CHAPTER 49

Before long, Chu Yu led her wife and daughter back to the center of the banquet hall.

The Empress Dowager was standing nearby, and Shu Yanyan cast a somewhat embarrassed glance at her, only to find that the elegant noblewoman was already flushed with excitement.

Shu Yanyan quickly averted her gaze, her heart beating even faster.

Why did it feel like the whole world knew what was about to happen next?

But she soon didn't have any attention to spare for others. After positioning herself where she wanted to stand, Chu Yu let go of her hand and directly embraced her shoulders. Caught off guard by Chu Yu's sudden embrace, Shu Yanyan was momentarily stunned, but she quickly regained her composure and could only blush and quietly stay by her side.

At this moment, the banquet hall had fallen into complete silence.

Chu Yu cleared her throat and looked at the people below the stage. She greeted them first, "Good evening, everyone."

The entire banquet hall seemed to wake up at these words. The people below the stage instinctively moved closer, and then the men took off their hats and bowed, while the women curtsied and kneeled, all returning their greetings towards Chu Yu and her family.

"Good evening, Your Majesty."

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone was bowing their heads, Shu Yanyan dared to raise her head and glance down.

That one glance made her legs go weak—why were there so many people! Moreover, many of them were people she had only seen in the news before.

When she was collecting information about desserts earlier, she deliberately avoided those influential figures. Now, seeing them all paying their respects, she became even more flustered. Of course, what embarrassed her even more was that she also saw many people she had just exchanged greetings with. In the east of the banquet hall, the lady in the black long dress and the girl in the starry sky dress were also stealing glances in their moments of bowing.

When their gazes intersected, Shu Yanyan awkwardly waved at them.

The next moment, after everyone had finished their greetings, Shu Yanyan tried to shrink herself like a small hamster and turned her head to focus her gaze on Chu Yu's face. This way, she could ignore the stares directed at her.

Chu Yu lowered her head and gave her a gentle smile.

But at this moment, the leading lady in her eyes wasn't Shu Yanyan.

Chu Yu gently weighed Yunmiao sitting on her arm and continued speaking to the crowd, "I'm glad that all of you could attend this banquet today. Here, I would like to introduce my daughter, the Crown Princess of the Empire, Chu Yunmiao."

As if a spoonful of oil had fallen into a hot pot, this statement instantly caused an explosion in the entire venue.

Although everyone had a rough idea of what was happening after witnessing Chu Yu's actions, the impact of their own speculations compared to hearing it directly from the person involved was incomparable.

However, it was evident that this shock was mixed with a lot of confusion, causing everyone to start discussing with their companions.

"What's going on? When did the Emperor have such a grown-up daughter?"

"Is she... adopted?"

"No wonder the Empress Dowager had that attitude towards the little girl. My goodness, I can already imagine what the news headlines of the Empire will look like in the next month!"

"..."

"Cough." Chu Yu lightly coughed, attracting everyone's attention and bringing back a sense of calm to the boiling atmosphere of the banquet hall.

She directly explained, "Yunmiao is my biological daughter. She was born during the time when I went missing and was wandering outside. Today is just a preview, and in the future, I will hold an official press conference to make the announcement publicly. However..."

She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping across the entire venue.

Inside the venue, where there had been some commotion just moments ago, it immediately turned as still and frozen as if it had been sealed in ice.

Chu Yu was quite satisfied and continued, "However, I hope that the noble families can serve as role models and refrain from spreading any rumors indiscriminately. If there are any unfavorable situations regarding the Crown Princess of the Empire..."

She paused here for a moment, not continuing with her words. But judging by the expressions of the people below the stage, it seemed as if it didn't matter whether she said anything or not, or even more terrifyingly, her silence was more fearsome—

The most frightening dangers are the ones that cannot be foreseen.

The Duke closest to the stage was the first to bow and pay his respects, saying, "I will obey the Emperor's decree and protect the Imperial Crown Princess."

This statement awakened those lost in their thoughts. The people below the stage gradually regained their senses and followed suit, bowing in unison, "I will obey the Emperor's decree and protect the Imperial Crown Princess."

Although Yunmiao was young, it didn't mean she understood nothing.

She leaned in close to Chu Yu's ear and asked in a small voice, "So... can I tell others from now on that my mom is the Emperor?"

Chu Yu smiled and affectionately kissed her cheek, saying, "Yes. You don't have to hide it. Yunmiao's mother is Yunmiao's mother, and you can tell whoever you want."

Yunmiao felt a bit troubled, saying, "I won't just say it to anyone..."

Chu Yu asked, "Hmm?"

Yunmiao hugged her neck and said, "Mom is Yunmiao's... no, I mean, Mom is Yunmiao's and Mommy's. Too many people know, and Mom might be taken away by someone else."

Chu Yu chuckled, "Mom won't run away. It's just that Mom is worried that you and Mommy might get stolen away."

Chu Yu squatted down and placed Yunmiao on the ground. "Yunmiao, be good and wait here. Mom has something to say to your mommy."

Yunmiao nodded, "Okay."

She was especially well-behaved and took a few steps, running back to the Empress Dowager's side, standing by her own great-grandmother's leg.

Now, only Shu Yanyan and Chu Yu remained on the stage.

As if the spotlight from the entire venue followed Chu Yu's gaze, it lingered on Shu Yanyan. The people below the stage stared at her without blinking, not a soul mistaking who the protagonist was.

Chu Yu gently held her hand.

Shu Yanyan's heart pounded like a drum.

In reality, it wasn't quiet around her. There were murmurs and whispers. After all, at this moment, everyone was curious about her identity. But for Shu Yanyan, all those background noises seemed surreal. They seemed to be right next to her ear, yet separated by some invisible barrier that stretched miles away.

On this small stage, in the magnificent banquet hall, in the grand and vast imperial palace, on this entire planet, and even in the entire universe, it seemed like there was only her and Chu Yu left.

Chu Yu smiled lightly, turned her head to look at her, and there was a hint of slight distress in her expression.

She spoke, "This person..."

The whole crowd waited for her answer, but she herself paused.

After several seconds, she seemed to have come up with an answer reluctantly.

Chu Yu continued, "She is Yunmiao's other biological mother, someone that I... have feelings for."

She coughed lightly, and her face also turned slightly red. "To be precise, I am pursuing her."

Unlike when she announced Yunmiao's identity just now, there was a long silence in the audience. Even Shu Yanyan, upon hearing these words, felt shy and didn't know what to say for a moment.

When Chu Yu introduced Yunmiao, she was firm and directly placed a royal crown on the little girl's head—she was the Crown Princess of the Empire.

In the eyes of everyone in the banquet hall, the introduction of Shu Yanyan probably followed a similar process—

"She is the Empress of the Empire."

Or perhaps, "She is the future Empress of the Empire."

It was evident that regardless of which statement, they carried more weight than "I am pursuing her."

Chu Yu, being as clever as she was, wouldn't be unaware of this, but she didn't say it that way. She said, "I am pursuing her."

Shu Yanyan was stunned for a moment and then realized her reaction, feeling a slight tingling in her nose.

The title "Empress" was too weighty.

Since the beginning, when she declined to marry Chu Yu directly, Chu Yu knew that she wasn't ready to accept that identity.

In this situation, Chu Yu not only revealed her noble identity as Yunmiao's mother but also didn't directly impose any high expectations on her. Instead, she humbly positioned her as someone she was pursuing.

It's important to note that there was a significant difference between the two—

Refusing to become the Empress of the Empire meant bearing the pressure from the entire empire.

But if she was only Chu Yu's pursuit, then if she were to refuse, she would only be rejecting Chu Yu as a person.

Chu Yu even considered this aspect for her.

Shu Yanyan covered her mouth with her other hand, too moved to find words to express herself.

She desperately racked her brain, trying to find the words, trying to respond to the radiance in Chu Yu's eyes.

But she hadn't figured out what to say yet when Chu Yu, who was holding her hand, suddenly knelt down on one knee.

"Ah—"

"Oh my god—"

"Emperor!!!"

The silent audience couldn't help but exclaim at the same time, letting out various cries of astonishment.

Shu Yanyan, who was right in front of Chu Yu, undoubtedly felt the greatest shock. She stared wide-eyed in astonishment, gazing at the other person in a daze.

Chu Yu took a deep breath and began to express her feelings, "I know that Miss Shu Yanyan might not be ready yet. I also know that Miss Shu Yanyan needs more time to consider her future. And even though I am fully aware of all these circumstances, I can't help but want to make Miss Shu Yanyan mine as soon as possible."

"I must admit that I am not a completely considerate and perfect lover. Oh, how I wish I had more patience and rationality to resist the growing love and desire within me. But the more I suppress them, the more I feel these emotions filling my heart, making it difficult to breathe."

"So, Miss Shu Yanyan—"

"Are you willing to accept such a despicable soul? She has many flaws, makes mistakes, and can make you angry. But her love for you is sincere, and her longing for you is devout enough."

As she spoke, Chu Yu took out a small and delicate ring from her pocket.

Shu Yanyan was too overwhelmed with excitement to say a word.

Fortunately, Chu Yu didn't insist on a verbal reply from her.

She placed the ring on the ring finger of Shu Yanyan's right hand.

"Will you marry me?"

Tears welled up in Shu Yanyan's eyes, followed by a firm nod. She trembled as she extended her hand forward, offering her fingers.

Chu Yu held her hand and began putting a ring on her finger.

At that moment, Shu Yanyan realized that the other person was also nervous. Not only did Chu Yu's fingers tremble slightly, but the act of putting on the ring seemed somewhat comical. After trying three or four times, she finally managed to slide the small silver ring onto her finger.

The whole room erupted in enthusiastic applause. Chu Yu stood up again, and as their hands intertwined, Shu Yanyan felt a slight dampness in her palm—

It turned out that Chu Yu was so nervous that she was sweating.

Realizing this, for some reason, Shu Yanyan's tears stopped, and she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

In their relationship, Chu Yu was usually the one taking the initiative. She never thought that the person who always teased her would also get nervous when asking for her consent to get engaged.

Chu Yu naturally knew what Shu Yanyan was laughing about.

Of course, she also wanted to hide her own uneasiness and present the most perfect version of herself in front of Shu Yanyan.

But it was simply impossible.

Love made rationality fade away, and in front of Shu Yanyan, she could only reveal her true self.

However, seeing the smile at the corner of Shu Yanyan's mouth, Chu Yu felt a slight relief.

"...Seeing you smile, cough, it's worth sweating like this."

Shu Yanyan blushed and lowered her head.

As she lowered her head, she saw the sparkling ring on her hand, and the smile on her lips deepened.

She asked softly, "There are so many people watching us... What do we do next?"

Chu Yu raised an eyebrow, "Next?"

"Well... I remember the next step. It should be kissing my fiancée."

Shu Yanyan looked up at her in surprise.

Chu Yu knew she was shy.

She was just teasing her future bride a little, after all, the timing wasn't right, and she didn't want to force Shu Yanyan. Just as she was about to end this little prank and tell Shu Yanyan that it was just a joke, she suddenly felt Shu Yanyan's face slowly getting closer.

The future Empress of the Empire tiptoed in the center of the palace, with a mix of shyness and determination, and kissed her beloved fiancée.

The cheers that erupted in the room were enough to pierce the sky. The Empress Dowager laughed and covered Little Yunmiao's eyes.

Chu Yu snapped back to reality, reached out, and tightly embraced Shu Yanyan, passionately and devoutly deepening the kiss.

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