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  Mrs. Meng was taken aback and said resentfully: "You obviously don't want to admit that Ruo is your child, so why did you marry her back then?"

  "Why did I marry her back then?" Sima Rui's smile seemed a bit chilly, making people feel uncomfortable in their hearts. "Auntie should go ask your younger brother, the father of my nephew. I really don't know why I married her at that time. Moreover, my nephew also said that if we talk about it, this Wenru is actually my nephew's niece from outside the family. This relationship was wrong from the start. Although Auntie was driven out of the imperial palace by the previous emperor and doesn't count as a member of the Sima family, we still consider each other relatives. My nephew has always treated you like his aunt, so even if we were to have a falling out, it wouldn't be good. That's why my nephew didn't force your precious granddaughter to return to the Meng household. You're blaming me now, but I really don't know where I went wrong?"

  "No matter what, once a person has entered the Fourth Prince's estate, they cannot leave. If they were to leave, how would Wanluo survive?" Old Lady Meng said, suppressing her anger.

  "How she lived was unknown to her nephew, but how he lived was well-known. He wasn't someone who could be forced into anything, if he didn't like something, he just wouldn't like it. If you looked at her as an outsider, or even as a younger sister, Wanluo was still a pretty lovable woman, straightforward and daring. Unfortunately, when it came to emotions, the nephew's heart only had room for one person, Feng'er, and no one else could enter. If his aunt didn't want to stir up trouble, she should quietly take her away and find someone else for her to marry. After all, she was still a young unmarried woman, and spending her whole life with the nephew would only lead to a lifetime of tears. The nephew would never show her any tenderness." Sima Rui was still smiling, but his words sent chills down one's spine, without a hint of warmth or feeling.

  "You, you don't need to tell me these twisted reasons." Old Lady Meng was furious, stood up and said sternly, "No matter what tricks Murong Feng has used to enthrall you, Yanluo must be your only wife, Sima Rui. This is non-negotiable. You immediately go to the Fourth Prince's residence and accompany Yanluo properly, otherwise, I won't let He Yi Yuan have a peaceful life!"

  "Eldest Aunt, nephew has one last thing to say. Marrying Wanlu back then was not right of me, but things have come to this point. You can say I'm relying on being the Fourth Prince's son or that I'm heartless and unreasonable, but this is just my nature. This Miss Wanlu, I've really had enough of her. If you still care about saving face, then quietly leave. But if you insist on going your own way, I'll make sure you and your precious granddaughter can't set foot in the imperial palace!"

  "You're quite bold!" Old Lady Meng snorted, "The Great Xing dynasty hasn't given birth to anyone who can stop me yet, what skills do you have that would prevent me from taking half a step into the imperial palace?"

  "The Daxing Dynasty has two cold palaces outside, where the concubines who committed great mistakes were punished by the previous emperor. Although I am only the fourth prince, I have the right to send my disliked consorts there. If you still don't give up, I will send Meng Wanlu there. The Daxing Dynasty has a rule that if the old people of the concubines in these two cold palaces enter and exit the imperial palace, ordinary people can also be killed first and reported later!" Sima Rui said coldly, "I was not a person who talks about emotions and righteousness from the beginning. Originally, I still thought that we were relatives, and some things could be let go, and Fang'er's life or death was unknown, so my heart was like dead ashes, too lazy to care about the palace's right and wrong. Now, if you still don't give up, don't blame me for not being polite!"

  "You, you're simply too detestable! What great crime did Wanlu commit to make you so ruthless?" Old Lady Meng's voice softened a bit. She knew that place all too well. Back then, her own mother had been locked up for committing a grave offense, but the late emperor, who doted on his daughter, had spared her from being banished along with her mother. Otherwise, she would have long since disappeared without a trace. No one even knew how her mother had died inside, not even herself, as she had never seen her again after she was locked up.

  "What wrong did she do, I really can't say, but the reason I don't like her is enough. If you don't like someone, no matter what they do, it's not excessive. I won't think it's inappropriate to send her anywhere, it just saves me from current trouble." Sima Rui said calmly, "I'm a person who doesn't talk about reason, you can go ask around, which person will say that the Fourth Prince is a sentimental and affectionate person? Probably they'll say I'm an unfeeling and unrighteous person!"

  Mrs. Meng was speechless, and Sima Rui had heard rumors about her, how could she not know? However, Yuanyu this maid had made up her mind to follow such a person, no matter how much she advised against it, it was truly difficult to persuade her. If Sima Rui really sent Yuanyu to that place, if she were to enter the imperial palace again, she feared someone would deal with her before reporting back to the emperor, and even the emperor wouldn't punish that person. She knew she had offended people herself.

  "How are you going to settle with Wanlu?" Mrs. Meng calmed down her emotions and asked calmly, "You clearly know that Wanlu has deep feelings for you."

  "That's her business, nothing to do with me. I don't like her, so don't expect me to have any sympathy for her. The more she likes me, the more I dislike her!" Sima Rui said disapprovingly, "You'd better take her back, if not, I'll write a divorce letter and have someone send it to her. Whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me from now on. You can also tell Meng Niang that for me, she's just a stranger. If she still can't let go of me, it will only make me dislike her more, and I'll be even more eager for her to disappear in front of me immediately. There's no reason to explain, not liking is simply not liking, especially when it comes to me. In my life, there are no forced words!"

  Old Lady Meng was silent for half a day, thinking about how to explain things to her granddaughter. That silly girl had been pining after that inexplicable guy, and she really didn't know what was so good about Sima Rui that made the usually proud and arrogant Meng Wanlu fall deeply in love with him.

  On a lonely rainy night, Meng Wanlu sat quietly in her room, but her heart was bitter. Her personal maid, Xia He, had just mentioned that her grandmother had gone to the Harmony Garden again, and it seemed like nothing had come of it. Xia He was new here, sent by her grandmother who didn't trust herself to take care of Meng Wanlu. The main reason was that Xia He was skilled in martial arts, and her grandmother was afraid she would be at a disadvantage in the palace, so she arranged for her to come and take care of her.

  "Crown Princess, why do you have to like the Fourth Prince so much?" Xia He didn't understand, she really couldn't see what was good about this Fourth Prince, wasn't he just handsome and a prince? But what's the use of that? "This servant doesn't think there's anything good about the Fourth Prince, isn't he just a prince? Still just the Fourth Prince, what's worth the Crown Princess putting so much importance on?"