Wei Yu and the Crown Prince began to quarrel.
Originally, Wei Yu could have discussed this matter with the Crown Prince back in the Eastern Palace, but the Crown Prince had been exchanging flirtatious glances with He Rufang right in front of her.
Although the other noble ladies in the hall dared not openly mock her, she knew they must be laughing at her in their hearts, pitying her.
The more harshly she had just taunted Wang Qingyao, the more painfully her face was now being slapped.
Even as she sat with a darkened face at the head of the table, she could feel the eyes of schadenfreude cast upon her from all directions.
She was a daughter of the Wei family, a favored daughter of heaven. How could she tolerate this?
She could not wait another moment. Under the guise of discussing other matters, she called the Crown Prince to the small adjacent flower hall, and then to a private room within.
"What is it that cannot be discussed back at the palace?" the Crown Prince asked impatiently. "We are still at the Prince of Yue's manor. What kind of conduct is this, calling me out alone to speak?"
Wei Yu, with a belly full of anger, suppressed herself. Only then did her temper fail to erupt, but her voice could not help but become sharp.
"Now, Your Highness's eyes and heart are only for that Miss He. This concubine fears that if I wait until we return to the Eastern Palace to speak, it will be too late."
With a sharp and caustic tone, the Crown Prince's brows furrowed. "You are the Crown Princess, the future mother of the nation. When did you become so petty? I am the Crown Prince, and will be the Son of Heaven in the future. If you cannot accept one Miss He, how can you speak of the three palaces and six courtyards later?
You are too ignorant. Just now, County Princess Mu Jin said you should be generous and tolerant when educating others. Did you only say that for others to hear? Are you two-faced?"
A look of intense disgust flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes.
Wei Yu felt her internal organs ache with anger.
She had barely spoken a word, and he was already reprimanding her with a torrent of impatience.
Heh, how ironic.
Speaking of which, she and he were childhood sweethearts, growing up together.
Back then, he coveted the throne and was solely focused on winning the heart of Wei Qing, the eldest legitimate granddaughter of the Wei family.
However, Wei Qing had always loved Prince Rong, so he had to settle for her.
Her union with him had never been about love.
It was about interests.
It was about prospects.
They had always been the same kind of people.
Wei Yu sneered. She should not have harbored any illusions about him.
The affection of growing up together had left no trace in his heart.
He was, step by step, growing into a cold and ruthless emperor.
But whether her position as Crown Princess was stable or not, it had never relied on his favor.
Behind her stood the Wei family, and Consort Wei. Both her position as Crown Princess and her future position as Empress were as stable as a mountain.
She suppressed the anger that was about to erupt from her heart and took a deep breath. "Your Highness misunderstands. This concubine is only happy that Miss He can resolve Your Highness's worries. It's just that Your Highness has forgotten that this Miss He was brought by Wang Qingyao.
She harbors deep resentment towards me, towards Your Highness, and towards the Wei family. How could she give Your Highness a beautiful woman for no reason?
Your Highness knows how cunning Wang Qingyao is. Miss He is beautiful, but who can be sure she is not a vixen in disguise? Your Highness is the heir to the throne; you must not risk your life for beauty."
The Crown Prince was dismissive. "Crown Princess, you worry too much. Originally, Princess Ding'an intended to present Miss He to Father Emperor. Now that I have spoken first, Princess Ding'an will find it difficult to present Miss He to Father Emperor."
Wei Yu was astonished. "How does Your Highness know?"
"I guessed."
Guessed?
Absurd, too absurd!
Wei Yu's temples throbbed, and the muscles in her cheeks twitched involuntarily.
How had she not realized before that the Crown Prince had the potential to be a foolish ruler?
"Your Highness may have forgotten our plan for today," Wei Yu said coldly. "Wang Qingyao will not live to see today. Even if she wanted to present a beauty to Father Emperor, she would have no opportunity. Why is Your Highness in such a hurry? You must not forget what is most important today!"
Although the Crown Prince was infatuated with He Rufang's beauty and could not extricate himself, he had not forgotten the plan to eliminate Wang Qingyao.
Hearing Wei Yu mention it at this moment, he became somewhat annoyed.
"Is the Crown Princess lecturing me? What I do is not for the Crown Princess to manage!" the Crown Prince said with a dark expression.
Wei Yu was immediately choked, a look of hatred flashed in her eyes. She lowered her head and said softly, "Your Highness misunderstands. This concubine is only thinking for Your Highness."
"I know what I'm doing."
The Crown Prince flicked his sleeve and walked out.
Fortunately, the soundproofing in the private room of the small flower hall was quite good. Despite their long argument, not a sound had leaked out.
Wei Yu's chest heaved with anger. It took a long time for her fury to subside before she once again walked out with elegant composure.
The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess returned to the main hall one after the other. The Crown Prince's expression was displeased. Although the Crown Princess tried her best to conceal it, everyone could guess that they had quarreled.
However, to argue with the Crown Prince over a woman in a setting like the Prince of Yue's manor, the Crown Princess was truly too ignorant and too arrogant.
The time for the banquet was drawing near. Wei Qing beckoned everyone to rise.
At this moment, a group of people entered from outside with hurried steps.
Leading them was Shun Fu, another chief eunuch by the Emperor's side.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty has an imperial decree, ordering Your Highness, the Crown Princess, the Prince of Yue, and County Princess Mu Jin to proceed to the palace immediately."
Everyone was taken aback.
This combination was peculiar.
"What happened?" the Crown Prince asked Shun Fu as he walked.
Shun Fu replied, "An envoy from the Eastern Ling Kingdom has suddenly arrived."