sbdcsierra Chapter 297 Let's elope!
Chapter 297 Let's elope!
Yan Yue cried out in pain, clutching his head, and looked at Lu Yangyang in confusion.
Why did you hit me?
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he said, "I know, you want to marry your cousin, don't you?"
Lu Yangyang rolled her eyes at him: "Can't you think about things in a more logical way?"
Yan Yue looked completely bewildered. Where had he not changed his mind?
Lu Yangyang's expression turned serious: "His Majesty has issued a decree to bestow this marriage, and he has also used the late Empress's last will and testament. No matter what His Highness and I think, we cannot refuse this marriage. If His Highness refuses the marriage, that would be unfilial. His Highness has always been benevolent. If the name of unfilial piety is pinned on him, guess what will happen next?"
"But I still can't understand, what is His Majesty's purpose in making me marry His Highness?"
Lu Yangyang had no particular interest in marrying the Crown Prince. In any case, she wasn't in the mood to think about marriage right now. She wasn't thinking about getting married for the time being, so marrying His Highness would actually make her feel more at ease, because what she wanted to do most right now was to heal His Highness's leg.
But strangely, if His Majesty wanted to arrange a marriage for His Highness, why would he arrange for her to be betrothed to His Highness?
She had severed ties with the Sheng family and was all alone. The only remaining connection she had was with the Lan family, but Grand Tutor Lan was the Crown Prince's teacher and naturally belonged to the Crown Prince's faction, making it impossible to sever ties. If His Majesty wanted to achieve some goal through marriage, why would he choose her?
This doesn't make any sense.
Lu Yangyang was completely baffled.
Yan Yue thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that having no purpose is the biggest purpose? Think about it. According to what you just said, His Majesty arranged a marriage for my cousin. If he wanted to refuse, he could always find a reason. But if he brings up my aunt's last decree, then my cousin can't refuse, right? Maybe His Majesty just wants him to get married, but also wants him to be unable to refuse?"
Lu Yangyang was stunned.
It has to be said that she really couldn't think of any other reason.
For His Highness, a marriage at this time, if arranged properly, could help consolidate his position. Haven't you seen the Third Prince constantly flitting from one woman to another like a butterfly?
But wouldn't it be pointless to find someone as well-known as an "orphan"?
By bestowing a marriage upon her and His Highness, the prince was effectively blocked from marrying into another family.
Lu Yangyang looked at Yan Yue thoughtfully.
Yan Yue felt uneasy under her gaze: "You, don't look at me like that! I was just guessing, just guessing."
Lu Yangyang nodded, poured herself another glass of water, and turned to ask Yan Yue, "By the way, what did you come to see me for?"
"Huh?" Yan Yue was taken aback, then suddenly slapped his forehead, only then remembering that he had come to see Lu Yangyang on important business. He had almost forgotten because of this interruption.
He quickly told Lu Yangyang about what had happened in the palace. "What is His Majesty thinking lately? He found a concubine who looks like my aunt, so does he have to arrange marriages for a whole bunch of people? He wants me to marry the Sixth Princess. He might as well just kill me. My cousin told me to find a way to run away as soon as possible. Can you think of a plan for me too? How can I make the Sixth Princess feel that marrying me would be worse than death? I think it would be better for us to stay single."
Lu Yangyang spat out a mouthful of water. Sixth Princess?
It's definitely better for everyone to be single.
She subconsciously felt sympathy for Yan Yue for a moment before she had time to think about His Majesty's purpose.
That's not hard to guess. The Sixth Princess is the Third Prince's younger sister. Marrying the Sixth Princess to Yan Yue is also a way to sow discord between the Yan family and the Crown Prince.
His Majesty's actions... are clearly a gradual erosion of Your Highness's power.
Could it be... that His Majesty really intends to depose the Crown Prince?
Lu Yangyang's heart skipped a beat.
Yes, it was around this time in the dream, probably in the summer. The news of the deposed crown prince spread everywhere. Even the "she" in the dream, who was already on the verge of death from torture, heard about this major event. But from the "her" perspective in the dream, all she knew was that the crown prince had been deposed and exiled, and died on the way. She knew nothing else, not even where the crown prince had been exiled or why he had been deposed.
Lu Yangyang frantically scratched her head. At least Sheng Yunzhu was reborn once, so why was it just a vague dream for her? If only she could get some hints!
Lu Yangyang paced anxiously around the room, arms crossed.
Yan Yue tentatively said, "You, you don't have to be in such a hurry. Give me a couple of acupuncture needles first, and I'll get through it. After I leave, I can still persuade the Sixth Princess not to marry me."
Lu Yangyang stopped in her tracks. "Wait a minute, let me think about it."
If Your Majesty really intends to depose the Crown Prince—no, it's certain that Your Majesty has considered deposing the Crown Prince, and has likely had this thought for a long time, but hasn't found a suitable opportunity until now.
Can you stop His Majesty from deposing the Crown Prince?
I'm afraid not.
No matter how much virtue the crown prince possessed that might garner popular support, his mere fact that he was crippled was enough to cause most of his supporters to abandon him. An ancestral precept states that a person with a physical disability cannot become emperor. Unless a major upheaval occurs in the dynasty, no matter how much the civil and military officials support the crown prince, they cannot possibly support him as emperor simply because of his reputation for virtue.
Unable to win over the public.
Most importantly, once His Majesty has the idea of deposing the Crown Prince, any reason can become a reason for deposing him. Now His Majesty is the sovereign, and the Crown Prince is the subject, the son. No matter how much he struggles, even if he goes all out to force the emperor to abdicate, he will not be able to ascend the throne smoothly unless he massacres the royal city and silences all voices.
But then he would no longer be the respected Crown Prince.
Therefore, this situation is fundamentally unbreakable.
Seeing Lu Yangyang's furrowed brows, Yan Yue sighed and also felt troubled. He secretly complained that His Majesty was really arranging marriages randomly, bestowing marriages on him and the Sixth Princess without even considering how absurd it was.
And then there's my cousin and Yangyang. It's not that they're incompatible, but the timing just doesn't feel right. No matter how much he favors my cousin, he knows that right now, my cousin is facing many dangers, and it's definitely not the right time for them to get married. Knowing my cousin's personality, he would definitely feel that getting married at this time would only drag Yangyang down with him.
However, His Majesty invoked his aunt's dying wish, and it was indeed difficult to refuse.
then what should we do?
How can we resolve both issues at once? We need to resolve his marriage to the Sixth Princess and my cousin's marriage to Yangyang. If only there were a way to achieve both.
This is really a headache.
Yan Yue pinched his chin, and suddenly his eyes lit up. "I have a way! I have a way to solve two things at once!"
Lu Yangyang was startled: "What method?"
Yan Yue excitedly said, "Yangyang, let's elope!"