Many years ago, when already knowing he loved the person to the degree of being unable to break away, RongCheng thereupon thought toward the affair of transforming him to become his own imperial consort, avoiding the matter of throughout the day being urged and pressed by imperial father and imperial mother regarding establishing a principal wife and giving birth to children to continue the lineage.
Seventeen years of age toward the Eldest Prince was in no way small; there was a requirement to soon calculate the affair of establishing a consort to consolidate status. Nonetheless, outside of Shang Yuan, RongCheng truly possessed no interest toward any affair whatsoever. Day and night calculating and considering to find a method by what means to with rightful title and proper standing establish a male imperial consort, in order to bind the person tightly at his side, even if half a moment not permitting him to depart far away.
Not long after that, when Shang Yuan escaped from imprisonment, he thereupon wished to leave the capital city to turn back to far-away Beiping Mountain. At this place was precisely his territory; more than fifty thousand elite troops were stationed there; once permitting the person to turn back, then toward afterward, even if wishing to approach him, it would be an impossible affair.
Thinking toward it, RongCheng day and night was anxious and unsettled, in the final analysis having no choice but to think toward the matter of casting away moral character to go act spoiled along with Shang Yuan; he employed sufficient tricks to lure the person to remain, resolved not to permit him to depart.
In the end, the plan succeeded gloriously; Shang Yuan in the final analysis was also lured into remaining to attend to and serve for one year; from then on, the two people frequently in secret committed illicit affection without requiring any marriage or proposal; being males, of what importance was that affair? Publicly displaying it would solely all the more cause the world to laugh and mock.
Half a year passed, and at long last, the opportunity arose when foreign invaders crossed the borders, seeking to seize Xiyang City—a strategic stronghold of Dinh Luong Kingdom. Should the city fall into enemy hands, the entire kingdom would be thrown into turmoil, and its people would be plunged into untold suffering.
Across several months of long-term campaigning and warfare, General Shi turned day by day weaker in force, lacking troops, lacking military rations, the situation being immensely difficult, requiring a talented person to lead troops to go to reinforce and rescue from peril.
Seizing that opportunity, RongCheng arrived to plead along with imperial father to be permitted, together along with Shang Yuan, to lead troops to go to reinforce; if capable of winning the battle and turning back, then pleading to obtain the fulfillment and accomplishment of the marriage affair.
In the midst of the tense chaos of war, the Emperor had been anxiously unable to sit or stand peacefully, now hearing royal son propose the idea, he thereupon turned enraged to the point of wishing to vomit blood.
His Majesty dragged RongCheng to kneel before the ancestral temple, employing the royal staff to directly strike without withholding his hand, asking: "For what cause in the midst of the moment when the state and nation are in peril, you, being in the body of the Eldest Prince, do not think of the affair for the sake of the rivers and mountains, for the sake of the populace to preserve and secure the borders, but conversely go commit private illicit affection, placing absurd conditions demanding the solemn investment of a male as imperial consort; do you see yourself as defaulting in morality or not? Do you feel ashamed or not?"
From small to big, the Emperor no matter how angry had never yet raised a hand to strike RongCheng; yet today, his Majesty was truly enraged to the point of going mad, unceasingly venting his furious wrath upon his person.
Those bouts of beatings poured straight upon his body, no matter how painful, he solely grinded his teeth to endure, without a single word of answering back.
At this time, the Empress could solely stand on one side looking upon… Across a long while, when the bouts of raining beatings still possessed no sign of stopping, while the back of RongCheng was already oozing blood, all of a sudden realizing his frame wished to collapse down, she commenced to be unable to endure it further, thereupon stepping out to dissuade: "Your Majesty… your Majesty, pray your Majesty strike no further... Royal son is young in age and naive in mind, for a moment not understanding affairs; slowly advising and expounding is fine as well. How much the less is this a time for family members to mutually kill one another; do you truly wish to strike him to death or what?"
Hearing the words of dissuasion, the Emperor suddenly stopped his hand; he let out a long sigh and then forcefully cast the royal staff down upon the ground, after that thereupon suppressing his rage to depart away.
Immediately after that, RongCheng instantly collapsed down and fainted away.
Midnight when he awakened, catching sight of Shang Yuan applying medicine for himself, he thereupon felt at peace.
Shang Yuan looked upon RongCheng, all of a sudden feeling a bit of heartache, asking: "What absurd words did you speak to be struck by the Emperor so heavily like this?"
RongCheng's very self since former times had always obtained the favor of the Emperor; the person immensely loved him, again furthermore trusted him to the utmost, then how could he devoid of cause strike him? Solely if he had committed some excessively grand fault would it become like this.
Hearing the question, RongCheng solely smiled, saying: "I spoke of wishing to lead troops to go to reinforce General Shi."
This matter originally was good, how was it a reason to be struck? Thinking toward it, Shang Yuan again with suspicion asked: "After that?"
"After that…" RongCheng suddenly sat up, catching hold of Shang Yuan's hand, saying: "After that, I pleaded to obtain an imperial decree bestowing marriage, solemnly investing you as imperial consort."
"You!!!" Listening to this place, speak not of the Emperor turning enraged, but even Shang Yuan himself could also not restrain it, scolding: "Truly muddled and foolish! Speak not of the midst of the moment when the state and nation are tottering, but even if it were peaceful and tranquil, you would also not be permitted to act in such a manner!"
"For what cause not?" The gaze of RongCheng all of a sudden turned ice-cold: "Incapable of throughout life imprisoning you, yet I wish that throughout your life you must be beside my side, even half a moment incapable of departing far away. You speak, do you love me or not? If not, could it be that you would willingly consent to sit peacefully to be imprisoned by me or what? Affairs having reached this plight, do you still wish to abandon me and depart ah?"
Silent across a long while, Shang Yuan again grinded his teeth, saying: "I… will not depart. If you transform into a wise and enlightened monarch, I will remain beside to with entire heart support and assist."
"Supported and assisted, and then what? I possess an inner palace of a thousand beauties, and what of you?" RongCheng pulled Shang Yuan's hand up, asking: "You must also establish a family and set up a household, during the daytime acting as a good husband, at night coming to roll and writhe attending to and serving beneath my body; throughout life secretly stealing thus, do you see it as good?"
"Pray… speak no further…" Shang Yuan truly could in no way endure it further, his heart all of a sudden aching and sorrowful beyond measure: "I… I will not establish a principal wife."
Relinquishing the person being impossible, then there solely remained this single method, that was all.