Lu Wanning raised her head and saw Sheng Jinyu, who had just pushed the door open. Their eyes met, and all her grievances welled up in her heart, streaming down her face in tears.
Finally, he was here.
Zhen Yan was startled. She quickly rolled off the bed and, with Jiang Shishi's help, put on her shoes. The two of them were in a hurry to leave.
However, the doorway was blocked tightly by Sheng Jinyu. For a moment, they didn't know whether to go left or right, completely at a loss.
Jiang Shishi gave a light cough. "Ning'er hasn't been feeling well these days. I hope His Highness the Crown Prince will understand."
Only then did Sheng Jinyu come to his senses. He quickly took a step back to let them out, then whispered, "Thank you."
After he entered the room, Zhen Yan saw the two anxious maids at the door. She rolled her eyes, then turned around and closed the door. "Go and make some tea for us in the pavilion. I'm so thirsty after talking for so long."
The maids looked worriedly at the room. Since they didn't hear the princess's order, they didn't dare to go in. They just followed Zhen Yan's arrangement and left.
Inside the room, Sheng Jinyu quickly walked to the bedside and whispered, "Why have you lost so much weight?"
Lu Wanning's tears were on the verge of falling, which made him feel extremely heart - rending. He reached out to wipe away her tears, but women are made of water. No matter how many times he wiped, the tears just kept coming.
Sheng Jinyu held her face in his hands and lowered his head to kiss her.
The kiss was lingering, gentle yet domineering. Lu Wanning felt as if she was melting away under this kiss.
It seemed as if they had kissed like this before, or perhaps it was in a dream... Yes, it was in a dream. His kiss was exactly the same as in the dream. So, the taste of him, she had already tasted it in her dream?
It was more like a dream that had come true. But Lu Wanning could tell the difference clearly. In the dream, she was muddled. Now... she was still muddled, but she knew that this was not a dream. He was really right in front of her.
When Sheng Jinyu finally let go of her, she let out a breath and asked, "Weren't you supposed to go to the imperial mausoleum? Why did you come back so soon?"
Sheng Jinyu frowned. "I hadn't even arrived when I heard the news that you were seriously ill. How could I stay there any longer?"
Lu Wanning blushed slightly and whispered, "Your official business is more important."
Sheng Jinyu hugged her tightly. "Ning'er, you are my most important business."
Lu Wanning didn't know what to say, so she simply turned her head and kept silent.
Sheng Jinyu asked again, "Ning'er, why did you get sick? On my way back, I heard from their letters that you were suffering from pent - up anger and even the imperial physicians couldn't cure you. What made you so pent - up?"
Lu Wanning thought for a while and only asked, "You came back. What about your mission? Weren't you supposed to escort the deposed crown prince to the imperial mausoleum? You..."
"Answer me!" Sheng Jinyu held her face in his hands and looked at her seriously. Seeing that although she was thin, her spirit was not bad, he finally felt a bit more at ease.
Lu Wanning sniffed and said aggrievedly, "I... blame you. It's all your fault."
"Blame me for what?"
Lu Wanning pushed him away. "If you... like someone else, just depose me. I'll take our child away with me."
Sheng Jinyu was completely confused. "What are you talking about? Ning'er, where do we have a child?"
"If we get married, we'll have children naturally." Lu Wanning said angrily.
Sheng Jinyu let out a soft laugh and quickly hugged her tighter. He whispered in her ear, "Do you want to... have a child with me?"
Lu Wanning's face turned completely red. She pushed him away. "You... Who said that? Who said I want to have a child with you?"
Sheng Jinyu was in a great mood. He pecked her on the cheek. "Of course we'll have children. After I marry you, we'll start right away. How about that?"
Lu Wanning ignored him.
Sheng Jinyu said again, "But what do you mean by liking someone else? How could I like someone else and depose you?"
Lu Wanning felt a lump in her heart. She wanted to talk about the future, but she felt that the future was too far away. She didn't even know where to start. That dream was really terrifying. It made her feel extremely uncomfortable and angry.
Thinking of this, Lu Wanning kicked Sheng Jinyu in the waist. Sheng Jinyu was caught off guard and was kicked off the bed, falling to the ground.
"Ning'er... What are you doing?" Sheng Jinyu was stunned for a moment, then lay on the ground and moaned, "Ouch, my waist. You've broken it."
Lu Wanning was worried. She sat up at once and wanted to help Sheng Jinyu up. But then she immediately realized that she had only kicked him down because she was in a hurry and angry. If he had been on guard, how could she have succeeded? Moreover, how could she have hurt him? He wasn't made of paper.
"Humph, you will like someone else. You probably only pursued me because of my father and brother."
Sheng Jinyu didn't need to think hard to figure out the root cause. His little girl had fallen ill because of a nightmare. Now that she was saying this, she must have had a bad dream.
He got up on his own and went forward to forcefully hug Lu Wanning. "Don't think blindly, Ning'er. I'm not a fickle person. If I don't like someone, it's fine. Since I like you, I will be whole - hearted. I love you. You are the only one in my heart. How could I tolerate someone else?"
Sweet words.
Lu Wanning pouted. "That's just for now. I'm young and beautiful, and I'm worthy of you. But in the future... In the future, when I'm old and my beauty fades, there will be more beautiful women with smoother skin and more delicate eyes. Then you won't be able to resist them!"
Sheng Jinyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Silly girl, how could I be tempted by others? When you're old, I'll be an old geezer too. How could I dislike you because your beauty has faded? Moreover, you are my one and only. I don't like anyone else but you. It's impossible now, and it will never be possible in the future."
Lu Wanning said, "No one can say for sure about the future."
"But I know that you are the woman I want to spend my whole life with. Only you."
He was so sincere that Lu Wanning couldn't help but look up at him. She saw the sincerity in his eyes.
She thought for a while and then said, "Both now and in the future?"
"Both."
"But in the future, you'll be the emperor. How could an emperor have only one concubine? Even if you agree, the court officials won't."
Sheng Jinyu tapped her on the nose. "First of all, you'll be the queen, not a concubine. Besides, if I'm the emperor, do you think I'll be afraid of what the court officials say? I only want you, and only you."
He spoke seriously, and Lu Wanning listened seriously. She wanted to believe him, but when she thought of that dream, her heart felt heavy. Everything in the dream was so real. The crown prince in her arms was sometimes the young Sheng Chenyi and sometimes Lu Cheng.
Although she knew it was false, she was still afraid.
Seeing her in a daze, Sheng Jinyu couldn't help but smile. "What are you thinking about?"
Lu Wanning whispered, "What if... I can't give birth to a prince? What if... I can't even have a child?"
Sheng Jinyu paused and frowned at her.
"If that's the case, will you marry other concubines? Will you abandon me? The imperial heir is related to the country. How could you..."
Sheng Jinyu didn't say anything. He kissed her on the forehead. "There's no such possibility. I won't let you have such worries."
Just as Lu Wanning was about to say something else, Lu Hongxi's urgent voice came from outside. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty has ordered you to return to the palace immediately."
The news that Sheng Jinyu had returned to the capital without completing his mission spread quickly. How could the emperor not know? And the court officials would surely impeach him.
He hugged Lu Wanning helplessly. "I will definitely fulfill what I've promised. Don't think blindly, okay? I'll be very busy these days. After I'm done, I'll accompany you properly."