Chapter 928: Chapter 882: Finale (8)

Wen Wan was about to leave when Zhao Shuo called out to her.

He stepped forward, bowed to her, and then looked up, with a hint of pleading in his eyes as he spoke to Wen Wan, "I heard the Commandery Princess accepted my mother, the Princess Consort’s invitation to help select a Heir Consort for me."

Wen Wan said nothing, which was taken as a silent acknowledgment.

Zhao Shuo said, "Could the Commandery Princess help me postpone today’s selection?"

Wen Wan was slightly surprised, and listened as Zhao Shuo continued, "I know my own physical condition well. If I were to marry, I would surely squander that young lady’s whole life; things are fine the way they are now."

Those eyes were too clear to hold even the slightest shadow of calculation.

Wen Wan suddenly dared not look, slightly averting her gaze, "You’re already sixteen years old, of marrying age, so it’s understandable that the Prince and Princess Consort would arrange a selection for you."

"Though Father has never mentioned it before me, I know I won’t live long."

Wen Wan was surprised by the young man’s frank tone; he seemed unafraid of death.

Zhao Shuo gave a faint smile as he said, "Every day now is a gift from heaven to me, and I cherish it. The Prince and Princess Consort probably want me to marry to leave an heir; I understand their good intentions. But if I were to die in the future, that young lady would have to spend her entire life for me, which might be a kind of torment for her."

Wen Wan asked him, "Have you never thought that perhaps one day you could recover and do what you like as a normal person?"

"Maybe that day will come, but I don’t know when. I can’t let a young lady take that risk."

Wen Wan nodded, "The Princely Heir has a good heart, and heaven will reward it."

After leaving the Yilan Courtyard, Wen Wan felt a heaviness in her heart.

She returned to the banquet, burdened with worry.

The Princess Consort’s smile deepened upon seeing her return.

Wen Wan politely nodded and then walked to her seat and sat down.

After about half an hour, the banquet was mostly over, and the Princess Consort ordered several small boats to be brought to the pavilion, intending to take the young ladies to the lake to admire the lotus flowers.

While the ladies were forming their groups, the Princess Consort called Wen Wan over and asked her, "Which of the young ladies present today does the Commandery Princess think is the best?"

At the age of fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen, they were all naturally beautiful and radiant, but Wen Wan neither commented on who was good nor who was bad; she simply looked at the Princess Consort, "Since it’s for selecting a consort for the Heir, has his opinion been asked?"

The Princess Consort froze for a moment, then sighed, "Shuoshuo is a good and obedient child."

He was obedient because he knew he had little time left, cherishing the time spent with family. Normally, he wouldn’t disobey his parents, but that didn’t mean he would like everything Prince Cheng and the Princess Consort arranged.

For instance, the matter of choosing a consort.

The young ladies had already boarded the boats one after another, and the matron urged the Princess Consort, "Madam, all the young ladies are waiting."

The Princess Consort nodded, "Coming."

With that, she took Wen Wan’s hand and started toward the boat.

At this moment, a servant from Prince Cheng’s side came to report, "The Commandery Princess, the Prince wishes to see you."

The Princess Consort had to let go of Wen Wan, "Since the Prince wants to see you, go ahead!"

Wen Wan looked deeply at the Princess Consort, unsure whether she had hidden too well or was simply unaware, as Wen Wan did not sense any attitude toward the heart-digging case from her.

Following the servant to the study, Wen Wan saw Prince Cheng seated behind a low mahogany writing desk, lazily leaning against a pillow.

When he heard the noise, Prince Cheng raised his eyelids.

Even with just a casual glance, Wen Wan could feel a touch of sinister aura from his gaze.

After delivering her, the servant tactfully closed the door and retreated, leaving only Wen Wan and Prince Cheng in the study.

"Have you thought it over after a night’s time?" Prince Cheng propped one hand against his cheek, while the other casually flipped through the thread-bound book on the desk, his gaze fixed on Wen Wan.

Wen Wan responded with a question, "Does the Prince know how I altered Song Wei’s fate?"

"Tell me." His tone was a mix of amusement and contemplation.

"Actually, everyone’s fate is decreed by heaven. It’s not something anyone can just change at will. When I altered his fate, it wasn’t truly defying destiny; it was merely helping him share some of it."

Prince Cheng’s eyes flickered slightly, "So?"

"Taoism speaks of balance, yin and yang shifting. Applied to the Princely Heir, for him to live to a ripe old age, someone else would have to be willing to lend him their fate."

"I’ve lent him quite a bit of fate."

Wen Wan understood the implication, "Those children were killed. The Princely Heir’s ingestion of the medicine with the catalyst only increases sin. The Prince is hastening death, not altering fate."

Prince Cheng’s face stiffened, clearly realizing that Wen Wan was setting him up, his expression turned cold, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"The Prince should not be unfamiliar with the Su Family of those years. They had a fourth young master who was raised under Duke Su’s protection. Among the entire Su Family, he was the only one with clean hands. One year, he met Master Xu Yun, who said he had a Buddhist destiny, that if he were willing to convert, he could avoid a disaster in the future. Duke Su, however reluctant, still sent his son to Fahua Temple, where he became a disciple under the master. Later, when the Su Family incident occurred, many died in the Thunder Shock explosion, but Su Yaoqi was the only one who survived."

Actually, Wen Wan didn’t know whether Master Xu Yun said those things, but she mentioned them to intimidate Prince Cheng!

Prince Cheng’s half-closed eyes took on a dangerous tint, "You’re suggesting to the Prince that to let Shuoshuo live, he should be sent to a monastery?"

"The Prince can find someone to convert for him." Wen Wan smiled, "As long as that person is willing and prays for him every day after converting, the effect might be the same."

"What’s so difficult about that?" Prince Cheng sneered, "With one command, those willing to convert for Shuoshuo could line up to the city gates."

"What the prince said, they’re probably coerced or lured by benefits, not out of willingness. However, if the prince insists they are willing, then I have nothing more to say."

Upon hearing this, Prince Cheng furrowed his thick eyebrows.

Willingly becoming a monk for his son, where on earth would one find such a person?

"Is the prince unwilling?" Wen Wan asked with a smile.

Prince Cheng froze, his fingers slowly clenching into a fist.

Seeing this, Wen Wan sighed, "The prince dares to slaughter so many innocent infants for the Heir, yet doesn’t dare to have him become a monk. I don’t quite understand, what kind of affection do you have for the Heir?"

As soon as Wen Wan finished speaking, Prince Cheng had already rushed to her, his right hand tightly gripping her throat, the force growing increasingly tight, "Want to use this method to make me surrender? You’re still too inexperienced!"

Wen Wan was choked, unable to make any sound, her face turning red, yet her eyes unwaveringly fixating on Prince Cheng, without a hint of emotion, eerily calm.

Prince Cheng, seeing her like this, grew angrier, his grip tightening.

Wen Wan’s vision was filled with dark swirling spots.

At this moment, the little book boy from Yilan Courtyard rushed into the courtyard, shouting outside the study, "Bad news, Prince! The Heir is having an attack!"

Prince Cheng’s face drastically changed, releasing Wen Wan suddenly, striding out of the study towards Yilan Courtyard.

Wen Wan coughed painfully for a while, then gasped for breath, it took quite some time to calm down.

She initially thought of secretly taking that bracelet while Prince Cheng was away, but reconsidered and refrained.

These days, her every move had been monitored, if she made any rash action, it would not only harm herself but also implicate Song Wei and Jinbao.

...

In Yilan Courtyard, Zhao Shuo was having difficulty breathing, his face turning purplish blue. When Prince Cheng arrived, he was lying on a small couch, one hand feebly clutching his chest.

"Shuoshuo!" Prince Cheng panicked, glaring at the attendant student beside, "Where is the Life-saving Pill?"

"The Heir has already taken it." The attendant student fearfully replied, "It seems he hasn’t recovered yet."

"Shuoshuo, are you okay?" Prince Cheng sat by the bed, looking worriedly at Zhao Shuo.

Zhao Shuo couldn’t speak, only weakly shook his head to indicate he was fine.

"Why did he suddenly have an attack?" Prince Cheng frowned, Zhao Shuo suffered from a heart condition, and without provocation, it wouldn’t easily flare up.

"I don’t know either." The attendant student replied in grievance, "Earlier, Mr. Wen was accompanying the Heir inside the room, we were all waiting outside."

"Bring that Wen here!" Prince Cheng’s face darkened.

As soon as he spoke, Song Wei’s voice arose from outside, "This commoner is outside, wondering why the prince summoned?"

Prince Cheng turned, speaking bluntly, "Did you provoke the Heir?"

Song Wei appeared calm, "The Heir was probably frightened."

"What fright?"

"Earlier this commoner was reading to the Heir, he suddenly asked about my hometown and showed interest in the hardships of the common people. Thus, I told him about a year of famine when the people had no harvest and waited in vain for court relief. There was a couple who, to ensure their newborn child survived, planned to each cut a piece of flesh daily to make soup for the child."

Prince Cheng’s face changed drastically, "What kind of rubbish story is this!"

"Indeed, it sounds absurd." Song Wei laughed slightly, "But this was not fabricated, it truly existed. If the prince feels it’s inappropriate, I won’t speak of it in the future."

Seeing Zhao Shuo in such a condition, Prince Cheng was furious, shouting angrily, "Get out! Shuoshuo doesn’t need a teacher like you!"

He originally wanted to have him dragged out and killed, but fearing he’d frighten his son, he simply changed his mind.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone gently tugged his sleeve, it was Zhao Shuo.

"Father, don’t drive Mr. Wen away." Zhao Shuo pleaded with eyes full of supplication, "I’ve never seen a teacher explain the classics like him before, I really like Mr. Wen."

"But he..."

"Father, I have but this one request."

Prince Cheng cursed an ill fate under his breath, sighed in relief, and said to Song Wei, "You may leave now, let the Heir rest well."

Song Wei nodded, turning to leave Yilan Courtyard, as soon as he arrived back at the guest courtyard, the little one lunged at him, hugged his waist, and looked up, "Daddy, will mother be alright?"

Song Wei patted his head, "She will be."

The little one suddenly grew melancholy, "Daddy, when can we bring mother home? Jinbao really misses mother."

Song Wei patiently answered, "Very soon."

"How soon is very soon?"

"Stay a few more days in the Prince Mansion, once things here have settled, I’ll take you back to Ningzhou."

Song Wei led him into the house, the sunlight casting two shadows, large and small.

In the warm breeze, a phrase vaguely drifted by, "I heard daddy and mother divorced, is daddy going to marry her again with a grand procession?"

"..."

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