Chapter 180: He Wants to Break the Engagement

Chapter 180: He Wants to Break the Engagement

After Xiao Huaijin left Prince Jing’s residence, he rode straight back to the palace. His face was storm-dark, his entire being radiating an icy, forbidding aura that warned others to keep their distance as he strode directly toward Fulu Palace—Consort Rong’s residence.

The palace attendants, terrified by his thunderous expression, dared not utter a sound; all bowed low and knelt on the ground.

He entered the hall, ignoring the servants who rushed to greet him. His gaze—sharp as a drawn sword—locked onto Consort Rong, who sat leisurely sipping her fine tea.

“Mother,” he said, his voice cold as forged ice, “I wish to break off my engagement with the Su family.”

Consort Rong’s hand holding the teacup paused ever so slightly. She lifted her eyes and met her son’s face—so dark it seemed ready to weep rain—and her heart skipped a beat.

Setting down the teacup, she assumed her usual gentle demeanor and spoke softly, persuasively: “Jin, this marriage was personally decreed by your father. His word is law—unchangeable and absolute. How could it possibly be revoked so easily?”

“Why did you agree to this marriage in the first place, Mother? Who suggested I marry the Su family’s daughter? Why was I never consulted?” His voice was frigid, unyielding.

His normally warm eyes now gleamed like a hawk’s—piercing, relentless—fixed on Consort Rong, missing not a single flicker of expression across her face.

Under that searing gaze, Consort Rong felt a pang of guilt and instinctively averted her eyes, picking up her teacup once more. “Jin, I know your heart belongs to Miss Jiang. But you’re only being asked to take Miss Su as a secondary consort. The position of principal consort remains open for Miss Jiang. Moreover, an alliance with the Su family would greatly benefit the empire and its people…”

“Mother!” Xiao Huaijin cut her off, unable to contain himself any longer—his voice icy, quiet, yet heavy enough to freeze the very air in Fulu Palace.

“I’ll ask again: *Who* exactly suggested I marry the Su family’s daughter?”

Faced with her son’s unrelenting interrogation, Consort Rong knew evasion was impossible today.

She let out a long, weary sigh—as if defeated, as if summoning every ounce of strength—and finally uttered three words: “It was the Fourth Prince.”

“I should have known!” Xiao Huaijin let out a sudden, biting laugh, dripping with undisguised contempt. “What extraordinary benefit did he promise you, Mother, that you’d betray your own son’s wishes without hesitation?”

Consort Rong hesitated—but under her son’s unblinking, incisive stare, she finally confessed: “He promised that, should he ascend the throne, he would name me Empress Dowager of the Great Ye Empire.”

“Empress Dowager of the Great Ye Empire…” Xiao Huaijin repeated the phrase under his breath—then gave a low, hollow laugh.

He laughed until his eyes reddened, yet his words struck like poisoned blades, piercing Consort Rong’s heart: “Indeed—a reward too tempting for you to refuse, Mother! After all, *this* is something I could never offer you! Fourth Brother is truly cunning—just one empty promise, and he’s bought you outright, Mother!”

Seeing him teeter on the edge of fury, Consort Rong felt a deep, unsettling dread.

“I know you feel slighted—but it’s merely a secondary consortship. Marry her, treat her as little more than a living ornament in the palace. It won’t affect Miss Jiang’s future position in the slightest. Miss Jiang is sensible and kind—she surely won’t object to a secondary consort.”

“An *ornament*?” Xiao Huaijin sneered, lips curling in disdain. “The Su family is the wealthiest in the land, and Master Su has but this one treasured daughter. Do you truly believe, Mother, that he would let her marry me just to serve as decoration? The Cui family has been in commerce for generations—you of all people should know merchants never make losing deals!”

Consort Rong fell silent, speechless.

Xiao Huaijin’s gaze sharpened further as he continued: “What did you promise me, Mother, back then? You swore you’d leverage the full might of the Cui family to negotiate with Fourth Brother—to secure Shuning’s happiness and mine! Yet before negotiations even began, you were seduced by his hollow promise of the Empress Dowager’s title—and sold your own son’s lifelong happiness!”

Those words flooded Consort Rong with guilt.

Silently, she berated herself: *How could I have been so utterly beguiled by Xiao Lingchuan’s mere words back then?*

For a promise that might never materialize, she had wounded her own son’s heart.

“Jin, I was foolish. But now it’s done—the Emperor has already issued the imperial decree. Even if we wish to break the engagement, *we* cannot be the first to speak of it—or we’ll hand our enemies the perfect pretext for slander.”

She paused, then offered a compromise: “How about this? In two days, I’ll find an excuse to summon Miss Su to the palace. You may speak with her yourself—see if you can persuade her to ask the Su family to withdraw from the engagement. Once the Su family initiates the dissolution, I’ll handle the rest.”

Hearing this, the tension on Xiao Huaijin’s face eased—just slightly.

This was indeed the only viable path forward.

“…Thank you, Mother,” he forced out through clenched teeth.

Two days later, at Fulu Palace.

Su Wan followed the guiding palace maid into the hall, her heart pounding with excitement.

Her eyes immediately found the tall, upright figure in a moon-white brocade robe—standing quietly beside Consort Rong, his countenance gentle and refined, yet emanating an aura so cold it repelled approach.

Even so, Su Wan’s gaze was magnetically drawn to him—unable to look away.

Seeing the man she admired standing before her, her cheeks flushed, and half her prepared speech vanished from memory. Hastily, she performed a deep bow, her voice trembling faintly: “Commoner Su Wan pays respects to the Imperial Consort and the Fifth Prince.”

She stole a glance—only to find Xiao Huaijin’s gaze fixed elsewhere. A wave of disappointment washed over her—yet she quickly recovered, her face blooming with a shy blush: “I hadn’t known Your Highness would be present, so I brought a gift solely for the Imperial Consort.”

“No matter, Miss Su need not stand on ceremony,” Xiao Huaijin replied, his tone courteous—yet distant.

Su Wan smiled faintly and gestured to her maid, who stepped forward bearing an exquisite zitan-wood gift box. “Imperial Consort, this is a gift I carefully selected for you. I’m uncertain whether it suits your taste—but I hope you’ll accept it kindly.”

“Miss Su is most thoughtful.” Consort Rong’s gaze settled on Su Wan—now laced with quiet scrutiny.

The young woman before her possessed bright eyes and pearly teeth, her merchant-family shrewdness subtly veiled beneath perfectly calibrated modesty.

She signaled for her maid to accept the box.

As the lid lifted, a soft gasp rippled through the hall.

Lying upon the velvet lining was a necklace strung with pigeon-egg-sized imperial-green jadeite beads—plump, round, their color so rich it seemed to drip—undeniably a rare treasure.

Even Consort Rong, accustomed to priceless jewels, was inwardly startled.

The Su family’s wealth was truly beyond measure.

Su Wan, seemingly oblivious to the stunned silence, gazed at Consort Rong with eager anticipation. “Imperial Consort—do you like it?”

Consort Rong composed herself, suppressing her shock. “Miss Su is far too generous. This gift is truly extraordinary. If I’m not mistaken, a single jadeite bead here would buy a mansion in the capital, wouldn’t it?”

“I couldn’t say how much the necklace is worth,” Su Wan replied with a charming smile, her words flawless. “All I know is that this shade of green suits you best. Only someone of your noble grace, Imperial Consort, could wear it without being overshadowed by its brilliance.”

No one resists flattery—especially when accompanied by such lavish generosity.

Consort Rong’s smile grew warmer, more genuine. “Miss Su flatters me. I truly love your gift.”

She turned to Xiao Huaijin. “Miss Su is new to Fulu Palace and unfamiliar with its layout. Jin, please escort her through the garden and show her its scenery.”

“Yes, Mother.” Xiao Huaijin agreed without hesitation.

He turned to Su Wan—his gaze finally meeting hers, yet remaining cold and unreadable. “Miss Su, please.”

Su Wan’s cheeks flushed with joy and bashfulness as she rose, lifted her skirt, and followed him step by step into the courtyard.

The courtyard overflowed with blossoms and verdant trees, winding paths leading to secluded nooks.

The moment they stepped beyond the hall, the warmth within dissolved beneath the outdoor breeze.

Xiao Huaijin halted beside a rockery, confirmed they were alone—and turned to face her directly.

“Miss Su,” he said, voice level and unadorned, “this marriage between us was arranged by my mother—without my consent. To be frank, I’ve long loved another. There is no room in my life for anyone else.”

His words were like a basin of ice water, dousing the spark of joy in Su Wan’s heart.

The smile on her face froze instantly.

So, he really didn’t want to marry her.

“The one the Fifth Prince has set his heart on is Jiang Shuning, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, isn’t it?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.” Xiao Huaijin made no attempt to hide it; he didn’t even bother to wonder how she knew.

He just wanted to cut through the knot quickly and break off their engagement, even if it meant paying a higher price.

“I love her, and I won’t marry anyone else in this life. If Miss Su insists on marrying me as a concubine, you’ll definitely regret it later. You come from a wealthy family, are talented and beautiful—you deserve better. I don’t want to hold you back. If Miss Su can persuade your father to propose canceling the engagement to the Emperor, I am willing to convince my maternal family to give up the exclusive gold trade route to the Su family as compensation.”

He thought this was a huge show of goodwill, enough to tempt any merchant.

He had prepared to continue persuading Su Wan with a mix of sweet talk and pressure, but to his surprise, the stiffness on her face melted away like snow, and she broke into a radiant smile.

“Fine!”

Her agreement came so readily that it left Xiao Huaijin stunned. “Really?”

“Really.” A hint of slyness crept into Su Wan’s smile. “But, I don’t want any gold trade route. That kind of tacky thing—my dad has tons of.”

Her gaze drifted past Xiao Huaijin’s shoulder to a nearby flower bed.

There, a cute little deer with fur as soft as the finest velvet was nibbling on the newly sprouted buds of a potted plant.

“I want that!” She pointed at the little deer.

Xiao Huaijin followed her gaze, and his brow instantly furrowed.

That was Fluffball, the pet he’d planned to give to Jiang Shuning.