In her eyes, her husband was tightly holding his so-called cousin. One was weeping pitifully and the other looked anxious. No matter how one looked at it, they seemed like a pair of tragic lovers.
"What are you doing?"
As if struck by electricity, Xiao Shun pushed Aunt Mei away violently, his face filled with panic. "Princess, it is not what you think."
However, the explanation came too late. A massive shockwave struck Princess Yunyang's heart. It turned out everything her daughter-in-law Yaoyao said was true. They really did have an affair. In an instant, grievance, anger, and shame rushed to her heart. Princess Yunyang's eyes instantly turned blood red.
"Xiao Shun, you have gone too far."
"Princess, let me explain."
Xiao Shun was scared out of his wits and quickly rushed over to grab her.
"Get out."
Princess Yunyang shook off his hand violently, turned around, and left. Her tears fell like pearls from a broken string. She wept while rushing outside with large strides. If her daughter-in-law hadn't reminded her, she would still be kept in the dark, played for a fool.
"Princess, let's go back to the room and I'll explain to you, all right? It is really not what you think. I was just stopping her from making a scene."
Although Princess Yunyang was heartbroken, she still wanted to save face after all. She walked silently toward the main courtyard. Seeing that his wife was willing to return to the room, Xiao Shun breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his spouse too well. She was soft-hearted and easily coaxed.
"There is really nothing between Cousin Mei and me. We just had a dispute earlier. She said she was going to talk nonsense to you, so I stopped her. It was my fault. I didn't expect her to be so extreme. Had I known, I shouldn't have kept her in the manor."
To his surprise, upon hearing these words, Princess Yunyang abruptly stopped her steps. She wiped the tears from her face and turned around.
"So, you were the one who allowed her to stay in the manor. You knew all along that your cousin was in love with you, didn't you? You knew clearly that I would be unhappy, yet you still kept her. So all the grievances I suffered over the years were because of your deliberate actions."
Xiao Shun was caught completely off guard, and his entire body froze on the spot.
"Quick, fetch a cloth. But it is indeed my fault. I am the one who owes her."
Shortly after, this man, who had always tried to sugarcoat things, finally did not dare to hide the truth any longer. He poured out that messy, complicated past, poured everything out all at once. At the end, he even vowed and promised.
"I really have nothing going on with Cousin Mei. I really don't like her."
Princess Yunyang was dumbfounded. To think there was such an absurd thing as a marriage contract. However, being soft-hearted is a common weakness among women. Princess Yunyang's anger subsided by half. Yet she asked the most lethal question.
"If today's incident hadn't happened, would you have ever planned to tell me about this? Or would you have kept me in the dark for a lifetime?"
Xiao Shun indeed had never thought of coming clean. He had always used this as an excuse, wanting to resolve it in secret.
"Xiao Shun. So, because of your guilt, you just let her hold forth in front of my face day after day? Only after seeing Yaoyao today did I realize that one does not have to wrong oneself. Even Yaoyao dared to make your cousin leave outright, yet I, Princess Yunyang, have to walk on eggshells around you and entertain your relatives. Why on earth should I live such a wretched life?"
All the grievances over the years, her husband's inaction, and her son's imprisonment, every single matter rushed to her heart.
"Get out. I don't want to see you for now. Go back to your Count of Yongcheng's manor. Your whole family is bullying me."
Xiao Shun's heart trembled violently. He loved the princess, but on one hand was filial piety, and on the other was love. Yet, looking at his wife's resolute eyes, his eyes also welled up with tears.
"Xiao Shun, do you think I, the princess, am joking with you? Go right now."
"I'm not leaving. I'll stay here and watch over you. You can beat me or scold me. It is all my fault, but I will not leave you."
Princess Yunyang was so angry that her tears kept falling. Yet this was exactly what worked on her. On one hand, she felt the sweetness, while on the other, she despised herself for being so spineless.
"What use is it even if you die? Will that solve all the messy affairs of your family?"
"Have her pack her things immediately and get out of the manor. I swear to heaven, I swear to heaven, I will never fail you in this life. If blame is to be cast, I will bear it all alone."
Princess Yunyang kept a cold face and spoke no more, but her heart was filled with sorrow. A dignified imperial princess, living like a clinging vine wrapped around a tree. It was simply a disgrace to the imperial family.