Lin Yanran had exquisite makeup and wore a pink palace dress, the whole person as if a glorious peony in full bloom, delicate and gorgeous. She pursed her lips, looking a little aggrieved, "Daughter understands."
Mrs. Qin's face was full of kindness, "Good Yan'er, you are to become the Crown Princess Consort, and in the future, you will be the mother of the nation. How can you damage your reputation? Small impatience can spoil great plans, hmm?"
"This old minister is ashamed and has come to atone for my sins!"
"The unfilial daughter Lin Wanyue was audacious and bewildered, actually committing the act of substitution! It was my negligence, I ask the Prince to punish me."
Just then, Lin Qianqiu's voice came from outside, as if deliberately wanting people to hear, his voice was loud and traveled quite far.
A shadow of gloom flashed in Lin Yanran's eyes. Was that cripple coming out? She couldn't even bother to lift the carriage curtain to take a look.
Yun Ran pushed Nangong Mo to stand on the steps, glanced at the ever-growing crowd around them, eyes sweeping over the pretentious Lin Qianqiu, raised her delicate eyebrows, was the dog scoundrel father here to set her up?
"Oh?" Nangong Mo merely raised an eyebrow slightly, without any unnecessary expression.
He just casually sat there, with a lazy posture, an indifferent expression, yet a natural aura enveloped him, commanding presence, looking down on the world, making people dare not look directly at him.
The soft sunlight spilled upon him, creating a mesmerizing play of light and shadow, that face perfect as if carved, not a blemish to be found, an indescribable beauty.
The women in the crowd gazed at him with captivated stares, as if their hearts and souls had been captured, forgetting to return to their senses.
Lin Qianqiu was slightly surprised, his reaction was so calm? Could it be he didn't understand?
So he cleared his throat and spoke loudly, "Prince, the one who exchanged vows with Your Highness yesterday was my eldest daughter, Lin Wanyue. This morning I have already reported this to His Majesty in the palace. By the emperor's great grace, His Majesty did not impose punishment, and has ordered the marriage contract and noble book to be rewritten to replace it with Lin Wanyue's name."
"This old minister failed to strictly instruct my daughter, it was my negligence, I ask the Prince to punish me."
Yun Ran thought this old scoundrel was simply rotten to the core!
While he said he came to atone, he was actually here to kill her spirit!
Carefully analyzing those words:
The emperor didn't punish me, dare you?
I'm just here to inform you, you and Lin Wanyue are a done deal, Lin Yanran you can forget about it! The emperor has decreed, whether you accept it or not doesn't matter.
[Birdie, that Lord Dog is truly pitiful!]
[And then?]
[Why don't you come out? Turn into a dog and bite that Old Lin to death?]
[Heh! Trying to trick this Immortal Bird? Believe it or not, this bird can turn you into a beast to pounce on Nangong Mo?]
[Ugh! Bird, enough! Scram!]
[Scram? I can help you scram into Nangong Mo's embrace. Do you want that?]
Yun Ran: "..."
Nangong Mo: "..."
"Unfilial daughter! Aren't you going to kneel and apologize to the Prince?"
Lin Qianqiu suddenly roared, startling Yun Ran, only to hear him continue:
"Your Highness Prince Qin, although she is my daughter, since she has committed such a mistake, she is at your disposal. I, this old minister, have nothing to say."
Seeing Lin Qianqiu with such a righteous and stern appearance, Yun Ran really wanted to rush over and give him a shoe sole.
[Damn him! Old Lin is truly rotten to the core!]
[His beloved was swapped, the emperor is biased, Nangong Mo must be so upset he wants to kill someone, the girl already has a bad reputation, and now he's adding fuel to the fire?! Is he afraid I won't die fast enough!]
[Birdie, should we just run away?]
Nangong Mo squinted, his gaze slanted at Yun Ran, he casually spoke, "Oh? At my disposal? What about killing?"
Yun Ran: "???"
Lin Qianqiu was also shocked but quickly regained his composure, "Then, it would be her fate. She brought it upon herself, no one else to blame."
Yun Ran couldn't help but curl her lips into a cold smile, feeling somewhat sorry for Lin Wanyue, look at that righteous demeanor, ha... truly ironic.
"Your Highness..."
Suddenly, a tender call dripping with seductive charm was heard, making Yun Ran shiver and nearly lose her balance. She looked up to see Lin Yanran gracefully walking over.
Dressed in splendid clothes, with jingling ornaments, moving with soft steps like a frail willow in the wind, the beauty's expression was touching and gentle, with what seemed like tears glistening in her eyes, making her look pitiful.
She gracefully bowed in front of Nangong Mo, her tone lingering and mournful:
"Your Highness, please don't execute my sister! She just loves you too deeply, she acted foolishly out of confusion. It is my unfortunate fate, my destiny with you in this life is shallow. Now that things are like this, I implore Your Highness to treat my sister well, let all these responsibilities fall on me! If you wish to punish, punish me instead."
[What a white lotus swayed by the wind! If I didn't know she was the thief crying to catch the thief, I would've been moved to tears!]
[Doesn't she know Nangong Mo is blind? Who is she performing those loving glances for?]
[Though he can't see, he can hear! Her voice even carries drama! Jeez, probably the Lord Dog is contemplating a hundred and eight ways for me to die right now. But I can only accept being buried in Silver.]
Nangong Mo: "..."
Why not, fulfill her wish?
Lin Yanran never imagined that cripple would ignore her!
Upon hearing her voice, not a trace of expression flickered on his face! Cold and indifferent like a sculpture! As if she were someone irrelevant.
Hmph! Surely he's just pretending! Out of self-loathing, out of unsatisfied resentment, because she didn't marry him.
Lowering her eyes to hide the contempt and disdain, she raised them again to show them full of sorrow and tenderness.
"Sister, I knew you admired His Highness Prince Qin, but I never thought you would be so obsessed! Even risking the crime of deceiving the monarch to marry him. If you had told me earlier, no matter how reluctant I was, I would have fulfilled your wish to be with His Highness!"
"But now, you've done such a foolish thing, to His Highness it's deceit, to His Majesty it's treason, and to father and me... never mind, since you are my sister! As long as you get what you want, be happy for the rest of your life, I will accept anything."
Yun Ran: "..."
As if seeing a white lotus flower bathed in holy light...
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she raised an unconcerned eyebrow, "Why don't I swap you back?"
Lin Yanran was dumbfounded, "What?"
"Nonsense! Marriage is a matter of great importance, the rites have been performed, you think it's something that can be swapped at will? Besides, the Emperor has already decreed to appoint you as Princess Qin."
Yun Ran glanced coolly at Lin Qianqiu, then turned with a sweet smile to Lin Yanran, "Oh yes, it seems you can't be the Princess after all! But, with your deep feelings for Nangong Mo I'm sure you won't mind such empty titles, why not enter the residence as a concubine, a secondary wife, and be with him forever, how about it?"
Upon hearing these words, Lin Yanran could barely contain the anger and malice rolling in her eyes, having to lower her head in a pretense of sadness to conceal it, "Sister, what nonsense are you talking?"
"What's the matter? Not willing?"
"I..."
That damn little slut! How dare she insult me like this! A concubine? A secondary wife? Nangong Mo, that cripple, he's not even worthy of carrying my shoes!