HRPM – Chapter 26 Escape from Marriage (2)

Master Jin comforted his beloved daughter, saying the Emperor was not someone who confused right and wrong and wouldn’t easily punish them.

“Dad, take good care of yourselves. Once things settle down, I’ll come back to see you.”

Under Master Jin’s urging, Jin Luoluo left in tears, carrying a small bundle as she ran away.

But she didn’t notice—

as she stepped out of the room,
a shadow flashed past at the corner of the corridor.

Inside the Golden Throne Hall, the atmosphere was tense.

Apart from the emperor seated at the highest position, no one dared to even breathe loudly.

The Emperor wore a crown strung with twenty-four Eastern pearls and a dragon robe embroidered with nine dragons.

He was already past fifty, his hair graying, wrinkles covering his once-rosy face—but his sharp, restrained eyes remained unchanged after decades.

“Jin Gungun, you say your daughter has fled from the marriage?” the Emperor asked calmly from his throne.

Jin Gungun trembled and knelt on the ground in fear.

“Your Majesty, after receiving the imperial decree yesterday, I was overjoyed and hosted a banquet at night to celebrate with friends. Who would have thought that the unfilial girl would take advantage of the chaos and run away? She is utterly ungrateful—marrying the Third Prince is a blessing she could only earn over many lifetimes, yet she lacks the fortune to accept it. She has been willful since childhood and doesn’t understand propriety—how could she be worthy of becoming a princess consort? It is my failure as a father. I have no face to see Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to cancel the marriage, so as not to delay the Third Prince.”

“To dare defy my decree—Jin Gungun, your daughter’s boldness is quite something. That is your doing,” the Emperor said, his tone neither too harsh nor too lenient.

Jin Gungun immediately knocked his head against the floor, trembling violently. “This humble subject is guilty for failing to educate my daughter. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”

“How can this be entirely your fault? You did not want her to run away. Rise. Che’er, this concerns your marriage. It seems Jin Luoluo is unwilling to marry you—are you willing to cancel the engagement?”

The Emperor tossed the question to Xiao Che.

“I am deeply devoted to Miss Jin. Even if she has run away, I still wish to marry her,” Xiao Che said through gritted teeth.

Outwardly, he put on a look of deep affection.

That damned Jin Luoluo—before he could even consider breaking off the marriage, she dared to run away first.

With her looks and behavior, he was already making the utmost concession by agreeing to marry her.