Chapter 253 The Princess of a Fallen Kingdom Takes Over the Two-Faced Crown Prince 24

Dugu Yue was outside, so she naturally arrived quickly.

The Empress Dowager asked her to go into the inner room, "Are you a little calmer now?"

I'll ask Ji Yun myself to see if she has feelings for your beloved Shen You'an. Is that alright?

"You stay inside and listen without making a sound, lest I be discovered and lose face."

"What do you mean she has no shame? She's happy to listen, it's her good fortune that I, the princess, am willing to listen to her!" Dugu Yue said arrogantly and stubbornly, "I'm not going, I'll just stand here, do you think she dares not to speak?"

The Empress Dowager has a headache. This child is good in every way, except he's too stubborn!

She couldn't help but give Granny Ji a look.

The latter stepped forward and pulled and dragged Dugu Yue, finally getting her to take a step.

Just before entering, Dugu Yue turned around as if remembering something, "Grandmother, what did that brat Chunxiao say to you just now?"

Why can't you say things to her face? You're being so mysterious!

The Empress Dowager straightened her clothes. "That's an adult's business. You're just a young girl, so don't go asking around."

The term "food pairing" always sounds unpleasant.

Dugu Yue, "..."

What little girl? She's a grown woman who's about to get married!

But at this moment she was more interested in Ji Yun's answer, so after muttering a few words, she listened carefully and stopped making a fuss.

Chu Yuan was suddenly called out and thought that Dugu Ling had finally come clean.

As she entered, she didn't see him, but instead, the Empress Dowager looked at her with a beaming smile. "I already called you once this morning, and I called you again this afternoon. Do you think I'm being particularly difficult?"

A little bit!

Chu Yuan thought to herself, but smiled and said, "No, it's Ji Yun's good fortune that the Empress Dowager always thinks of her."

Hearing this from inside the room, Dugu Yue couldn't help but mutter, "Hypocrite."

Granny Ji hurriedly tugged at her hem, signaling her to be quiet. Eavesdropping was already bad enough, but how could she not even have the awareness to be aware of it?

Dugu Yue responded irritably, finally calming down.

But with the Chu Yuan system in hand, how could someone be eavesdropping without her knowing?

While speaking to the Empress Dowager with a calm expression, he was already inwardly asking, "Let's find out what Dugu Yue is up to!"

Ba Ba pouted: "What else could it be? The Empress Dowager is testing you. She's worried you'll compete with her for Shen You'an's affections!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yuan became even more composed.

As expected, the Empress Dowager had already used her words: "Ji Yun, I originally intended for you to serve the Emperor. Although there is an age gap between you, the Emperor has always been kind to women. You can tell by how he treats Consort Chen."

But I can see now that neither you nor the Emperor have this intention. If I continue to do so, it would be forcing someone into a corner and repaying kindness with enmity.

"Alright then, if you have a favorite young master from a prominent family, tell me, and I'll act as matchmaker."

The Empress Dowager's voice was calm, even with a hint of doting, as she tried to elicit Chu Yuan's true feelings.

Chu Yuan knew perfectly well what was going on and shook her head truthfully, "No."

That's really not true!

The crown prince was not among the "sons of noble families".

Moreover, if she took the initiative to bring up this matter, it would seem like she was desperate to get married. Since Dugu Ling had already taken the initiative, Chu Yuan didn't want to say anything more.

The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered. "Then... what do you think of General Wei Wu's youngest son? I heard before that he expressed his affection for you in the Imperial Garden, right?"

"General Wei Wu is one of the emperor's most trusted military commanders. His youngest son is an exceptionally talented individual; marrying into the Shen family will secure your future."

Here it comes!

Chu Yuan immediately became alert. Of course, she didn't want to play games with the Empress Dowager or Dugu Yue, so she blocked the probing with just one sentence.

She said, "That's impossible. I have absolutely no connection with the Shen family."

After the Ji Yun Kingdom was defeated, it was General Shen who led his men to escort all the female members of the Ji Yun royal family to be enslaved!

Ji Yun would never forget the humiliation she had suffered.

Empress Dowager, "..."

The old lady's expression changed slightly, and at the same time, her voice became lower.

"Then do you hate the emperor even more? After all, if it weren't for the war between the two countries, you wouldn't have ended up in this situation today."

"These are not the same thing."

Chu Yuan shook her head. "A war between two countries is a contest between the strong. It is an inevitable trend. As the saying goes, the world will eventually unite after a long period of division, and will eventually divide after a long period of unity. No one can resist it."

If that's the case, then my father, elder brothers, and others, as the rulers and guardians of the country, must shoulder the responsibility of protecting the nation and participate in the war without hesitation.

Furthermore, in wars and battles, there are bound to be winners and losers; the victor is king and the loser is a bandit. They are not wronged.

But what crime have the women and children committed?

Ji Yun knew that the Emperor hadn't actually issued an edict ordering the women and children of her clan to be enslaved; it was General Shen who had acted on his own initiative and was later punished by the Emperor for it. Therefore, Ji Yun didn't hate the Emperor, but she could never forgive Shen Kuo in this lifetime!

Chu Yuan: Our main style is to lie through our teeth without thinking.

Not hate? Dream on.

The original owner was so angry that he wanted to kill his father and keep his son!

Chu Yuan was still having a headache about this, mainly because she had never done anything so despicable in all the time she had traveled through so many worlds!

Well, it's too early to think about that now. Let's just take it one step at a time.

Upon hearing these words, the Empress Dowager's eyes lit up, and her lips trembled slightly as she praised Chu Yuan for her magnanimity, "Good! Good child! Your ability to think this way is a testament to the fact that my foolish son raised you for so many years in place of your father!"

The old lady couldn't help but glance into the inner room, thinking to herself, "Now Yue'er can rest assured, right?"

As expected, a great weight was lifted from Dugu Yue's heart.

She pouted and muttered to herself, "She's smart enough to know her place."

Granny Ji shook her head.

The two girls are about the same age, but one grew up in adversity like a flower blooming amidst thorns, while the other is childish like a greenhouse flower that will never grow up.

Chu Yuan: Life is like a play, it all depends on acting skills!

Before Dugu Yue could even jump out of the inner room, the Crown Prince entered the room excitedly, exclaiming, "Ji Yun, what you said just now was truly excellent!"

Chu Yuan, “?” Another eavesdropper?

The man was overjoyed, not only because he heard Chu Yuan say that she didn't hate Dugu Tianxiong (which is equivalent to not hating him), but also because Chu Yuan didn't like Shen Youan.

To be honest, that kid has a very good appearance, and most importantly, he's healthy, unlike someone else who lives inside him.

"Yuan'er." Unable to hold back, Dugu Ling called out in a hoarse voice.

The Empress Dowager coughed twice, reminding the Crown Prince to be mindful of his behavior.

And after sensing the ambiguous atmosphere between the two, she deliberately asked, "Ji Yun, I remember you said before that you liked Yu Qian, the son of the Duke of Yu. Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's expression froze instantly!