had his eye on something within the Mu family. Knowing that he himself had decreed the marriage, yet the Crown Prince still maintained contact with her, suggested he was testing the Empress's stance.
The reason the Empress had no children was due to an accident in her youth, where she took a blade for him, losing her ability to bear children. To compensate her, he had made their adopted son the Crown Prince.
On the surface, their relationship seemed bình dị, but in reality, the Empress held an irreplaceable position in the Emperor's heart. He immediately grew disfavor towards the Crown Prince, feeling he was ungrateful. He was already testing the Empress while she was alive; if he passed away, wouldn't the Empress be in peril? At this moment, he even contemplated deposing the Crown Prince.
The Emperor patted her hand and comforted her, "Such a woman is not worth your sorrow, my dear. Should you find another lady you fancy, I will decree another marriage for them." Seeing that the Emperor harbored no resentment and, in fact, expressed considerable displeasure towards the Mu family's daughter, clearly defending her, the Empress was touched.
She understood the Emperor's dilemma. His coldness towards her was a form of protection. In their youth, he had told her that no matter who he adopted, he would groom him to be Crown Prince, and he had kept his word.
However, the succession of events had left the Empress feeling disheartened. The Crown Prince was the foundation of national stability; he couldn't be deposed on a whim. But at this moment, the Empress decided to observe the other princes further.
She thought along the same lines as the Emperor. If the Crown Prince, who currently relied on her and the Xu family, could act this way, what would happen after the Emperor was gone? The realm would be his, and he might even resent her and the Xu family. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, his ascension depended on them. He might want to remove the obstacles towering above him. Thinking of this, the Empress grew restless. Based on her understanding of the Crown Prince, such a possibility was indeed likely.
She tentatively looked at the Emperor, "If... if one day I were to be displeased with the Crown Prince, on whose side would you stand?"
The Emperor looked at the Empress's anxious and uneasy expression and smiled, comforting her, "I promised to compensate you in this life. As long as you've made up your mind, tell me, and I will pave the way for you."
The Empress looked at his sincere smile, her eyes reddening slightly. If it weren't for the Emperor's declining health, reaching its limits, why would she fear the Crown Prince?
Returning to her chambers, the Empress thought for a moment and quickly dispatched her spies to further investigate the princes. She refused to believe that among so many princes, she couldn't find one who was grateful.