Chapter 5: Crown Prince.

She was overwhelmed with emotions, not knowing whether to be happy or afraid.

No matter what, he was the young man who once held her in the palm of his hand, and they had been intimate and loving for several months!

A day as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace. 

It would be impossible for her to have no feelings for the Crown Prince at all.

The fact that he could appear here at this time at least indicated that he had not abandoned her. 

He just couldn’t protect her.

A Wu was comforted, and even her eyes became moist.

The Crown Prince had also suddenly heard that A Wu had been beaten and sent to a nunnery. 

In his anxious and desperate state, he rushed out of the inner palace to stop her.

At this moment, he recklessly broke through the city gate, only to see A Wu on the other side of the moat. 

She stood weakly in the evening breeze, biting her lip and looking at him with tears in her eyes.

His heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy stone.

His A Wu!

However, just at this moment, when his horse was about to step on the gateway, the gateway had already been raised!

He shouted loudly, “Wait!”

But it was too late.

The gateway was raised, the gate fell, and a row of iron railings made of fine iron were placed in front of the moat, with several iron halberds blocking the Crown Prince’s way.

The Crown Prince suddenly pulled the reins, and the horse’s hooves rose high, neighing loudly.

On the other side of the moat, A Wu’s eyes became watery.

The Crown Prince ordered, 

“I am the Crown Prince of the current dynasty. I command you to lower the drawbridge!”

The commander on the side saw this and was very surprised and uncertain. 

He didn’t recognize whether this person was the Crown Prince or not.

At this time, the bodyguards of the Crown Prince also rushed to the scene. 

The bodyguard showed his badge and said to the commander, 

“I am Qin Jian, the commander of the Crown Prince’s bodyguards. The Crown Prince is here. Do not be rash!”

In the meantime, a commotion had already started in front of the city gate.

The capital of Dahui has nine gates, four of which are open during the day for people to come and go. 

Each gate is guarded by thirty soldiers and one hundred guards. 

In case of an emergency, a copper bell is used to quickly pass the message and call for support.

At this moment, the Crown Prince broke through the city gate. 

The copper bell was quickly and orderly passed on, and the nearby guards rushed to the scene. 

In the blink of an eye, the city gate was lined with spears, and the guards on the city wall were armed with long bows, ready for battle.

The commander looked around, strode forward, and knelt in front of the Crown Prince with one knee.

Then, he said in a humble but firm manner, 

“I am Peng Zhao, a fifth-rank gate commander under the jurisdiction of the Inner Nine Gates Commandant. I am on duty today.” 

“I dare to offend, but I ask His Highness the Crown Prince to show the copper token. Only then can I lower the gateway and escort the Crown Prince out of the city.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the people around changed slightly.

The laws of Dahui are strict, and the Inner Nine Gates are even more rigorous. 

Unless there is a copper token personally granted by the emperor, once the drawbridge is lowered, it can never be raised again.

The guards on both sides of the moat surrounded the area, but no one dared to speak. 

The atmosphere at the scene was heavy.

The Crown Prince’s gaze slowly scanned the guards present and also glanced at the arrow clusters on the city gate, reflecting the setting sun.

As the crown prince of Dahui, he of course understood that his actions today were enough to anger the emperor. 

If he continued to charge across the moat, he would probably be criticized by the historians, which would make the emperor even more dissatisfied and might even further involve A Wu.

He was not afraid, but A Wu could not bear the emperor’s anger.

His gaze crossed the moat and looked at A Wu through the shimmering ripples of the river.

The evening glow spread, with red and orange blending together. 

Everything in front of him was covered with a light golden hue. 

He saw a lock of A Wu’s black hair gently brushing against her delicate face.

Even with the glow of the sunset, he could still see that her face was slightly pale and her clear eyes were glistening with tears.

She was as precious as a pearl, with a weak and delicate figure. 

She should have been carefully taken care of in his backyard. 

Now she was rudely driven away and forcibly taken away by those rough people. 

Who knows how much she has suffered.

He wanted to hold her in his arms, comfort her, and tell her not to be afraid, but the moat blocked his way.

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were separated by the Milky Way in the heavenly realm, and he and A Wu were separated by this earthly gateway.

He stretched out his hand with difficulty and in vain, reaching towards the opposite direction.

The moment he saw A Wu, he was captivated. 

He had promised her in the warmth that he would protect her for a lifetime, but now he was powerless.

He moved his lips and said bitterly, 

“A Wu, I’m sorry for you……”

A Wu’s eyelashes trembled on the opposite side. 

She pursed her lips slightly and looked at the Crown Prince on the opposite side.

Of course she liked the Crown Prince. 

He was handsome. 

How could she not like him?

But now, no matter from which aspect to consider, she would no longer have anything to do with the Crown Prince.

Especially today, she saw the Crown Princess.

She had known before that the Crown Prince had his own wife, the Crown Princess, but she had no choice, so she ignored it in her heart. 

Now that she had seen the Crown Princess with her own eyes and saw this noble and dignified wife, she could no longer accept it.

The Crown Princess looked at her with a look of disgust and contempt, and she could not argue back, because she was indeed the enchantress who had seduced the Crown Prince and was indeed not up to the standard!

But actually she didn’t want to!

Why seduce a man when everything was fine!

If you have to seduce, you should seduce a man who doesn’t have a master!

At this time, the Crown Prince spoke again: 

“It’s my fault that I didn’t protect you well and let you suffer such a grievance.”

A Wu sighed softly: 

“Your Highness, A Wu doesn’t blame you. It’s A Wu’s fault. That night, I shouldn’t have left the Huan Cui Garden.”

All the troubles started from here.

The Crown Prince shook his head and murmured, 

“It’s not your fault. You don’t understand these things. How could I blame you? I only blame myself for not settling you well and letting you fall into someone else’s trap.”

His gaze was fixed on A Wu: 

“A Wu, you just endure it for a while. After this period, I will come to pick you up. Don’t worry. This time I will definitely find a way to settle you well and won’t let you suffer any more grievances!”

A Wu was surprised.

Through the river full of rosy clouds, she saw the sincerity in the Crown Prince’s dark eyes.

He was serious.

He made a promise to her again.

But A Wu didn’t want to hear it, and she didn’t want to go back.

So she looked at the young man with a sincere look and shook her head firmly: 

“Your Highness, there is no need. I want to become a nun and enter the empty door. After becoming a nun, I will no longer care about the secular world. You must not come to pick me up.”

The Crown Prince heard this and felt a pang of pain in his eyes: 

“A Wu? Are you angry with me?”

When the two people said this, the Crown Prince’s bodyguards, the city gate guards, and Nie San and others all held their breath and looked elsewhere, pretending not to exist.

However, A Wu didn’t care about these. 

She had nothing to be ashamed of and even thought it was good to clarify in front of so many people.

To clarify that she was not a beauty who would bring disaster to the country. 

She did not cling to the Crown Prince. 

It was the Crown Prince who was clinging to her.

So she raised her head and said loudly: 

“Your Highness, I am not angry with you. I have just finally realized that we are destined to be together but not fated to be together. Let’s just part ways.”

The Crown Prince frowned and stared at A Wu, saying word by word: 

“Why do you say that?”

The Crown Prince used to be gentle, at least in front of A Wu. 

He never had any temper. 

But now, the Crown Prince’s handsome face became serious, and he had a commanding presence.

A Wu suddenly felt a little scared. 

After all, he was the crown prince of a country. 

His gentleness to her did not mean that he was easy to deal with.

She hesitated and said, 

“I don’t want to be a concubine. After meeting Her Highness, the Crown Princess, I was deeply impressed by her elegance and dignity, and I……..”

There were people all around. 

Everyone seemed silent, but they seemed to be pricking up their ears.

And the Crown Prince kept staring at her, waiting for her to continue.

The river water rushed, and a bird flapped its wings and flew past.

A Wu suddenly felt a surge of courage in her heart. 

She clenched her fists and declared loudly, 

“You are the husband of the Crown Princess, not mine! Don’t cling to me anymore!”

This sentence was particularly loud, and everyone around heard it clearly.

Nie San frowned and looked at A Wu in surprise. 

The two rough maids were puzzled for a moment and didn’t understand what they had just heard. 

The others also looked at A Wu in confusion.

They had never seen such a young lady. 

She stood there casually with a graceful and charming demeanor, but her words were so loud and clear!

The key is… she said this to His Highness the Crown Prince.

She wanted the crown prince of a country, the future emperor, to stop clinging to her.

Everyone was bewildered.

At this moment, when the Crown Prince heard A Wu’s words, his dark eyes instantly shot out displeasure: 

“A Wu, what are you talking about?”

A Wu felt guilty under that gaze, and her clear eyes filled with tears.

She averted her gaze and said in a low voice, 

“Your Highness, I was young and ignorant before and didn’t understand the world. Now I know that I don’t want to be someone’s concubine at all!”

The Crown Prince’s expression slightly changed.

What she said was indeed undeniable.

After saying this, A Wu felt justified.

She clenched her fists and announced even more loudly:

 “Although I was born humble, I too wish to be a proper lady. If being with Your Highness means living in the shadows, what’s the point?”

“You’ve promised me so much, yet in the end, I’m confined to the Huan Cui Garden, unable to step outside.”

“I’ve never seen the capital city, never experienced the beauty of the countryside. I’m suffocating.”

The Crown Prince’s face turned particularly ugly, and the fists under his wide sleeves creaked.

A Wu, seeing this, was also a bit scared. 

A day as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace; she didn’t want to fall out with him!

It would be best if everyone parted on good terms, each going their separate ways amicably.

She was going to the Yan Yang Temple to become a nun, and that temple was still a royal Daoist temple. 

If she encountered any difficulties in the future, she might still have to seek his help.

She softened her tone and respectfully said: 

“Your Highness, I bid you farewell. I kowtow  you. Once I’m at the Yan Xiang Temple, I will chant scriptures and pray for your well-being and the Crown Princess’s.”

“May you always be joyful, with a lifespan as long as the heavens. May the two of you live in harmony, respect each other as guests, and never part until old age.”

With that, she dropped to her knees and bowed deeply, kowtowing three times with unwavering resolve to the Crown Prince across the river.

The Crown Prince’s jaw was taut as he silently watched A Wu kowtow to him.

In front of so many people, she touched the ground with her forehead, respectfully and devoutly. 

Her raven-black hair spread on the ground, dusting with soil, but she paid no heed.

After she finished kowtowing, she didn’t even glance at him, got up, turned her head, and left.

Nie San, along with several attendants, hurriedly followed.

The Crown Prince suddenly spoke: 

“Stop.”

A Wu halted.

The Crown Prince, however, looked at Nie San and said,

“Who are you?”

Nie San immediately knelt on one knee and declared in a loud voice: 

“I am Nie San, a servant of the royal household, assigned to escort the lady to Yan Yang Temple.”

The Crown Prince, expressionless, said:

“Nie Qianfei, styled Wenbo, lost both parents at a young age. He was taken in by the Duke of England, who showed him mercy and raised him in the Duke’s mansion.”

“ He was adopted by Sun Yue, the commander of the Duke’s hundred household guards, and followed the Crown Princess into my residence.”

Nie San’s expression turned slightly stern.

The Crown Prince had already thoroughly investigated his background.

A Wu was also somewhat surprised.

The Crown Prince had always been gentle and considerate in front of her, occasionally tolerating her little tantrums.

She had never seen this side of him.

The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes: 

“Nie San, tomorrow morning, as soon as the city gate opens, I will send someone to Yan Yang Temple. I want to see that she is safe and sound. If anything happens to her, I——”

His voice was deep and slow: 

“Will hold you accountable.”

Nie San bowed his head and respectfully said: 

“Yes.”