He immediately said, “Lady Ning, please come with me to see His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince was currently resting at a nearby temple, not at the Yan Yang Temple.
Awu smiled. “Commander Peng, is the Crown Princess at Nanqiongzi?”
Peng Zhao replied, “Her Highness is currently at the temple.”
Awu said, “Then I’ll trouble you to take me to see Her Highness first. I have some words I’d like to share with her.”
Peng Zhao hesitated, but Awu insisted, so he agreed.
However, he quickly signaled his subordinates to inform the Crown Prince immediately.
The officers sent by Emperor Jingxi were uneasy.
After all, they had been ordered to ensure Awu’s safety at all costs.
But Awu chuckled softly, reassuring them, “Commander Peng is the chief of the Crown Prince’s guards. With him here, what is there to worry about?”
Indeed, she had no concerns.
She and Peng Zhao were old acquaintances.
That day, when the Crown Prince chased her to the city gate, it was Peng Zhao who had shouted with the token in hand.
He was fiercely loyal to the Crown Prince.
When Awu had first followed the Crown Prince to the capital, it was Peng Zhao who had escorted her along the way.
They were quite familiar.
Unless the Crown Prince ordered it, Peng Zhao wouldn’t dare harm a single hair on her head.
The officers exchanged glances.
With Fang Yue absent, they were unsure how to proceed.
They even began to regret or wonder why Fang Yue hadn’t accompanied them.
Why had Lady Ning asked Fang Yue to stay behind?
What was her intention?
Awu, of course, intended to stir up trouble.
She didn’t give the officers a chance to act, following Peng Zhao inside.
Peng Zhao gave the officers a deep, suspicious look, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it as he led Awu further in.
It was noon, and some Taoist nuns were sweeping the temple grounds.
When they saw Peng Zhao and his entourage, they quickly retreated.
Some recognized Awu from a distance and were utterly astonished.
Everyone knew that Awu had eloped, but who would have thought she would have the audacity to return?
Awu followed Peng Zhao as they continued walking, passing through the central path of the Taoist temple.
Turning east and passing the main hall, she spotted a familiar figure.
It was Miaoxin.
Miaoxin was dressed in a brand-new Taoist robe, directing two young Taoist nuns.
Awu stopped in her tracks, tilting her head to observe Miaoxin.
Seeing her pause, Peng Zhao also stopped.
He knew that this young woman was the crown prince’s beloved.
Even though she had eloped, he dared not be rude or offend her.
Awu kept her gaze fixed on Miaoxin, noticing her authoritative demeanor.
It seemed she now held some small measure of power.
Awu guessed that Miaoxin had gained favor by betraying her.
Though it wasn’t exactly betrayal-Awu and Miaoxin had never been close.
In fact, Miaoxin had likely been sent by Song Lingguan from the very beginning to keep an eye on her.
Awu had simply been foolish, not realizing this earlier.
The two young nuns sweeping the floor glanced over in confusion.
Sensing something amiss, Miaoxin turned around.
When she did, she saw Awu.
Her eyes widened in shock.
In Miaoxin’s mind, Awu had already been taken away.
A Taoist nun who eloped would face punishment, and neither the crown prince nor the crown princess would spare her.
Even if she had escaped temporarily, she would surely die.
But now, Awu stood there, dressed impeccably, accompanied by a military officer, calmly observing her.
For some reason, Miaoxin suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
At that moment, Awu averted her gaze and said to Peng Zhao beside her, “Commander Peng, let’s go.”
Peng Zhao glanced at Awu and, as they walked, lowered his voice, “When you meet the crown princess later, try to stall for time.”
Awu: “Hmm?”
Peng Zhao: “Word has already been sent. The crown prince is likely on his way.”
Awu chuckled softly, “The crown prince must be furious with me. He probably wishes he could kill me with a single stroke.”
Peng Zhao hesitated before finally whispering, “Lady Ning, please, have some consideration for His Highness. When he arrives, say something gentle. The crown prince will surely protect you, as long as you don’t cause him further distress. Do you really think he’ll stay angry with you?”
Awu had no response to that.
She had already boarded the old emperor’s ship.
As for the crown prince, they would meet as strangers from now on.
Soon, they arrived at the rear hall, only to run into Song Lingguan.
Song Lingguan glanced at Awu expressionlessly and said, “You dare to return?”
Awu: “Why wouldn’t I?”
She ignored Song Lingguan and strode into the hall.
As she entered, she saw the crown princess seated on a huanghuali armchair, with Lady Su by her side.
Seeing the crown princess, Awu felt a momentary daze.
The last time she had seen her, she had been kneeling on the lotus-patterned floor tiles, her eyes downcast, staring at the hems of others’ robes.
Back then, she had been like a drifting weed, waiting for the lofty crown princess to decide her fate.
She was a willow catkin, blown by the wind, with no branch to cling to.
She had been utterly powerless.
But now, she had returned.
Lady Su, upon seeing Awu, cast a disdainful glance and said to the crown princess, “Your Highness, the Taoist nun named Miaozhen has arrived.”
Then, she turned to Awu and commanded, “Kneel.”
Awu, however, was unhurried.
She clasped her hands in a respectful bow and said, “This humble nun, Miaozhen, greets Your Highness.”
The Crown Princess slightly furrowed her brows.
Madam Su chuckled, “You’ve already eloped with a man, yet here you are putting on airs as if you’re still part of the family.”
A-Wu ignored Madam Su and instead looked directly at the Crown Princess, “Since I’ve already received the official household registration from the court, as long as the court doesn’t take any action against me, I can continue to be a Taoist nun for another day. ”
“The Yan Yang Temple is an imperial temple, and I receive a stipend from the court. I am a Taoist nun registered by the court.”
She lifted her eyelids slightly and said in a very calm tone, “Unless there’s an imperial decree, no matter who comes, I, Miao Zhen, am still Miao Zhen, and a Taoist nun is still a Taoist nun.”
Hearing this, the Crown Princess finally looked directly at A-Wu.
She found it amusing.
The Ning family girl who used to tremble in front of her now stood tall and bold, daring to argue with her.
She sneered, “You colluded with an outsider, a man, and now you’re saying such things?”
A-Wu retorted, “I colluded with a man? Your Highness, is it really me who colluded, or is it you?”
The Crown Princess’s expression changed slightly, “What are you saying?”
A-Wu continued, “Your Highness, there are no outsiders here today, so let’s not pretend. Didn’t you send Nie San to seduce me? You wanted Nie San to lure me away so that the Crown Prince would be heartbroken, isn’t that your plan?”
The Crown Princess’s face turned pale, “You”
A-Wu pressed on, “You’re jealous of me, jealous that the Crown Prince has feelings for me, so you deliberately slandered me. From the very beginning, you had ill intentions, wanting to pull me out of the Crown Prince’s heart.”
“You knew that the way to remove this thorn wasn’t to kill or banish me, but to tarnish my reputation. That’s why you set this trap from the start!”
She pointed directly at the Crown Princess, “So it was you, you deliberately sent Nie San to seduce a Taoist nun registered by the court. What are you trying to achieve? Do you want to return to the Taoist path?”
In truth, A-Wu felt a chill thinking about it.
If she hadn’t had that unexpected encounter and ended up in Emperor Jingxi’s arms, if she had indeed been involved with Nie San and Nie had betrayed her, exposing the affair, how would the Crown Prince have reacted?
He would have been furious, probably never wanting to see her again.
Then she would truly have been left with no way out.
The Crown Princess laughed, “What are you talking about?”
A-Wu stared at her, “Isn’t it true? Your Highness, you’re quite the schemer, using every trick in the book to plot against a helpless, lonely woman like me!”
The Crown Princess frowned, her fingers gripping the teacup, and glanced at Madam Su.
Madam Su, understanding the situation, immediately stepped forward and began to berate A-Wu, “Her Highness sent guards and maids to escort you, everyone saw it. Who could have imagined that you would stoop so low as to seduce the Crown Prince’s guards?”
“You shameless wretch, you lose all sense of decency at the sight of a man! How dare you seduce the Crown Prince’s men!”
Who would have thought that while she was still cursing, a voice suddenly rang out, “Shut up!”
The young man’s slightly clear voice, now filled with uncontrollable anger, abruptly echoed through the dimly lit hall.
The Crown Princess was startled and looked over in surprise.
And there she saw the Crown Prince.
Dressed in a dark brocade robe, his handsome face was as gloomy as if it could drip water.
Anyone could feel the overwhelming fury emanating from him.
The Crown Princess’s expression turned extremely unpleasant.
Beside her, Lady Su was momentarily stunned, her eyes wide open, unsure how to react.
Yan Yang Temple was a nunnery, and the Crown Prince did not reside here.
The Crown Prince’s guards would have to go back and forth to inform him, and the journey wasn’t that quick.
Logically, the Crown Prince shouldn’t have appeared so suddenly.
According to Lady Su’s plan, they would first force a confession out of Awu, making her unable to speak, then coerce her into admitting her guilt.
After that, they would bring Nie San over, ensuring the two were implicated together, turning raw rice into cooked rice.
When the Crown Prince saw his beloved woman fooling around with another man, he would naturally feel disgusted.
But how did he suddenly appear!
Awu, of course, hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to descend from the heavens.
Even if he hadn’t come, she could have handled it herself.
She had the imperial edict hidden in her bosom-what did she have to fear?
But he had come.
Awu gazed at the Crown Prince from afar.
The tall and handsome Crown Prince, young and gentle, was now looking at her with an urgent and intense gaze.
When was the last time they had met?
Across the moat, they had longed for each other from a distance.
She had thought it was a final farewell, but now they were face to face again.
The Crown Prince looked at Awu, his eyes reddening, his Adam’s apple trembling.
Then he strode forward, grabbed Awu’s hand, and tried to pull her into his embrace.
Awu quickly stepped back, avoiding him.
The Crown Prince’s outstretched hand fell empty, and his expression turned sorrowful. “Awu—”
Awu, of course, couldn’t let the Crown Prince hold her hand, let alone embrace her.
She took three steps back, putting distance between them, her gaze particularly cold.
“Your Highness, since we parted outside the moat, this humble Daoist has had no further connection with you. I am a pure and innocent person. Please, Your Highness, maintain propriety.”
The Crown Prince: “Awu, don’t be like this. It’s my fault. This time, I will definitely protect you.”
His hand was still reaching out to her, his eyes fixed on Awu.
“Come into my arms, Awu. I will never let you go again.”
Awu shook her head. “Your Highness, Awu used to obediently lean into your embrace. But what did Awu gain from it?”
She gave a cold smile.
“Being driven out, being sent to Yan Yang Temple, being framed and slandered, being insulted! Now, you dare to want Awu, but Awu dares not trust you.”
These words caused veins to instantly bulge on the Crown Prince’s forehead, and his handsome face turned sharp.
He gritted his teeth. “Yes, it’s my fault.”
Awu: “Good. Since you know it’s your fault, from now on, we are strangers. If we meet again, we shall not recognize each other.”
Beside them, the Crown Princess, hearing this, became agitated.
“Your Highness, do you see? She has only just left the Crown Prince’s residence, and she is already so heartless toward you. Do you know why?”
The Crown Prince didn’t even glance at the Crown Princess, his eyes fixed on Awu as he spat out two words through clenched teeth: “Why?”
The Crown Princess shouted, “She is a woman who can be with any man! The moment she left you, she hooked up with another man! She has already been with Nie San! She couldn’t stay faithful!”
Lonely and unable to bear being without a man, Nie San had long since given in, taking her to a cave where they had already fooled around countless times-
Suddenly, with a sharp “slap,” a hand struck the Crown Princess’s face with brutal force.
Madam Su, caught off guard, tried to intervene but failed.
Seeing the slap coming down, she screamed and rushed over, quickly shielding the Crown Princess.
The Crown Prince’s veins bulged, his expression icy and severe: “Shut your mouth!”
The Crown Princess, struck by the slap, could hardly believe it.
She covered her face, murmuring in disbelief, “You… you hit me…”
She was the eldest granddaughter of the Duke of England’s household, a family of great prestige.
Her grandfather had served as a Hanlin lecturer and academician, and was even the Crown Prince’s tutor!
In other words, even the current Emperor was her grandfather’s disciple and had to show him respect!
She was one of the most distinguished noblewomen of the Great Hui Dynasty, her status second only to the royal princesses!
In all her life, no one had dared to lay a finger on her.
Yet now, the Crown Prince had struck her.
Right in front of everyone, he had slapped her.