boyutpedia Chapter 12 Dissolution of Engagement
Chapter 12 Dissolution of Engagement
Upon hearing these words, not only did the four members of the Wei family change their expressions in unison, but even Ye Gengxin was somewhat dumbfounded.
"Your Majesty..."
However, he was interrupted by Yuchi Ling as soon as he opened his mouth, "General, rest assured, I only want to take the Third Miss's memorial tablet back and properly enshrine it, so that she will not become a wandering ghost. As for the dowry, I don't care for it and I don't need it."
Wei Guangzheng, his face dark, couldn't help but speak up, "Your Highness, my son's marriage to the Ye family hasn't been called off yet!"
They're really going to be driven crazy by Prince Cheng!
Even when Ye Shishu was alive, Prince Cheng harbored ambitions to steal her away, causing the Wei family to lose face. Now that Ye Shishu is dead, he still hasn't given up on trying to steal her away—it's utterly outrageous!
Yu Chi Ling remained unperturbed, his gaze calmly fixed on the family. "The marriage agreement between your two families is indeed still in effect, but it is also a fact that the Third Miss and I had intimate relations. I couldn't do anything for her while she was alive, but now I only wish to give her a proper status. Is that wrong? Besides, with my crippled body, I'd be content to spend the rest of my life guarding her memorial tablet. But Young Master Wei is in the prime of his life; surely I can't let him spend his entire life guarding her memorial tablet?"
Wei Guangzheng was speechless, his face turning pale and then red.
Wei Yonghuai was speechless.
Only Madam Ge remained unwilling to give up, and said indignantly, "Your Highness, you are of noble status, and I dare not offend you. But the marriage between Shu'er and my Huai'er is not as simple as you think. In addition to the fact that Shu'er and Huai'er have been childhood sweethearts, there are also the best wishes of our two families. Please, Your Highness, do not joke with your own marriage!"
Yu Chi Ling glanced at her sideways with his phoenix eyes, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Ge clenched her teeth, trying hard to think of a way to dissuade him from the idea.
Just then, the gatekeeper came to report, "General, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Gengxin frowned again.
The manor is already in chaos enough, why is the Crown Prince getting involved?
When Crown Prince Yuchi Rui entered the hall, everyone except Yuchi Ling bowed to him.
"No need for formalities." Yu Chi Rui raised his hand to indicate. He was gentle and approachable, without any airs of a prince. He was dressed in a black robe without any embellishment, and did not even wear a crown. He only had a plain hairpin tied up in his hair.
Of all the people present, he was the only one who seemed to have truly come to attend a funeral.
Seeing his attire, the members of the Wei family all secretly glanced down at themselves, their faces showing varying degrees of embarrassment.
Ye Gengxin cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask what brings Your Highness the Crown Prince here?"
In truth, he was somewhat dissatisfied with the Crown Prince's arrival, especially seeing the Crown Prince's attire, which made him feel inexplicably annoyed.
His daughter's jumping into the moat was not publicized, but looking at the generation after generation of people, it seemed that the whole city knew about it!
Are these people so certain that his daughter is dead?
Yu Chi Rui walked up to him and said in a low voice, "General, you took leave today. When Father inquired, he learned that the Third Miss had an accident, so he sent me to offer my condolences. Please accept my condolences, General."
Ye Gengxin was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.
The news of his daughter jumping into the river even reached the Emperor's ears?!
Seeing him lower his eyes and remain silent, Yu Chi Rui assumed that he was too grief-stricken to speak, so he turned to look at the person in the wheelchair and asked, "What are you doing here, Second Brother?"
Yu Chi Ling smiled and said, "Let's talk about marriage."
Yu Chi Rui frowned and glared at him with displeasure. "I heard you took the Third Miss to your residence a couple of days ago? The Third Miss's accident is your responsibility, and you still dare to cause trouble today!"
Yu Chi Ling patted his knees, then touched the scars on his face, and said with self-pity, "There's nothing I can do. With this awful appearance, any woman I fancy either rejects me or my mother advises me not to ruin someone's life. My brother, you don't know how moved I was when I heard Shu'er repeatedly say that she loved me and would marry no one but me. That's why I came to the General's Mansion today to discuss my marriage with Shu'er, to fulfill her last wish."
Ye Gengxin's eyes twitched as he kept calling her "Shu'er".
His daughter had never told him that she had any connection with Prince Cheng. But two days ago, she not only broke her promise to cancel her engagement with the Wei family, but also shouted in front of so many guests that she would not marry anyone but Prince Cheng.
He didn't know when his daughter had fallen in love with the Prince of Shangcheng, but those words were indeed spoken by his daughter herself, and there was no falsehood in them.
Yu Chi Rui rebuked him with a stern face, "Second brother, the dead should be respected. What kind of behavior is this, behaving so recklessly?"
Yu Chi Ling raised his chin towards Ye Gengxin, "If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can ask the General. The General was also present that day. Did I speak nonsense?"
Yu Chi Rui looked at Ye Gengxin.
Ye Gengxin nodded. "Your Highness, my daughter did indeed say that she has long admired Prince Cheng and will marry no one but him." He suddenly sighed, his voice filled with sorrow and grief. "Shu'er's marriage was arranged by her mother. Logically, such a major life event should be decided by one's parents. But just now, Your Highness said that the dead should be respected. Since Shu'er is in love with Prince Cheng, I cannot bear to see her disappointed in the afterlife."
Upon hearing this, the four members of the Wei family felt as if they had swallowed a fly; they wanted to calm down but couldn't, and they wanted to be angry but dared not be.
Ye Gengxin turned to them and said, "Since our two families cannot reach an agreement on the dowry, let's call it quits. I only had one daughter, and she never made any demands of me. Now that she's gone, as her father, the only thing I can do for her is to fulfill her last wish."
"No!" Wei Yonghuai shouted excitedly, "I don't agree to annul the engagement! Shu'er is my betrothed. We grew up together, and she loves me!"
"General, have you forgotten Yueqin's dying words? Her biggest regret was not being able to see Shu'er and Huai'er get married! Do you want her to suffer for this in the afterlife?" Madam Ge shouted, disregarding her image.
Even Yu Chi Rui couldn't help but speak up, "General, please think twice about this important matter of marriage!"
Yu Chi Ling, in his wheelchair, ignored the Wei family mother and son, and only looked at Yu Chi Rui with a faint smile, "Brother, this is the general's decision, you are meddling a bit too much."
Yu Chi Rui angrily rebuked him, "Your father and Consort Lan will not approve of such nonsense!"
A hint of sarcasm appeared on Yu Chi Ling's thin lips. "I just don't understand. Shu'er and I are in love, and now the general is willing to let me marry Shu'er. What reason do my father and mother have to object? Besides, I am marrying Shu'er's memorial tablet. I want to spend the rest of my life guarding her memorial tablet. Is that too much to ask?"
"You!" Yu Chi Rui, who had been gentle when he arrived, was now furious, his eyes wide with rage.
“Your Highness,” Ye Gengxin couldn’t help but speak up, “I will report this matter to Your Majesty. There’s no need for you to worry about my daughter’s funeral arrangements.”
Yu Chi Rui narrowed his eyes and looked at him, "General, have you made up your mind?"