Commoner Queen: Falling in Love with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince - Chapter 14

“Fine! Let’s compete and see! I refuse to believe that our Ying’er would lose to your Ying Shui!” Murong Xi flung his sleeve in anger and stormed out of the hall, unable to tolerate the insult. He had made up his mind—no matter what, Ying’er must become the crown prince’s consort.

“Hah! That old man thinks he can just pick up some ancient broomstick from his manor and use it as a royal scepter? What a joke! He’s clearly overestimating himself,” Li Guochao sneered. He was full of confidence—after all, he had carefully trained his daughter, and she would not disappoint.

“Dear, must you be so stubborn? You know Ying’er’s situation, yet you insist on this fight. You… sigh! This is trouble!” Madam Murong scolded her husband in frustration. Even at his age, he was still impulsive and competitive. This time, he had really created a mess.

Murong Xi started to feel regret creeping in. “It’s all because of that scheming old fox, Li Guochao! He provoked me—I just couldn’t swallow my anger! But… now that I’ve said it, there’s no turning back.”

“You’re just making a fool of yourself! Everyone knows Ying’er’s past. If you insist on pushing her forward, she won’t even make it to the crown prince—she’ll be rejected by the ministers before that. And then, how will she even survive in the capital?” Madam Murong said anxiously.

“I know… but what if we take the gamble? What if Ying’er turns things around?” He was unwilling to give up.

“Or what if this shakes Li Guochao’s position?” Madam Murong interrupted him and poked his forehead. “You fool! The selection of the crown prince’s consort is no trivial matter. Ying’er was born with bad fortune. If she really brings disaster to the crown prince, it won’t just be her—it will be our entire family facing execution!”

Only then did Murong Xi realize the gravity of the situation. “I’ve already submitted the recommendation. It’s too late to take it back! Madam, what should we do?” Panic rose in his chest. He had acted on impulse, and now the consequences were catching up with him. This… this was a disaster!

“Don’t panic yet. Like we said earlier, Ying’er’s record makes it impossible for her to be selected. The senior ministers will remove her from the candidate list right away.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” He patted his chest in relief. That was close—he had almost caused a catastrophe.

“Good? What’s good about this?” Madam Murong shot him a glare. “Do you not care about Ying’er’s reputation? After this, forget about the capital—even Yangzhou will hear of her disgrace!” She complained, nearly in tears.

He was filled with regret. “Sigh, this is all my fault!” He stomped his foot. “Should we tell Ying’er?”

She thought for a moment. “Better not. Since she won’t even make it to the final selection, there’s no need to burden her with this.”

“You’re right.” He nodded. Right now, that was the only thing they could do. Sigh… He had truly acted recklessly!

Meanwhile, Yi Han, who had initially been reluctant, was now full of excitement as he attended the selection event. His father, the Emperor, had deliberately stayed away to avoid pressuring him. Sitting on the high throne, Yi Han observed the elegantly dressed young ladies, each carefully groomed to perfection.

He had already inquired about it—Minister Murong Xi’s daughter had also entered the selection. But why wasn’t she among the candidates here? He felt restless.

She was the reason he had any interest in this event at all. If she wasn’t here, then none of this mattered.

Anxiously, he scanned through the hundreds of beauties present. Yet, the face he longed for was nowhere to be seen.

Was she standing too far away for him to see clearly? No, with her beauty, there was no way the ministers would have excluded her.

Unable to hold back any longer, Yi Han stood up and walked toward the candidates.