The forced smile on Bai Wanrou's face was a bit unbearable. She was still here, but the emperor was already so obvious.
Thinking about it, if she had something to do today and didn't come, I'm afraid Chen Ruzhi would go back with a bunch of girls.
Her usually calm heart paused, and she didn't know why she felt uncomfortable because of this realization.
Chen Ruzhi also felt uncomfortable.
He still didn't know why he had strange feelings for Bai Wanrou, and now he had to obey the emperor's orders.
It can be said to be caught in a dilemma between the two.
"Your Majesty, these words are serious. My wife and I have a very good relationship, and it will only be a matter of time before we have children."
He felt that his refusal was quite obvious.
But others don't think so.
"Hey, you can't say that. As the prince of Jian'an, if you don't even have a concubine, it would be outrageous to say it!"
The anxiety on the emperor's face seemed to be sincerely thinking about Chen Ruzhi.
But both of them knew very well that the reason why the emperor said these words today was just to sow discord.
Chen Ruzhi could only twitch his lips in embarrassment, "The emperor probably forgot that there is a demoted girl in the palace. Her name is Yueyi, and she is now pregnant with my child."
He had never thought that one day, Yueyi would become a tool for him to reject the emperor.
"Your Majesty is wrong to think so. Not to mention that this girl named Yueyi has no status. Even if she does, you can't refuse the Emperor's kindness just because of her."
Concubine Lin interjected, and as she spoke, she couldn't help but lean towards the emperor. She looked so weak and boneless, it was no wonder that she would be favored by the Holy Spirit.
She glanced at Bai Wanrou and mentioned her intentionally or unintentionally.
"Yes, I suddenly remembered that I seemed to have heard some rumors in the palace a few days ago. Princess Dao Jian'an initially took the initiative to pursue the prince. I wonder if this is the case?"
She was smiling as she spoke, and she looked harmless. No one would have guessed that underneath this skin was a snake with a heart of a snake.
For example, at this moment, Bai Wanrou just nodded, stretched out her hand and twisted a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake that was placed in front of her.
"The emperor always says that he likes my reserved and restrained temperament. I think that as a noble concubine, I should be like this."
When she said this, her eyes never left Bai Wanrou. Everyone present could see that her words were a deliberate allusion to Bai Wanrou.
It's just that as the Princess of Jian'an, she is too proactive and does not have the dignity and reserve of ordinary girls.
Bai Wanrou smiled when she heard this and looked at Concubine Lin. Her usually gentle eyebrows showed a bit of disdain at the moment.
"What the imperial concubine said is that you are worthy of being the emperor's favorite concubine. I think no one else will be able to sit in your position. Even I admire you a little."
This simply means that she was in the palace, but she rose to the position of a noble concubine in a short period of time, and her methods were inevitably a bit dirty.
When Lin Guifei heard what she said, she probably recalled some bad experiences, her face suddenly turned ugly, and she just snorted coldly.
Bai Wanrou didn't take her reaction to heart. After all, although she was a soft persimmon, she couldn't be pinched by anyone.
It was not good for her to lose her composure in front of the emperor today, otherwise she would not have only said these few words to Concubine Lin.
"Okay, okay, you guys should stop bickering. I think I'm confused. Let the prince take a few girls away first."
Seeing that the situation seemed a bit stiff, the Queen Mother took the initiative to calm down, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that she was partial to Bai Wanrou.
If someone else said such offensive words, Concubine Lin would probably pull them out and punish them if she became unhappy.
Now that Chen Ruzhi had not yet stood up to defend Bai Wanrou, the Queen Mother was the first to speak. Even the emperor could not say that Bai Wanrou was guilty at this moment.
Bai Wanrou smiled. Although she didn't know whether the Queen Mother's move was sincere or fake, and she didn't know why she was treating her differently, she could tell that the Queen Mother was doing it for her own good.
Chen Ruzhi finished the glass of wine in front of him and said, "Then thank you Queen Mother for your kindness."
The emperor smiled when he heard this. His purpose was just to let Chen Ruzhi bring more girls back.
No matter what they said, the final result was as he wished.
"It's rare for the prince to be so cheerful. I'll choose some people myself this time."
After the emperor finished speaking, he clapped his hands, and two rows of people came quickly outside the door. They were all the girls who wanted Chen Ruzhi to choose.
When Chen Ruzhi saw this, he just twitched the corner of his mouth helplessly. He was so well prepared, it seemed that he had already prepared to take people back today.
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated. He seemed to think about it for a few seconds, but in fact he randomly named a few people.
All the women who were selected showed a victor's smile, as if they were superior to others after entering the palace.
Chen Ruzhi didn't care how they felt. After choosing the person, his first reaction was to use his peripheral vision to look at Bai Wanrou sitting next to him.
What's rare is that he didn't see any jealous or angry look on Bai Wanrou's face. Instead, he felt that she seemed a little regretful.
"It's getting late now. The prince has to go back to deal with these girls in the palace. He probably doesn't have time to continue chatting, so I won't send him off."
Chen Ruzhi raised his eyebrows, but didn't say much about the emperor's tendency to throw people away after achieving his goal. He seemed to be used to it, so he just nodded and left with Bai Wanrou and the other women.
After getting on the carriage, he still couldn't see any anger on Bai Wanrou's face, and he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable in his heart.
He asked tentatively: "What are you going to do with those girls after they are brought home?"
Bai Wanrou raised her head and looked at him, as if she didn't expect that he would ask her this question, nor did she expect that she would ultimately decide the whereabouts of those girls.
After thinking carefully for a moment, she replied: "I will ask a few of them then to inquire about their wishes."
Seeing that she was answering his questions very carefully, Chen Ruzhi didn't feel happy at all, he just felt uncomfortable.
In the past, if she showed any affection for Yueyi, Bai Wanrou would be very annoyed. But now that she has so many intercourse girls in one day, she doesn't show any signs of it.
Before Chen Ruzhi could think about anything, Bai Wanrou's voice sounded again in the small space.
"But it's a pity. Looking at today's situation, the Emperor may still be in trouble."
"Noisy?"
Chen Ruzhi was very confused about her choice of words. Although he did think that the emperor's move today was intentional, it was not appropriate to describe it as "causing".
Bai Wanrou nodded when she heard this. She always looked at the curtain beside her, as if she could see something next to her through that layer of cloth.
"Yes, actually I can see that the relationship between you and the emperor is not as harmonious as it seems on the surface."
"It's more like he is deliberately targeting you."
Chen Ruzhi did not continue to answer, because what Bai Wanrou said was not wrong at all.
He and the current Holy Emperor were just showing off, and both of them knew very well how rigid their relationship was.
He turned to look at the person sitting next to him, and suddenly felt that he was a little unsure.
It seemed that after she knew too much, she always felt that she no longer needed him as Prince Jian'an.
A question came into his mind at this time. Chen Ruzhi paused, cleared his throat with a cough, and then asked: "What about me and your father?"
"What?"
Bai Wanrou didn't expect that his topic would change so quickly, and the recent investigation made her feel even more vague about the word father.
So when he asked this question, she was unprepared.
"What do you think of my relationship with your father?"
Bai Wanrou chuckled, which seemed to be mocking but also funny. She put her eyes on Chen Ruzhi and asked softly: "Does the relationship between you two need others to judge?"
"Everyone knows that you and my father are at odds and have been political enemies for many years."
"At that time, I took the initiative to pursue you, but I don't know how many people gossiped about me behind my back because of it."
"You actually take the initiative to ask me such a question?"
Chen Ruzhi turned his head sideways and found that he couldn't resist Bai Wanrou's direct gaze.
It seemed that when she looked at him, he would lose some kind of power called freedom, and his whole body would be like being nailed to a chair, unable to move.
However, thinking of his own purpose, he finally chose to continue asking under great pressure.
"Are you afraid of marrying me and becoming Princess Jian'an?"
Bai Wanrou originally wanted to ask him what he meant, but thinking about the question he just asked, she seemed to figure out what Chen Ruzhi meant.
He simply felt that his father and he were incompatible camps, and she was the most awkward person between the two of them.
As a princess, she cannot betray her husband; as a daughter, she cannot be unfilial to her father.
Bai Wanrou thought about it carefully. It was a good question. She had never considered it before.
"Never."
Chen Ruzhi didn't expect her to answer so decisively and simply, and was a little unexpectedly shocked.
He lowered his head and stroked his wrist, then asked: "If one day you need to make a choice between me and your father, who will you choose?"
Bai Wanrou smiled, how could a victorious general ask himself such a question now?
But it is undeniable that she does feel that this is an aspect that needs to be considered.
After all, based on her recent observations of her father, the day Chen Ruzhi mentioned is probably coming soon.
"I will make peace with you, but I am worried that life after the divorce will be difficult. I hope that the prince will help you when the time comes."
She did not directly state that she would take her father's side, but the meaning in her words was very obvious.
And Bai Wanrou herself realized that after saying these words, her heart didn't feel as painful as before.
Even when she thought of Chen Ruzhi's various actions to humiliate her for Yueyi, she only felt like a passing cloud, and her heart was already numb with torture.
It seems that after these days, she will soon be able to let go of Chen Ruzhi.
For some reason, she felt a little dazed, as if this was a dream that would dissipate when she woke up.
However, there was a real touch next to her, and she could even feel Chen Ruzhi's breathing every moment.
Bai Wanrou turned her head and took a look. Familiar eyebrows came into view, and she finally felt a little at ease. This chapter has been completed!