Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 379: Begging the Emperor Father to Grant Marriage

Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Begging the Emperor Father to Grant Marriage

Murong Jiu had never seen Ruan Hongwen; if it hadn’t been for today when he had drugged Lou Zixi under the command of the Fifth Princess, she wouldn’t have even remembered such an insignificant person.

Indeed, he was insignificant. Although Ruan Hongwen had been the Top Scholar in his past life, he had accomplished nothing notable, merely lukewarm in his endeavors.

However, he was likely part of the Fourth Prince’s faction, but it was unknown if he had been bought over by the Fourth Prince by now.

Although he was now a Tanhua, he was just an inconspicuous minor official in the Hanlin Academy, and it would take him a few more years to possibly be promoted.

But he was overshadowed by Lou Zixi, making it even more difficult for him to stand out.

Being a mere compiler in the Hanlin Academy was less appealing than being the sole Prince Consort.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation, claiming he and the Fifth Princess were in mutual affection.

Originally, he had just wanted to frame Lou Zixi and ruin his perfect marriage arrangement, making him marry someone he didn’t like. But upon seeing the situation exposed, he immediately clung to the princess, showing his inherently selfish nature.

Jun Yuyan said to Murong Jiu,

"He is indeed very jealous of Lou Zixi, and he lacks personal morality. Although he hasn’t married yet, he likes to disguise himself to frequent brothels, fond of women."

Murong Jiu covered her lips, lightly laughing, "Well, after he gets together with the Fifth Princess, he won’t be going around harming other good girls."

You must know, in the Capital, there are quite a few Official Misses currently discussing marriage proposals. Lou Zixi had already settled his marriage matters, and among the young men, this Tanhua, Ruan Hongwen, was quite popular. Rather than letting him marry another good girl, it would be better to tie him up with the Fifth Princess.

Jun Yuyan had already sent someone to the Imperial court to report the incident at the tavern to the Emperor.

The Emperor was furious, thinking the Fifth Princess had disgraced the Imperial Family. He immediately sent his trusted eunuch, Eunuch Li, to the Princess’s Mansion to summon her to the palace.

However, when Eunuch Li arrived, he saw the servants at the Princess’s Mansion in a fluster, their eyes darting around. They said the princess was unwell and couldn’t see anyone. Eunuch Li thought to himself this was bad—the Emperor had intended to send the Fifth Princess to the Yundian Royal Mansion, and this should not be interrupted!

He ordered the guards to push past the servants of the Princess’s Mansion and hastened toward the Fifth Princess’s bedroom. Even from behind a wall, he could hear the seductive noises inside—that voice, who else could it be but the princess!

Eunuch Li was immediately sweating profusely, and without waiting to wipe it off, he thought to rush inside, thinking that if it wasn’t too late, he might still interrupt the two.

The Maid’s face turned both red and white, trying to stop Eunuch Li from entering.

"Eunuch, we deserve to die for our sins, but you cannot go in there, ah, the princess, she is already with Lord Ruan..."

The Maid struggled to speak, but Eunuch Li already understood—it was already a done deal!

He gritted his teeth and said, "How could you not stop your mistress!"

The Maid was also aggrieved.

They had wanted to stop her, but on the way back in the sedan chair, Ruan Hongwen kept sweet-talking the princess, and although she hit him, he was not angry and continued to coax her with kind words. In the end, he even went under the princess’s skirts, and the princess, deceived by his flattering, forgot all about Lord Lou. The two of them actually... in the sedan chair.

The Maids had not expected that Lord Ruan, who seemed to be a respectable scholar, would turn out to be such a reckless person. Although both were drugged, it was still in broad daylight in the street, and who knows if someone heard them.

In the end, they really couldn’t stop him; it was impossible to throw Lord Ruan out of the sedan chair, and lifting the curtain might let outsiders see something they shouldn’t.

The princess was of precious worth, and it was absolutely unacceptable for anyone to see her in such a state.

They could not stop him, and neither could the guards and the Coachman; moreover, the princess seemed extraordinarily pleased, which showed that Lord Ruan served her very well. If they were to interrupt, there’s no telling how they might be punished.

Fearing punishment, the Maid had no choice but to tell Eunuch Li everything that had happened.

Eunuch Li listened and grimaced, speaking in a deep voice, "The Princess is being foolish!"

Having said that, he quickly returned to the palace to report to the Emperor.

The Emperor flew into a great rage, but what was done could not be undone. He could no longer send the Fifth Princess to the Yundian Royal Mansion, but to grant marriage to the couple was not easy either. He was still furious, how could he easily grant marriage?

The Fifth Princess had been cheerful for most of the day and had only sobered up the next morning, only to find that Ruan Hongwen had woken up even earlier. Just as she was about to lose her temper at his unattractive face, she saw Ruan Hongwen fetch some hot water and gently wipe her, looking at her as carefully as if she were a precious treasure.

The Fifth Princess, having been wiped a few times, savored the feeling and suddenly blushed, reaching out to grab his hand.

"Does the princess still feel pain?"

Ruan Hongwen looked up gently and asked.

At that moment, the Fifth Princess no longer minded his less handsome appearance and bashfully shook her head.

Ruan Hongwen then seriously bowed his head closer and said, "I shall assist the Princess."

...

The marriage was something the Fifth Princess herself begged in front of the Emperor for.

The Emperor was very annoyed; he refused to see her several times and, when he did, he scolded her and even forbade her from entering the palace again.

The Fifth Princess had no choice but to plead with her imperial brother, the Second Prince.

The Second Prince had known about the situation long before. He had known when she was being outmaneuvered by Lou Zixi, but he hadn’t stopped it, thinking it was better to have his full sister stay in the Capital City rather than marrying off to the distant Yundian Royal Mansion.

Unfortunately, the plan did not succeed, otherwise having Lou Zixi as his brother-in-law would be greatly beneficial to him.

As a second option, Ruan Hongwen wasn’t unacceptable; coming from a poor family made him easy to control, and being the Top Scholar meant he would eventually rise in rank.

Seeing his imperial sister come to him, he was surprised, "I thought you didn’t like Ruan Hongwen, why are you so eager to seek a marriage grant from father?"

The Fifth Princess, showing a rare girlish demeanor, shyly said:

"I think Ruan Hongwen is quite good. He listens to me well. Although he’s not as handsome as Fu Heng or Lou Zixi, his personality is very pleasing and he knows how to make me happy. I’ve realized that, being a princess, I can have any man I want, why should I pursue men who don’t like me? There are plenty of men who want to be at my beck and call!"

The Second Prince nodded, "It’s good for you to think this way. Before, I wanted you to marry a man you liked and who could be useful to me, but now after everything, I think what’s most important is that he makes you happy."

He agreed to plead with the Emperor to grant the marriage. The Fifth Princess was very pleased and wanted to go back immediately to tell Ruan Hongwen.

The Second Prince frowned and said, "Just make sure you’re not too easily manipulated by men. You’re a princess, you can’t appear too eager."

"I’m not the one being eager, Ruan Hongwen is!"

The Fifth Princess didn’t argue further and as she was leaving, she ran into Murong Man. Because she was in a good mood, when Murong Man greeted her, she also nodded and advised:

"I heard the imperial brother is quite fond of you now. You should cherish him well."

Murong Man nodded gently, "Yes. Just now the Prince asked me to persuade the princess not to fall head over heels for Ruan Hongwen."

"Hmph! I know what I’m doing. I just like that he knows how to please me."

Watching her demeanor, Murong Man’s eyes twinkled slightly, and she chuckled, "Princess, you can also speak with me about anything in the future."

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