Chapter 519

Huo Yunzhi naturally understood that Prince Lanhuai must want something from her. However, she was no longer the Huo Yunzhi of before.

Through this ordeal, she had realized that to live well, one must show weakness.

If she remained as she once was, she would eventually end up back in that side courtyard.

By then, she wouldn’t even be able to rescue her sister and brother.

“My beloved consort, rest assured. Tomorrow, I will enter the palace and beg the Emperor to restore your side consort title,” Prince Lanhuai said, gently patting Huo Yunzhi’s hand as he made his promise.

“My lord, this concubine is already content just to stay by your side. I know my humble origins well—how could I deserve to be your side consort? Perhaps we should let this matter go; otherwise, the Princess will surely cause you trouble again,” Huo Yunzhi said, her face troubled as she looked at Prince Lanhuai.

If she could get the certificate of her side consort title back, of course that would be best.

But the matter, she didn’t want Princess Fuan to meddle in it again.

She also wanted to see just how great a price Prince Lanhuai was willing to pay.

Whether he would set Princess Fuan aside for this.

If possible, she even wanted to make Princess Fuan suffer a bit because of this.

“Hmph, she’s just a young girl—how could she boss her father around?” Prince Lanhuai said, his face full of displeasure as he thought about it.

In his mind, if it weren’t for Princess Fuan, Huo Yunzhi might not have caused such a mess today.

She would probably have handed over the iron mine long ago. And the things from the suburban estate were still missing without a trace.

In truth, Prince Lanhuai also suspected that Huo Yunzhi might have hidden those things away.

As revenge for his having taken Princess Fuan’s side back then.

Thinking of this, and of the two land deeds he had lost to Cheng Qingli, the people he had sent to inquire at Wangxian Mountain had still not uncovered anything.

They only said it was a desolate mountain.

The next day at the morning court session.

When Zhu Jingchen saw Xu Heming, he was taken aback.

Hadn’t this man said he would take a three-month leave?

It had only been a few days, and he was already rushing to court?

Zhu Jingchen noticed that Xu Heming’s complexion didn’t look great, and he wondered to himself: could it be that the young girl had grown tired of seeing Xu Heming, thinking he was too old?

At the thought of Xu Heming being rejected, Zhu Jingchen’s look toward him shifted from teasing to one of schadenfreude.

In his mind, he even fantasized about Li Zhiwei kicking Xu Heming off the bed.

At that thought, Zhu Jingchen couldn’t help but cover his mouth and snicker secretly.

The very idea of such a scene made him unable to suppress his laughter.

He was so distracted that he didn’t even pay attention to what the court officials were saying.

Then, Zhu Jingchen suddenly had another possibility.

Could it be that Xu Heming had suddenly realized he actually preferred men?

Remembering how Xu Heming had spent years by his side, never once mentioning taking another wife or princess,

Zhu Jingchen wondered: could it be that Xu Heming, with his preference for men, had always had feelings for him?

At the thought that Xu Heming’s dedication to handling his affairs might stem from the fact that he, Zhu Jingchen, was the one deep in Xu Heming’s heart,

Zhu Jingchen was so frightened goosebumps broke out all over his body.

What was this?

“Minister Xu, though official duties are pressing, you should still spend more time with your family,” Zhu Jingchen said to Xu Heming with a look of concern.

In truth, he was afraid that if Xu Heming truly had fallen in love with him, how would he ever extract himself?

Xu Heming frowned. He couldn’t understand why Zhu Jingchen was looking at him that way all of a sudden.

Recall how when the Emperor looked at him like that, it usually meant trouble.

Today, if not for Yao Qisheng donating grain, he would have stayed at the mansion with Li Zhiwei.

He didn’t want Zhu Jingchen to assign him some other task again.

Thinking of this, Xu Heming quickly signaled Li Tianyou, a member of his faction, to get down to business.

Following his son-in-law’s cue, Li Tianyou stepped forward immediately and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!”

The moment Li Tianyou stepped out, all the court officials were stunned. Since taking office, this was the first time Li Tianyou had filed a memorial on his own initiative.

In the past, no one thought there was anything strange about it. But his daughter had only been married into Prince An’s residence for a few days, and now Prince An had something to report. Could it be related to the fact that Prince An had come to court today?

Hearing this, the court officials all wore expressions of eager anticipation.

Even Zhu Jingchen, who had been fantasizing about Xu Heming loving him uncontrollably, was now somewhat surprised. He wondered if Li Tianyou had discovered Xu Heming’s true orientation.

Was he going to beg the court to reverse the decision?

Zhu Jingchen’s look at Xu Heming was now full of both amusement and hesitation.

Xu Heming frowned again. He couldn’t fathom what Zhu Jingchen’s expression meant.

Could it be that His Majesty had found out about Zhou Yuxin’s betrayal?

If so, Xu Heming felt somewhat helpless.

But then, with all the important state affairs across the empire demanding his attention, why did the Emperor waste his time on the dirty laundry of his own household?

This Emperor was truly boring to the extreme.

“Minister Li, whatever you have to say, please speak freely. I will surely see justice done for you.” Zhu Jingchen said this while shooting a glance at Xu Heming.

Xu Heming frowned. What kind of look was the emperor giving him?

And he said he would seek justice for his own father-in-law?

Justice for what?

If his father-in-law were truly wronged, Xu Heming, as his son-in-law, would be the first to avenge him.

Why was the emperor trying to steal his thunder?

Thinking this, Xu Heming cast a resentful look at Zhu Jingchen.

That single glance terrified Zhu Jingchen.

He just knew it—Xu Heming had feelings for him. That look just now—was it blame?

At ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍that thought, Zhu Jingchen felt terrified. With his three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, he simply couldn't reciprocate Xu Heming’s affections.

Remembering how efficiently Xu Heming handled his assignments, Zhu Jingchen pondered: should he find a few male lovers for him instead?

Then, looking at Li Tianyou, who seemed about to speak, Zhu Jingchen found himself in another dilemma. If Li Tianyou proposed that Xu Heming divorce Li Zhiwei, should he agree?

If Li Zhiwei were no longer in the picture, wouldn’t Xu Heming’s fondness for men be exposed?

When that happened, Xu Heming probably wouldn’t be able to handle his duties properly, would he?

At this thought, Zhu Jingchen felt troubled again.

He needed to find a way to keep Xu Heming and Li Zhiwei’s marriage intact, even if it was hollow.

If all else failed, he could also find a few handsome male lovers for Li Zhiwei.

As long as it was kept discreet, no one would discover their secret.

The more Zhu Jingchen thought about it, the better the idea seemed.

Watching the emperor’s ever-changing expression, Li Tianyou felt uneasy.

Should he mention his brother-in-law’s grain donation or not?

For some reason, Li Tianyou had a nagging feeling that he shouldn’t speak recklessly.