Chapter 482

“I won’t!” Cheng Qingli refused without a second thought. Zhang Yanchu was her fiancé, and now that he was injured, how could she possibly leave at a time like this?

Cheng Qingli rejected the idea outright.

She wanted to stay and take care of the wounded Zhang Yanchu.

“Be good. I can’t leave here just yet. Your good friend Miss Li is about to get married, so you should go back and give her a wedding gift. Besides, you need to deliver a big present from me to them.” Zhang Yanchu gently patted Cheng Qingli’s shoulder with his uninjured hand, trying to comfort her.

Cheng Qingli pouted. Although she didn’t want to admit it, what Zhang Yanchu said made sense.

As Li Zhiwei’s close friend, she really should attend her wedding.

But she also couldn’t bear to leave Zhang Yanchu alone at the hunting grounds—especially since it was usually so quiet there, and he was hurt.

“Be good. Go back first, and I’ll return in a few days,” Zhang Yanchu continued coaxing her.

He still needed to stay here and entertain Shangguan Mu for a few more days.

Xu Heming remained silent, but by now, he understood why Zhang Yanchu hadn’t seemed too upset about his injury—it turned out he had a beauty fussing over him.

He had always thought of Cheng Qingli as a bit flighty, but apparently, everyone has their match.

“General Wen, you are truly fortunate. Second Miss Cheng, I still have many matters to attend to. Have you decided whether you want to go back with my men?” Xu Heming said, then left the room.

“Zhaonan gege, I don’t want to go back.” Cheng Qingli looked at Zhang Yanchu with hesitation.

She wondered if she could just send a gift to Li Zhiwei and stay here with Zhang Yanchu instead.

“No,” Zhang Yanchu said firmly. He knew that Shangguan Mu was still fixated on Cheng Qingli and Li Zhiwei.

Earlier, when Li Zhiwei and Cheng Qingli pretended to accompany them to the imperial hunting grounds, the people in the carriage had been swapped midway.

Because of that, Zhang Yanchu had had to deal with Shangguan Mu’s suspicions more than once.

Later, when Cheng Qingli arrived in the capital, Shangguan Mu even thought Zhang Yanchu had hidden the two beauties away.

Today, news of the Li family finding their long-lost son reached Shangguan Mu’s ears, prompting his hasty departure.

By the time Zhang Yanchu noticed, Shangguan Mu was already almost out of the hunting grounds.

Zhang Yanchu tried to stop him but accidentally fell down a slope in his rush.

He had moved as fast as he could to rescue him.

Unfortunately, Shangguan Mu was still injured.

As for Zhang Yanchu’s hand, it was just a small scratch—nothing serious. But to keep Shangguan Mu from realizing the truth, he deliberately exaggerated the injury.

Shangguan Mu was ruthless and cruel, and Zhang Yanchu didn’t want Cheng Qingli to have any more dealings with him.

Cheng Qingli had already made him uneasy when she tried to prevent Li Zhiwei from marrying Shangguan Mu.

Now that he had a chance to persuade her to leave, why wouldn’t he take it?

Cheng Qingli was torn. She wanted to stay with Zhang Yanchu but also to return for Li Zhiwei’s wedding.

“Go ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‍on. We have plenty of time ahead of us. Miss Li only gets married once—do you want to miss it?” Zhang Yanchu could see her hesitation clearly.

Though reluctant, Cheng Qingli finally decided to go back. After all, she couldn’t miss her best friend’s big day.

Outside, rumors about the Li family finding their biological son grew more and more outrageous.

Some even said that Prince An had already called off his engagement with the Li family.

“Husband, what should we do? Surely Prince An isn’t really going to break off the engagement?” Lady Yao asked anxiously.

“Weiwei’s betrothal to Prince An was decreed by His Majesty,” Li Tianyou said, though his voice lacked confidence.

“If he dares not marry Weiwei, I won’t let him off easy!” Jiang Yuanrang said angrily. If that Prince An dared to slight his sister, he would make him pay.

“Husband, could Prince An also be after our family’s fortune?” Lady Yao asked nervously.

After all, the Li family was immensely wealthy. Many sought to marry their daughters.

But nine out of ten of those suitors were after their money.

Early on, Prince An’s attitude toward Li Zhiwei hadn’t suggested any such motive.

But now, they weren’t so sure.

“Impossible. The marriage was ordained by the emperor. Even if Prince An wants to break it off, I will demand justice from His Majesty,” Li Tianyou declared. Now a Deputy Minister of Revenue, he was no longer a mere merchant from Li’an County.

Even the emperor held him in high regard.

Li Tianyou was confident the emperor wouldn’t allow Prince An to commit such a betrayal.

“Besides, didn’t Prince An just visit?” But remembering the prince’s gloomy expression when he left, Li Tianyou felt uncertain whether Xu Heming might truly care about this.

“I’ve told you all before—I don’t want any of the Li family’s wealth. Leave it all to my sister,” Jiang Yuanrang said impatiently.

“Husband, someone from the palace has arrived.” Before Li Tianyou could respond, Zhou Tong rushed in to report.

Li Tianyou had no time to dwell on it. He quickly changed clothes and headed to the palace.

When Li Tianyou arrived, Xu Heming was already standing in the imperial study.

Li Tianyou’s heart sank. Here it comes!

Was Xu Heming here to break off the engagement?

Thinking this, Li Tianyou took a deep breath and silently cursed Xu Heming’s dishonor.

He began to plan how he would respond if the emperor ordered him to agree to the annulment.

“Your servant kowtows to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long may he reign!” Li Tianyou entered and bowed deeply to Zhu Jingchen, who sat on the throne.

“Rise, dear Minister Li,” Zhu Jingchen said with a smile.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Li Tianyou stood up and waited by the side, not asking why he had been summoned.

If the emperor had something to say, he would speak.

“I hear you have found your long-lost son?” Zhu Jingchen asked casually.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thanks to Prince An, I have recovered my missing son,” Li Tianyou replied nervously, unsure of the emperor’s intent.

He glanced at Xu Heming but answered truthfully—this was no secret.

“Good! This is cause for celebration!” Zhu Jingchen said happily.

Li Tianyou could only nod with a forced smile.

Xu Heming remained silent the whole time.

Li Tianyou didn’t know what to do next.

He was already wondering whether to agree if the emperor suggested dissolving the marriage between the Li family and Prince An’s household.

In principle, he didn’t want Li Zhiwei to marry Prince An.

But he certainly didn’t want the engagement broken off at a moment like this.

“Dear Minister Li, is everything prepared at your residence?” Zhu Jingchen asked as he noticed Li Tianyou’s distraction.

Li Tianyou’s heart jumped. Here it comes, here it comes. He thought to himself, If the emperor insists on breaking off the engagement, fine—but please, don’t make Weiwei marry that Third Prince of the Qinling Kingdom!