At that moment, the Emperor's eyelids, which had been closed the entire time, finally moved slightly when he heard Rong Tieshan's words.
So he wanted to use me? Yue Mingxuan sneered silently.
How naive.
His sharp gaze swept across the Emperor's still face and he smiled faintly. "Prince Rong, there's no need to speak for me. As for this engagement, I will withdraw."
Who said he couldn't act?
Standing alone in the center of the hall, Yue Mingxuan bit his lip. Though his clothes were messy, there's not a trace of shame clung to him. He stood there like a pure white lotus rising from muddy waters, lonely, yet proud and untouchable.
There was sorrow and faint humiliation in his smile and when Rong Tieshan saw it, a strange wave of sadness rose within him.
This entire situation had been part of Concubine Hua's carefully planned scheme.
Her goal was to make Yue Mingxuan end the engagement with Rong Tieshan.
Wasn't that what Rong Tieshan himself had once wished for?
Earlier, when he had refused to allow the inspection, he had only been waiting for the right opportunity, hoping that Yue Mingxuan would be the one to suggest the annulment himself.
After all, without any inspection, the truth could never be proven.
But now that Yue Mingxuan had said the words himself, Rong Tieshan didn't feel the satisfaction he expected. Instead, a strange emptiness filled him. Maybe it was because, after so many years of responsibility and duty, suddenly being freed from it made him feel uneasy.
Concubine Hua, who had just been angry with her son for ruining her plan, froze when she heard Yue Mingxuan's calm declaration.
For a moment she couldn't believe it—this was exactly what she had wanted!
It felt like the heavens themselves had dropped a golden gift into her hands. Half in disbelief, she finally found her voice, her tone sharp and excited. "You said this yourself! No one forced you!"
"Concubine Hua, you don't have to worry," Yue Mingxuan said coolly. "I will keep my word. I only hope that you, too, remember yours."
His cold, distant eyes flashed with a hidden sharpness as his gaze swept across her face.
That sudden murderous aura made even Concubine Hua stiffen slightly. She had never seen Yue Mingxuan like this, his calm presence carrying a chill like a winter storm, biting and dangerous. For the first time, she felt a faint sense of unease.
But she was Concubine Hua, how could she allow a mere foreign prince to challenge her with such a gaze?
She was just about to rebuke him when the Emperor's lazy, indifferent voice sounded beside them.
"Yue Mingxuan, do you truly wish to withdraw from this marriage? Have you thought it through?"
The Emperor, who had been pretending to sleep all this time, finally spoke. If he hadn't, Yue Mingxuan would have really thought he was a pig, of course, a clever one.
He stepped forward while bowed his head respectfully and said calmly, "Your Majesty, please allow it. Yue Mingxuan agrees to cancel the engagement. However, I will never let Madam Zhen examine my body."