Jun Li Luo was puzzled, “What happened?”
“Your Majesty, there is a marriage arrangement between Rumin and myself that was decided by our mothers. When I learned she was injured, I rushed over with Jiang Second Miss. The Second Miss didn’t know Lord Shen’s identity and mistakenly thought there was an improper relationship between Lord Shen and Rumin, so she scolded Rumin a few times. She wasn’t targeting Lord Shen, but Lord Shen spoke harshly to her and even started a fight with me.”
Jun Tianyi said this while casting a cold glance at Shen Yue, “Lord Shen, relying on Your Majesty’s trust, acts arrogantly. If this gets out, it will damage Your Majesty’s reputation.”
Song Yun Chu faintly detected the scent of medicine in the air and noticed that both Jun Tianyi and Shen Yue had damp stains on their clothes. She couldn’t help but recall that when she left, Shen Yue had brought three bowls of medicine into the room.
[These two really fought fiercely, even knocking over Jiang Rumin and the others’ medicine.]
[But this is just like Jun Tianyi’s character – scummy and unhinged. He’s already involved with someone but still eyes others, constantly suspecting Jiang Rumin of having affairs with other men. It’s no surprise he’d suspect Shen Yue just for delivering medicine. This damned scumbag has so much water in his brain he could raise fish in there. I really want to punch him a few times.]
[Unfortunately, Shen Yue is no match for this damned scumbag. At this stage, it seems only I can beat him in a fight. But he is the Royal Uncle after all. Even as the emperor’s favorite, I don’t have any reason to lay hands on him.]
Jun Li Luo listened to Song Yun Chu’s cursing of Jun Tianyi and found it somewhat amusing.
Was Song Yun Chu so disgusted with Jun Tianyi because she was standing up for Jiang Rumin?
Song Yun Chu, you want an opportunity to take action against the Royal Uncle? I’ll arrange one for you.
“Your Majesty, I didn’t mean to offend Prince Yi intentionally.”
Shen Yue had prepared his explanation and bowed to Jun Li Luo, “I just couldn’t stand Jiang Second Miss’s behavior. A woman’s reputation is extremely important! The moment she opened her mouth, she slandered the relationship between me and Jiang Eldest Miss. In my anger, I called her filthy, but I didn’t expect this would anger Prince Yi.”
He had deliberately provoked Jun Tianyi into fighting with him so he could take the opportunity to overturn the table and spill the three bowls of drugged medicine.
Prince Yi had arrived unexpectedly, leaving him no time to implement his plan. If he had directly taken the medicine away, it would have seemed too suspicious. Once they became suspicious and tested the medicine, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.
After much thought, provoking Prince Yi into a fight seemed the easiest way to avoid suspicion.
And this method had indeed worked – the women were busy trying to stop the fight and had no mind to care about the medicine. At most, Prince Yi would only suspect that he had feelings for Jiang Eldest Miss, which explained why he had been so vehement in his defense.
“Yu Xi is my person. Even if she was at fault, it’s not Lord Shen’s place to criticize her.”
Jun Tianyi’s gaze shot toward Shen Yue like a cold sword.
“There’s no need for you two to argue further. Arguing repeatedly in front of His Majesty is unbecoming.” Song Yun Chu, unwilling to see Shen Yue at a disadvantage, spoke up at the appropriate moment, “Whether Lord Shen should be punished is for His Majesty to decide fairly.”
“Shen Yue was misunderstood and spoke rashly in anger, which is understandable. However, Royal Uncle is after all my elder. Shen Yue, you overstepped your position and should be punished. I sentence you to forfeit one year’s salary to teach you a lesson.”
The emperor said this, then covered his mouth with his fist and coughed a few times.
“Yes, I accept the punishment.” Seeing the emperor coughing again, Shen Yue quickly poured a cup of warm water and handed it to him.
Song Yun Chu smiled without speaking.
[This damn emperor is quite clever. Punishing his trusted subordinate in front of outsiders—openly deducting his salary while secretly rewarding him later—ensures his own people don’t suffer losses while silencing outsiders. I have to admit, though this damn emperor is cunning, he truly doesn’t mistreat his own.]
Jun Li Luo lowered his head to drink water, the corner of his eye twitching almost imperceptibly.
That scoundrel Song Yun Chu understood him well, knowing he wouldn’t actually deduct Shen Yue’s salary.
Jun Tianyi, of course, couldn’t grasp the underlying implications. The emperor punishing Shen Yue was already giving him face. Although he felt the punishment was somewhat light, it wouldn’t be appropriate to complain further. He could always find an opportunity to teach Shen Yue a lesson privately later.
“By the way, Royal Uncle, you mentioned earlier that you have a marriage arrangement with the Jiang Eldest Miss, yet you also said the Second Miss is your woman. Do you intend to marry both daughters of the Duke of Jin?” Jun Li Luo asked casually.
Jun Tianyi replied, “Your Majesty, a few years ago, my mother went on a spring outing and was accidentally bitten by a venomous snake. Fortunately, she encountered the Duke of Jin’s wife and eldest daughter. The mother and daughter saved my mother, who was deeply grateful and took a liking to Rumin, thus arranging this marriage. As for the Second Miss, Yu Xi, we met by chance and developed mutual affection.”
Song Yun Chu rolled his eyes.
[What chance meeting? She deliberately planned it, you fool.]
[The only reason you managed to defeat the damn emperor and win the beauty in the end was your overpowering protagonist halo. Without it, you’d be nothing.]
[If the plot didn’t require a villain like me to exit, someone as foolish as you would never have had the chance to kill me. Just wait—with me around, you’ll never master that peerless divine technique in this lifetime.]
Hearing Song Yun Chu’s inner thoughts, Jun Li Luo began to form a plan.
At this stage, Song Yun Chu had few rivals. If he foresaw that Jun Tianyi would later master supreme skills and defeat him, did he also know the specific time and place?
If Song Yun Chu knew… he would surely seize that opportunity.
By closely monitoring Song Yun Chu’s movements, he might be able to gain the upper hand.
Since Song Yun Chu harbored such deep hatred for Jun Tianyi, why not add fuel to the fire? Watching these two clash would undoubtedly be entertaining.
With Song Yun Chu’s ability to foresee the future, many disasters could be avoided in advance, giving him a greater advantage against Jun Tianyi.
Thus, Jun Li Luo said leisurely, “Royal Uncle, since you and the Jiang Second Miss share mutual affection, you surely wouldn’t want to let her down. Although you have a marriage arrangement with the Jiang Eldest Miss, there is no genuine feeling between you—it’s merely an obligation to your elders’ arrangement. Since your mother chose her, she must be the Principal Wife. But there can only be one Principal Wife. The Jiang Second Miss is your beloved—wouldn’t it be unfair to make her a Concubine?”
Jun Li Luo’s lips curled into a faint smile as he continued, “If these two sisters marry the same man, it’s bound to strain their relationship. How about this? Today, I’ll help you, Royal Uncle. I’ll bestow the Jiang Second Miss upon you as your Principal Wife. As for Jiang Rumin, since you don’t care for her, why not let Yun Chu have her? Making Jiang Rumin the Prime Minister’s wife wouldn’t be beneath her.”
Jun Li Luo’s words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Song Yun Chu wide-eyed and stunned.
This damn emperor, what madness has seized him
Not only was Song Yun Chu astonished, but Jun Tianyi also froze in place, almost thinking he had misheard.
The emperor actually intended to cancel his engagement with Ru Min and betroth her to that scoundrel Song Yun Chu?