Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 326: Defying the Imperial Edict

Chapter 326: Disobeying the Imperial Edict

"Shen Bin, how dare you! Disobeying the imperial edict is a capital offense!" Wu Tian, ​​standing behind Shen Bin, pointed at him and rebuked him. Shen Bin remained unmoved and did not argue with him, while Wu Tian seemed determined to make things difficult for him, arguing vehemently on his own.

"Minister Wu, is this matter decided by you or by me?" The Emperor sat on his dragon throne, his impatience barely concealed. He threw the memorial he was reviewing to the ground. Seeing the Emperor's anger, Wu Tian immediately knelt down, bowing his head and saying, "This humble subject dares not; it is certainly Your Majesty's decision. I beg Your Majesty not to be angry."

The Emperor surveyed the court, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials, all heads bowed, too ashamed to utter a sound. He inwardly sneered at Wu Tian's extraordinary methods of winning people over. He then glanced at Shen Bin kneeling on the ground, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Minister Shen, may I ask why you refuse this marriage?" the Emperor asked, his expression softening. Shen Bin knelt on the ground, head bowed, pondering what to do. After a long while, he finally said, "Your Majesty, I already have a beloved woman who is married." Shen Bin's voice was neither loud nor soft, but firm and unwavering.

"Absurd! Is Princess Xiangping not worthy of you?" The Emperor slammed his fist on his dragon throne, roaring, and threw all the memorials on the table beside him to the ground. His face was flushed red with anger. Young Master Shen knelt silently on the ground, while a commotion erupted in the court, with people pointing and whispering about Shen Bin. Shen Bin, however, paid no heed. Behind him, Wu Tian wore a sly smile, happier than ever before, his face glowing with unprecedented joy.

Seeing that Shen Bin remained silent, the Emperor admired his boldness and restrained his temper, saying, "This matter is settled. If you do not wish to marry the princess, you may discuss it with Princess Xiangping." With that, he stood up and left.

As usual, Eunuch Feng said in his high-pitched voice, "Court adjourned." As he left, he gave Shen Bin a look that said, "May you have good luck."

Shen Bin stood up, preparing to leave the main hall, but when he turned around, everyone was looking at him with gloating expressions. Shen Bin sneered inwardly, pretended not to see them, and walked straight out of the hall.

Shen Bin paced back and forth within the palace, deeply troubled by the Emperor's decree. He thought that marrying Princess Xiangping would be betraying Ning'er, but not marrying her would violate the decree. Yet, he disliked Princess Xiangping, and a forced marriage would be detrimental to both of them.

As he walked, he arrived at the pavilion where he had been the day before. He found a stone bench and sat down, feeling quite melancholy. "Young Master Shen." Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him. Shen Bin turned around and saw Princess Xiangping, whom he had met the day before. He was about to stand up and bow when she stopped him.

Princess Xiangping sat down opposite him and said, "Young Master Shen, we have met before and are considered friends, so let's not stand on ceremony." Seeing Princess Xiangping's attitude, Shen Bin said nothing, but still stood up, bowed, and said, "This humble subject has been negligent, and hopes the princess will forgive me."

Princess Xiangping, seeing Shen Bin's insistence, said nothing and kept her head down. After Shen Bin finished his greetings, he sat back down with his head still bowed. Neither of them spoke; the silence was so profound that even the gentle breeze could be heard.

Princess Xiangping sat there, fiddling with two fingers inside her sleeve, and said, "I wonder why Young Master Shen refused the Emperor's bestowed marriage. Could it be... could it be that I am so bad?" As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly, and tears streamed down her face. Anyone who saw this would surely feel great pity for her.

Shen Bin looked up and saw Princess Xiangping crying, but he remained unmoved. Instead, he frowned slightly and said, "Princess, I have someone I admire. If you insist on this, even if I marry you, I will have no feelings for you, and it will be unfair to you." Shen Bin explained calmly and did not show any fear because Xiangping was a princess.

“Well… alright then. I’m not one to back down either. Just bring the woman you’re interested in to the palace so I can see her. If I think she’s good enough for you, I’ll have my father withdraw the imperial decree. If the opposite is true, then you’ll have to marry me.” Princess Xiangping said, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Shen Bin.

When Shen Bin heard Princess Xiangping say this, he didn't know how to respond. After thinking for a moment, he said, "A woman I admire is worthy of me no matter what, as long as I like her." His eyes even gleamed as he spoke.

"I don't care, I won't let this go if you don't let her come to see me," Princess Xiangping said to Shen Bin, pouting slightly in anger.

Seeing Princess Xiangping's state, Shen Bin felt helpless and really didn't want to get entangled with her any longer. He stood up and said, "Princess, I have important matters to attend to at home, so I'll take my leave now." With that, he turned and left.

Princess Xiangping watched Shen Bin's departing figure, and remembering his words, she trembled with rage. Slamming her hand on the stone table, she hysterically cried out, "Shen Bin will definitely be mine! Just you wait!"

Rongcheng.

"Ming'er, come to the market with your mother today." Early in the morning, Li Shi dragged Li Ming to the market, even finding some nice clothes and shoes for him to wear from the wardrobe. Li Ming dressed listlessly, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought of not seeing Yan Zhi for days, but torn between family and love, he had no choice but to obey Li Shi and stay home, not going anywhere, spending his days under her watchful eye.

"Mother, where are we going?" Li Ming asked, somewhat puzzled. He noticed that Li Shi was acting strangely today; she couldn't hide her smile, and her clothes were better than usual. Even the jade bracelet that she used to be reluctant to wear was on her today.